Palm Sunday – Have this mind in you

Philippians 2:5-11       St Matthew 21:1-11       St Matthew 27:1-54

"Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus
…who, became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.”

 

It has been a tumultuous week in world politics – the kingdoms of this world pulling financial levers and the stock markets in turmoil, investors expressing their confidence or lack of confidence in the future.  I confess to watching it unfold more closely than I should.

It is so refreshing for us to turn from focus on the kingdoms of this world and to turn to the foundational stories of humanity and to ponder and witness the breaking in of the Kingdom of heaven.

Jesus points us to a kingdom that is not of this world, but which nonetheless is engaging with this world and shaking it to its very core.  Jesus shows us the kind of kingship that is real and ultimate, and which we, as a royal priesthood, a kingly priesthood, are to emulate.

St Paul says, "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 2:5, KJV]

Today we began our worship recalling in song and action the triumphal entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem.  He entered into it on a donkey, in humility, like King David who entered 1000 years before to begin his rule.  Like King David, Jesus was praised as the Prophet and as their King.  The crowds threw down their cloaks for his donkey to walk on, and they cut down Palm branches and strewed them in the way before him.  These signs were a way to laud Jesus as their hero, because they had seen or heard of the miracles that he did, and of his teaching – he was a man with authority!  Some in that very crowd that day had seen or heard that Lazarus had just been raised from the dead, after 4 days in a tomb.  This was a triumphal entry for Jesus into the earthly city of Jerusalem.

Then we heard this morning, of another triumphal entry of Jesus, into the heavenly Jerusalem.  Jesus enters not being carried by a beast of burden, but carrying the burden himself, his Cross.  He is not lauded by the crowds as a Saviour, but vilified as a fraud, as a failure.  The crowds do not throw down their cloaks for him to walk on, but many spit on him and deride him on the way and even while he hangs upon that Cross.  This was Jesus’ triumphal entry into the heavenly city, the Jerusalem which is above.

But Jesus went through both of these entrances knowingly, and willingly embraced both.  He is the same man, he has the same unchanging love and will.  Jesus stedfastly walks through both – the adulation and the vilification, the joy and the suffering.  While Jesus is on the back of the donkey in the triumphal entry, he is reminded by the very coloring of the fur on that animal’s back – of the cross that he must soon mount next.

Do we have this mind in us, which was also in Christ Jesus?

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In the Old Testament readings in the past two weeks we have been following the history of the people of Israel, God’s people, in their deliverance from bondage in Egypt and through their wandering in the wilderness to the Promised Land.

And their whole pilgrimage from Egypt to Israel had something also of these two triumphal entries.

The triumphal entry into freedom began with great miracles done by God – the plagues on their enemies and then the parting of the Red Sea.  On the shore, after they went through the Red sea, Miriam led the woman in a victory song and dance.  This triumphal entry was easy – anyone could follow this God who did miraculous things for them.

But the second triumphal entry into freedom required a deep physical, psychological and spiritual testing and trial of their faithfulness, a trial so severe that many perished on the way.  The latter part of their journey was a kind of Way of the Cross, of humiliation.  This was another triumphal entry, just as necessary, before coming to the Promised Land.  This was God working first for them, and then in them, in their hearts.  God was leading them to begin to trust Him, every day, to lead them, every day, gradually reshaping their hearts and minds by His Word and actions.

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For the disciples of Jesus this same pattern existed – two entrances that must be followed one after the other in order to enter the Promised Land.

The first entrance was this: the disciples were first enthralled by Jesus by his miracles that he performed in their midst – both healings and directing the powers of nature – and by the words of wisdom that he spoke – “no man ever spoke like this!” [St John 7:46]  Jesus evoked in them a great desire for adventure, for the highest ideals, for the ennobling of their souls.  It was a triumphal entry into faith in Jesus Christ.  This was easy, this entrance was clear – it was first of all Jesus’ work, in a sense, outside of them.

But very quickly the Way would become much harder.  Jesus began to speak hard sayings:

• about needing to eat his flesh and drink his blood if they were to have any life in them. It led many to turn away.
• hard sayings about taking up your cross and following him to ends of the earth.
• hard calls to seek God first before all else – even family.
• hard statements of exclusivity – only through the Son can you come to the Father.
• Hard statements about who He is – “I and the Father are one!”

And then Jesus would be taken from them in the most cruel way imaginable.  They all scattered when he was arrested.  They were all suddenly at risk for their lives.

How were they to go on in the darkness without him?  Here Jesus was working inside of them.  They did continue in the second way, many with a triumphal entry into the heavenly Jerusalem by martyrdom, many by severe persecution, all through deep suffering.

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What about for us?  Do we have this mind in [us], which was also in Christ Jesus?

The first entry.  Why did you come to follow Jesus?  Maybe for you it was a gentle but growing knowledge and love of God from your upbringing as an infant, nurtured by faithful parents who modeled Christ’s love.  Maybe it was a sudden miracle that brought you into the Church – some sign unmistakable that made you turn around in your tracks, or brought you out of a deep pit of your own making, to begin following Jesus.  Maybe it was the powerful words of Jesus that just would not leave you alone and you found exhilarating!  Maybe it was the certain knowledge and joy when you knew in your heart of hearts suddenly the perfect forgiveness of sins, or the complete removal of unbearable shame.  Maybe it has been the experience of the Holy Spirit directing you personally.  These are some of the ways of the triumphal entry into faith in Jesus Christ, into the Church, the company of fellow believers.  This first entry is easy, in a sense.

But the second triumphal entry into the Kingdom of heaven, is never, easy – the Way of suffering and humiliation, the Way of the Cross.  Though we rejoice in the certain promises of salvation through faith, we cannot stop there and rest on our laurels, or on our justification by faith.  God has much deeper work to do in us.

There is the great difficulty of the turn inward to look at ourselves:

St. Augustine, says,

But to my mind this [inward turn] calls for action than which none is more laborious, none that is more akin to inaction, for it is such as the soul cannot begin or complete except with the help of Him to whom it yields itself.

[On the Greatness of the Soul, Ch28. [55]]

Jesus calls us to fully engage in the Way of the Cross.  We cannot bypass the difficult work of dealing with our souls – the traumas of our youth and how they have distorted our ability to love.

There is the humiliation of listening to those around us, who hold up a mirror to challenge us about how we are not loving so well as we thought.

There is the suffering that comes as we bear responsibility to support those around us, as seek to love the unloved, to be servants to our neighbours, to love them as ourselves.

If we are introverts, the suffering of coming out of our shells to take our place in the world and bear witness to the truth.

If we are extroverts, the suffering of humbling ourselves to listen better to others.

There is the suffering of having patience with the difficult person in our midst, and with forgiving those who have deeply hurt us.

There is the suffering that comes from speaking the truth even when it is uncomfortable and being ridiculed for it.

And there is all the other the suffering that the world throws upon us because… it does not know what it is doing. [St Luke 23:24]

We cannot avoid this second triumphal entry, the Way of humiliation and suffering, the way of the Cross, if we would enter into the life of heaven, even here on earth.

What is necessary is one mind, to take us through both –

"Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...
…who humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.”

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Jesus shows us the true kingship that we are, by grace, to emulate.

He encourages us to follow, in both ways, His life –

Yes, there is our triumphal entrance into the Kingdom of God acknowledging and rejoicing in what God has done for us.

But then there is also the triumphal entrance into the Kingdom of God through great suffering, trusting all the while that God is bringing about his salvation in us, and in those around us, through being humble, obedient, servants.

Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

It leads to the Promised Land; and it promises us a glorious Resurrection.

Amen +