“The Palm Sunday Perspective”…
In 1962, Thomas Kuhn made this statement – “The advancement of knowledge is not accomplished through drastic evolution, but rather is a "series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions", and in those revolutions "one conceptual world view is replaced by another."
A paradigm shift is about changing from one way of thinking about and perceiving things, to another. A paradigm is the lens through which we view the world in a certain way. One example of a paradigm shift is that once we viewed the world as flat, but as knowledge increased and information became available, we saw that it was round. We all view the world through the lenses of our mindsets, perspectives and viewpoints.
We see the world and the things that are in it through lenses that are colored by our culture, our upbringing, our educational background, our senses, our value systems and our environment. The reason for the many differing viewpoints people have and why we can interpret events, opportunities and experiences so differently, is about the paradigm that we choose to see it all through.
Because the Palm Sunday entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, took place in a world which used many paradigms to view and experience it, just as it is today, they failed to seize this opportunity to view it through the lens of the Kingdom of God. And the donkey moved on down the streets of Jerusalem and on into history, carrying their only real hope, while mankind was left to sort it out and find a paradigm where it would fit their point of view.
An old boy from the Louisiana swamps, went to have his eyes checked. The Doc asked him to point the direction the Letter E was pointing. When he was done and the Doc gave him the prescription for his glasses and told him he needed reading glasses. He came to pick up the new glasses, and asked the docter, “ will I be able to read OK, with my new glass. The doctor told him that he would be able to read perfectly now. Wow, doc, he said, that’s amazing, I never have been able to read before! (there’s some things glasses just won’t fix!)
The last time I went to the eye doctor for a regular exam and check-up, he wanted to see how well I could see what was on the eye-chart in front of me. Then he tried out different corrective lenses and he would say, which is better, “#1 or #2” … “this one or that one?” I was given the opportunity to choose which lens I preferred to look through.
Palm Sunday took place in two dimensions, just like we live our lives…. There was the dimension made up of the social, political, religious, and economical…..and there was the Kingdom of God dimension.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus presented everyone with a choice.
Peter Woods, a minister in South Africa, reminds us that “in the Palm Sunday procession we do not have a Lamb to the Slaughter, a pre-programmed robotic Jesus, we have a living, fully human, making himself accessible, inviting the people and powers that be, to see and receive Him through the proper lens.”
I began to look again at Matthew 11:12 , and realized some things that I had not seen before…. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent (bee-ad'-zo…those who choose to seize the opportunity) take it by force ( ar-hrab-ohn' ….to seize a present opportunity which will assure a future victory; a down payment which is given as security in advance, to purchase the rest”). Everything Jesus did was about seizing the present opportunity to secure the future victory, and Palm Sunday was no exception….
You see, I think all too often too many have chosen to just be Palm Sunday spectators, debating among themselves the different ways to view the life and passion of Jesus. They go out to Sunday dinner and pretty much go back to their regular way of doing business. The donkey moves on, and so do they!
“Too many have taken their place in the Palm Sunday processional, but they’ve not positioned themselves in the promises!” But when you see it all through the lens of the Spirit, you can no longer be a “sideline Christian” or a “Sunday morning quarterback”… Because your paradigm has changed and the procession doesn’t end for you on Palm Sunday, but you’re still marching forward on Good Friday, when many others have disappeared and are following after other things, because it didn’t go their way!
Palm Sunday is a dramatic reminder that Jesus, (God in the flesh) riding on the back of a donkey, is offering us a choice, an alternative to life as the world usually knows it, both then and now… a choice to turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary…by seeing life in all of it’s parts and places through a new lens….as my eye doctor said to me…. “choose this one or that one”!!!
On Palm Sunday, Jesus was met with streets lined with fans and admirers, but He didn’t call fans, cheerleaders and admirers to follow Him, He called disciples! The fans, are never found out on the field, they just cheer for those who are taking the bumps and bruises and moving the ball forward toward the goal line. But what’s amazing is that they can tell every player on the field exactly what they should and should not do! They’re not interested in the discipline it takes to get in shape, go the extra mile, and do whatever it takes to get in the real action themselves.
Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. v25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. v26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul”?
Scholars tell us that as Jesus was entering the city from the east side, riding on a donkey, with his cheering disciples and a crowd of palm waving fans all around Him, at the same time, there was an imperial procession entering the city from the west.
Borg and Crossan describe it as: “A visual display of imperial power with cavalry, foot soldiers, weapons, banners, golden eagles mounted on poles, the sounds of marching feet, the beating of drums, greet the eyes of the silent onlookers, some curious, some awed, some resentful.” While on the other side of town, Jesus is deliberately acting out the prophecy of Zechariah, riding on a donkey, as He makes a deposit in their understanding which would later open their perspective to the kingship of the Messiah, and set in motion a march that would encircle the globe.
In an age of opinion-polls it is not too difficult to project ourselves back into the first century and imagine ourselves watching the news on our 80 inch flat screen TV’s, as the pilgrim crowds streamed into Jerusalem for the Passover festival on that first Palm Sunday: Picture with me, the camera crew and the reporter on the scene for Fox News, Jerusalem….
”Quick, over here a reporter shouts to the camera crew– as she holds the microphone out to a tough, fierce-looking young man to get his comments - Excuse me Sir – what do you think is going to happen”? “Who me? Oh, I’d like to see us get together and push out the entire Roman army, every single one of them…. And push them into the Mediterranean Sea! They’re cruel and have no regard for anyone! And believe me, It could happen you know.
We have the weapons, and there is a natural leader among us – a strong young man named Jesus from the north of the country: he could unite us in driving them out Wow, here he is now!!!! Like so many zealots in the first century this imaginary young hot-head had completely misunderstood what the Palm Sunday procession was all about.
This King was no freedom-fighter, whose rallying cry was ‘Let’s all throw a grenade for Jesus’ and wipe out these Roman sinners! Not ever!!!
As the emperor comes into the city on the West side… He is making a display of Power, through physical force – domination through military strength – ambition, pride, control, superiority, fear and intimidation.
But On the East side of the city… what we see is a display of Power through compassion, caring community, healing, self-giving, restoration, redemption, the power of agape love – servants not Lords and masters…is on display!!!.
As you look through the lens of Zechariah 9:10 ‘He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be broken, and he shall command peace to the nations’…it is unmistakable, that the weapons of the coming King are the exact opposite of those of the world, that rely on brute force. This was the King of love.
The choice could not be clearer…“This or That”…(as the doctor said) Jesus on a donkey calls us into accountability, responsibility, and self-discipline, if indeed we are serious about making Him our model and our paradigm through which we see everything.”
Which will we choose: fan or disciple, spectator or risk-taker, The West gate or the East gate, just being on the premises or standing on the promises? Will we have the courage to go all the way with Jesus, or will we “drop out” before we get to Good Friday? Will we hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign on our doors, or sing “Where You Lead Me, I Will Follow ?”
Matthew 21: 6 “The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. v7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. v8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road”.
Palm Sunday is a study in contrast. This very interesting scripture separates the true followers of Christ, from the fans who are only cheering at the moment….Notice, that part of the crowd made no personal investment in their praise….They used palm branches that were cut from someone else’s trees. It cost them nothing to cheer for him…it was an impersonal act, void of heart devotion, and achieved at no cost and no sacrifice by them whatsoever…
On the other hand, there were those who laid their cloaks on the ground so the donkey carrying Jesus could walk upon them… these folks made it personal! There was a cost and a sacrifice involved in their praise….it was the difference in being just a fan and being a disciple!
David said in 2 Samuel 24:24 “I will not offer unto the LORD my God of that which has cost me nothing”.
Perhaps we should be decorating the church today, with shirts and cloaks and jackets on Palm Sunday, instead of Palm branches!!!
Fans and cheerleaders, will bring things they can’t use themselves, to donate to the needy. It has no value to them, and there’s no sacrifice involved! Let’s not just wave palm branches, let’s offer to Him, that which has value to us as we celebrate this Palm Sunday~~~Your time, your money, your touch, your talent, yourself!
Let’s go into Easter with a new paradigm!
Establishing a new paradigm may be shocking to some. It means that same old, same old, won’t do anymore. It means a person isn’t just going with the flow, they’re taking a stand and going with their inner convictions at a deeper level. New paradigms often “go against the grain” and it often means thinking or acting outside the box, and thereby it changes the established pattern or way of doing something.
If Rosa Parks hadn’t gone against the grain, Black Americans might still be relegated to the back of the bus. If Susan B. Anthony hadn’t gone against the grain, women might still not have the right to vote. If Martin Luther hadn’t gone against the grain, the Reformation might not have happened. If William Tyndale hadn’t gone against the grain, we all might still be reading the Bible in Latin. If Galileo hadn’t gone against the grain, we still might believe that the world is flat. If Jesus hadn’t gone against the grain, we wouldn’t be here today, redeemed, free from judgment, and headed for a glorious eternity with the Father. Yet many are shocked at that belief….
New paradigms are needed for interpreting the past, understanding and seizing the opportunities of the present, and possibly redeeming and transforming our future. To go against the grain means to break free of the bias, the well-intended manipulation, the limitations that have held us back, and the argument that because no one has done it, it can’t be done! It means to go where we never thought we could go, to do what we never thought we could do, and to be what we never thought we could be! To approach situations, not as they are but as they should be. To see people not as they are but as they can be. To live in a world of possibilities, not just problems, a world of opportunities, not just impossibilities, a world of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” A life that is no longer intimidated and paralyzed by the thief and deceiver who comes to kill, steal and destroy! We must each ask ourselves, “where in my life, do I need a paradigm shift?!
Philippians 4:8 (Amplified Bible) “Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy and honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, value these things, focus on them and fix your minds on them”.
Without a paradigm shift, we can become so preoccupied with our own mind sets, that we miss the truth when it is right in front of our faces.
I just heard about A Los Angeles ticketing officer who came upon a silver Cadillac Eldorado illegally parked at an expired meter. The officer, doing her duty, wrote out a ticket, reached through the open window and slapped the $30 ticket down on the dashboard. The driver of the car made no excuses and gave no arguments…you see, the driver of the car had been shot in the head 3 hours before but was sitting there, stiff as a board, slumped slightly forward as though he were asleep. But, the officer was so preoccupied with giving the ticket she never noticed that there was something wrong. She simply got back in her car and drove away. We can be so preoccupied with lesser things that we miss eternal opportunities! Certainly, we could all confess to being guilty…..
Because we know how the rest of the Passion week story turns out, Palm Sunday can easily be relegated to the world of symbolism and form, children’s activities and church skits, and more stuff to clean up and put away till next year….and the real substance is lost…
How often do we simply go through the motions, and totally miss what is really going on at a deeper level, because we are occupied with filtering our experiences and encounters through the lens of our perceived reality. And by doing this we can easily surrender to feelings of depression, desperation, despair and even hopelessness, because we missed the real story, underneath the story.
I wrote a poem a couple of years ago dealing with the dichotomy that we all are. I’ve read it before but it fits here… I called it “Two sided doors”…
”Our inner and outer door, can often be worlds apart. One side is where you end up and the other is where you start. The inner door, for many a soul, is sealed and locked secure, but the outer door faces another world, your outer self, lives there. At best, we are two sided people, who constantly move back and forth. Living out our two sided lives, on both sides of our two sided doors”.
In the story we celebrate today, Jesus is addressed as the Son of David. Jesus the man, was a son in two dimensions, the natural and the supernatural. He was fully, the Son of God supernaturally and he was fully the son of David by natural birth…
There are things we can achieve in the natural…and there are things we can only receive supernaturally… Through new birth, we receive by faith that which is impossible in the natural realm.
We know that this triumphant Palm Sunday procession points us to the day when all believers of every color and culture worldwide, will celebrate with “God the Son”, who marches into Jerusalem and establishes His rightful rule and reign for all eternity as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I believe that heaven’s trumpets are warming up for that paradigm shifting event…..even now!!!
His story becomes our story as we take his cross which is now become our cross and become fully engaged to the extent that “we take up our victory over our worries, our fears, our stress, our challenges and difficulties, and we follow Him in a triumphant procession, as we daily crown Him as king in our lives.
We do not just wear the cross, but we are embedded with the cross and it affects everything we do and everything we say! Our lives are no longer a study in contrast, but they are synchronized by the new paradigm through which we experience everything!
Jesus’ disciples met a man blind from birth and asked, “How did this man get into this situation? Why did it happen? Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born this way? Jesus resolved the issue by replying, “you’re asking the wrong question. This was all so that the power of God could be displayed in his life.”
Instead of asking, “How can I get out of this?” What about asking, “How can God be glorified in this?” The right question changes our perspective and the spiritual realities at the foundation of it.
That paradigm applies not only in the bad times, but it applies in the good times, as well. Jesus knew that the triumphant entry into Jerusalem was all about the Kingdom being revealed, and God’s word being fulfilled!
If you’re on the right train, no matter what seat you’re in, you’ll reach your destination… but if you’re on the wrong train, you can run back and forth to change your direction, but you will still arrive at the wrong station! So, Get on the train, Jane… watch what you say Jay… get on the bus, Gus! Our God specializes in turning “difficulties into deliverances and problems into praise.” You just have to get on board!!!!
Philippians 2.6-11 “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
He became like us so that we could become like Him. He came to reveal the glory of the heavenly, embedded in the realm of the earthly so that we might see the eternal that is present in the midst of the things that are corruptible.
What is, has been, and what has been will be! Being omnipresent, God is multi-dimensional and stands in all three dimensions, and is able to salvage our past, redeem our present, and guarantee our future!
In the eternal present reality….Christ, once again, is marching into Jerusalem. That’s happening right now, as His witnesses go forth!
He is being offered for the sins of mankind right now as we declare it! He is speaking His words of comfort, strength and guidance, right now as we encourage, support and lift up one another!
He is pouring out of His Spirit, on the old, the young, on our sons and our daughters, on Jew and Gentile, right now as we let go and let God!
The king is riding, will you ride with Him? (And we say yes, Lord, we’ll ride with you as you make your triumphant entry into our homes, our jobs, our neighborhood, and our city…. In Jesus Name!!!!
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Father, I thank You, in the Name of Jesus, for bringing me into this season of intense favor of the Lord upon my life and my family. I pray that You would transform my physical, emotional, mental, spiritual situation for Your Glory and honor. I enter into Your place of joy, love and fresh intimacy by the Spirit, in the Name of Jesus. Father I pray that I will come to such a place of desiring Your will and pleasure, that I will be transformed into a different person. Lord, let Your intentions in all the areas and dealings of my life fill my heart fully day by day.
Teach me how to rest in surrender and submission that I might in greater measure bring You my worship. In this season I am in, teach me to live in the fragrance of Your presence.
I ask that all You want to say to me, and be to me and do for me, will come to me without hindrance or distraction. Come into my heart with your kindness, goodness and righteousness that I might be the new creation You want me to be. Transform my thinking, my praying and my very being before You.
Lord, I desire to become a forerunner of a bold and courageous people who are confident and intimate with the promises and the nature of God. I desire that my praying would be with renewed joy, delight and expectation as I continue to love and serve the KING in a deeper way. Where there is pain, let me show mercy and compassion. Where there is self-doubting, let me bring a renewed confidence in Your grace and acceptance. Where there is error or misunderstanding, let me bring understanding, patience, and forgiveness as I learn submission to Your leading.
Where there is spiritual stagnation, help me to reveal Your nearness, as I come into greater intimacy with You. Where there is fear, let me reveal Your love, that brings courage. Where there is anything blocking full life, reveal it, and break its hold. I ask for greater vision, and discernment to recognize the power and resources I have in You. Lord, May You be glorified in every situation and circumstance in my life, in Jesus' mighty and wonder working name. AMEN.
