Are you the curious type? Do you like to know who, what, when, why, and how? Do you ask questions until you get to the bottom of it? Do you search until you get answers? Do you wonder where some traditions originated? Do you wonder that about the church?
By nature, most of us are curious, even if we keep silent about it. We wonder why some people do the things they do. We want to know who is doing what. We like to know when specific things will take place. We seek to understand how something is made.
But I wonder how many of us seek to understand the traditions of the church. Palm Sunday will be here in a few days. How deep have we searched to understand how it came about? We know that when Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before His crucifixion the people greeted Him by putting palm branches down as a carpet for Him to ride in on (John 12:13). They also shouted “Hosanna,” which means “save us, please!” and is a praise that implies rulership. But why did they do that?
We turn to Psalm 118 which was a song of victory. This is a song the Israelites would have sung when a victory had been one. They might have sung it as the king and his soldiers were returning from a victorious campaign to celebrate not only the victory but praise God for the victory. Therefore, when they are singing this song and laying down palm branches for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, it would have shaken the Jewish religious leaders to the core. If the Romans understood the reason behind it, it would have upset them as well.
As we celebrate Palm Sunday, perhaps we can think back to the reason we celebrate it. Jesus has won the victory over Satan and the evil of this world. He has also won the victory over our very own sin. It is through His victory that we stand in victory. Let’s seek to understand the “why” behind our traditions.
I pray we all seek to understand church traditions. I pray we read God’s Word and discover the reasons why we do certain things. I pray each one of us will celebrate our victory in Jesus every day. Seek understanding. Read God’s Word. Know the “why” of traditions. Celebrate victory in Jesus.
Psalm 118:26-27
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
Marty Pressey 