If Only These Palms Would Remain Fresh…

Dr. Jarlath Uche Opara
Jarlathuche@gmail.com

Yesterday was Palm Sunday or otherwise known as Passion Sunday. A Sunday before the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. It could equally be called Easter Sunday. A lot happened that heralded this moment of Christ’ Resurrection.

He went through phases praises , adulations and glorification. He was famous, his might and the tangible expression of his aura, infulence and power very evident. Was seen as that King that would set the Jewish people free from the bondage and captivity of their earthly captors.

As he entered Jerusalem in a triumphant way, driven on the back of a virgin donkey, the Jewish people saw an earthly king. The excitement of their liberation heaved in sight was massive and the joy of beholding the long prophesied earthly Messiah very profound.

In their joy and frenzy, they rolled out their clothings for the Donkey to walk on, an honor done to Christ the King not the Donkey, waving their palms , singingHosanna! Hosanna!! Hosanna!! They didn’t know that their inability to keep the palms fresh and greenish would make them in few days to shout crucify him! Crucify him!! Crucify him !!!

As sunday rolled into monday, monday to Tuesday and Tuesday into Wednesday and as the palm used on Palm Sunday began to dry up, their Passion Sunday love, admiration and cheering began to dwindle, shrink and transform into hatred, ignominy, wanting not to crown him as King but rather to crucify him as a criminal.

If only they were able to preserve the freshness and greenish of the Palm, Good Friday wouldn’t have come and the Golgothar experience, the pains and shame of being denied, flogged, dragged, spat at etc wouldn’t have been made possible. The Palm got dried and his death on the cross became their obsession.

If the palm didn’t get dried, the songs of Hosanna would have been their lifestyle lyrics. A song that would have defined their love, care, admiration etc for Jesus the King and messaiah.

If those Palms did not get dry, hatred, bitterness and dissension wouldn’t have been so ignited in them to admire with great passion the chant Crucify him! Crucify!! Crucify !!! Same crowd of Hosanna! Hosanna!! Hosanna!!awhile ago, turned into a mob, seeking for his blood, the danger of not keeping the palms fresh and greenish.

Yesterday I saw many with palms, not one not two, it seemed to them the more palms they were able to get the more blessings. Some became very creative with them, made crosses from such palms , flowers and other images, if only they could keep them fresh, their constant denial, vacillating from sin to virtue, from Godliness to Godlessness, from affirmation that He is Lord and Master to the denial of him through ones actions and deeds would have been non existent.

If only one would be very consistent with ones life of total submission to God, ones palms would forever remain fresh. If only ones vices were crucified once and for all on the cross, the palm of praises, acknowledgment of his forever kingship and his Lord and Master over the universe would be at all times fresh and greenish.

It is because of this amorphous nature of us, running with the hare and chasing with the hound, saying hosanna today and chanting crucify him tomorrow that our palms get dried and the need for them to be burnt on ash wednesday very imminent.

If only we can get our palms fresh and alive, Ash wednesday won’t be necessary, lent would be needless, Good friday out of equation, for the Hossana chants , the cheers, joy , love etc of Palm sunday, would be the needed oil to grease our spiritual life for an all time fresh relationship and fellowship with the triune God.

Those whose palms would be fresh at all times will be like the Hosanna Crowd while those whose palms will soon get dried would be the Crucify Him Crowd.

Which of these crowds do you belong to?