Here comes the King, riding on a donkey
“Hail Him, hail Him! Hosanna to the Messiah!”
Lining His path with cloaks and twigs
The crowd ran ahead hailing, stirring the city
With adoration for the prophet from Nazareth
But when He didn’t prove the warring Liberator:
Instead, the celebrated Savior surrendered
Like a lamb rather than rip through foes like the lion
Storms of disappointment, brewing in mankind
From ages, exploded as evil confronted good. Sin
Sentenced Him – cruel death on a wooden cross;
The innocent, hung between politics and religion
And by the cross, sworn enemies embraced.
Betrayed, denied, deserted by dearest friends
Who were overcome by greed, fear, sleep,
And lust as they tussled for power and popularity:
One slashed to save what He chose to sacrifice.
In His darkest hours, His unflagging lifestyle taught
What it means to love and what it takes to give:
The greatness in service, the power of sacrifice.
In His deepest moments of need, He continued to love
To give selflessly, heal the wounded, defend the helpless
Teach the gullible, tend the lonely, comfort the hopeless
Forgive the unrepentant: thus He did the impossible
Performed the incredible and changed the unchangeable.
He was taken, standing for those He has chosen.
In quietness, He bore the worst – alienation from God:
Voluntarily, He chose the cross. In dying, won the world.
Though equal with God, He chose our side of the great divide
He rejected the easy way out, preferring the Father’s will;
He would do no miracles for personal convenience
But would perform signs and wonders to aid the needy
He would not be tempted to bow for global popularity
But would do the breath-taking to teach faith to a few
He would not advance God’s Kingdom the world’s way
Instead, He took the thorny path, shameful as it was painful;
World’s creator born in a manger, royalty in peasant robe
The Almighty wore weakness, the righteous a curse became:
Behold our God, the servant King, Lion that lives the Lamb!
Behold our perfect example, whose steps we must follow
Without excuse, let us worship and serve the servant King.
© Glory C. Odemene, 2013
He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at Him and people turned away. We looked down on Him, thought He was scum. But the fact is, it was our pain He carried-our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought He brought it on Himself, that God was punishing Him for His own failures. But it was our sins that did that to Him, that ripped and tore and crushed Him-our sins! He took the punishment and that made us whole. Through His bruises we get healed. Isaiah 53: 3-6 (The Message Bible)
The life of Christ never ceases to amaze and attract my admiration! How can Someone so high and so great, bring himself so low, allowing those He humiliated Himself for, to not only walk away without appreciation but also to put Him through such pain, through such shame! Only God can take that.
And because willingly, in spite of all, He chose to come so far, so low, God was pleased to lift Him so high: high above every other so that at His name, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He truly is the Greatest, the Most High. This brethren is our King, our perfect example, in every experience that life brings our way.
Glory!