The King with a Difference


If anyone asks you, why you are doing this? Say the lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.
Mark 11:3

Today we celebrate as Palm Sunday/hosanna wherein we take time to remember Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10). 

Today we think of “Hosanna!” as a word of celebration and praise. We consider it to mean something like “Hallelujah!”, “Wonderful!”, or “Way to go!” But “Hosanna!” wasn’t just a word of praise. “Hosanna!” was also a prayer for help. The Hebrew word originally meant “Save us, we beg you!” or “Save Us now and looking at the conditions today a much needed prayer for us

St. Thomas Aquinas, a thirteenth-century theologian, once said, “In order to be saved, you must know what you believe, know why you believe, and know how to act upon it.” If Christ is Lord of our hearts and our minds, then Christ must also be Lord of our hands and feet. Where we go, what we do, what we say, and how we spend our money and our time all reflect the sincerity and depth of our faith.”

We can see this in the Palm Sunday story. Jesus told two of his disciples to go get him a colt. You can imagine that may have seemed odd and awkward to them. What? Go, take a colt that doesn’t belong to us? But Jesus assured them it was alright. Most likely, Jesus had worked out that arrangement in advance.

In any case, when the disciples passed on the message, “The Lord needs it,” the colt’s owners respected that need and also participated in the coming kingdom of God. They were willing to share their donkey because they could tell that Jesus’ kingdom was better than the current Roman rule. Roman soldiers regularly requisitioned supplies, animals, and even human labor. But they never compensated for what they took or returned what they borrowed. Jesus’ kingdom was different.

Jesus told his disciples that they would return the colt immediately. The kingdom of Christ would not abuse its power. Jesus’ kingdom would be fair and just, and the citizens of that kingdom would live by those same principles.

We too are asked to respond to the needs around us not because we are forced to do so like slaves, but because we believe that God is at work in and through us, creating a better world. When we obey the teachings of Christ to heal the sick and proclaim good news to the oppressed; when we look out for the children and those on the margins of society; when we feed the hungry and welcome the stranger; when we recognize that our neighbors include those of other colors, orientations, religions, and ethnicities; and when we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us—then our society begins to look more and more like the kingdom of God.

Dear Friends, the spiritual life Jesus was promoting wasn’t just a private, God and me religion. Jesus very much wanted to change his society, and thus he was willing to organize a Palm Sunday march to draw attention to his purpose. Jesus wanted God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus wanted people to be kinder. He wanted people to be more loving. Jesus wanted people to care for their neighbors as they cared for themselves, so that the hungry would be fed and the sick would be healed. Jesus wanted an end to violence, injustice, and oppression. His power didn’t come through muscle or weapons, but through the influence of moral conviction and divine love.

This Lenten Season only through God’s stirring, renewing, and reviving of our hearts will we see our land restored, our families healed, and our churches thriving.  Only with Jesus Christ as our stronghold can we stand before this Pandemic Covid 19. People then shouted without understanding Christ was the sovereign lord. Let us with deep faith and utmost sincerity shout Hosannna Lord save us Pl save this world now.

God Bless You
Location: Mallappally, Kerala, India

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