Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed: “Blessed is he who comes, the king in God’s name! All’s well in heaven! Glory in the high places!” Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!” But Jesus said, “If they keep quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.” (Luke 19: 37 – 40)

Movie screens are getting bigger again. Special effects create worlds beyond our imagination. Hit movies need to be reviewed and labelled as “spectacular” and have stars of international status. Bigger, louder, more spectacular always seems better. Usually it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to produce a blockbuster movie.

Then along comes a small, independent film, made on a very tight budget with no big stars, no special effects, no advertising. But through word of mouth, it surprises everybody and becomes a major hit.

At the beginning of Holy Week, scripture gives us both. We have the panoramic view of the Passion and death of Jesus presented to us in Luke’s gospel with all its drama and intrigue and details. We are placed by it into the very centre of the events as they are happening.

Isaiah and Paul give us the opposite. Theirs are quiet, reflective, and personal accounts. Isaiah ends with a haunting, open-ended question, which is fitting because he wrote well before this special moment in salvation history. Paul gives us the entire message of the Passion and death of Jesus almost in poetry – short lines made up of few words that carry so much weight it becomes obvious he’s writing about what is central to his faith. So, take your pick today. Listen to the different stories. Let them change your life.