Morning Devotions: 3/28/10

Palm Sunday
Luke 19:28-40

Jesus enters Jerusalem.....on a donkey?

This is certainly not the grand entrance we would have expected.

By this point in Jesus' life he had risen in status to that of a high ranking political figure. The rumors had spread that he was to be crowned the king of the Jews; that he was the long-awaited Messiah. His reputation preceded him to Jerusalem. The people surely would have expected a grand entrance. Pontius Pilate would have been seen traveling to and from Jerusalem on a mighty horse; one that would have been adorned with hints of armor and decorated with images of Caesar, the seal of Roman authority. Pilate would likely have been flanked by fully armed soldiers as security, communicating a sense of untouchable power. Surely if the Jews were anticipating their next king to make his first ever grand entrance into the most important city of all Judea, they would have been expecting some sort of similar show of power or a demonstration of royal stature. They would not have expected a donkey and a band of singing sinners.

Seldom is Jesus who or what we expect him to be.
We expect him to be the right arm of God, power, majesty etc. But then our most profound encounters with him, when we sense that we might just be standing on holy ground, are most often moments of humility, grace, love, peace.
We expect to see him in displays of power over our enemies. Yet, this very power is realized when we are on our knees encountering strength, courage and faith in our weakest moments.
We expect that he would be powerfully present with those "Christians"--you know the ones. They are always way better than everyone else around them because they like to put on air of righteousness. But, then he makes himself present even to the likes of you and me in small and unthreatening ways, like the subtlety of a message heard in church; a friendly greeting, in the water of a baptism, or in the bread and the wine.

Jesus enters on a donkey; humble, graceful, unthreatening; with subtle inward strength, courage, and faith.

Kings, presidents and all sorts of other political figures will come and go with grand displays of power and security for all the world to see. Meanwhile, we will continue to recognize Jesus' presence coming and going from us with subtle demonstrations of humility, grace, peace, love...the kinds of things that make us stronger, and better human beings on the inside where no one can see his profound power. Kings, presidents and others like them demonstrate their power on the outside because it is necessary to save themselves and secure the power of the office they hold.Jesus, on the other hand, isn't interested in saving himself or securing his own authority. He wants to save us, and keep us secure for all eternity.

Lord God, save me and secure me with your authority. Keep me within your humble, loving presence. Encourage me, and strengthen me to grow and change according to your will. In Jesus' name. Amen