Sunday, March 16, 2008 - Phil. 2:5-11

Today, we celebrate Palm Sunday. So where is the Gospel reading with Jesus riding on the donkey with the crowds laying down palm branches and singing “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”?

Why do we hear of Jesus’ crucifixion? It is not Good Friday. Can’t we wait until later in the week? But then we look at our bulletin and see what day it is – it is the Sunday of the Passion. The Passion, the suffering of the Lord, is not just a three hour event on the cross.

The term “Passion” is from the Greek word p?s?? used by Luke in Acts 1:3 when speaking of the suffering of Jesus. “Passion” is a word that historically had little or no good attached to it. It means to suffer – either physically or more often mentally and emotionally. To have a “passion” is to be consumed by something that causes you anguish and suffering. It is an unquenchable, insatiable desire that causes further and further discomfort.

Think about that next time you tell your spouse you are passionate about them.

But give thanks to God that He was passionate about you. Christ was consumed by the unquenchable desire to carry out the will of His Father and rescue you from the guilt of your sin, to the point that He “became obedient to death, even death on a cross” [Phil. 2:8].

Even the triumphant, majestic ride into Jerusalem amid the waving palm branches was a source of passion. The mental anguish that would come with carrying the burden of mankind’s sin – knowing full well that His comfortable ride into Jerusalem would lead to the terrors and suffering of His most difficult journey out of Jerusalem.

Each year during Holy Week, we turn our attention to the intense suffering our Lord endured. Even on Palm Sunday, a day filled with “Hosannas” and images of triumph, we are reminded that Christ’s triumph did not come through the praise or favor of the people. He did not come to win an election or a popularity contest. He came because of an all-consuming desire to free us from the guilt of our sin.

We are the object of His passion. His love for us brought Him great suffering. But His love for us has brought us even greater joy.

During Jesus comfortable ride into Jerusalem, the crowds on Palm Sunday sang “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” But it is because of His very uncomfortable journey out of city that our Father in heaven has exalted Jesus and bestowed “on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” [Phil. 2:9-11].

The crowds on Palm Sunday were nice, but we know that by Good Friday, they had turned against Him. Even so, that did not deter our Lord’s passion for them and their salvation. Likewise, nothing could deter His passion for you. His unquenchable, insatiable desire to rescue us from sin and death did cause Him great suffering, but it has brought us even greater joy. Amen.

 

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