For many years I have wrestled with whether I trust my heart or whether I trust the data.
The truth is that I always look at both! The nerd that I am. I am an electronic technician by trade in the semiconductor industry. And I married a “trust but verify” woman.
But the heart always wins. Yes, the data set influences it. And the statistical rules that dominated my workday are always front of mind. I am not so different from many of us who need to balance heart issues with evidence.
But I have decided that the message of the upside-down kingdom of Jesus Christ is the decider for my brain and heart.
What is the upside-down kingdom of Jesus Christ. The Kings of Israel and the leaders of the Roman Empire paraded into Jerusalem on a horse, showing weapons and power. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on the back of a donkey! Was Jesus a fool, just kidding and being snarky, or was he giving a definite message?
Deciding only with data might lead you to fight or give you the green light to dominate. But combine that with your heart and choose to do the right thing.
I choose to follow the ways of Jesus Christ.
The psalmists wrote a verse, now known as Psalm 56, describing the reaction of David when he had been taken prisoner by his enemies.
In his world of war and seeking to survive, David evokes complete confidence that God will deliver him. These are powerful words for us as we navigate life today.
We may or may not be in a war situation. The methods for us to survive our situations in life will be different from person to person and event to event. But what we have in common with the experience of David is that we can make a decision to have steadfast confidence in God to lead us no matter the outcome.
We may think we are in a war situation because our enemies figuratively take a shot across our bow. However, we have been updated by Jesus in the New Covenant to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us.
He says this to us because He knows we’ll have a more fruitful outcome by diffusing tense situations rather than escalating small matters.
Don’t get me wrong. Abusive situations and the need to draw boundaries are separate issues from learning about the upside-down kingdom.
The quest to have the power-over mentality to dominate people can drive fear and division. But the desire to promote the power-under philosophy of the upside-down kingdom drives the successes of love.
Decide to trust in Jesus, our Lord and God.
As the wise Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated:
Jesus plainly introduces this upside-down kingdom when He decides to enter Jerusalem during the Passover Festival. He decided to fulfill a prophecy written in Zachariah 9:9, as told in Matthew 21:
Jesus was intentionally signaling that he proclaimed to be king. Jesus knew the prophecy and the people would understand the significance.
The people had heard of the miracles and wonders of Jesus and wanted to welcome Jesus as their new king in a direct challenge to the authority of Rome. They waved palm branches; a symbol of victory widely used in that part of the world. They expected Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah who would show power-over and overthrow Rome.
No one could blame the people for wanting their homeland to be rid of the Romans, but they missed an important lesson from scripture.
Bear with me as I lengthen this study to make a point for discussion.
The story of the wrong brother who claimed kingship of Israel is in 1 Kings 1:5 – 40. As King David lay on his deathbed, one of his sons brazenly declared he was now king. He assembled chariots and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him to declare his claim.
It turns out that King David had decided previously, in counsel with Nathan the prophet, that his son Solomon would be king. He had Solomon parade in on a mule to declare his kingship rather than the power show of horses and chariots.
The people of Jesus’ day missed the signs from scripture which told them how the God-appointed kings would be announced and the sign they were to see. They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, but missed the relevance.
We today have the benefit of history to understand the nature of the power-under introduction of Jesus as king and the type of king He was announcing himself to be.
Because of the words of Jesus recorded for us in the New Testament, the message why he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey was clear. He was that God-ordained king that would rule. Not with power-over domination, but rather the philosophies He gave us throughout Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 at the beginning of His ministry.
Jesus gives us this invitation in Matthew 11 which tells you about his heart for the type of kingdom He represents:
Heavenly Father, how great is Your name. May Your upside-down kingdom come to earth. I pray that Your message to my heart ignites me to align my life with Your will.
Thank you for the full-time gift of the Holy Spirit to help guide my decision to always trust in You and discover the merits of the upside-down kingdom.
Thank you for the victory over sin and death so I can live my life to the full.
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