Praising Palms and Swollen Nodes

I hope you all had a peaceful Palm Sunday. For Christians, this is the beginning of an important week that leads us from cheering crowds to jeering crowds, and then to the joy of Easter. One thing I never thought about before is the fact that it was a donkey that Mary rode to Jesus' birth and it was a donkey that Jesus rode just days before His death. Here a just a few other thoughts:

(1) So far as we know, Jesus never rode a donkey before. Prior to this day, he always walked with his disciples. He ate and slept and sweat in their midst. Often he drew apart from them for prayer, but he never expected any special privilege. Now he sends them to fetch a donkey for him to ride. Why?


(2) Entering the city on a donkey's colt was a simple way to symbolize the truth that Jesus did in fact come as king. He accepts the title, and he accepts the people's praise. He remembered that when Solomon became king after David, he rode his father's favorite mule during the inaugural procession into the royal city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 1:33). Now, a far greater "son of David" rides triumphantly into the city of kings in similar fashion.


(3) A conquering king would have ridden into the city on a fearsome warhorse, or in a gilded chariot, but Jesus rode on the back of a donkey. While he accepted the title of "king," he refused to become the military messiah that the people--even his disciples--wanted.


(4) Jesus had specified that the donkey was to be a young colt that had not been ridden. This suggests the sacred aspect of his journey to Jerusalem. Only animals that had never been used as beasts of burden could be considered suitable for sacred purposes (Num. 19:2; 1 Sam. 6:7). The unridden animal's willingness to bear Jesus also says something about His power. Jesus is not only a king--He is a divine king. This is not a political occasion, but a sacred one.



I find it sad that I neither saw nor heard any reference to Palm Sunday until about 7:30 this evening on the radio. Lots of Easter candy, but nothing about what Jesus did on the cross.



On another note, I've been tending to a sick husband the last few days. Last week he noticed one side of his face felt a little swollen and it was somewhat tender. He went to the doctor and is on antibiotics. He has also been to the hospital for a soft tissue ultra-sound. The radiologist told Bill that it looked benign and was probably an infected lymph node. Everyday it has grown in size and today he was quite uncomfortable. It even hurt to put his glasses on! Off to the doctor again if this persists.

This is kind of what poor Bill is feeling right now!