Moses and Elijah ... appeared in glory and spoke of his departure which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (Luke 13:34)

The Green Bay Packer football coach, Vince Lombardi, is credited with the declaration: "Winning isn't everything ... It's the only thing!" Now from the very limited perspective of a professional football coach there may be an element of truth in this statement. But in the broader arenas of life, winning is not the only thing. Winning is often irrelevant! The Gospel stories of Jesus are not stories about winning! Another pithy statement of questionable taste but containing a valid insight has dubbed Jesus "a flop at 3…