Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, which marks for us the beginning of not just another week, but the beginning of Holy Week. It is the week when our Beloved Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, walked His hardest, yet His easiest walk; His strongest, yet His weakest walk; His longest, yet His shortest walk; His highest, yet His lowest walk; His sweetest, yet His bitterest walk; His most Divine, yet His most human walk. 

Today, knowing that we can only walk this crucifying, yet liberating walk with our Master, we say like Thomas and His fellow disciples of long ago, when Jesus called them to return to Judea, where the Jews had, but a short while ago, tried to stone Jesus, Let us also go that we may die with him. John 11: 16 KJV. Let every single one of us, who is persevering to the end, know that we are continuing, so that we must die with Jesus, to be able to rise with Him. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. Romans 6: 8 – 9.

Conscious of this, aware of it or not, many of us have to have our old selves, our old sinful natures crucified with Jesus, so that our sinful selves will be mortified. Only then will we be free from the bondage of slavery to sin and all evil. O how Paul puts it most emphaticly and sweetly for us. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6: 5 – 7.

Present, Sovereign Holy Spirit, humble us to see our own sinful selves today and on each day of this Holy Week, all that needs to be crucified in us, that we may truly surrender them up and know a resurrection of resurrections. Amen!

In this absolutely beautiful and timeless seventeenth century hymn by S. Crossman, entitled, My Song Is Love Unknown, I share with you a personal confession, as I stand guilty of what is being pictured here about Jesus and His own people. These are all people among whom He lived and moved and had His flesh being. This is the verse that has convicted me in this present moment.

Why, what hath my Lord done?

What makes this rage and spite?

He made the lame to run, He gave the blind their sight.

Sweet injuries! Yet they at these themselves displease,

And ‘gainst Him rise.

What has Jesus done to people, His own people, those whom He came to save, that they turn against Him and hate Him so? What wrongs has He done to them, to have them raging mad against Him?

Today, as Jesus makes His Triumphant Walk into Jerusalem, victoriously, yet humbly riding on a donkey, His people love Him. With zealously cheering voices, following after Him, they are without any shyness or restraint, as they cry out in choral unison, loud praises to Jesus, lauding and hailing Him with hosannas. Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the Highest! Matthew 9: 9b. 

Then, without warning, those same voices turn against Jesus, with shouts of Crucify Him! Yes indeed! His own people, with zealously condemning voice, without any shyness or restraint, now shout out in choral unison, Crucify Him, crucify Him! Luke 23: 21.

Sweet Injuries! During this given time of Holy Week, we shall continue to be pricked and pierced with sweet injuries that we may know repentance and resurrection, submission and celebration.