Look, the world has gone after him! John 12:19

Be popular with the unpopular. That’s what Jesus could offer those who followed him, and those who thought they wanted to follow.

Being popular is a serious draw. I have to believe even the first century people would prefer to be liked. But, the question always surfaces, at what price?

In scripture chosen for today, Jesus and his entourage are on the road to Jerusalem.

They make a  stopover in Bethany. There, he visits his good friends, Martha, Mary, and their recently resurrected brother, Lazarus.

Jesus has a metaphoric bounty on his head for calling the entombed  Lazarus to rise and walk out of the grave.

For the power-elite who already believed Jesus to be dangerous, Lazarus’ emergence from the grave was the turning point. No, more like a flash point.

Jesus has now moved from being an annoyance to being a threat to the Roman government. And this would end with his death on a cross outside Jerusalem.

Temple powers manipulated Roman powers into seeing a threat in Jesus. Government in bed with religion, a formula that cannot end well.

In good times (almost always meaning a good economy), this is what a good life looks like. We rarely need to be critical or concerned or alarmed. It can seem as if we live in a land of perfect counterweight. Checks and balances.

But, oh, my friend, a slight shift in balance and we’re in trouble. Slight shifts can morph into disasters of seismic proportion.

Quoting Jesus, I say, “Keep awake.” Much of the danger happens before our very eyes. Strike that. It IS happening before our very eyes.

Mary Patricia Trainor 2026