June 11, 2009 Crossing the Rubicon

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We left late from Medford because of rain and cold and finally got on the road around 10:30. Our route took us north up past Crater Lake, but not in view of the lake. It is very high and there is still a lot of snow around the rim. We did go over the pass near the lake at an elevation of about 6,000 ft. and there was snow in the ditch along the road. It began to rain and it poured pretty hard for about the last hour before we stopped for an early lunch. My motorcycle boots are a little over ankle high and when I ride, my socks are exposed to the elements. So as I rode that last hour before lunch, I could feel the rain pouring down into my boot. My feet were getting colder and wetter as we rode. Guess who was wining? It wasn't Grace.

When we stopped for lunch, I got some plastic bags and put my feet in them and taped them around my ankle and put my boots back on. That helped keep my feet dry inside wet boots. Our ride north to Bend was much better. The sun was shining and my gloves actually dried out as we rode. There was a lot of traffic on the two-lane road going north -- mostly logging trucks. We passed the Newberry Volcano and lava flow. We arrived at Bend and stopped for a few minutes at the bank and at Walmart (needed some water repellent spray for my boots). We then headed east toward Burns, OR where we would spend the night.

That last jog of the day was only 130 miles, but about 1/3 of the way into the route, it began raining. We rode through miles of rain and began feeling sorry for ourselves when it began hailing. Then about the time I was feeling a little pitiful, we passed a guy on a bicycle. He was wearing bike short and peddling along at about 30 mph and it was raining and hailing on him. He was exactly 65 miles from Bend with 65 miles ahead to Burns. I didn't feel so sorry for myself anymore.

I got to thinking about our scripture text today of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem found in Matthew 21:1-11. This was Jesus' Rubicon. The Rubicon has come to mean the point of "no return". When someone "crosses the Rubicon", it means they crossed the point of no return. They have committed to what lies ahead. In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his troops. By Roman Law, if one were to cross the Rubicon, they were committing an act of treason or war toward Rome and it signified that they were engaging in an act of war with the state. I thought about this bicycler and what must have crossed his mind. At what point was he at the point of no return. What would he do to seek shelter? Would he have turned back at 20 miles? 40 miles? Yet he kept going.

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was significant in that it fulfilled prophecy that he would enter on a white colt and that he would be honored. However, it also was a point of no return. When he crossed the entrance gate of that city, he was on his way to fulfilling his destiny. His journey into Jerusalem, like his journey there when he was twelve years old, was all about fulfilling the father's role in the world. What lay behind him was freedom and what lay ahead was the cross. His journey to the cross had begun.

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