Passion Week :: Tuesday - The Gospel According to Shel Silverstein

"but the boy stayed away for a long time...
and the tree was sad.
and then one day, the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy and she said,
"come, boy, climb up my trunk and swing
from my branches and be happy."
"i am too busy to climb trees, i want a house
to keep me warm," he said...
"i have no house," said the tree..."but you may
cut off my branches and build a house.
then you will be happy."
and so the boy cut off her branches and carried
them away to build his house.

and the tree was happy."

- The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein

what does Shel Silverstein have to do with Easter?

i don't know about you, but i can't read "The Giving Tree" without thinking about Jesus. the tree loves her boy so much that she gives and gives and gives until there's nothing left. she gives her all. she sacrifices all she is for the well-being of this boy she loves. never does she deny him. never does she bat an eye at giving everything.

giving...
everything...
for the boy she loves.

""Abraham!"
"yes, i'm listening."
"take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains that I'll point out to you."
Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.
He took two of his young servants and his son, Isaac...
He set out for the place God had directed him."
Genesis 22:1-3

giving...
everything a father could...
for his Father.

"sitting across from the offering box,
He was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection.
many of the rich were making large contributions.
one poor widow came up and put in two small coins -
a measly two cents.
Jesus called His disciples over and said,
"the truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection
than all the others put together. all the others gave what
they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford -
she gave her all."

Mark 12:41-44 (the tuesday of passion week)

giving...
everything she couldn't afford...
for something she could never earn.

"I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself,
sacrifices himself if necessary...
I freely lay down my life...
no one takes it from Me.
I lay it down of My own free will." (John 10)

"when they got to the place called skull hill,
they crucified Him, along with the criminals...
Jesus prayed,
"Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing." (Luke 23)

"at noon, the sky became extremely dark...
at three o'clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly,
..."My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?!"
...but Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath..." (Mark 15)

God...
giving...
every thing...
we could never afford...
for something we could never earn.

us...
gaining everything...
and giving...
what?

a couple things?
a few things?
some things?

rethinking the gospel.
rethinking our response.
thank You.