By Pastor Bob Lawrenz
As we temporarily leave the Book of Jeremiah behind for a few weeks to celebrate the holiest weeks of Christianity, there is a nagging correlation between the situation that Israel found itself in during Jeremiah’s time, and the holiday that we are about to celebrate.
In recently covered chapters of Jeremiah, God had spoken to Judah through the lips of Jeremiah the Prophet: Essentially God told Judah that if they fought the powerful Babylonian Army to hold onto Jerusalem, they would die by disease, famine, or the sword. If Mt. Zion is God’s Holy Hill, then why do they fight for something that is not theirs but God’s? Considering especially that they had defiled the City of Jerusalem, and the Temple of their God, their zeal to fight was based more in hubris and false pride.
God encouraged them to submit to the Babylonians, and live for a day in the future when He would bless them with a return to their homeland. Many did just that, and 70 years later, they came back.
Palm Sunday marks the day that Jesus enters into Jerusalem, received by the people as a King, knowing full well that by the end of the week, He would be tortured, crucified, and buried. He also knew that taking the loss now, and resurrecting from the dead three days later, would provide for many to join Him in His Heavenly Kingdom.
Why do we fight for things we cannot keep? If the life of every Believer is hid in Christ, then our lives are no longer our own. Dying to self means adopting Jesus’ purposes for living. As the old saying goes, “I’ve never seen a funeral procession with a trailer full of money towed by a hearse.”
Live your life building for yourself treasures that are in heaven.
Take the losses now, and receive much greater rewards!
