It's 4:30 a.m. and I am wide awake, before daylight breaks the darkness, before the first sounds of the birds singing disrupt the silence of the waning nighttime hours. My brain is switched to "on" and suddenly my mind begins to be flooded with the meaning of THIS day. Not the foolishness and games of this "April Fools Day", but rather the awesome mind-boggling meaning of this special day, "Palm Sunday".
"So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13) I start thinking about what Jesus might have been thinking and feeling as he prepared for his triumphal ride into the city of Jerusalem, knowing that the people did not really understand...could not understand. They had been looking for and hoping for a powerful new leader, a military leader, a government ruler, to save them from the problems of their time. They knew a little about Jesus and had heard about some of the miracles he had performed, but they did not truly know him. They could not see that they had need of a more important kind of leader, someone to save them not just from their worldly problems, but to save them spiritually and for eternity.
How ironic that the anniversary of that day would this year coincide with another day that will be probably more recognized and celebrated by people all over the world...showing how truly foolish people are and showing that we really haven't learned much over the past 2,000 plus years. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.' Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
"God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27)
He showed us the way, gave us the answers, and still we search everywhere else, looking for our strength and power and importance in things and people and politics...and looking for a human leader who will save us, magically solve all our personal problems and those of society, and lead us into prosperity and goodness and make all things "right"...when he has already provided that, teaching us that we should not be so concerned with the natural things, the things of this world, but be more concerned about those things that will last forever."Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2:12)
( © Post and photos by C.J. - please do not copy)
