"Palm Sunday – Entering Our Holy City"

by Rev. Christine 4/13/03

Today is Palm Sunday which marks the beginning of Holy Week as celebrated by Christians around the world, and culminates with Easter Sunday – the resurrection. The Bible covers this Holy Week as a great drama with Jesus entering the Holy City, Monday the Clearing of the Holy Temple, following with teachings to his disciples, Tuesday the confronting with Pharisees and scribes, Thursday known as the Last Supper with the betrayal and capture at Mount Olives, Friday the crucifixion, and ending Sunday with the triumphant resurrection.

Palm Sunday so named because of the great number of people who were waving and laying down palm leaves and singing praises as Jesus the Christ entered Jerusalem riding upon a colt of an ass as prophesied by Zechariah 9:9. Christ Jesus was being welcomed in as though he were a triumphant king – for the word about Lazarus being risen from the dead had spread and people were excited to see him.

Today I will be looking at this from the view of the Christ as our own higher self, that is now being greeted with great expectancy. As it was 2000 years ago, the Jewish people were looking for a king to take over the city, their holy temple and restore the kingdom for them. Jesus rode in on a donkey or ass which is a lowly animal representing humbleness. This is a statement of consciousness, he didn’t ride in sitting proudly on a horse, but on a lowly donkey.

Everything that Jesus said and did had a deeper meaning for the disciples in their training, and for us today that seek and follow for our own resurrection

and ascension. It is a path for our awakened soul, and also steps in prayer.

The arisen Lazarus represents the awakened soul; awakened from the dead of believing in the material body and world, to a greater body of Spirit. Our soul has been awakened, reborn in spirit, and is now ready to receive the greater consciousness which is humble, meek and gentle.

The Holy City, is our awakened consciousness. The multitude of people is our own inner thoughts, feelings, emotions, and beliefs – all the aspects of who we are on a human level. And, we are singing "Hosanna," meaning "save now."

We have humbled our self, our ego personality, to receiving the great king of consciousness. The Christ sits upon the ass, having dominion upon the animal or human self which is now humble and meek. We have made The Christ our king, our Beloved leader for our household of consciousness.

The Holy city is also where we go daily to sit and pray and meditate. We select a room or spot that is quiet, where we will be undisturbed. We choose a time that is best suited for the quiet time. Early morning is preferable before the business of the day busy’s the mind.

We prepare our consciousness in daily meditation, and caring forth in our daily activities in gratitude, love, forgiveness and service. We also, work on refining those rough parts of our personality ego, we redefine our world and beliefs from the physical laws of a material world to spiritual law in a spiritual world.

Jesus entered the Holy City up to the temple, and stopped to heal those at hand. This to me represents those aspects of self, that was ready to be released. Christ did not enter the temple at that time, but returned the next morning to find the "outer court" of the temple filled with money changers arguing, and merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves. Once again, Jesus cleansed the temple saying, "Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But ye have made it a den of robbers" (Mark 11:17).

In the version from John 2:15-16, we have "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise."

This cleansing of the temple, representing to many people of Jesus’ anger. I have heard, well Jesus got angry and turned over tables and such. Thus justifying their own angry outbursts. So, this part of the Holy Week has been of special interest to me to see more clearly in its deeper meaning.

The following is my understanding: According to the first three gospels, the cleansing took place at the end of his ministry and then in John at the beginning. John’s teachings to me represents the mystic’s path.

Early on in our path, after going through our earlier preparation of fasting and praying we are ready for the next step in our spiritual unfoldment. The Holy Temple of Jerusalem, is our body temple – our spiritual body. A cleansing of the temple body must take place prior to any spiritual undertaking or advancement.

John’s version, speaking of the "scourge of small cords" is referring to a process which takes place in the body as the spinal spirit fire or energy is raised to the head. We also know this as kundalini energy, or the chakras of the Holy City. Jesus also says in 2:19, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." He was speaking of the spiritual body temple.

So when Christ gets to the Holy Temple (our Body of God) finds a den of thieves. A consciousness dwelling upon material conditions, fears, hates, resentments, false beliefs; all base root chakra issues – the seat of the spinal fire. The chakras or spinal fire is also known as the Tree of Life. And, its doorway is blocked, the outer courtyard is filled with a den of robbers. This doorway must be cleared before entering the Holy of Holies – the veiled Christ consciousness within us.

In Genesis, there is written of swords that twirl about the tree of life making it difficult to get in, but the swords are there to tear down the veil, the veil that covers our consciousness to the truth. And, is revealed to us as we allow our body to be the temple of prayer for the indwelling spirit.

Life force energy wasted on negativity, greed, anger, envy and such is changing God’s energy of Gold to a cheaper base metal, God’s thoughts of Love to lower animalistic emotions and feelings. These are the money changers and merchants that are stealing our God given life force, and must be cleared out for the pure Light to enter.

This also represents the bargaining, trading, and arguing that many people do while sitting in prayer: please God do this for me and I’ll do this for you, or the mental arguing that we go through; do we truly deserve what we are asking for, do I really believe healing is possible, or in getting that new job, or deeper yet is there eternal life, a heaven and eternal damnation, or is heaven at hand. The many thoughts that go on in our mind are the animals blocking the doorway for the Christ consciousness to enter.

The following is the Lord’s Prayer as revealed as the steps to clearing the courtyard to make way for the Christ consciousness and life force. "Our Father, which are in heaven, Hallowed be they name." We worship, acknowledging our divinity by laying down our clothes and palms, and singing praises. "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven." We are ready to receive, and embody the Christ in word and deed; that which is received in consciousness is revealed outwardly.

"Give us this day our daily bread." We receive our daily guidance, spiritual energy and renewal of life. "Forgive us our debts and we forgive our debtors." We are lifted into grace, as we raise our consciousness with the Christ all is forgiven – all karmic debts are released through the Christ consciousness.

"Leave us not in temptation, but delivereth from all evil." There are different translations to this part, some say "leave us not in temptation" and others "Lead us not in temptation." I find it hard to believe that Christ would lead us into temptation, so for now I use "Leave us not in temptation, but delivereth from all evil." As we rise in higher consciousness, that we are not tempted by worldly thoughts, colorful or grandiose visions – nothing to distract us from our one and only purpose and desire – closer to thee my God.

"For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory forever and ever." The Christ has cleared the way, and has made it all the way up the Tree of Life, to the crowning glory. And, here we bath in our silence, emerged in spirit. Gloriously renewed in mind, body and soul. And we close with Amen!

The cleansing of the temple puts into motion the next steps of the crucifixion and resurrection. The dying to material sense and desires, to rise again into the truth sets us free – free from death, free from limitation, free from sorrow, and free to live a loving joyous purposeful life eternal. Jesus followed up after the cleansing with teachings of purity and regeneration.