Deer and Mystery Flowers--Pruning Ain't Pretty

I have no need to prune my plants.  The deer do that for me.  They come to up to my raised beds and not just nibble at a plant or two...They shear the poor plants down to the ground.  So, for many summers, I have had no flowers in my raised beds.  The roses were completely nibbled away as soon as they appeared.  I have some plants in one bed that I have never seen bloom, because the deer don't allow it!  

Last spring, we put up a fence.  It surrounds the beds in the front yard.  For the raised bed in the back, I have placed a garden flag that is always flapping due to the ever-present breezes up here.  I also placed an owl-shaped sign that ironically says "Welcome" on it--hopefully it's menacing to the deer who can't read.  I placed those tempting feeders with their luscious seeds further into the Russian olive, so they are not so visible.

Result?  No more pruning!  The deer no longer come into the front yard.  The day lilies are happily blooming and growing rather large and my teacup rose brush is lush with flowers on it.

 

It is true that some of my plants have not yet recovered from all that pruning.  This wee rose brush is a good example:

Maybe in a season or two, it will bloom as happily as its counterparts.  Then, there is the mystery plant in my backyard bed:

This is about how big it gets, then BAM! sheared to the ground without mercy.  But this summer, with the "owl" and the flapping flag, this is what I am finally (!) seeing:

Beautiful...the stalks are tall and flowers are about to appear...but until recently, I had no idea what they were.  Then, one day, while browsing at Home Depot in the garden section, I recognized the plants...Asiatic lilies!  They were stunning at the Home Depot and I am so excited to see them when they finally burst forth in all their glory.  I laughed--it had been so long since I planted them that I forgot what I had planted there, and now I get to see the final product!  

Life prunes us.  Pure and simple.  Sometimes the pruning comes again and again, and each time, we are sheared to the ground.  Maybe we are still recovering from a previous pruning, and like my wee rose brush, we only have a few tender leaves present and no flowers.  Sometimes, we think, "Hey!  It's my time to bloom!" only to face pruning in another area of our lives.  Some of us have forgotten joy...we are so used to being sheared down to the ground that we forget what our flowers are supposed to look like or if we even have any flowers in our future at all.  

Sometimes the pruning is because of poor decisions we have made. We have failed to pray and keep on focus on Him.  God's Word exhorts us:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6-7)  

Prayer and walking in Him is our fence. Again in Romans 12:2, we read:  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." We, in our weakness, can pray for fence-building strength: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right (or steadfast) spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

What are the "deer"? God's Word is specific here: "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5) 

Yup--those are powerful deer that invade us, but we are not alone: "But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one."  (2 Thessalonians 3:3).  Building a fence to keep out the deer is not easy.  Last year, when the fence guy showed up, it took him all day to put a rather small length of fence.  Why?  Just below the soil of our area is nothing but shattered basalt.  He had to stick the auger in and try to dig a hole in broken ROCK.  He persevered and modeled steadfastness to get the job done.

The result of all of this? I now have blooms, beautiful color and future hope...to see what is going to spring up! I know it will bring joy to my heart!
 
Pruning isn't pretty, but Jesus doesn't fail us. He's already brought the wood--the cross--and He delights in our growth.  He rejoices not in the pruning, but in the flowers to come. 

If the pruning is due to us, then build a fence. 

If we are being pruned for His glory, then persevere: "My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and whips every son whom he receives. …"  (Hebrews 12:6)

If we are overwhelmed, NEVER forget:  "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [evil doers], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  (1 John 4:4) 

Deer are strong, but He is stronger still:  "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still." (Corrie Ten Boom )

God's Schoolroom, Part II

To continue with the idea of how God uses His creation to speak to us, look at Job12:7-10:

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
⁹ Which of all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind."

Job is asking his friends to inquire of the Lord about what has happened to him--his loss and his suffering.  I find it fascinating that Job points his friends to inquire of God's own creatures to answer about his loss.  The animals go from day to day, surviving and yes, suffering, too.  Yet, all remains in God's hands--humans and animals alike.  So, is the suffering caused by God?  Allowed by God?  Directed by God?  Neglected by God?

It is a troubling question.  In the movie Creation, about Charles Darwin and his search to explain the natural world, there is one memorable scene where he takes his children into a forest.  A rabbit is feeding and is brutally attacked by a fox.  His children winced and cry and such a cruel scene seems to banish the idea that the world is a lovely place.   Darwin stares at the scene as if to say that Biblical account of God's creation being "good" is a lie.

Darwin then goes on to experience the most devastating blow of all--the loss of his daughter to an unknown disease.  He takes her to a doctor who had treated him successfully and hopes the doctor will do likewise for his daughter.  But she continues to decline and then die.  He is absolutely drowning in guilt and breathtaking pain.  His wife is a devoted Christian and she has the hope of heaven in her heart for her and her family, but she is gravely concerned about her husband's repudiation of his faith.  Darwin cannot reconcile the death so appallingly evident in the natural world and then the death of his child with a loving God.  He gravitates more and more to a universe where God is not present and creation is a series of random events, equipping creatures to survive in such a brutal world.  He then blames himself even further, for his wife is his cousin, and although allowable by English law, he wonders if he has violated a divine law, and is being punished for it.  

Anger at God and anger at oneself is a faith-shattering experience.

Job is pummeled with the same loss as Darwin--the loss of his home and children. And unlike Mrs. Darwin, Mrs. Job is not supportive of her husband: "His wife said to him, 'Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!' He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?' In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." (Job 2:9-10)

Yet, the creation seems to still echo the voice of God as He pronounced it "good" in the Genesis account:  
"Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:17)  And the creation speaks of Who God is: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

So, how do we reconcile a universe that speaks of His majesty, yet also cries out in pain and suffering? 

"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:20-5)

It would appear that not only did sin pollute us, it polluted creation.  So, not only do we await for that glorious day when we will be completely restored, but also the world as it was originally--"good" in the words of our Creator.  Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture of what this restored world will look like: 
"The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox." (Isaiah 11:5-7)

Until that Day...Go out into a field, stare into the night sky, look carefully at a flower and ask yourself:  if this kind of beauty can still be found in fallen world, the restored world will be beyond glorious!  The rainbow, a beautiful flower, a sunset and the risen Christ all speak to our hearts a promise.  I will, in faith, continue to wait, look and listen!  

God's Schoolroom: Part I

     Psalm 19:1-6 captures so well the textbook that is God's creation: 

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
   It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth."

     What is the "knowledge" that we may gain through observing the heavens?  May I offer a few interpretations?
1.  God is a One Who desires order:  If you look up every night, the same basic constellations appear, season after the season.  We are blessed to see the Milky Way, a gossamer curtain of stars waving across the heavens, as if a cosmic wind is gently carrying it along.  It appears every summer, and never ceases to amaze us.  The heavens shows order and design--not a randomness.  
     The Hawaiians have a legend about the Sun, who loved to dash about the sky, sometimes scorching the Earth by coming too close and sometimes freezing the Earth as he wandered too far away.  The god, Maui, takes the matter into his own hands, and beats the Sun, punishing him for not staying in place.  To have the stars dash about and the Sun not rise consistently would make for a fearful universe.  
     God's creation speaks of order:  planets and stars in their place and the laws of gravity conducting the dance of the heavens every night.
2.  The heavens speak of God's presence:  How often is our breath taken away by the beauty of the heavens on a summer night?  Or looking up on a quiet chilly winter's evening, don't we marvel at the diamond-like twinkle of the winter constellations?  To look up and not see the Hand of Someone would be the same as going to the Sistine Chapel and saying that with enough time and paint, that magnificent ceiling "just happened."  If we just listen, we can hear creation saying, "Look to the One Who is still here..."  
     Unlike the idea of the Divine Watchmaker, who was seen to just have started up everything and then walked away, the Creation speaks of His enduring presence:  

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:15-20).  

     God is so involved in His creation that when man chose to disobey, and sin entered creation and defaced it, God's presence did not depart.  He made a provision to reunite Himself and His creation through His Son--we choose to sin and we can choose to take hold of His Son.
3.  God is there, but you have to look for Him:  The heavens do not use words, but they still tell of His presence.  God's "words" if you will, are an indication of His provision--without the Sun, there would be no warmth, no crops, and survival would be close to impossible.  Mars is a balmy 50 degrees in the summer, but at night, the temperatures will plunge to an uninhabitable -50 degrees.  In the winter, it is below freezing, even in the daytime.  Why?  Because the Sun's warmth does not remain captured by its all-too-thin atmosphere, and it is much further away from the Sun as us.  The Sun for planet Earth is literally God-sent; without it, we would be doomed.  But the Sun itself is not what gives life:  God does. 
      Yet, God gives us the choice to believe in Him:  we can walk outside and feel the warmth of the Sun.  For some, sadly, that's all they want.  But God is there, waiting for us to seek Him.  He does not force His way into our path and says, "Hey!  Look!  You need to love Me!"  But, under the warmth of the Sun, we may feel stirred to seek the One Who made it and like the sun's journey through the heavens, we too may journey and find Him:  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-12).
     God's creation speaks to us:  it invites us to come and know more of the One Who put it altogether.  While God doesn't impose Himself into our lives, His creation is one big invitation.   And yet it is more than that:  it's a love letter written on the parchment of the planet.  He is hiding...in plain sight!

²³ “Am I only a God nearby,”
declares the Lord,
    “and not a God far away?
²⁴ Who can hide in secret places
    so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
    “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
declares the Lord (Jer. 23:23-24).

I'm BACK!

I have been away for awhile.  I am amazed that it has been two whole months since I last blogged--where did the time go?

Well, I am an instructor for the College of Western Idaho, and the end of the semester is a busy time for us.  So, no time to blog.

I had shoulder surgery as soon as school was over--no time to blog.  Really, I couldn't type with a shoulder in a sling!

It strikes me as I sit down today to blog how busy our lives are and how "the best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry."  Robert Burns wrote that--he's the national poet of Scotland, and what inspired that line and the poem it's from, was one day, he was out plowing.  He was a farmer's son. His plow blade soon struck a mouse's nest.  Of course, the wee mouse went scampering away, all in a panic, and he was saddened at what he had done.  The nest was the mouse's protection against the cold and it had put a lot of work into creating that little shelter.  He grieves that all that work should be undone from one swipe of a blade and he muses how so much of what we do can suddenly become undone as well.  Here is the poem, in English, and it is a delight.

Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast,
O, what a panic is in your little breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With argumentative chatter!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering plough-staff.
I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes you startle
At me, your poor, earth born companion
And fellow mortal!
I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal;
What then? Poor little beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.
Your small house, too, in ruin!
Its feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse grass green!
And bleak December's winds coming,
Both bitter and keen!
You saw the fields laid bare and wasted,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel plough passed
Out through your cell.
That small bit heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter's sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.
But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blessed, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!

The one thing the mouse is not concerned with is either the past nor the present--the wee thing lives only in the here and now.  The poet is not so lucky--nor are we.  We look back at the time we have lost and we look forward to what may be--afraid that the unknown will be unhappy.

But, as a Christian, I know where I have built my "nest"--on Christ's words. 

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Notice that the wind and the rain hits both houses.  It's not the house itself (how good you are) but what you build your house ON--Christ's words of promise and strength for the fight.  

Yes, life's plow blades might take out your house, leaving you in a field, afraid and feeling alone.  But remember this:  "I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future."

It's good to be back writing and sharing with you!

What Did Ya Plant?

Late last fall, my son and I planted bulbs...plenty of bulbs!  The only requirement was that small marking on the box, showing a deer with a circle and a slash through it.  I didn't want the deer to think that we added some new menu items to the "salad bar" that they consider my raised beds to be. 

So, after buying about ten boxes, away we went.  We both dug holes into the raised beds, and within about a half of an hour, we were done.   I tore the lids off the boxes, just so I could remember exactly what we planted.  I put the lids on my bulletin board, and awaited the magic of spring.

One problem:  I didn't mark on the beds what we planted where.  Sure, I had the lids to remind me, but no little signs in the soil, designating what was under the surface.  The snow came and went, and then in early February, we had a few intrepid sprigs rise up.  I was concerned, and had a chat to those early risers.  It was too early to come springing up in the world...the winter leaves the mountains not until middle May.  Did my early risers listen?  Nah, but I figured the ensuing cold would dampen their enthusiasm and slow them down.  And sure enough, that's what happened.

Then finally April brought enough warm days to encourage more peeking up through the soil.  The problem is, what am I looking at?  Without a beautiful flower to identify the plant, I am not such a good gardener that I can look at a stock and say, "Oh, that's going to be a so and so."  Nope.  Not me.  So, I must keep waiting until the flowers make their appearances.  Even then, we planted some flowers I couldn't identify and I had to go get the lids and see what these wee beauties are.

 I thought about our life as Christians.  When we are young in the faith, many things get planted:  sermons, fellowship and discussions with other believers, movies, and music are sown into our hearts and take root.  We may not always remember what we read or what we saw, but then it flowers into our lives and can bring beauty to those around us. 

I went to a small neighbor church as a young believer and had beautiful role models all around me, who planted good seed in my young heart:  how to love as a believer, how to model Jesus to a hurting world, and how to care genuinely for those around us.  I got a good Biblical grounding and spent many mornings at prayer meetings, listening to older saints pray for themselves and others.  Sure, not everything was rosy; there were some people there who were more concerned about themselves than the tender heart of a teenager, but the love I felt overshadowed these folks.  My family was falling apart and this church truly became a second home.  I had a new family and felt love and acceptance that my chaotic home couldn't provide.

The flowers in my life today I see having sprung forth from those early years.  The verse from Galatians 6:7 comes to mind:  "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."  I think we always read that in the negative sense:  sow sin, reap pain.  But I also see God's justice operates on the positive side as well:  sow love, reap peace.  His justice is breathtakingly simple:  if we seek to do His will, He will walk with us, sustain us and give us peace.  The inverse is equally true:  if we avoid His will and seek sin, He will stand at a distance, wait for us to "come to our senses" and will grieve over the pain we feel.  He will patiently await our repentance. 

Sometimes we don't remember what we've planted...and the resulting harvest can be a mixture of peace and pain.  Or sometimes we are careless and the pain springs up and we blame God.  And yet, the Bible can be our "lids"--it shows us the way we are to go, what to plant and what to expect:  "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God"  (Micah 6:8).

That's fairly straight forward.  That's doesn't mean that life will always be perfect--our peace comes from the Father through His Son, not from our circumstances.  The world will give and the world will take away--more often it takes away painfully.  Jesus plants within us the one thing that the world cannot plant in our hearts:  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

Plant love.  Plant forgiveness.  Plant a garden of patience with one another.  The love of God is always the perfect item to have blooming in your heart:  "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."  (1 John 4:7). 

In a world of pain and darkness, can God's love be shared too much?  That would like saying there are too many daffodils in the world...

Be A Finch

The winter is slowly leaving the mountains.  The mountains are starting to green up--there's  a faint green tint to the surrounding hills.  The wildflowers haven't shown up; the days are still not warm enough.  The soil is quite moist, but the warmth is compromised by cold winds and low temperatures during the evening.  

So, the colors are rather muted up here.  My daffodils are popping up and giving me a splash of yellow.  But one wee splash of color outdoes them all--the arrival of a goldfinch.

The gray skies, the leafless trees, the dried dead grasses that cling to a cold soil...and then magic!  A goldfinch comes to my feeders...a drop of sunshine in the Russian olive tree outside my kitchen window.

I am delighted that he has arrived and he is delighted that a lunch awaits him.  I stare out the window and he has no fear, just an earnest desire to eat what he can to stay warm.

I thought he is so representative of how we can be a drop of sunshine to a cold world that awaits the spring.  Look at Galatians 5:22-23:  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  

Think about it:  everything the Spirit wants to grow in our lives is in direct opposition to what the world offers.  The love the world offers has strings--you do for me and I might do for you.  Love really boils down to:  if you are meeting my needs--if I don't feel love or you are not pleasing me, my love for you grows cold.  Not so with the love from His Spirit:  we love because He loves us and knowing how unworthy we are of His love, we are humbled.   We are loved, so we can take our full cup and offer some of what is running over to someone whose cup is empty.

Joy.  Wow--the world says that joy comes from stuff--bigger houses, better jobs, nicer cars...and once we have what we thought would bring us joy, we find we need more.  The joy God gives is not based on external gratification, but on the knowledge that He has us in His hands.  A favorite quote is "I may not know what the futures holds, but I know Who holds the future."

Peace.  No surprise there--with the world motivated by self, it's little wonder that peace is elusive here.  Jesus gives us a peace based on Himself--He love and provision for us.  The world giveth and loves to taketh away.  Not so with God--He loves us and always has our best in mind.

Forbearance.  "Hurry up!" screams the world.  With a toddler-like mentality, we want it now, yet beg others to be patient with us.  God's love is long-suffering.  He watches and waits.  He suffers with our griefs and pain.  

If just for one day, everyone on planet Earth practiced goodness (thinking of others), kindness (treating others as we like to be treated), gentleness (treating each other with tenderness), and faithfulness (standing by through thick and thin), what a day that would be!  A little like heaven, don't you think? 

Self-control.  Road rage, war, violence, hatred, hurt...if we lay down arms, and trust the One Who stands by us to stand for us, then we can act graciously, knowing He will bring all things to right some day.

If we are growing in His Spirit and seeking His fruit to hang from our branches, think of the beauty we can bring to others.  Notice, however, one thing about our finch--he is not yet in full spring plumage.  He still has sploshes of white and gray in his yellow feathers.  He's not perfect, yet in the gray world of late winter, his yellow with all its imperfections is still beautiful.

No, we aren't perfect yet...we certainly won't be perfect this side of heaven.  But think of it--in a gray world, still laboring under the deceitfulness of sin, even a wee splash of yellow to a weary soul is delightful.  You don't have to be perfect to show Jesus' love.

Cheat Grass of the Heart

Last summer, we had a terrible fire.  It wasn't huge, but any time you watch a fire burn out of control, it feels epic.  The ground has been scorched black since last summer and all the surrounding trees are still black sticks.  With the snow covering the ground, it was a bit easier to forget the damage, but now that the snow is all but gone, the black ground reappears in all its ugliness.

But, something new is covering the ground...Look:

Yup, it's cheat grass.  Here's what the Internet has to say about it: "Cheat grass is notorious for its ability to thrive in disturbed areas—common disturbances include construction, fire, floods, poor grazing activities, and intense recreation."  So true!  It is covering, slowly but surely, the whole area that was burned.  The secret to its success?  A wide spreading root system!  Its invasionary tactics will lead to further fires as it covers more and more, because it's a highly inflammable grass.

Makes me stop and wonder:  I love the new green carpet that is being laid down over the scorched earth, but now that I know what it is and what it will bring, I am less excited and a bit more reserved in my praise of this new life.  

This is Easter Week and it commenced with Jesus riding humbly on a donkey into the city of Jerusalem, to the people's cries of acclamation and praise.  In less than a week, many people would be shouting to Pilate for His death.  The people thought that the kind of life Jesus was bringing was going to be Roman-free.  He would use His mighty power (having been demonstrated with miraculous healings and even bringing the dead to life) to remove the ugly Roman presence from the promised land of God's chosen.  The scars of Roman oppression were everywhere, and Jesus seemed to be bringing a new kind of kingdom to cover the ugliness and bring new life to the people.

But Jesus' kingdom was not "cheat grass."  He didn't come to merely cover over the Romans with a new kind of rule by the Jews.  His kingdom was not going to be on the outside, visible to all and springing up quickly wherever He walked.  He knew the hearts of men:  merely overturning the social order would only lead to new oppression--sadly, those who are victimized often, when given power, will turn just as vicious as those they replaced. 

Jesus came to set up a kingdom in a renewed heart.  As Jesus observed: "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-3).  So, we can change the system and overturn the existing order, but without a changed heart, all the same sins come roaring in again, and make even the best efforts fail.

The people turned on Jesus when they realized His kingdom would not meet their demands.  Their hearts were angry and then turned wrathful.  How quickly they wanted the "cheat grass" of overturning the existing order to come and yet Jesus has a much more long-term solution in mind:  the real inward growth in each person's heart.  In other words, Jesus wanted spring in our hearts:  slow, germinating seeds of change, nurtured by the warmth of the Son and watered by the rains of His presence.  A heart so grown would produce a bounty of beauty:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Gal. 5:22-4).  

That's why He died:  so that such fruit could be brought forth from a scorched heart from sin, and that spring would arrive in the ones who love Him.  No cheat grass--just a heart made new.  May spring and Easter be in your heart as you seek the risen Savior.  Just go to the tomb and look inside:  He is not there.  Ask Him into your heart, and that is where He will be.