Where Is My Heart?

Hello again, this is Dick Foth with stories from the road and it's Holy Week, 2026. Holy Week can feel like unholy week when you read the story in the Gospels. I mean one challenge after another, an amazing sequence of interactions, confrontations, explanations, ending in horror or it feels like that until that Sunday. This was a program originally aired on April 7th, 2023 and it's called Where Is My Heart? Here we are again folks, Dick Foth with stories from the road and it is springtime. Spring has almost sprung where we are. It's snow this week and going to be 80 degrees next week and you know that's how it is in springtime. Back in the 1960s there was a television program that originated in England much like the office and other kinds of programs today. Originally overseas and come here and it was led by a comedian named David Frost. It was called This Was The Week That Was and it made fun of the political happenings mostly of the week prior. That's what it did. We have one of those weeks now. I'm speaking to you on Good Friday, what we call Good Friday. Holy Week historically the time between Palm Sunday when Jesus comes into Jerusalem on a donkey and Easter where he is raised from the dead. I mean it's this unbelievable seven or eight day period that has impacted the world ever since and I would I would call this this is the week that was not because there's anything funny about it but because it's the most significant week from my perspective in human history in terms of how we see life, how we see love, how we see ourselves. I try to come up with a title for this episode of The Podcast. It's been challenging is it gloves off? Is it the battleground? Is it the kingdom clash? Whatever it is maybe maybe I could just call it where is my heart? This is a week where it's light against darkness or good against evil and it's three years in Jesus life coming to a head in one week. It's really fascinating when you read the Jesus stories Matthew, Mark and Luke and John. It's a third of those stories a third of the Gospels are given of the first three Matthew, Mark and Luke are given to the last six weeks of Jesus 33 year earthly life. John's gospel it's like a half of it is given to that but I just want to look at these few days very quickly and I always like to look at stories at least the story the scripture story in terms of what's the lens that I see it through for example if we look at this week through the eyes of a let's say a public relations person who is a pro Jesus let's just say that that first Sunday that Palm Sunday that was great what good press that was but things kind of deteriorate during the week and how do we how do we make that look good or if you're a street vendor in Jerusalem it's it's like the best week of the year I mean the crowds are massive that I mean whether you're an authentic street vendor actually selling something for its value or whether you're those guys selling pigeons in the temple and you're trying to rip people off it's still a big big economic week if you're people of faith I mean it really is something in your heart this is a profound moment if you're people just of tradition or religion this could be a very frightening moment if you're a political person you see the battle I mean the the stuff that is going on in the back room as it often is in places of power it's not what you see it's what you don't see that is the story but if you if you're a politician it's the seat people in the seats of power versus a disruptor what if you're a doctor physician if you just look at Gethsemane where it says that Jesus sweat great drops of blood there's there's a medical term for that if you're if you're a psychiatrist or someone who's interested in the psychological pieces of doctoring the stressors the great hopes and the great dreams smashed in the garden of Gethsemane from onlookers challenge and you go on through the next 36 to 48 hours where Jesus is crucified I mean there are books written on these things about what was going on that when he's finally on the cross it isn't just the spear in the side it isn't just the fact that he's been beaten to a bloody pulp by Roman cat nine tails and spat on and made to carry a cross through the town isn't just that is that he can't breathe that he is suffocating in his own bodily fluids if you will he can't get his breath ultimately on the cross if you're a lawyer if you're in the legal system you're looking at one that's been compromised all of the things that happened that week they they don't they essentially don't fit what should happen in in a place governed by the rule of law if you're soldier just obeying orders and if you're a German conscript as most scholars think we're in play here what they call Hessian just following orders if you're a scientist what do you do with that storm that takes away the the sun for that afternoon that Friday and and and if you're seismologist what do you do with the earthquake that whole area of course we've just seen just to the north of there what happens in turkey and Syria when you have massive earthquake but if you're scientist it's almost like the physical things that happen the storm and the earthquake are a metaphor for what's going on in those days if you're a person who's really focused on friendship boy I mean I and care and relationship how do you get around the fact that Jesus turns to his mother and a disciple because the other disciples apparently have run away and there's mostly just women near the cross and he takes care of his mother in that last moment says to his friend take care of my mother and vice versa or the fact that on the cross when two people who are worthy of punishment I don't know about the cross part but one is cussing him and the other one says to Jesus remember me and Jesus makes a friend on the cross well we've been looking at the love chapter in the Paul's words and verse Corinthians 13 where it starts love is patient love is kind and goes on to say what love is not love is not jealous love is not proud or a a a a a braggart love is not arrogant or rude and this week is the face off between patience and kindness and what is best for you over against jealousy and pride and arrogance it's complete picture of all those things in play here's God's kingdom it's characterized by patience and kindness that goes on forever that wants to give and wants the best for you and then there's man's kingdom or kingdoms the first one in caps this one in lowercase that just lives for the moment how do I get power and keep it man's kingdoms want to get most of the time and get the best for me not the best for you well I'll be back in a minute with just a snapshot just a video moment that for me helps capture this week when you read this story in the Jesus story Matthew Mark Luke and John there are so many pictures I mean what would it be like to have a have a video of Jesus turning over the temples of the ripoff artists in the temple the the guys who were taking something that was legit and turning it just toward themselves and he he essentially says to them as he with anger whips at things and turns over tables you have turned a place of giving into a place of getting this isn't about you this place should be a house of prayer here's Jesus the son of man Messiah going head to head with arrogance and corruption there is a moment however for me in this whole story that that has particular power and I want to wrap things up with this here's what it says in Mark 12th chapter 38 verse going on is as he taught Jesus said watch out for the teachers of the law they like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets and listen to this one they devour widows houses and for show make lengthy lengthy prayers they devour widows houses and for show make lengthy prayers these men will be punished most severely says that and then immediately it says Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury now you have to understand that he's in a place with huge colonnades and high ceilings and gold and glitter and opulence if you will and he's sitting across from where they put their money into the temple treasury many rich people through in large amount scriptures is but a poor widow now he's just talked about widows and how the rich guys are trying to rip them off but a poor widow came and put into very small copper coins worth only a few cents calling to his disciples to him Jesus said truly I tell you this poor widow has put into the treasury more than all the others they all gave out of their wealth but she out of her poverty put in everything all she had to live on it's really interesting because in in Marx gospel the word that he uses is a Greek word lepta and two mites two lepta are together worth a quadrants the smallest Roman coin the lepta was the smallest and least valuable coin in circulation in Judea in that county in that area province lepta is worth about six minutes of an average daily wage and he contrasts that with those who posture and are proud and who are arrogant and he says the thing that captures us here he says is that they all gave out of their wealth but she out of her poverty put in everything all she had to live on that idea of all and the idea of love go together don't they and he is speaking to her intent what we do in what we do everything depends upon the intention the widow had given more than all the rich where she parted with her whole fortune she intended to give all she had to go that was an act of perfect love and sacrifice love is patient love is kind not proud not stingy gives it all that's it for now I'll be back in 48 hours resurrection day to see the end of this part of the story it is really a good part so I encourage you to turn in the dick foes from stories on the road saying catch you in a bit bye bye you you