God's Radical Surgery

On Palm Sunday we will look at the famous triumphal entry passage as we continue on the road toward the cross.  There is much that is misunderstood about this passage: the idea that Jesus “cleansed” the temple (He was picturing its destruction, not its purification), the cursing of the fig tree (people sometimes see Jesus as a bit capricious because they miss what He is trying to say about a dead religious system), the prayer that can move mountains (some still think this is a prayer to fulfill personal wants).  

But, I think we really miss how this whole episode portrays what God wants to do inside each and every one of our hearts.  It seems so harsh, that God wishes to kill the old us and bring to life a “new us”.  And yet, it is the only way.  As I was reading this week,

“This is the wearying power of sin in the believer; it won’t accept a cease-fire, much less a peace treaty.”  

And God’s solution is radical surgery—to kill our old lives and to begin to create new life through Christ.  This is a road that must lead us to the cross, a road that points out our utter sinfulness, our utter helplessness and the utter greatness of God through Jesus Christ in His mercy on display.