Galatians 3.10-14

You may have heard someone refer to a specific aspect of life as being “both a blessing and a curse.”

Something can be both a blessing and a curse when it offers positive outcomes but also carries negative consequences or challenges. 

Some examples of this are,

Intelligence: Intelligence can be a blessing for learning and understanding, but a curse if it leads to boredom or frustration.

Money:  Money can be a blessing for buying things that you need to survive, but a curse if it leads to worry, theft or envy.

Sensitivity: Being sensitive allows for strong empathy and a deep appreciation for life, but it can also make it difficult to cope with negativity and criticism.

Creativity: Creative individuals can produce amazing art and ideas, but they may also struggle with perfectionism and difficulty following rigid rules.

Love: Loving someone deeply is a great blessing, but it can also be a source of pain and anxiety, particularly if the relationship is challenging.

Many of our passions, talents, character traits, and possessions can be dichotomous by releasing both joyous highs and soul-wrenching lows into our human experience. 

In our text this morning, we are going to hear about something, more specifically, a someone, that is both a curse and a blessing.  From the next pericope, or next section, of Galatians that we are up to, the Apostle Paul talks about Jesus being both a curse and a blessing.  

Let’s get right into the Bible text now.

In Galatians 3:10–14, the Apostle Paul says this:

[10] For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” [11] Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” [12] But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” [13] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—[14] so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)

I am sure that when we hear about being cursed, many non-Biblical ideas and images flash through our minds.  

Maybe we think about the Evil Queen who feeds Snow White a cursed poison apple that puts puts Snow White into a indefinite period of sleep.

Maybe we think about the Golden Idol in Indiana Jones, that when removed from it’s pillar, begins a series of death traps culminating in Indiana Jones nearly escaping the crushing weight of a giant boulder.

And, if you are as old, or even older than me, maybe you think about the cursed Hawaiian Tiki statue that Peter Brady finds in a construction pit and then wears around his neck, only to be met with a string of bad luck, including a tarantula crawling on him in his hotel room bed.

Well, these ideas and images of curses and cursed items bringing danger and bad luck have nothing to do with the curse that the Apostle Paul is talking about in this section of his letter to the churches in the region of Galatia.  But these ideas and images are what pop-culture presents to us and they often taint and misinform our understanding of the Bible.

So, let’s ask a series of questions about this morning’s Biblical text and get the answers to those questions so that we can better understand the Good News of Jesus that the Apostle Paul is proclaiming to us.

Let’s begin:

What does it mean to be cursed in Biblical language?

To be cursed in Biblical language is the opposite of being blessed.

To be blessed is to have God’s love and favor on you and in your life.  To be blessed means that God makes you perfectly fulfilled in every way, forgiving your sin and giving you the righteousness you need to enter His Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, the opposite of that—to be cursed—is to not have God’s love and favor on you and in your life.  Instead, those that are cursed by God have God’s anger and wrath poured out upon them, punishing them for their unbelief and sin.

Next:

How does one become cursed by God?

The text tells us that a person is cursed, meaning that they are in danger of being punished by God’s wrath for their sin, when they attempt to be forgiven of sin and made right with God through giving him a list of His laws that they followed and the good deeds that they did.

And:

Why does attempting to make God love you with your behavior put you in a place where you are deserving of God’s punishment?

Well, the text also answers this question.  In order to be worthy of God’s love by doing good deeds and Godly works, you would have to obey every command of God perfectly from birth to death.  You have to live every second of every day doing ALL things written in the Bible without ever getting any of it wrong.

Because of original sin, the sin which you inherit from Adam and Eve at the very moment you are conceived in the womb, it is impossible to live and love in the way God commands.  

And, thinking that your record reflects more good stuff than bad stuff doesn’t do you any good because as Jesus’ brother James tells us in his Biblical letter found in the New Testament:

[10] For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. [11] For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. (James 2:10–1, ESV)

However, there is always hope for you to have a fresh start as faith in Christ enables you to be born again.  With the help of the God’s Holy Spirit, that makes its home in you the very moment that you find yourself with faith in Jesus Christ as your Redeemer, you are strengthened and empowered by God Himself to choose the good part of every hour.

Many rejoiced on Palm Sunday during Jesus’ parade into Jerusalem because they knew God’s grace had sent Jesus to be their Savor and Redeemer.

However, even though we are given the picture of a celebratory parade on Palm Sunday, this event is, in actuality, the beginning of a week long funeral march.  

Jesus rides into Jerusalem as the people’s champ—“Do you smell what God’s Rock is cooking?” Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, came not to sit on the throne in the earthly temple or palace, but to sit on the throne in God’s Kingdom of Heaven.  

Jesus enters the city to the praise of his followers, but leaves the city 5 days later to the weeping of his friends and family.

Palm Sunday culminates in Jesus’ death on the cross on Good Friday, but also Jesus’ resurrection from the grave on Easter Sunday.  

Holy Week, beginning today, has both joyous highs and soul-wrenching lows for those that are known by God the Father in Heaven and in turn know God the Father in Heaven in the person and work of Jesus Christ for them.

The path that Jesus rides and then walks during Holy Week was willingly chosen by Him to ensure your eternal blessing.  Innocent Jesus became cursed by God and was hung on the tree of the cross to be fully and completely punished by God’s anger and wrath in your place.  

In another letter that the Apostle Paul wrote, also contained in the Bible’s New Testament, he explains the Good News of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday for you when he writes this, in Ephesians 2:1–10:

[1] And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)

In Galatians 3.11, the Apostle Paul quotes the Old Testament book of Habakkuk which says, “But the righteous one will live by faith.”

Martin Luther, the 16th Century church reformer, first read Habakkuk 2:4 when he was a monk living in a monastery, but he didn’t understand it at the time. Later he went through a period of illness and depression as he imagined himself under the wrath of God. Lying in a bed in Italy, fearing he was about to die, Luther found himself repeating over and over again, “The righteous will live by faith.” He recovered and went to Rome, where he visited one of the famous churches there. The pope in that day had promised an indulgence forgiving the sins of any pilgrim who mounted the tall staircase in front of the church. Pay your money, climb the staircase, and you can have your sins or someone else’s forgiven. People flocked to climb the staircase on their knees, pausing to pray and kiss the stairs along the way. Luther’s son later wrote the following of that experience for his father: “As he (Luther) repeated his prayers on the Lateran staircase, the words of the Prophet Habakkuk came suddenly to his mind: ‘The just shall live by faith.’ Thereupon he ceased his prayers, returned to Wittenberg, and took this as the chief foundation of all his doctrine.” Luther later said, “Before those words broke upon my mind I hated God and was angry with him. . . . But when, by the Spirit of God, I understood those words—‘The just shall live by faith!’ ‘The just shall live by faith!’—then I felt born again like a new man; I entered through the open doors into the very Paradise of God.” 

This morning, our readers shared the story of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem from the Gospel of John.  These texts were chosen by the lectionary for this morning.

In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, we get other accounts of what happened on Palm Sunday.  These other accounts of that day tell us some of the things that the crowd was shouting and singing as Jesus passed by.

Luke 19:37–38 tell us this:

[37] As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, [38] saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (ESV)

And, Matthew 21:9 tells us this:

[9] And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (ESV)

Palm Sunday is the beginning of the full and complete public declaration that Jesus is the One that takes you who were dead to God because of sin and makes you abundantly alive in the eternal love and freedom of God.

Without Jesus, you remain cursed, condemned, and dead to God.

With Jesus, you have been set free from the curse of sin and have become blessed, and are brought back to life by God at the price of His One and Only Son in your place.

The people rejoiced on Palm Sunday because God’s promised Redeemer and Savior had come to them.

I invite you also to repent of your sin and rejoice that God’s promised Redeemer and Savior has come to you.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

April 13, 2025 / Palm Sunday

Prayer:

King of heaven, 

We long to worship you today with hearts full of joy, but we have sinned countless times and we have no crown of glory or obedience to wear before you. Our dancing is turned to mourning when we think of our sin. We understand that we are like the mockers who scoffed at Jesus as he died, the rebels who pressed the crown of thorns deeply onto his sinless head. We are undone and wonder how you could ever love us and welcome us as cherished sons and daughters. Father, forgive us for hearts that doubt you and turn away from you many times each day. Forgive us for worshiping other gods, and then running away in cycles of shame and guilt because we are disappointed in ourselves. Forgive us for believing that our sin is so much stronger than your love and grace. 

Lord, 

thank you for your perfect Son, who never sinned, yet became sin for us. Thank you for allowing his head to be bloodied by that thorny crown, so that you could lift up our heads and crown us with your steadfast love and mercy. Thank you for your deep and infinite love that willingly crushed your only Son so that his wounds could pay our ransom. Dear Father, thank you that our sin is dealt with, fully paid for, and that we have become the righteous through faith in the work of your Son. 

Father, 

we are desperately weak people who constantly need your help. Please turn our eyes toward your radiant Son to see his head now crowned with glory and honor, always pleading in our defense. Help us remember all the benefits that flow toward us because of our redemption in Christ. Give us such great love for your Son and gratitude to you, that we are transformed into people who want to obey you with all our hearts. Make us children who love with the same kind of love that we have received from you. Cause us to point one another to Christ as our only hope for surviving this fallen world and our own sinful hearts. Thank you that nothing can keep us from reaching our heavenly home, where we will see your Lamb seated on his throne, crowned with radiant glory, where we will fall at his feet and worship for all eternity. Amen.