—Vern Dyck

In preparation for this morning’s message I was examining the triumphal procession that a Roman conqueror would lead into his home city of Rome after having defeated his enemies. This caused me to look at another triumphal entry, the one Jesus made into the City of Jerusalem, one week before he was to be crucified. As we read the account according to Mark (Mark 11:1-11) we see that Jesus rides into the city on a borrowed colt. There was no announcement made, no huge crowd lined up to see it. A small cry in comparison to the large parades and fanfare that accompanied a general from the Roman army who entered Rome. These Roman triumphant processions sometimes lasted for days as they would display the spoils of the conquered nation. No, for Jesus, his triumphal entry was very small in comparison.

Nevertheless, there would be those who would proclain victory and honour for the Lord. They would say that this day was indeed Christ’s day of victory. We read that the people shouted,

Yes, this was a triumphal entry but not the triumphal entry. His real triumph came a different way. It came by the cross. The cruel, ugly, painful cross was his triumphal procession. The spit, the crown of thorns, the humiliation, the degradation, the crucifixion, the death: this was the parade that the Lord Jesus Christ had to take. But then we see God exalting him to the “highest place”.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the highest name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the eath, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11

If we want to live a triumphant life in Christ, then we have to die with him first.

“Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” Romans 6:8

Christ’s life is the triumphant life and it can be our life. We simply need to continually die to self, die to our own desires, to our will, and allow his life to be our life. I wish for us all a “triumphant life in Christ”.