Thursday, May 9, 2013
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name ...
THE MIND OF CHRIST: HE RODE ACCEPTING AUTHORITY
Jesus rode on palm branches. He rode to sounds of men cheering. He rode in to Jerusalem. All of these are a sign of the throne He was coming to accept.
There are numerous details in the account which show us exactly what was in the mind of the people. They hailed Him as the Son of David. They cried out Hosanna, which may be translated "save us" but may also be translated "give us victory". They laid down palm branches before Him and waved palm branches in the air. These palm branches were a national symbol of Israel. They were used at the dedication of the temple, they were used when the Jews gained independence, and they were once -- for a short time -- used on Jewish coins. The palm branches, like everything the crowd does, reflect their desire for Christ to become the legendary King they were hoping for and lead them in victorious battle against the hated Romans.
As the crowd hoped, Christ did indeed ride for a crown. But unknown to the crowd it was a crown of thorns. In the mind of Christ there is no distinction between the actions of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Morning or even the day of Ascension. All were a service to the Father and to men. In the mind of Christ, authority is service. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men" (Ephesians 4:8).
We don't usually think of authority as a sacrifice, but that only shows our sinfulness. The authority which Jesus accepted on Palm Sunday led directly to His death for us. The authority that He accepted when He ascended means He still serves His church. The authority of Jesus means the authority by which you and I receive forgiveness for our sins.
