We’re not OK (Palm Sunday Letter)

The people were ready for freedom... 

Freedom from oppressive government. 

Freedom from divisive politics. 

Freedom from inauthentic religion. 

Freedom from their own conscious. 

When they believed Jesus to be their liberator (their messiah) they interpreted this Kingdom he spoke of as a literal kingdom that would be physically instituted and bring the freedom they so desperately desired. 

They expected a powerful warrior seated on a stallion. 

Instead, their leader arrives on a donkey. 

Or, my favorite translation, a jackass.

(an ironic image of how we tend to look when we get too caught up in the games and kingdoms of this world.) 

This is the symbol of peace - not war. 

Of love - not judgement. 

The people, still in hope that this is their liberator, lay down palm branches, a symbol of peace and victory, and cry out “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!”

Which literally means, “save us!”

That’s the deepest cry of our heart, isn’t it? 

Save us from our pain, suffering, heartache, anxiety, and self-sabotage. 

Save us from our oppressors that plague our humble innocence of simply trying to live a peaceful life. 

Save us from difficult situations and circumstances that suck the beauty of life from our soul. 

We know we’re not ok, that life is not ok, and we desperately seek out there for someone or something or some system to solve our inner not-ok-ness. 

While the people's hopes were high for this leader to establish his kingdom in this world, Jesus didn’t give in. 

He remained true to his message: My Kingdom is not of this world. 

The people reacted. 

They were enraged when their perceived king didn’t fulfill their expectations. 

They felt betrayed that the one who they believed would save them did not wield a sword or rally a troop. 

In their anger, the same group who yelled “Hosanna!” would only a few days later yell “crucify him!”

How often do we react in anger when things don’t go the way we want them to... when we desire to be liberated from our suffering or healed from our pain and are not. 

How quickly we betray in our assumed betrayal. 

This story is yet more evidence that, as Jesus repeatedly said, the Kingdom is not of this world - not material, but spiritual - it is within you, among you, and expresses through each of you. 

This kind of saving doesn’t happen from an external kingdom, government, religion, or even the idea of an external God. 

This saving that Jesus offers comes from a radical shift in consciousness.
A seeing with spiritual sight.
A being born from above.
An awakening.
Enlightenment.
Union. 

In this Palm Sunday scene, Jesus stays true to his message and did nothing out of character; 

It is us, the people, who respond to him through our lens of suffering, expectation, and egoic desire. 

And when we are let down we seek to destroy the place / person who promised our perceived version of hope. 

The path of Christ is salvation through surrender. 

The moment our ego drive us to take up arms in anger we embody the same spirit of the oppressor who oppresses us; be it an external or internal tyrant. 

When we choose to ride through life on the donkey of peace, we experience the same peace of Christ as he rode into Jerusalem knowing full well that he wasn’t not coming to fulfill their short term desires, but to complete his long term purpose. 

Happy Palm Sunday, friends. 

- Luke 

P.S. I am considering an Easter morning meditation next Sunday both in person (Carlsbad) and streamed live on Instagram. If this is something you would partake in, reply to this email "I'm in for the Easter meditation"