Well, I told you last week that we’re not going to wait until Palm Sunday for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem … this year. Today’s the day. So, with that in mind, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with palm branches waving … conjures up some other images for me. Folks, at this point in his earthly ministry, Jesus was at the height of his fame here on earth … and this got me to thinking…
Do you think that Jesus would ever Google himself? You know, search for himself on the computer? He’d get plenty of hits, wouldn’t he? He could probably spend eternity reading press clippings, blog posts, and endless commentaries … about himself.
In today’s scripture, we find Jesus firmly in what I like to refer to as the “Rock Star” stage of his life. People are swarming around him like he’s Tom Brady at Super Bowl media day. They want to touch him; they want to feed off of his ‘holy aura.’ He can’t even get away to pray for 5 minutes before his disciples come looking for him. He’s like Daniel Radcliffe at a Harry Potter convention … or SpongeBob at an elementary school assembly. Jesus is HUGE! Dare I say, Jesus was even bigger than … um … the Beatles!
I can’t help but think about how tempting it must have been to revel in his own popularity… But, that’s not why Jesus came into this world was it?
It wasn’t to become the ‘big man on campus’…
It wasn’t to have more followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook than Justin Bieber…
Jesus came into the world to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven; and that meant that there was no time for him to sit around and enjoy the fruits of his success here…
When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany on Mount Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: 2 “Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a colt tethered, one that has never yet been ridden. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say, ‘The Master needs him, and will return him right away.’ “
4 They went and found a colt tied to a door at the street corner and untied it. 5 Some of those standing there said, “What are you doing untying that colt?” 6 The disciples replied exactly as Jesus had instructed them, and the people let them alone. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus, spread their coats on it, and he mounted. 8 The people gave him a wonderful welcome, some throwing their coats on the street, others spreading out rushes they had cut in the fields. 9 Running ahead and following after, they were calling out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God’s name! 10 Blessed the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in highest heaven!
11 He entered Jerusalem, then entered the Temple. He looked around, taking it all in. But by now it was late, so he went back to Bethany with the Twelve. – Mark 11:1-11 (MSG)
Jesus did not travel to Jerusalem to get praise from others… His worldly success is shunned in order to pursue his uniquely divine call. From a PR point-of-view, that’s too bad. But, from a salvific (salvation) point-of-view, thanks be to God!
Well, unlike rock stars who count on fans to make them feel important, Jesus was grounded in who he was. People’s reaction to Jesus had little to do with the accomplishment of his mission. He went to Jerusalem knowing that he would be rejected! As he entered Jerusalem on that day with palm branches waving, how hollow must the people’s praises have seemed to him…
Folks, we can learn a lot from this part of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. We are on the second mile-marker of our Journey to Jerusalem: Self-Esteem. So, what can we learn from Jesus’ life—from this part of his Journey—that can help us get through our life journeys too? Let’s get started with this thought: Folks…
THE WORLD’S IDEA OF SELF-WORTH WILL ALWAYS LEAVE US WANTING! Too many in our world today base their personal value on things that do not matter! Think of the millions of dollars we spend every single year on … cosmetic surgery, anti-aging creams, designer clothes, cars, shoes (oh, now you’re getting personal, Rom!)… Or, perhaps we measure our self-worth by things like … careers, promotions, grades, or other accomplishments. The truth is, if we self-assess on outward appearance … or accomplishments, we will continually be in an uphill battle—one that I’m afraid we’ll never win!
The fact is, sometimes we won’t meet our goals, others will not recognize our worth, and our looks will not meet society’s ideal of beauty (I’ve had that problem all of my life) … and that’s where the trouble begins for us! Why? Because of our focus: We are simply too wrapped up in ‘self’…
Some of you are familiar—by now, I’m sure—with the late night host, David Letterman. What you may not be aware of is how he looks at what he does … night after night after night. Here’s how he sees his work: [Letterman] says the single most powerful motivating force in his life is a desire to succeed and prevail. He explains how he feels about doing ‘Late Show with David Letterman’…
Every night you’re trying to prove your self-worth. It’s like meeting your girlfriend’s family for the first time. You want to be the absolute best, wittiest, smartest, most charming, best-smelling version of yourself. If I can make people enjoy the experience and have a higher regard for me when I’m finished, it makes me feel like an entire person. If I’ve come short of that, I’m not happy. How things go for me every night is how I feel about myself for the next 24 hours. Because I’m not playing a character, I’m trying to give you the best version of myself.
So, in that quote from Letterman, what words struck you as significant to this conversation? How about … ‘self’ and ‘me’ and ‘myself’? Folks, if we are ever struggling with an acceptance of ourselves … our self-worth in life, could it be that our focus is a bit off? Could it be that there is way too much ‘ME’ in the picture? We get so wrapped up in ‘self,’ don’t we? But, here’s what we can draw from Jesus’ life…
GOD’S IDEA OF SELF-WORTH IS THE ONLY KIND THAT WILL SATISFY! Jesus is God’s idea of a healthy self-understanding and identity! And, folks, if there was ever a day and age when we needed to pay attention to what God is trying to tell us, it’s NOW… Jesus knew others did not fully understand him or accept him, yet he continued to focus on doing God’s will … regardless!
I want to teach you something theological today, can I? I want to teach you about … the power of the Imago Dei—the ‘image of God.’ Here’s what I want you to know: With Christ as the ideal of God’s image in the world, we also must get a glimpse of that image in ourselves! Genesis 1:26a (MSG) says,
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature….”
‘Let US make…’ refers to the Trinity—Father, Son & Holy Spirit—even way back at the beginning of creation… Jesus was there then … reflecting God’s image … and creating us to do the same…
Folks … God’s nature is in all of us, and by God’s grace, that nature can be fine-tuned to a life of love in community. With that in mind, here’s yet another step we need to take today: We need to change self-esteem into … esteem of self in God!
You know how the old saying goes, don’t you? “If you are looking for perfection, don’t look in the mirror.” Many people carry mirrors with them, like on road trips and such—sometimes mirrors with a magnifying side. We can use this to symbolize how we see ourselves and how closely we look at ourselves. But, if all we ever do is look into the mirror of ‘self-esteem,’ we’ll only be disappointed in the end!
What we need to do is to begin to look into God’s mirror—to see how God sees us … and to let our esteem be built on that reality—the only one that really counts…
Psalm 139:14 (NIV) – “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (MSG) –
“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. 5 God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. 6 God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. 7 Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! 8 The variety is wonderful: wise counsel, clear understanding, 9 simple trust, healing the sick, 10 miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. 11 All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.”
Folks, the bottom line is this: We cannot measure ourselves through other’s opinions! We can only find our true worth through the Imago Dei—the image of God that we were created in! In light of that, let me end with this thought:
Perhaps no composer has captured the musical heart and soul of America as did Irving Berlin. In addition to familiar favorites such as ‘God Bless America’ and ‘Easter Parade,’ he wrote, ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,’ which still ranks as the all-time best-selling musical score…
In an interview for the San Diego Union, Don Freemand asked Berlin, ‘Is there any question you’ve never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?’
‘Well, yes, there is one,’ he replied. ‘What do you think of the many songs you’ve written that didn’t become hits?’ ‘My reply would be that I still think they are wonderful.’
God, too, has an unshakable delight in what, and whom, he has made. He thinks each of his children is wonderful, and whether they’re a ‘hit’ in the eyes of others or not, he will always think they’re wonderful!
Folks, Jesus didn’t travel to Jerusalem to get praise from others; that shouldn’t be our goal in life either. Like him, we need to be content in knowing God thinks … we’re something special! Then, what the world thinks won’t matter that much at all… As James Baldwin once said, “Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must do is put in on.” Remember that as we journey on together…