We can be very good at putting on the show. The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday demonstrates just how capable we are of putting on a show when on the inside the story is quite different. It also demonstrates the power of God to enter tough places. Sometimes the toughest place to enter is the human heart.
Rome knew how to welcome her Generals home. If you have ever seen the movies or shows on ancient Rome, you can probably close your eyes and picture a triumphant entry of a Roman General after battle. People lining the streets to see the parade. A strong disciplined military marching in from the battlefield. Flags and guidons before the legions of soldiers. Trophies of war on display. The General himself would sit high on a mighty steed or ride in on a chariot. Roman occupied Jerusalem had no doubt seen such displays of power from their Roman invaders. They wanted one for themselves.
When Jesus comes in, well He doesn’t quite fit the bill. Jesus comes to Jerusalem, as the prophet predicted, “humble and riding upon a donkey, not even a full-grown donkey, but a colt.” Instead of a stallion, they see a little donkey. Instead of a victorious General, they see a humble man; an obscure prophet. Instead of hands stained with the bloodshed of his enemies, they see Jesus carrying the look of a man who’s about to give his blood away. It doesn’t seem to fit.
Nevertheless, there was excitement over a rumored messiah. Here comes Jesus; I’ve heard He is to be the Messiah. Well, that’s not right, look at him coming in on a donkey, so humble. There’s no red carpet to roll out…so let’s toss our coats on the ground. There’s no army with Him, before Him and behind Him. We’ll be the army. Get behind Him, get in front of Him, shout the praises to the Messiah that He deserves, “Hosanna, Son of David.” “Guide us! Lead us! Save us!” There are no flags or banners that lead a Roman General in. Let’s cut down some branches and hold them up like standards for a mighty warrior. They didn’t want to see Jesus for who He was; they wanted to make Him into what they wanted…and thought they needed. It’s little wonder then that this same crowd gathers just a few days later with a different cry in their voice, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
We are a false people sometimes. We put on the show just like the crowd on Palm Sunday. We raise our banners and roll out our red carpet. We shout all the right things and give all the right answers. But inside we are false. We convince ourselves that we can do it, we can live a double life. We can live one life on the outside and show strength and perfection and use all the right answers…even with those closest to us, we put on the show. While inside, we live another life; a life of disappointment, of burden, of pain. A life of hidden doubts and fears; of unforgiven sins; of painful regrets. On the surface we shout “Hosanna! Hosanna!” but all the while we keep the dark secrets locked up inside; covered up where they can’t hurt anyone. But, you know what, like a tree rotting at it’s core, the darker places of our lives eventually come to the surface, and they cause a painful fall. Eventually the darker parts of the human heart emerge; the falseness that accuses Christ, the duplicity that hurts Him it makes us enraged at Jesus for being true; it makes us want to put Him on the Cross. If we allow a falseness to rot inside us at our core, eventually we can’t stand the presence of the Truth. We abhor it. We abhor Him.
C. S. Lewis is good at putting truths of scripture into pictures for us. In his book, The Great Divorce, he describes the journey of a man who travels from a place of falseness and illusion toward and into the kingdom of God which is true and real. At one point he steps off a bus into a field. He immediately realizes that he can see the grass through his feet; his surroundings are more REAL that he himself is. He is a phantom compared to the REAL-ness of his new environment. He tries to pick a daisy and finds that he can’t lift it. He tries to lift a small tender leaf from the ground and it strains his whole body to move it, and he drops it back down as heavy as a bag of coal. Soon he begins to feel a shooting pain and he realizes that the blades of grass are cutting through his shoes and into his feet. When the false man is in contact with the truth, he realizes that in comparison with what it true and real, he is but a phantom. A ghost. We can’t abide that realization. When we let what is false grow in our hearts, it rots our core, and we soon can’t abide the presence of the Truth.
The inner heart of our Palm Sunday crowd was not eager expectation to serve the Messiah, Jesus. It was a desire to see the man Jesus serve their needs and expectations as their Messiah. And the false desire to make what they will of Jesus emerges on Good Friday. The false overtakes the true in their hearts as they put Jesus on the cross. I’m not giving our Palm Sunday crowd much credit this morning, am I? I just couldn’t get over the realization this year that this is the same bunch. The same bunch that cries ‘Hosanna!’ yells out ‘Crucify Him!’ a few days later. What falseness. And what a shame it is that we so often do the same.
But here’s the hope: Jesus rode in to Jerusalem anyway. He rode through that street regardless of the cries and their truth or their falseness. He rode on in to his job. The hope of Holy Week is that maybe, just maybe, Jesus will ride into the most difficult, most false, most rotten places of our lives…maybe He won’t pay any attention to our show, to our false cries, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” Everything’s right over here, no problems here, Lord. The hope is He won’t give any credence to our outward appearance and He’ll come right in to the darkest most rotten places of our heart, and He’ll clean them out…and maybe He’ll even touch them and start a new growth of genuine faith. Jesus can heal us from the inside out.
The hardest place to go is the human heart. Sometimes the hardest road to walk is that rode that leads into our own hearts to examine the dark and rotting places of our lives. There is a little booklet that gets passed around often called “My Heart Christ’s Home.” It was written about 50 years ago, and it offers a picture of letting Christ into your life. It imagines that your heart is a house, and as you give your heart to Jesus, it’s like walking through the rooms of your house and offering Him every room. At first, there are only some rooms that you’re comfortable showing Him. For a while, you may confine your guest to only the most decorous and clean rooms of the house. But if He is really going to live with you, eventually you have to show Him everything. Here’s one excerpt:
The Hall Closet
One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the house. Something must be dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet."
As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. There was a small closet up there on the hall landing, just a few feet square. In that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about. Certainly, I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there…
…"I'll give You the key," I said sadly, "but You will have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it."
"Just give me the key," He said. "Authorize me to take care of that closet and I will."
With trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it, walked over to the door, opened it, entered, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it. It was done in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!
The Palm Sunday crowd loved the false front. They
loved the parade. But upstairs in the closet was the rotting smell of a
putrid spirit. We can be that way too. Putting up a great false front,
while all along we allow old dead stuff from lives gone by to rot in our
closets. We don’t want to deal with it…but with Jesus’ help, we can
become genuine people. Good at the core. Not because of us…but
because of Him and his loving, healing, forgiving touch.
A Donkey For Christ
The Triumphal Entry
Luke 19:28-44
[28] After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. [29] As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, [30] "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. [31] If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
[32] Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. [33] As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
[34] They replied, "The Lord needs it."
[35] They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. [36] As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
[37] When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
[38] "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
[39] Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
[40] "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
About 3 years ago I dropped into a black hole – four months of absolute terror. I wanted to end my life, but somehow [Holy Spirit], I reached out to a friend who took me to hospital. I had three visits [hospital] in four months – I actually thought I was in hell. I imagine I was going through some sort of metamorphosis [mental, physical & spiritual]. I had been seeing a therapist [1994] on a regular basis, up until this point in time. I actually thought I would be locked away – but the hospital staff was very supportive [I had no control over my process]. I was released from hospital 16th September 1994, but my fear, pain & shame had only subsided a little. I remember this particular morning waking up [home] & my process would start up again [fear, pain, & shame]. No one could help me, not even my therapist [I was terrified]. I asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on me & forgive me my sins. Slowly, all my fear has dissipated & I believe Jesus delivered me from my “psychological prison.” I am a practicing Catholic & the Holy Spirit is my friend & strength; every day since then has been a joy & blessing. I deserve to go to hell for the life I have led, but Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross, delivered me from my inequities. John 3: 8, John 15: 26, are verses I can relate to, organically. He’s a real person who is with me all the time. I have so much joy & peace in my life, today, after a childhood spent in orphanages [England & Australia]. Fear, pain, & shame, are no longer my constant companions. I just wanted to share my experience with you [Luke 8: 16 – 17].
Peace Be With You
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick | April 02, 2007 at 11:01 AM
Thank you, Patrick. May Christ continue to be your strength and joy. His is a promise of fullness of life.
Timothy
Posted by: Timothy | April 05, 2007 at 01:49 PM