We live in a noisy world. Sometimes, the noise and the voices cloud our thinking and shift our gaze to other things. Have you ever used or heard the phrase when talking with someone, “let me turn the music down so I can hear you better?"

Jerusalem was a noisy city. People were arriving, celebrating, and anticipating the Passover. Many approached the out-of-towners, offering their wares for sale, a place to stay, and food to eat. It was a noisy city. Enter Jesus. As He entered Jerusalem, He, the disciples, and the crowds that followed added to the noise. There was singing and praising, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Jn. 12:13). Luke's gospel tells us that some Pharisees tried to rebuke the disciples to get the crowds to stop the noise. But the noise continued. It was the noise of joy and anticipation, yet it quickly changed.

It would have been easy for Jesus, or any of us, to listen to that noise, the praise, the joyful singing, the hope in the air and shift our focus to thoughts of the coming kingdom. Yet very quickly there came a change.

From praise to cries for crucifixion, the crowd became a mob. The noise of praise became a cry for death. At that moment, the shadow of the cross grew a little larger. Jesus Himself realized this. The path of His journey remained the same. The noise of the crowds did not alter that journey. He struggled, and in His humanity, He wondered out loud, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Lk. 22:42). Jesus had come to do the will of the Father. Forty days in the wilderness, tempted in all ways by the devil, did not change that resolve. The noise of the promise of wealth and kingdoms and the noise of the crowds did not alter His focus. Jesus turned down the noise and heard His Father's voice, which helped Him focus on His journey. It was a difficult road that led from praise and singing, the hope of the kingdom, to cries for crucifixion, suffering, and death.

Yet, there was, and there is hope - the resurrection! As we move through this Easter season, we need to learn to turn down the music, the noise that calls to us to shift our focus and strive for lesser things. We need to train our ears to hear the voice of the Father that calls us to Him. There is a lot of noise in our world today and various opinions on how we should respond to a changing culture and shifting values. Sometimes it gets challenging to think clearly, and we must turn down the music to hear better. Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33).

This Easter, may you hear the call of Jesus, the hope in the resurrection, and the joy that comes from a personal relationship with Him amid a broken and hurting world.

He is Risen Indeed!

Rev. Bill Allan
AGC President

Above the Noise: Turn Down the Music