Sometimes we only see what we want to see. The people in the story saw Jesus as the one who was coming to liberate them from Roman oppression. That's why they were waving palm branches. They'd seen this play out in their history with Judas Maccabeus. Of course that's what they saw.

But that's not who Jesus revealed himself to be. He was teacher - healer - nonviolent - etc.

But we're not that much different than the people in Jerusalem. We see what we want to see. Christian nationalism, anyone? We want Jesus to come and conquer the things in our lives that get in the way. Of course, Jesus does do that kind of thing on occasion. But like cleansing the temple in Jerusalem, he tends to mess around in places we'd rather him not go. He tries to reorient our lives. He messes with our priorities.

He also shows us what kind of life he wants us to lead. He didn't ride in on a war stallion - he rode in on a donkey. Humble - he lived a life of humility. As Paul wrote - Jesus emptied himself. We're always trying to fill up. Sometimes people even talk about worship that way. We go to worship to get filled up for the week. What if we're called to empty ourselves?

Speaker: Aaron Vis

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-17

https://www.bible.com/events/49057024