Left to Write: Here Is Our King
04-12-2006
by Brenten Gilbert

Here is our King
Here is our Love
Here is our God who's come to bring us back to Him
- David Crowder*Band "Here Is Our King"

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday and next weekend is Easter. It's definitely a meaningful and emotional time of the year for those of us who believe in the Bible and accept the sacrificial actions of Jesus as described in the Bible. (It also marks the home stretch for those participating in Lent, but that's a different story). Personally, I have something of a ritual when it comes to this time of year. I like to read through the passages in the Gospels that tell of the last week of Jesus's ministry on earth to remind myself of what He went through. Every year, I also try to re-read a book called The Murder of Jesus by John MacArthur because it offers a nice perspective on all of those events. And, since I also have two little boys, the Veggietales Easter Carol is quickly becoming a staple as well.

Even though I read these passages at least once a year, this year something new struck me and I thought I'd share it with you. Most times, when I think of Palm Sunday and the whole celebratory parade, I'm faced with mixed emotions. Certainly, I feel a sense of excitement because it's a joyous acknowledgement of Jesus as king, but I also see this as a visible display of how easy it is to sway public opinon. I know what's coming. I know that in less than a week, this same crowd will be shouting profanities and begging for Jesus to be crucified. I know how unstable the world is.

However, this event is often seen as a triumph and a high point in the life of Jesus. Hey, everyone is acknowledging that He is their king, the "son of David," right? They're proclaiming that Jesus has come "in the name of the Lord" and calling Him the "king of Israel." How could we see it any other way? Well, this year I paid more attention to the reactions and explanations that are given in the text. In Matthew's account (Matthew 21:1-11), when the crowd is asked who Jesus is, they respond "the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." Certainly Jesus offered prophetic insight, but if they really understood who He was, the people would've known that Jesus wasn't a prophet, He was God.

The Pharisees, who were closely observing this entry to the city, were also missing the point, as can be expected. They were more concerned about losing their own authority. Luke tells of their complaints to Jesus, asking him to "rebuke His disciples" for calling Him a God-ordained king of Israel and John's account reveals their concern that the people were following after Jesus. Even the twelve disciples, those who knew the most about Jesus didn't understand what was going on. According to John 12:16, it was only after Jesus had been glorified (after the resurrection) that they realized the significance of this event.

And so it occurred to me this year, that it's easy to look like we know what we're talking about when it comes to spiritual matters. It's easy to have the "right" answer when we're asked the right questions. Often times though, when we look deeper, we realize that we've completely missed the point. This crowd of people knew that Jesus was a king, but none of them seemed to understand that He was THE King, the son of God, their spiritual deliverance. This Easter, I want to encourage all of us to look beyond the traditional responses and activities that we know that we're supposed to participate in, and experience the full weight of what Easter means.

Majesty, finally.

Thanks for your time.

- bdg.