The Winning Entry

Sometime last month an 81 year old lady walked into a store and purchased an ice cream and a lottery ticket. Little did she know that she held a winning ticket worth $336 million—after all, the odds of winning the jackpot were 1 in 175,000,000. And yet, somehow, against impossible odds, her entry won the day. The day she bought the ticket was a day that changed everything for one little old lady from Rhode Island—and she didn’t even know it until weeks later.

This weekend, the Christian church all over the world celebrates Palm Sunday. It is the day recounted in Matthew chapter 21, when Jesus (who had been traveling through the countryside as was His custom), returned to Jerusalem. In most Bibles, the heading over that section reads “The Triumphal Entry.”

On the outskirts of the city, Jesus had His disciples bring him a young donkey and they laid their cloaks on the animal’s back to form a makeshift saddle for Him. As He began to ride through the city gates, crowds of people who had heard of the great teacher’s arrival began to form and line the streets along his path. There was a buzz of intense anticipation. Some wanted to get a glimpse of this teacher that, according to the stories, was not only a very wise man, but who healed the blind and the lame. Others had sat with him on the hillside as He taught them the principles of the Kingdom of God. Still others had been there when he had brought the dead man Lazarus back to life.

Suddenly and spontaneously, people began cutting branches from nearby palm trees and they lined the road before Jesus with them. Others couldn’t find palms, so they took off their jackets and spread them out so that the feet of the colt would not touch the ground. The crowd began to shout, “Hosanna” which today would be, “Long live the King!” As He passed by, many fell in behind Him and began to march along shouting at the top of their lungs, “This is the prophet Jesus who is worthy of our praise!”

We don’t know how long this time of celebration went on, but it is clear that it was an entry fit for a King. Little did the crowd know, that day would change everything. By entering into Jerusalem at precisely that moment, exactly one week before the Jewish Passover celebration—a holiday where they remembered God had spared them from the Angel of Death—Jesus had set into motion a series of events that would change the very course of history.

In a matter of days, the same crowds who had celebrated His entry and proclaimed His Kingship, would cry out for His death. In a matter of days, He would be humiliated, whipped, beaten and crucified on a cross. And in a matter of days, the power of the Angel of Death would be crushed forever. And they didn’t even know it.

What do you know about Jesus? This Palm Sunday, why don’t you gather your family and attend services at one of the churches in Kings County? You just might discover that Jesus is  better than even the biggest winning lottery ticket you could ever buy.

Open Hands, Not Closed Fists

One of the more famous statements made by Jesus is “turn the other cheek.” He made this statement during his most well known sermon, called the Sermon on the Mount. During that speech, Jesus redefined what it mean to be a true follower of God. The strategy He used was to contrast the standard understanding of God’s laws against their true meaning. 


As He does this, we begin to see that there is more to God’s law then a set of rules and regulations. We learn that God is much more interested in transforming our heart than He is in controlling our behavior. It is not that He doesn’t care about behavior, but rather that He knows that a change in heart results in a change in behavior. In contrast, if you change behavior only, you may not ever get to the heart. 



Many have misunderstood this statement because they have made the fundamental error of thinking Jesus was dictating a particular behavior, when He was talking about a heart attitude. Because of this you have people believing Jesus is telling us to be absolutely non-violent and passive. But clearly this is not what Jesus is saying.



We know this because He gives us four pictures illustrating what He means. The first is of an individual who has been insulted with the traditional “slap of insult”, well known in eastern cultures. This is equivalent to being insulted with words either to our face or behind our back. The second is of someone sued in court, has lost the case and must hand over some property. The third is of someone forced to do something against their will by an authority figure. And the last is of someone who is asked for a handout.



All of these are situations we are familiar with! In each case, our natural reaction is to respond with anger, bitterness and a desire to “stick it to them”. But Jesus tells us the correct response is one of the open hand—that is, a generous spirit. 

Instead of slapping back, we are to absorb the insult and if necessary receive more. Instead of haggling down to the penny what we lost in our legal battle, we are to be generous and give more then what the judge ruled. 

Instead of obeying those in authority over us through gritted teeth, we are to “go the extra mile with a smile.” And instead of ignoring that request for a handout, we are to give more then the minimum.



Each of these examples demonstrate a heart attitude of generosity that gives not because it is required, but because there is a recognition that God is a God of generosity! Why do we go the extra mile? Because God did for us? Why do we not worry about penny pinching? Because God owns everything and we believe that He is going to care for us! Why do we give more than is asked? Because God did first! 



Jesus is calling us to live life with an attitude that refuses to hold on to anger and bitterness. Those things slowly eat away at our insides and make us small people. When we instead keep our hands open and let go of those destructive tendencies, we are actually being like God and we open a channel for him to fill us with more of Himself.



So the question I have for you is, are living with tightly closed fists? Are you harboring bitterness, anger and resentment for insults and abuses you have received in the past? Or are you living with open hands? Remember, bitterness is the poison you drink hoping the other person will die.



This weekend the pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to help you understand Jesus’ teachings and become a person who lives with open hands.  Why don’t you gather your family together and make a Sunday of it?