Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai
ברוך הבא בשם
Blessed is he who comes in the name of The Lord

Here it is Palm Sunday once again! I am sitting here reflecting on what it was like for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem with the crowds waving their palm branches as a long-standing symbol of Jewish nationalism. They shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” Cheering, exalting, praising …but something happened. The cheering soon stopped.

Jesus did not gather any troops to overcome Rome even though the Jews found themselves under heavy Roman oppression. There were heavy taxes, restrictions, and lots of executions being done through crucifixion. Yet Jesus did not lead a revolt. He did not do what they expected. Instead, he drove the money-changers out of the temple, he paid tribute to Caesar and he taught that in order to be great, you must be a servant.

Isn’t a king supposed to save his people from oppression?

Wasn’t he supposed to change their circumstances?

I find myself still thinking of Jesus in that way, we expect Jesus to come save us from our circumstances and difficulties. We want him to rescue us from any oppression and hardships. But in the story of Easter, we see that Jesus came to change the person and not necessarily the circumstance.

It’s about Jesus making something beautiful out of something ugly and dark. He doesn’t come into our lives to fix everything, but helps us grow and overcome those difficulties and to be transformed in the process.

So I want to remember this Palm Sunday… “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,” as a king who changes and saves us in the midst of whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.

~ Mary Lindow ^©

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” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
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Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others in all generations and careers or vocations to live and express excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She is a sought after keynote inspirational and humorous speaker and teacher throughout the United States internationally in Ministers conferences, International Spiritual leaders Conferences, and in National and International training seminars for various organizations.