And so it was that slaves would pose the question that we often sing in the Negro spiritual, “Were You There?” We owe much to those slaves as they sought the help of God in their suffering and leaned into their hope in God for their deliverance – “swing low sweet chariot comin’ for to carry me home.” But the question is still before us, “were you there when they crucified my Lord?” The answer, of course, is yes, I was there. We all of us were there. Certainly not in person but in spirit we were there. Perhaps we are there even yet on this Palm Sunday.
There. Maybe there as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Ridiculously seated on a donkey while his disciples waved palms and laid their garments on the road. If there were Roman soldiers assessing His coming, they would have reported that “nothing will come of this! No Messiah here! No problem.” The road that led into Jerusalem seemed like a dead end as they watched the procession and mocked the “One who comes in the name of the Lord!” If this is all God has, He doesn’t have much.
We were there as He worked His way through the week. The four gospels give 1/3 of their stories to this one week. 28 of the 89 chapters in the gospels focus on this particular week. It was, after all, the week that change the world for the better. Nothing can ever be the same because Jesus entered Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday for one purpose: He came to die on a Roman cross. For me. For you. For the whole world. The good, the bad, the ugly . . . all were on His heart as He rode through the gate into Jerusalem.
We might have hailed His coming. We might have mocked Him and seen Him as a minor distraction to more important issues. No one present on this day long ago could have imagined the significance of His arrival. No one would have believed what was to come in a few days. But come it did. And everyone, at least nearly everyone hailing His arrival would soon call for His crucifixion. The week has an almost eerie feel to it. People are strange. I was there. You were there. We, all of us, there.
And now here we are. Children around the world will remind us of the palms as they parade through our sanctuaries. We will in our minds see Him riding into the city. It will be a children’s moment for sure, but it is our moment as well. Let’s remember that He is the “One who comes in the name of the Lord!” That He came . . . that He comes yet evermore is the miracle we must not miss. He comes to us in the name of the Lord!
We were there - we are here; He was there - and He is here!
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
(Psalm 118:22-29)
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
On the journey . . .
JKW
There. Maybe there as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Ridiculously seated on a donkey while his disciples waved palms and laid their garments on the road. If there were Roman soldiers assessing His coming, they would have reported that “nothing will come of this! No Messiah here! No problem.” The road that led into Jerusalem seemed like a dead end as they watched the procession and mocked the “One who comes in the name of the Lord!” If this is all God has, He doesn’t have much.
We were there as He worked His way through the week. The four gospels give 1/3 of their stories to this one week. 28 of the 89 chapters in the gospels focus on this particular week. It was, after all, the week that change the world for the better. Nothing can ever be the same because Jesus entered Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday for one purpose: He came to die on a Roman cross. For me. For you. For the whole world. The good, the bad, the ugly . . . all were on His heart as He rode through the gate into Jerusalem.
We might have hailed His coming. We might have mocked Him and seen Him as a minor distraction to more important issues. No one present on this day long ago could have imagined the significance of His arrival. No one would have believed what was to come in a few days. But come it did. And everyone, at least nearly everyone hailing His arrival would soon call for His crucifixion. The week has an almost eerie feel to it. People are strange. I was there. You were there. We, all of us, there.
And now here we are. Children around the world will remind us of the palms as they parade through our sanctuaries. We will in our minds see Him riding into the city. It will be a children’s moment for sure, but it is our moment as well. Let’s remember that He is the “One who comes in the name of the Lord!” That He came . . . that He comes yet evermore is the miracle we must not miss. He comes to us in the name of the Lord!
We were there - we are here; He was there - and He is here!
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
(Psalm 118:22-29)
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
On the journey . . .
JKW
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