Undisputed Champion
April 13, 2025
Dr. Paul Cannings
I must admit that even though I did not graduate from the University of Houston, I was very disappointed they lost in the finals. They have been through so much for so many years to bring home a national championship. They put in so much work and made so many sacrifices, even though winning was everything in the final game.
If we were to take a careful look at all the attacks that Christ encountered, there would be too many to list. Here are a few; His family did not believe in Him (Matthew 12:46; John 7:5), Jewish leaders were always trying to kill Him, Herod was glad to get his hands on Him (Luke 23:8-12), He was continuously needing money (Luke 9:58), and even the little Christ had was being stolen by Judas. Satan remained His enemy, whether by demons, Jewish leaders, or by his continual attacks against Christ (Luke 4:13). When He was arrested, everyone deserted Him except for John.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey it represented a humble King and a conqueror. This is why palm leaves and other people’s garments were placed before Him. No one was able to conquer Him or stop His ministry’s progress. He did not starve to death, and the Jewish leaders could not touch Him until God allowed them. The Jewish people recognized this and wanted Him to conquer Rome (His disciples expected this; Mark 10:35-40). The only thing left to counter was death and that He did a few days later. He came to the final game and won, never to be defeated anymore because everything was finished, so completed after forty days, He ascended to heaven to sit down at His Father’s right hand.
We will experience trials (1 Peter 4:12); each experience is only teaching us how to play the game already won. James, the writer of Hebrews and Peter, would say it teaches us endurance, perfects us, and completes us so we lack nothing (James 1:4). It purify us (1 Peter 1:3-9) or teaches us discipline (Hebrews 12:7-11), and to top it all off, if we endure the process, we then win the Crown of Life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). We no longer need to concern ourselves with winning any of our battles because “He who is in us is greater….’ (1 John 4:4) and we are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37). What is most beautiful about all that we gain from all that Christ overcame is that “….neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, not thing to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created being (includes Satan), will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”
Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem was a victory lap for all of us; “to God be the glory!”
HAPPY PALM SUNDAY!