Jesus in the middle…the center of life. the past and the future. Ahead and behind Him. Future worry, past regrets. Cry “Glory, Hosanna” to both as He is Lord of my past and present. It is only when I fail to recognize Him that I am lost in who I am worshipping. It is only when I cannot discern the correct purpose of His presence in my life at that moment and I mistake His position for a different type of purpose that I am duped. He is present sometimes, not in power to deliver, but in power to b humble and to place upon me a yoke of humility and service. Sometimes He is present to teach me how to serve. Truly he wasn’t riding a stallion of victory, but a donkey, a symbol of service, humbleness, hard work, and perseverance.
Isaiah 29:13 “Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”
Hosanna to the Son of David…who comes in the name of the LORD. We herald God as w see Him operating in our own world, not discerning that He is the very Master we seek. They worshipped and praised someone that didn’t know in spirit, but only in flesh.
John 4:22 – 23 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.”
During Lent and Easter festivities, the world simulates the Jews of long ago, thronging around a false image of Jesus poised to do their bidding. They long for Him to conquer and restore their earthly kingdoms, yet their hearts are far from Him. May we who follow behind, discern His positional authority in our lives and not succumb to the temptation to lay branches and sing praises steeped in false humility and vain expectations. If we are running ahead, may we stop and consider the direction that He wants to lead. May we have the forethought to stop and truly follow Him. Perhaps it will be to a personal death of selfish desires and fleshly pandering.
As Hansel and Greta, let us follow the breadcrumbs of His tears and drops of blood to His sacrificial death. May we kneel in humility at the foot of His cross with full recognition that His suffering replaced ours even as we were lost in our own journey. Let this be the last season that we with false humility and vain expectations, lay branches at the feet of a Jesus we haven’t made the center of our fleshly kingdoms.
Here, at the foot of the Cross, may we recognize that we were wrong, that we didn’t perceive or recognize His mission, and then, may we bow in repentance and become true worshippers.