“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of The Lord.” Luke 19:38
This is what the crowd chanted as they greeted Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem – the day we call Palm Sunday. They referred to Jesus in terms only used for Caesar. They hailed him as the Messiah sent by God. Yet how soon that changed and in no time at all Jesus was relegated to a position lower than a common criminal.
My picture today reflects the way in which Jesus coming is a subversive act. The Kingly crown is surrounded by the crown of thorns; one does not exist without the other. He overturns all our human structures and assumptions about who is first and who is last. He came so that those who are last shall be first. His birth in a lowly stable and his death on a lonely hill are the polar opposite of what we expect of a King. And yet in lowering himself to the level of the least of this world, he identifies with those who society would reject.
For those of us who claim to be Jesus followers, we need to emulate his example. We need to be prepared to be least; to set aside our own desires for status and recognition and to raise up those who we would normally reject.
It is in this subversion that the true Kingship of Jesus shines through.
As we await his arrival, what can we do to align ourselves with Jesus in his acts of subversion?
janelydialoves 
Its a hard act to follow for sure …. I haven’t seen the 2 crowns depicted together like this before one inside the other – A really potent image and reminds me of that “famous painting” of the nativity scene: a lovely, perfect stable scene, but when you stand back from the detail the clear shadow of a cross actually dominates the entire picture.
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That sounds interesting Chris, would love to be able to see that picture. Any refs?
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