Branches, Betrayal, and Beatitudes
- Jilian Brown
- Apr 11, 2022
- 6 min read
On the next day, when the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!”
~John 12:12-13 NASB
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. And responding again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” Intent on satisfying the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Now the soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. And they dressed Him in purple, and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; and they began saluting Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they repeatedly beat His head with a reed and spit on Him, and kneeling, they bowed down before Him. And after they had mocked Him, they took the purple cloak off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.
~Mark 15:11-20 NASB
Palm Sunday. The glorious and triumphal entry of the King of Israel. People excited about all they had seen and heard Jesus was doing. Crowds getting swept up in the fervor of expectation that He would be the conquering King. Can you imagine yourself there in the crowd? What are you hoping for? Is it healing? Is it to be seen and known by Jesus? Is it reprieve from spiritual or political oppression? Is it finally having someone to follow whom you trust? The reasons are as many as the people waving branches. Why have they come? They have come to see the ordination of the King. He will be crowned, but not at all how they imagine.
Within days, not only these strangers in the crowd, but some of the very disciples closest to Jesus will be so confused by His kingdom that they will betray Him. Jesus is not there to fight Rome, but to bring peace to souls. He is not there to draw swords, but to teach people how to cut darkness out of their hearts and walk in His light. How quickly they forgot the Beatitudes. How thoroughly they misunderstood the message of The Way. How quickly we assume we are not like them.
It is true that the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us grants us the opportunity of illumination, but that is only if and when we choose to yield to that power. How are we misinterpreting Christ and His way? The change from Palm Sunday to Good Friday happens quickly and far too easily when our ears are listening to the loud world and not meditating on the words of Jesus. I am writing a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount right now and I learned this week about the linear form of Matthew 5. Jesus is not haphazardly throwing out blessings, but rather pointing people toward the path of the life of a true follower. Here are His words:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The poor in spirit means those who lack because of their sin. We are all poor in spirit because we have all fallen short. The only question is, do we acknowledge it? Do we realize that in our own strength and way, we miss the mark? We can never be moral enough and do enough work on ourselves in our own strength to make it. The word for blessed here means, "those who are well off because of what God thinks of them." God thinks so highly of us that He allowed Jesus to come pay the penalty for all the wrong we will ever do. Our response is humility.
"Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted."
God looks with favor on those who mourn this reality of sin. He does not push us away, but draws us near and comforts us with the cross. The momentary pain of giving up our own way pales in comparison to the immense and eternal joy of being taken care of by the One who created us.
"Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth."
Meekness is the ability to let God handle it. Peter wanted to take matters into his own hands in the Garden of Gethsemane, but Jesus told him to put his sword away. Meekness means we can respond to others with grace, compassion, and kindness. Meekness is not weakness, but has no need for reactions and retaliations. Ellicott’s commentary states, “Their serenity helps them to find the maximum of true joy in all conditions of life; for to them the earth is not a stage for self-assertion and the graspings of desire, but an ‘inheritance’ which they have received from their Father.”
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled."
Interestingly, this sermon takes place not long after Jesus was in the desert fasting for 40 days. The imagery here is clear. This is one reason we practice fasting during Lent. We are training our bodies and minds to hunger and thirst after God. The need for righteousness after giving one’s life over to Christ is pervasive and surely satisfied.
"Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy."
Jesus teaches us in the Lord's Prayer to "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Forgiveness and constant forgiveness is the mark of a mature believer. Grudges have never once brought about good and they prevent growth in our lives.
"Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God."
God is revealing Himself to us all the time. We have to be awake to it. When our hearts are pure and aligned with His, we can see and understand His ways. When we follow our own desires and paths, it is difficult to see Him. The crowds in Jerusalem were making Jesus in their own image. They wanted a particular version of a king. When Jesus did not provide their expectation, betrayal occurred. We must align our hearts and minds with the truth of God to be able to see clearly.
"Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God."
Peace means "completeness" or "wholeness." Christ is the ultimate peacemaker in His sacrifice as the Son of God. He makes us whole by infusing all the cracks and holes in our hearts with His light and love. When we follow His example for making peace (not just keeping it), we are a reflection of God as well as His children.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you."
We get Jesus in the end. No matter what this life holds for us, the best life possible is one lived in the Way of Jesus. I believe this path is becoming narrower by the day, but standing firm will be worth it.
This is The Way. This is the path of a follower of Jesus who waves palm branches and then also sits at the feet of the cross days later. We will mess up from time to time. Through our words and actions, we will betray Him like Peter did. But, also like Peter, we are offered the chance to get back on the narrow path and do the good work of the kingdom we have been given to do.
I am spending this time between Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday contemplating the weight of my part in the cross. Easter Sunday is coming. Resurrection is assured. Our hope is in the rising, but our salvation is serious. This week is an invitation to consider where we are on the path and hopefully, with the strength from God and one another, we will walk the path to the cross to sit at the feet of Jesus in overwhelming gratitude for His sacrifice.
This is a beautiful hymn. And your vocals are just stunning!