Palm Sunday

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An erudite biblical commentator and scholar has brilliantly noticed a great conundrum in the Church, and that is this. There is a division amongst the professing Christian society “into those for whom it is a matter of ‘whole-life’ devotion to serve GOD in His Church, and into those who maintain a consumer or client relationship with Christ’s Bride.”1 Further, this commentator says that, “the assumption for Christ’s society on earth, is that we would live our lives as His students and co-laborers. That we would find JESUS acceptable and admirable in every respect – wise, beautiful, powerful, and good – that we would seek to be in His presence and be guided, instructed, and helped by Him and His Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives … And, the effect of such continuous study under JESUS would supernaturally be that we learn how to do everything ‘in the Name of the LORD JESUS’ (Col. 3.17).”2 That is, dear St. Mark’s, on JESUS’ behalf, in His place, and as if He were the one working in us and through us, corporately and individually, so that we might act as members, incorporate, of His Body on earth.

Thus, on this Palm Sunday, the Sunday before our Christ’s Holy Week of passionate suffering, death, and blessed resurrection, Holy Mother Church calls upon us to consider our Christian character of humility, in Christ – individually and corporately. — And as our LORD is in the habit of doing, Christ JESUS steps forward as our example. And if we choose to follow in His footsteps, acting not as clients, but as His students, friends, and co-laborers, then we will, as He did, to make ourselves of no reputation – taking upon ourselves the form of servants for His sake, as His Body and Bride. (cf. Phil. 2.7).

The biblical exhortation for us, in this regard, comes from our Epistle reading for today. There, St. Paul tells us how JESUS laid aside His heavenly glory to take on the form of a servant for mankind’s sake. This humility that JESUS put on, this is the ideal character for the rest of His Body as well – you and me. In St Paul’s explanation, we see JESUS descending into humility, progressively, like a man descending the rungs of a ladder. He starts at the highest heights of the ladder, and through His human experience, He eventually descends into the lowest parts of that ladder. — In his synopsis of the divine ideal for man, Paul says that JESUS, “who being in the form of GOD, thought it not robbery to be equal with GOD” (Philippians 2.6). The Apostle means that JESUS willingly and purposefully laid aside His divine glory to take on human flesh and experience the human condition. He did not think it robbery of His Divine Person or prerogative to maintain His divine esteem, but instead, to lay it aside. And this HE did, graciously and lovingly, so as to rescue His most prized creature from certain destruction. Yes, GOD became man, fully, that man mioght be redeemed back to GOD.

In the beginning, at the unanimity of the voice of the Counsel of the Triune GOD, it was decided that man, of all of GOD’s creatures, should be made like Him – “in Our image, and according to Our likeness,” saith the LORD (Genesis 1.26). He created them male and female with the gifts to think, speak, rule, love, and believe. Yet, disbelieving GOD’s Word, man allowed himself (instead of thinking, believing, and ruling), to be ruled by the creation. Instead of having dominion over the creation, the creation beguiled man into disobedience, luring him away by desire, to consummate with his lusts, so that he would give birth to sin. And when sin had run its course – serpent to the woman, and woman to the man – sin, brought forth death. (cf. Jas. 1.15) Thus, through his disobedience, man became an enemy of GOD. Being an image bearer of the Most-High, uniquely responsible for his rebellion, man fell into sin and death, pulling the rest of creation down with him.

And having inherited the deviance of our first parents’ nature, we have been renouncing and rebelling against GOD’s holy laws and commandments ever since. — Let us notice again, Christ JESUS, though being in the form, essence, nature, and Person of GOD, did not consider it robbery to be made less than He was. — Why? — It was so that He might redeem mankind from sin, and deliver him into His glorious kingdom of liberty, where he would receive emancipation from his deviant guilt and blame – no longer an enemy in GOD image and likeness, but as realized children of His likeness and image. — You see, “Christ JESUS put Himself between GOD’s deserved wrath of our sin, and then rent that obligation in twain, paying our deviant debt for us”3.

It should not surprise us then, that St. Paul would also say in his Epistle to the Philippians, that “GOD, who has begun a good work in humanity, will complete it until the day of JESUS Christ” (Philippians 1.6). The good work is GOD’s redemption and reconciliation of His image-bearers, which He will do for those who trust in the Christian Gospel, and for those who believe in His promises and call upon His Name.

Undoubtedly, some will say, cannot GOD, being omnipotent and without beginning or end, simply will mankind’s treacherous sin away? Or if the debt against GOD’s honor be so great and costly, could He not simply create whole worlds of gold to recompense us from our sin’s deleterious liability? — To these unreasonable and irrational troubleshooters, we must point out that nothing on earth or in the whole cosmos could have brought peace between GOD and man for his rebellion. Being and image-bearer of Creator GOD, the rebellion of such a creature could not be achieved, unless another Image Bearer of GOD Himself stood in the place of mankind, and dies in our stead. (cf. Rom. 5.8). — When it comes to judging and putting aside human sin, GOD’s perfect Justice requires an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This is why the Holy Scriptures teach that Adam’s sin brought death to all men. For we all, like Adam, have sinned and rebelled against GOD’s glorious Word and commandment. (cf. Rom. 3.23)

Yet, heed this, brothers and sisters of St. Mark’s – our corrupted and deviant inheritance could only be redeemed by an incorruptible and faith filled Life. Thus, St. Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15.22). It should reason, therefore, even more clearly, why the Second Person of the Holy Trinity did not consider it robbery to be made equal with GOD – Christ laid aside His glory, that He might “come into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

So Paul cried out to the church in Philippi, as I do, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to you: “If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort in His love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercy [in GOD’s Heart], let us understand the weight of what we see in JESUS. If He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And then, being found in appearance as a man, to humble Himself to the point of becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (cf. Philippians 2.6b-9), what should be our attitude – what should be our frame of mind, especially if we claim to be of His society – His Church – His Body???

Christ JESUS relinquished His glory as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and came among men, first as a babe – a child. He was then raised a Jew under the Law of Moses by a family of meager and modest means – ‘blue collar’. — He never had a place to call His own, He did not command an army, nor a bicameral government, nor oversee a vast federal treasury, or even a small, commodious, country mission church. — But, what He did have, was His life and His calling. He lived each of these just as the Father in Heaven desired Him to do. — If there were an earthly reward, other than the Father’s affirming words – “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17.5) – it was the days preceding His trial, when JESUS rode from Jericho into Bethany and then up into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday.

On that day, JESUS processed to the Temple, the House of Prayer of GOD, on a foal of a donkey like the kings of Israel before Him, with all the disciples and people gathered before, behind, and beside Him crying: “Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the LORD: peace be in Heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19.38). — This was JESUS’ most glorious moment as a Man. Having renounced His glory as GOD, His glory as the Son of Man pinnacled on Palm Sunday when our LORD rode into town and strolled into the Temple. Coats were placed on His unassuming steed, which signified personal devotion to Him as Jerusalem’s sovereign. The people also put their coats on the road, declaring submission to JESUS as their monarch, while others cut branches from palm trees, either waving them, or putting them in His path. Such were the symbols in ancient Israel when the people honored a trusted monarch as divinely appointed, having achieved victory and peace for all. — Before His day of shame – the shame of the Via de la Rosa and Golgotha – JESUS must have smiled deeply from within — on that day.

For just a brief moment, it all must have seemed otherworldly. “Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD! We have blessed you at the House of the LORD. YHWH is the LORD. And He has given us the favor of His light and blessing” (Psalm 118.27). — The people were of one mind and heart, crying out in hope to their Messiah — Yet, JESUS’ calling was not to be the secular, earth-bound king of Israel like His ethnic forefather, David. JESUS, humbling Himself, was called to be born of a virgin, having no form, nor comeliness – no beauty. He was called to be despised and rejected of men – a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He ws called to bear our burdens and carry our sorrows – to be wounded and bruised for our transgressions and iniquities. (cf. Is. 53.3-5) He was called to think it not robbery to forego His equality in glory with GOD the Father and GOD the Holy Spirit, as something to be grasped. He was called to become a servant and save the lost…

On Palm Sunday, the Church presents us with a vision – a vision of JESUS descending to the lowest parts of the earth from Heaven to the place of rejection, sorrow, and the embarrassment of death. The King of Glory, humbled and sitting on a donkey, even the foal of a donkey, for just a moment, on Palm Sunday, the people hailed Him as their King, singing Hosanna to GOD. — For just that moment, the veil of Moses fell from their eyes, and they saw JESUS for who He was … and then it was gone. — JESUS rode on in lowly pomp; rode on to die. — Cloaked by worldly circumstances that seemed surreal and magnanimous (beneficent even), the LORD’s triumphs in the descent of His humility, had only just begun. It was early yet, in fact – a week early. — Our LORD JESUS would descend even lower … and lower still … even to the depths of becoming victorious over captive death and conquered sin.

St. Mark’s! Let this mind be in you, as it was in Christ JESUS; I implore you. “If there be therefore any consolation in [your hope in] Christ. If any comfort of love [in our assembly], if any fellowship of [Christ’s Holy] Spirit, if any heart and mercies … let us be of one accord, and one mind with the LORD. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind, let each [of us] esteem each other the better than ourselves” (Philippians 2.1,3). Let us not be clients of Christ’s, but His brothers and sisters – let us learn how to do everything in the Name of the LORD JESUS, so that it will be as if He were the one working in and through us. Let this mind be in you and me, as it was in Christ JESUS our LORD – the mind of one no seeking his own greatness, but the greatness of the other. — And in so doing, we will show ourselves true to our King, who brought peace and victory on earth through His descent from Heaven, to the lowest parts of the earth. — Hosanna in the highest; peace be in Heaven and glory in the highest!

Ride on! Ride on in majesty, O LORD! In lowly pomp, ride on to die. O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin … To Thee, now high exalted, our melody we raise. Though Thee in GOD’s own form, thought not of any deserved praise … Ride on! Ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp, ride on to die.

Oh LORD, hear our prayer. And let our cry come unto Thee, in the Name of Him, who with Thee Father, and Thee, Holy Ghost, sought not equality with GOD as something to be grasped, but only the humble form of a servant, to capture death and conquer sin, for our sake. Amen.

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1 Willard, Dallas, The Divine Conspiracy, (San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishing, 1998), 301.
2 Willard, 272.
3 The Anglican Homilies, (London: The Prayer Book and Homilies Society, 1852), 383.