May the mind of Christ my Saviour
Bible Text: Isaiah 50:4-9a and Philippians 2:5-11 | Preacher: Rev. Bruce W. Kemp
May the mind of Christ my Saviour – Philippians 2:5-11
Perhaps it seems strange that we didn’t have the traditional reading for Palm Sunday. True, we need to be aware that not every one knows the story and so I will speak of it in my message to you but I wanted to explore a little bit of the mind of the person who comes to Jerusalem on this day.
There is a wonderful feeling of celebration and hope surrounding the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The crowds who have gathered to celebrate the coming feast of Passover are delighted to see the Teacher from Galilee. His presence is welcomed by shouts of praise. He is recognized as a blessed person sent from God who has brought healing and hope to so many. But the adulation of the crowd is also cause for concern among others. There is fear that the response of the people to Jesus may cause a physical and political rebellion that could spell disaster for the people of Israel.
The fact that Jesus enters on the back of a colt or a donkey is a sign that a conquering hero has come to Jerusalem – for that is how conquering heroes enter a capital city and the shouts of praise and the spreading of palm branches and cloaks are signs of the people’s thankfulness for the victory the hero has attained.
But note that Jesus does not come on a majestic steed emblazoned with jewelled saddle or bridle or bit. He comes on a young colt which is a sign that while he is a conquering hero, his victory will not be of this world or simply of a physical deliverance but rather that he is a humble hero – one whose victory is more concerned with the soul, the mind and the heart. His victory will not be a temporal one that tomorrow could change but rather an eternal victory that nothing will ever be able to reverse. Of course the path to that victory will bring much grief and pain and suffering but for today it is a joyous celebration.
Now, were the people who welcomed Jesus that day aware of the symbolism of his actions? No doubt they were not. Even though it was clear that Jesus knew of the colt and that its use could be secured, there does not appear to be any recognition among the disciples of the significance of Jesus’ choice or of the subsequent adulation that his entry received.
What is clear to us in this day is that Jesus knew what the symbolism of his choices were and further he knew what the coming week’s events were to be. And so it is that we will explore the mind of the one who chose to enter Jerusalem in such a triumphant yet humble manner.
In the passage from Isaiah we read what has come to be known as one of the servant songs. These are prophecies which are believed to speak of Jesus and the path that he would take to secure the salvation of humankind. It is clear from the passage that the one described here will be a teacher, a healer, a Sustainer of people. It is also clear that he will not allow himself to be distracted or deterred from following the path ordained for him. No amount of physical pain will cause him to abandon his mission. He will stand before those who seek to judge and condemn him and prove that there is no good reason on earth to declare him guilty. In fact Pilate himself will come to the conclusion that there was no law broken by which he could condemn him. And while it may have appeared that he was shamed by what would be done in his trial and crucifixion, he saw no shame. He saw only a need to sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity itself and knew that in his sacrifice there would be vindication and hope.
In the passage from Philippians, Paul encourages the people in the church to ever keep before them what was in the mind of Jesus Christ. The greatest temptation we can have as believers is to believe in our own greatness. We can be tempted to see ourselves as better than others – perhaps more righteous, more truthful, more honourable, more worthy of praise or thanks.
If the one who was indeed God in the flesh and who could have chosen to save himself chose to follow the path the Father had placed before him and remain obedient even to the point of surrendering this present life, can we or should we do anything else or less?
That is the challenge that Paul places before the people. If the one who could have made the world go his way chose to follow the path of the one who sent him into this world, what is to be our choice; what is to be our path?
The path we are encouraged to take as followers of God in Jesus Christ is the path that Christ revealed to us in his ministry and life. And that path was revealed to us through his teaching and example which revealed to us what was in his mind. And that mind that was in Christ Jesus is to be the mind that is to guide us as we wind our way through this veil of flesh.
We are to seek to do nothing from a selfish motive or out of a sense of our own self-importance. We need to be aware of our own needs and interests but also be willing to balance those needs and interests with the needs and interests of others. In other words, we need to consciously live in such a way as to be supportive of one another and allow each of us to feel fully engaged in the life of this community of faith and wherever life takes us.
We are to be mindful of the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual state of one another and seek as much as possible to bring wholeness into all our relationships with one another in community and beyond.
Paul appeals to the people to strive for unity in thought and action. He makes this appeal by directing them to think of what it means to each of them to be in relationship to God through Jesus Christ; he appeals to them by directing them to think of what it means to them to have received the Spirit of God into their lives. If their relationship to God in Christ, if the Spirit of God in their lives means anything to them, then their desire will be to seek to live with one another in such a way as to show a deep love for one another.
May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day
Jesus’ love and power controlling all I do or say.
Could we have faced what lay ahead of Jesus when he entered Jerusalem? No doubt we would have failed. But then we were never expected to take that path. The path we are asked to take is that of disciple and it is a path we are called to take with each other. We are called not to be Christ but to be like Christ. We are called not to have the mind of Christ but to let the mind of Christ influence our daily thoughts and actions so that we may ever remain mindful of the one whom we acknowledge as Lord and Saviour and so that we may ever remain mindful of our calling to be servants of God as we live with one another in our community of faith!