Palm Sunday

one

At the time of Jesus, many of the Jews found their identity, their personal worth in the Promised Land, the Mosaic Law and especially the Temple.

These were gifts from God, but they were not God.

And when God came to them, offering His life to them in Jesus, they chose the gifts rather than God. In fact, the High Priest will say that it is better for Jesus to die rather than losing the nation to the Romans.

The sin of Pride is the effort to find our identity in something other than God.

I know where I am tempted to find my identity and happiness apart from God.

What is it for you?

two

On Palm Sunday

Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said, ‘my house will be a house of prayer for all nations.’ But you have turned it into a ‘den of robbers.’

Jesus denounces the mixing of worship and trade in the Temple. But something deeper is also going on here. Jesus points out the deeper problem first by quoting Isaiah 56:7 “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

God’s plan is for all people, all nations to share His divine life through Jesus, becoming sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in His Family. Israel was the Chosen People in the sense that they were the oldest son in God’s covenant family. They had the responsibility of bring the younger nations into the Family of God. But they lost sight of their true identity and, then they lost their mission.

If we seek our identity in something other than God, then all our effort goes into protecting that thing from others.

This was signified in the layout of the Temple. The Temple was a series of concentric circles of purity. Each area limited to a more select group. Gentiles were considered intrinsically impure and thus excluded from inner closeness to God. They even placed a sign over the entry to the Temple which read: “No Gentile may enter here…If you are caught here you alone will be responsible for your death which will follow.” So, Jesus cleans house, literally.

three

The second passage Jesus quotes when driving them out of the Temple is from Jeremiah 7:11

“Has this House, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers…? Go now to my place that was in Shiloh…and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.”

Jeremiah foretold the destruction of the Temple of Solomon. By using Jeremiah’s words, Jesus is foretelling the destruction of the Temple he just cleansed.

In response to the Jewish Officials’ demand for a sign to demonstrate his authority to cleanse the Temple Jesus said: “Destroy this Temple and I will raise it in three days.” He was speaking of the temple of His body.

The Body of Jesus is the Temple of God.

Jesus wants everyone to become a son or daughter of God by sharing in His life by receiving His Body in the Eucharist.  

God’s plan is not at temple in a city.

God’s plan is for every soul to become the temple of God by sharing in His life through the Eucharist.

Jesus came to bring them God.

They got attached to so much less that they weren’t able to receive God.

What have we become attached to that is blocking the entrance of God in our lives?

four

Are we so different from the Jews at the time of Jesus?

We must ask the most important questions:

Who am I? I am a son of God.

Why am I here? To seek a greater union with God and help the people in my life to God.

Where am I heading? To Heaven which is union with God.

To be saved from Pride we must remember our true identity and get busy with our mission.  

five

When we lose our identity, we lose our mission

Like the Jews in the Temple, if we lose sight of our identity, then we lose sight of our mission.

If my identity is based on anything other than God, then I will be tempted to give the greatest amount of time, energy and attention to that thing.

That is when we find we have little time for prayer, for confession, for intentionally spending time with others in spiritual friendship, and will have even less energy to help others to God.

But when our identity is rooted in the truth that God is our Father and we are his children, then we find it easier to spend time in friendship with Him in prayer and spiritual friendship with others.

If you are not on mission to help others to God, be it your spouse, kids, friends, then maybe you are still seeking your identity in the wrong place.

As a resolution ask yourself those three questions often: Who am I? I am a son of God. Why am I here? To help others to God. Where am I going? Heaven, back to my Father.