Reflection for Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday 2020

Matt 21 v1-11

Just a reflection on the reading from Julie….

 

I imagine that there’s nothing that we really, really want at the moment than an end to the Coronavirus pandemic and all that comes with it – the sickness, the uncertainty, the lockdown, the deaths.

 

For those who were there in Jerusalem at the time they really, really wanted the Messiah to come and save them from all the oppression they were experiencing. They were wanting real change, but of course for Jesus that meant that he was riding to his death.

 

So what can we learn from this reading?  Typically, people turn to God when there is something they want really badly. It is a bit like finally learning how to use the telephone when you need to call an ambulance; it would have been sensible to learn how to use it earlier when it wasn’t so important. Or in my case having to get to grips with modern technology now when we really need to instead of refusing to get my head around it earlier when I had more time.

People turn to God in times of crisis and that is what is going on in this reading. The crowds wanted Jesus to solve all their problems, heal their children, and get rid of those people oppressing them. We often turn to God and just shout ‘Help’. I can imagine that is going on in many households at the moment.

 

Of course Jesus intended to help the people in Jerusalem at the time and he intends to help us as well. He doesn’t wait for our motives to be pure, and for us to be all sorted. He has come to seek and rescue the lost - that is all of us.

 

However what the people at the time of Jesus didn’t bargain on was that he was going to rescue them from evil in its full depths not just the surface evil of Roman occupation and oppression that they were experiencing.

 

When we invite Jesus through prayer to help us he will do so more thoroughly than we can imagine and more deeply than we wanted. When we invite someone to help us with our benefits, our tax or our savings, we mustn’t be surprised if they go through all our other financial affairs as well just to make sure we get the best result.

This grand entry into Jerusalem is an object lesson for all of us. There is often a mismatch between our expectations and God’s answer. Those crowds that welcomed Jesus in such a triumphant way were going to be disappointed. But that disappointment was short lived. Through the cruel death of Jesus we have the dawning of a new day – the resurrection, which can transform any situation and restore all that is broken. So as we all cry out with that word ‘Help’ let’s not be surprised if God takes us and transforms us into new people and a new world. 

Amen

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