Common Sense Reborn

Hebrews, Part 7, a Palm Sunday Message

³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ⁴By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead…²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future…³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient…³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:3-40)

Chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews is known as the Hall of Faith, or the Heroes of the Faith. The author goes through a brief overview of many of the most memorable heroes in the history of ancient Israel. Beginning with Abel and ending with references to the prophet Daniel, I have always loved this chapter. When we covered it during our neighborhood Bible Study, as well as in Bible Studies overseas, I have challenged those in attendance to live a life that would be worthy of being considered a “Hero of the Faith”. What can you do to live a life that would garner the praise of Jesus and God and get your portrait hung in the Hall of Faith? What are you doing with your faith? Is it just leading you to pray to God every night? Is it leading you to read the Bible every morning, or through the Bible’s entirety? Is your faith leading you to attend a church regularly? Is your faith leading you to get involved in your church or community? That’s all great and amazing, however, that’s what is expected out of your faith. Those are the daily and weekly, rewards for your faith. If you want to become a Hero of the Faith, you need to stop holding back and let your faith lead you into something historic and life-changing. Let your faith lead you around the world on missionaries, to preach on a corner street to the marginalized, to live your life reflecting the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.

Today is Palm Sunday. The day Jesus rode triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem for Passover week, fulfilling the prophecy written in Zechariah 9:9:

⁹Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

Jesus entered Jerusalem on a colt that He specifically sent His disciples to find. His entry into the Holy City was met by crowds waving palm branches and creating a carpet of those branches to greet Jesus’ arrival, as if a King who had a red carpet laid out before him. The people shouted “Hosanna, Hosanna, Glory to God in the highest.” Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, where each day is remembered for its importance as Jesus marched boldly toward Good Friday, where He would be tortured and hung on a cross as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind: past, present, and future.

The image of Jesus sits at the head of the Hall of Faith. His faith to follow His father’s desires of death on the cross is unmatched in the history of humanity. We, as Christians, should be living lives worthy of praise from our Savior and our Heavenly Father, not for the glory or the reward, but because we wish to emulate these Heroes of the Faith, and our greatest Hero of our Faith: Jesus Christ. As Holy Week kicks off, I urge you to find ways to take your faith to another level, to spread the message of Jesus throughout your social circles, the preach true message of Easter to your friends and family, and to lift up the true importance of the Resurrection. Be a hero of the faith. Be a hero this dark world desperately needs. Today marks the beginning of Holy Week, friends, time to lift up our Holy King, our Holy Jesus.