The final week of the life of Jesus here on earth began with the triumphant entry as Jesus made his way into the Holy City. The crowds were shouting his praises and spreading palm branches on the ground as the King made his way into the city.  The week continued with Jesus cleansing the temple and then continuing to teach day by day about the coming Kingdom of God.

As the religious leaders continued to challenge his authority and looked for ways to discredit him, the tension intensified. Finally, it all came to a head as the Jewish leadership executed their plan to get rid of this troublemaking rabbi once and for all. It all seemed to be working in their favor. It was Passover and having such a large crowd in the city to witness him being convicted as a criminal and to get rid of him in one great act was too good an opportunity to pass up. They had one of his followers who agreed to lead the officers and soldiers to arrest him away from the plain view of those who thought well of him. The trials which were all rigged by the leadership that wanted Jesus gone went as planned. The Roman governor who wanted to keep peace could and would be willing to go along with the wishes of the Jewish leadership. The crowd was easily manipulated into calling for the release of a real criminal and for the crucifixion of Jesus.

It all seemed to go just the way they planned. By the end of the week, just prior to the Passover Sabbath, the body of Jesus was taken down from a Roman cross and laid in a nearby tomb. They had gotten what they wanted. But God…….. Those two little words make all the difference.

Weeks later in that same city, in a sermon likely addressing many of the same people who had been in Jerusalem during the crucifixion, Peter used those two little words. “Men of Israel, listen to this Jesus of Nazareth, was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:22-24)

When we stop and think about it, it is amazing how powerful those two little words are. It is incredible how much hope, mercy, grace, and love can be packaged in just two little words: but God. It is a theme that we find over and over in Scripture.

• Adam and Eve choose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and as a result are banished from Eden where God comes to dwell with them. But God makes a way for people to return to him.
• During the days of Noah, every thought of humanity was on evil continually so that every living thing was going to be destroyed. But God called Noah and saved him and his family.
• Israel was enslaved in Egypt with no hope and no way to free themselves. But God called Moses, executed plagues, led Israel out, parted the sea, and destroyed their enemies.

These two little words are incredibly important and the only thing that brings us hope.

Paul in writing to the church in Ephesus uses those same two little words. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:1-6)

As we find ourselves reflecting on the final week of the life, and particularly focus on the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, let’s remember these two little words, “But God….” Let’s remember to thank him for all he has done and think of where each of us would be if not for what he has done for us.