Readings: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66

The Kidron Valley separates the Mount of Olives from the City of Jerusalem. Jesus had crossed the valley many times with his disciples. It had been their route as they went up through the Golden Gate to the Temple. They had often crossed the valley on the way to get to the Mount of Olives where they would spend the night in the garden at Gethsemane. It was the route to the house of his good friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They lived at Bethany just a couple of hours walk across the valley. And on that Holy Thursday Jesus and the disciples left the cenacle, and crossed the valley to go to the garden. There they would spend the night.

It was a lovely place, serene and quiet, away from the crowds who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover. The olive trees in the garden were huge and stately. The disciples settled under the trees. It was their custom to sleep there when they came up to Jerusalem for the feast. But Jesus had much on his mind. He withdrew to a quiet spot by himself, near a large rock in the centre of the garden. There he settled himself to pray. "Abba, My father," he prayed fervently, "if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want, but what you want."

He knew that what he faced in the days to come was more than anyone should have to face, a cup of shame and humiliation, of unimaginable suffering and death. Jesus found in that prayer the strength to face what had to be faced. Yes! He was afraid. But courage is not "never being afraid". It is "overcoming fear" and continuing on in spite of it. And so Jesus called on his inner strength. He accepted the importance of his mission. And in saying "This is the end! I can't take it any more!" he realized that even at this dreadful time he could go on. He could call on his inner resources even when his friends had let him down – even when the crowds who had acclaimed him turned their backs on him. Even now, he could find new sources of strength. For courage is 'fear that has said its prayers'.

And so when the authorities came to arrest him, he was at peace. He understood that his mission was not to be accomplished through violence; it was to be accomplished through the miracle of the cross.

After his arrest he was brought before the authorities. Pilate asked Jesus a question, "Are you the King of the Jews?" It was an important question for Pilate. He needed to know the answer. There had been many rumours. The Jewish people were always talking about a takeover. Terrorism was the rule of the day. The Zealots caused constant problems for their Roman rulers. "They don't really understand how good their life is under Roman rule," he thought to himself. "The High Holidays are bound to bring about trouble from the fanatics."

It was an important question, too, for the disciples – one that they had asked themselves over and over again. What kind of a King was this Jesus? A few hours before, the people had acclaimed him as King. They had taken palm branches from the trees and strewn them in the way. They had shouted that kingly acclamation, "Hosanna to the son of David." They had treated him royally. What a time of hope that had been for the disciples. Now that same person was being arrested. "Why doesn't he fight back?" they asked themselves. "Why doesn't he rise up and claim his power as King? What kind of a king lets himself be taken prisoner?"

As we enter Holy Week it is an important question for us to ask. "Are you our king?" Is Jesus the King in my life? What would that mean if it were so? How do I set about making Jesus King of my life? How do I treat Jesus as King?

Pilate dealt with the problem. At least he thought he did. He opted out. He took the easy way. He offered the crowd a choice – Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the Christ. When they had chosen, he asked another question. "What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" And then, as if it could really make a difference, he washed his hands – simply washed his hands of the whole affair.

The disciples dealt with the problem too. In their confusion they didn't know what to do. And so they did a very human thing. They ran away. They looked for someplace to hide. They recoiled in fear and denied that they had ever known him. They left Jesus alone. Deserted. They left him to face the terror of death alone.

Haven't we all wondered what we would have done had we been on hand to witness the events of the crucifixion first hand? We would like to think that we would have stayed the course. Yet how many times in our own lives do we make choices about the faith that deny that Jesus is king? Such choices are often ways of running away from what God is calling us to do. What change do we see coming about in our lives because we serve Christ? How do we acknowledge his presence in our lives?

A friend of mine, a real cynic challenged my integrity in preaching Christ crucified. "You probably don't believe half the stuff you're preaching about," he said to me. "At best," he told me, "Jesus was an interesting historical figure." My friend has an intellectual interest in the historical Jesus. He studies scripture for arguments against having any faith. He goes to church on Sundays and waits for the preacher to show some lack of knowledge so that he can get into a good argument and get his blood going. He looks up my sermons on the Internet and writes me long treatises about how off base I am. He learns all he can about him. But he keeps it on an intellectual level. It never makes a difference in his life. When he leaves church on Sunday morning that is the end of it for him. It does not spill over into his "real" world. He does not let it transform his life.

There are other people who sentimentalise. They hold on to their childhood view of Jesus. They never get past the first prayer they learned. "Now I lay me down to sleep..." they pray. They picture the kindly bearded man embracing the little children who come to him – or the shepherd holding the little lamb. Those are comforting pictures. Comforting thoughts. But our faith needs to become more mature, more realistic. Like Jesus, we need to face the cross and its implications, its place in our lives.

Some may view Jesus as a revolutionary leader. They get on the bandwagon for one cause or another. They judge who has been saved and who has not. They go after the poor heathens of the world and often fail to see Christ in those around them. They miss the point of the cross. They miss what Jesus has done for them.

I suppose the real problem lies in the fact that we can't do anything with Jesus. He is. He is Lord and King, Saviour and Master. We can open our hearts and minds to him. We can live our lives intentionally. We can worship. We can let God work in our lives so that we see Christ in others and live Christian lives of integrity. We can live empowered by the Holy Spirit. We can say as Isaiah said: "The Lord has given me a tongue to sustain the weary. He wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught."

May we approach this Holy Week with open hearts and minds ready to approach the cross. Ready to worship Christ. Ready to know him as Lord and Saviour. Ready to take him with us into all aspects of our lives. Ready to be an Easter people.