Palm Sunday lessons and reflections

Ocimnet - Heralded in the Gospels of Luke, Matthew, John and Mark as the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, we celebrate today what is known in Christendom as Palm Sunday.

Let’s leave it to the religious leaders to belabor the religious and spiritual aspects of Palm Sunday. In this discussion, let’s reflect instead on the various aspects of human nature as these influenced the events of Holy Week. The entire week which starts from Palm Sunday all the way to Easter Sunday is rich with important lessons for us Filipinos. These lessons could enlighten and help us end our decades-old national Calvary.

The most important lesson from the Palm Sunday experience is that glory is very fleeting - that an adoring crowd could easily transform into a condemning mob. Jesus Christ never veered from His path and didn’t deserve condemnation and execution just days after Palm Sunday. Jesus Christ was crucified not because of a betrayal of public trust but because of the machinations of powerful groups that were against Him.

The sudden turn of events from Palm Sunday to Good Friday were orchestrated by vested interests - notably the Pharisees and the Zealots. The Pharisees and the Zealots conspired to turn and manipulate the fickle mob against Christ. The Pharisees wanted to get rid of Jesus Christ because He posed a serious threat to their power base. The traitor among the 12 Apostles, Judas Iscariot, believed to be a Zealot, wanted to manipulate Jesus Christ in order to end their nation’s subjugation under Imperial Rome.

When you review the dynamics of what made the Pharisees and Judas Iscariot conspire against Christ, you’ll find the convergence of two very different objectives. The Pharisees cannot afford to allow Christ to become more influential. He was a direct threat to them and so it became a case of Christ or us.

For Judas and the Zealots, they were united with Christ in wanting to guide the people back to God - but for different reasons. The Zealots believed that when the Jews return to God, then a Messiah shall be sent to end the Roman rule and reestablish the independent kingdom of Israel. Where Christ was spiritual, the Zealots and Judas Iscariot were focused on the temporal.

For a political leader, the lesson of the Christ experience with the fickle mob is priceless. A leader should never take the public for granted. It’s not enough to be simply good and faithful to your mandate and your principles. It’s equally important that the people you serve know and appreciate what you’re doing for them and for the country. It’s imperative that the people know that your program is the best way to attain their big national aspirations.

Another important lesson for a leader from the Palm Sunday experience is - make sure that you get good people who will not run out on you and can speak up for you when it counts the most. The followers of Jesus Christ hardly became a factor when the Pharisees were priming the Jerusalem mob.

[Read more - philstar]