The Parade Before Dawn

READING FOR THE DAY:
Matthew 21 (click the link)


KEY PASSAGE:
The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9, NIV)


THE BIG IDEA:
The triumphal entry of Christ is a triumph of the heart over pride and arrogance, insecurity, weakness, and ultimately rebellion.


REFLECTIONS:
There doesn’t seem to be many parades anymore.  I guess they’re too costly, too time consuming, too passé or too disruptive of the everyday patterns of life.  Maybe they’ve become irrelevant. There was a time when a parade was vivid colors, banners in the breeze, magnificent steeds, precision marching, soaring horns, and thundering drums.  Hope was alive, anticipation was its own reward.  The air was purer, the skies brighter, and the best of who we are seemed to prevail.  Your senses were fully alive.  It was magical!  Nothing else existed for that moment in the mind of a child. Time stood still and wonder took its place.  It was a better day.

They came from all over to lay cloaks and branches in His path.  They moved with Him shouting:  

“Hosanna (meaning: save, we pray) in the highest!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

The whole scene explodes into the city and the inevitable question comes:  

Who is he, we ask?  How is he deserving of our attention, our time, our priorities?  How is he deserving of our celebration and praise?  Maybe a conquering hero, a triumphant sports team or a King, but not this king.  Besides, what did you say he is, a prophet? 

In our own personal march towards success, there are many prophets.  A lot of really smart, successful, even spiritual people tell us what we want to hear.  They lead us down the path of enlightenment, they say.  All those people—those seemingly happy, prosperous people—couldn’t be wrong could they?   

Besides, how could this be a triumphal entry when the conqueror ends up being murdered?  When triumph turns to tragedy.  What constitutes triumph here?   

You see, the parade is for a limited few.  Those who welcome Christ into, not just their minds, not just their emotions, not just their circumstances, but into their hearts—into the deepest recesses of who they are—and make Him King as He is rightfully so.  And Jesus changes everything.  He demands that church is not business as usual.  He saves us from ourselves and gives us a new purpose: to make disciples of all nations, to bear fruit.  It is what we were created to be and to do.  It is what brings us fully alive.  The seeds of the Divine plan are planted in us and we are called to sow them, invest them in the lives of others.  It is His definition of success and prosperity we are created to pursue.  

Jesus then gets personal. He always gets personal.  He curses the tree for not bearing fruit and challenges His disciples (including you and me) to live a life of extreme faith, fully trusting in His authority.  Believing in His power.  Doing our work “as unto Him” as owner of the Vineyard while pushing back against the world of “in me I trust.” This life as a Christ-follower is not for the faint of heart.   

Maybe that’s why we resist getting into God’s Word. It gets under our skin.  It challenges our assumptions.  It breaks our heart… to the things of us.  We question His authority.  We want to be King.   

But, ultimately it always gives us hope because we get to look into the mind of God.  After all, the second Person of the Trinity is The Word.  “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Word speaks to the deepest part of who we are and changes us.  We are who Christ came into the city to die for.  We are the fruit of His blood—Divine blood shed for us.  It is for us He triumphed over death.  As we move with Him, He gives us everything we need to be “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). Because of Him we become fruit-bearing. We become a tree of life to others because of Christ.  We become the reluctant son and decide to work in our Father’s vineyard.  We refuse to become the cynics and the self-absorbed.  Because we too move with our Messiah, His tragic death becomes our triumph.  

It is the parade before dawn.  Our celebration precedes the victory.  And the victory to come.  “March on, my soul be strong! (Judges 5:21b)  

POINT OF ACTION:

Someone once said, “Christ did not come to make a better man (or woman), but a surrendered man.”  Christ only triumphs when we surrender. 

PRAYER:

Lord my King, make me a surrendered man that I might bare great and lasting fruit.  Give me victory over the things that keep me from serving well in your vineyard.  To Your Glory and honor. Amen.

WHO AM I?

I’m Tom Fisk, and it seems I’m forever trying to get out of my own way.  I’m constantly tripping over myself.  If it weren’t for my other responsibilities, I’d spend most of my time in rehab.  Not for drug or alcohol, but for me addiction; addiction to me first, getting the last word, being right or being wronged.  It’s tough living with me.  I had an agreement with my dog; I’ll start acting more like a human being if she starts acting less like a cat!  She won.  I miss my dog.