“Palm Sunday – Entering Our Holy City”
by Rev. Christine Emmerling 4/2/2023
Today is Palm Sunday which marks the beginning of Holy Week as celebrated by Christians around the world. It culminates with the Resurrection more known as Easter Sunday. Historically, Palm Sunday is 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 in Zechariah 9:9.
Christ Jesus was being welcomed in as though he were a triumphant king. The people having heard about Lazarus being risen from the dead were excited to see him believing he was their long-awaited savior. That he would be their leader to conquer the Romans and to reestablish their kingdom as it was in the days of King David.
The Bible covers this Holy Week as a great drama with Christ 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.
My focus today is to look at these stories metaphysically, meaning their hidden meaning for those with ears to here and eyes to see. Everything that Christ 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 to awaken our soul through prayer and meditation.
The term “Christ” in Divine Science means “The indwelling identity of God-man, the divine individual. Son of God. Universal man.” Our true nature then is the Christ, God individualized. All mankind will eventually awaken to this aspect of self. The Christ is our saving grace. Although to our ego, that loves to be in control, can feel threatened until it understands its place is to be subservient to the Christ mind and obey.
Jesus said that this world was not his kingdom. Today I will be looking at this from the view of the Christ as the spiritual kingdom within us, as our consciousness that is now being waited upon with great expectancy. Metaphysically the donkey that Jesus rode upon represents humbleness. This is a statement of an attitude of mind that we must have. Jesus didn’t ride in sitting proudly on a horse like the Roman rulers. Instead, he arrived upon a lowly donkey.
The arisen Lazarus represents the awakened soul; awakened from the dead of believing in a body and world of matter, to an eternal 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.
Jerusalem is The Holy City which means habitation of peace, this city of peace is within us. The multitude of people represent our inner thoughts, feelings, emotions, hopes and beliefs – all the aspects of who we are on a human level. The waving of palm leaves means spiritual victory, peace and eternal life. The singing of “Hosanna” means “save now.” We are joyfully welcoming the Christ consciousness to be the ruler of our consciousness.
We tame our ego human sense of self. We quiet all our thoughts to receive the great king of consciousness and listen for that still small voice within us. The Christ sits upon the colt, having dominion upon the animal or the human ego self, which is now humbled and meek. We have made the Christ our king, our Beloved leader for our household of consciousness.
The Holy city’s temple is 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 takes over our mind. The first few minutes of our day is the most important as it sets the tone for the rest of the day.
We prepare our consciousness in daily meditation. We bring this consciousness forth in our daily activities in gratitude, love, forgiveness and service. We have our inner work to do in refining those rough parts of our personality. We also redefine our world and beliefs from a world of matter governed by physical laws to a world of spirit run by spiritual laws.
Jesus entered the Holy City up to the temple and stopped to heal those at hand. This to me represents those aspects of our self that block us from our good that are now ready to be forgiven, to be healed and 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 you 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; a 3-fold nature as our emotional body, mental body, and spiritual or light 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 and energy is raised to the head. We also know this as kundalini energy that ignites the Chakra of our holy temple like lit candlesticks. Jesus also says in 2:19, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was speaking of his body temple.
So when Christ gets to the Holy Temple (our Body of God) finds a den of thieves or merchants. A consciousness dwelling upon material conditions, fears, lack, resentments, false beliefs; all base root chakra issues – the seat of the spinal fire is blocked. The chakras or spinal fire is also known as the Tree of Life. And, its doorway is blocked, the outer courtyard is filled with all our worldly thoughts. This doorway must be cleared before entering the Holy of Holies – the veiled Christ consciousness within us.
Life force energy wasted on negativity, resentments, greed, 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 golden white light to flow.
This can also represent the bargaining, trading, and arguing that many people do while sitting in prayer. For example: “Please God do this for me and I’ll do this for you.”; then have the mental anguish of doubting if we truly deserve what we so desire; do we really believe healing is possible; 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.
In Genesis, there is written of swords that twirl about the tree of life making it difficult to approach, but there is another way to see this. Metaphysically a sword slices away the false to reveal the truth. We prepare our consciousness in spiritual studies and affirm the truth to cut away at our false beliefs. The swords of truth are there to tear down the veil of falsehood, 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 of God.
The following is the Lord’s Prayer from the Aramaic translation by Lamsa. In it we find the steps to clearing the courtyard to make way for the Christ consciousness and life force.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be they name.” We worship as we acknowledge the Divine Presence that is everywhere present and within us by laying down our clothes, our sense of physical body. We wave our palms of victory of peace, and sing praises affirming our truth.
“Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done as in heaven so on earth.” We are ready to receive, and embody the Christ in word and deed; that which is received in consciousness is revealed outwardly.
“Give us bread for our needs from day to day.” We receive daily our spiritual nourishment, guidance, spiritual energy and renewal of life.
“And forgive us our offences, as we have forgiven our offenders.” Each day before we enter our holy temple we forgive our loved ones, friends, and enemies. Remembering Jesus the Christ’s words “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” As we abide in the Christ consciousness all karmic debts are dissolved through the Law of Grace.
“And do not let us enter into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” As we go deeper in consciousness, that we are not tempted by worldly thoughts. Nothing to distract us from a listening state of mind, for 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. Here we bath in the silence, immersed in spirit. Gloriously renewed in mind, body and soul. And we close with Amen! Meaning “So it is!” or “It is done!”.
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 that sets us free – free from death, free from limitation, free from sorrow, and free to live a loving joyous purposeful life eternal.