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18: Holy Week Through The Lens Of The Enneagram
76 Plays6 months ago
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus had a personality just like you and me? He was both fully divine and fully human. We see this dual nature of him clearly in the scriptures from Holy Week. Join Laura Fleetwood each day this week as we travel to the cross with Jesus and see how he exudes all of the 9 personality types from the ancient spiritual growth tool called the enneagram. As we see Jesus display the fullness of human personality in his words and actions, we are reminded that He understands our human faults and frailty, but He overcame all of the struggles we face so that we could trust Him in this life and live forever with him in the next.
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Transcript
Introduction to Seeking the Still Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Seeking the Still is produced by Jill Devine Media. Welcome to the Seeking the Still podcast with me, your host, Laura Fleetwood.
00:00:14
Speaker
In this safe space, we come together to seek the still amid chaotic lives. To get honest about what overwhelms us, to become connected to one another and to the divine, to step into who we were created to be. Always real, never perfect, and forever on your side.
Exploring Holy Week Through the Enneagram
00:00:36
Speaker
This episode is a very special episode recorded by Laura Fleetwood regarding Holy Week. I'm Jill Devine and leading up to Easter Sunday, Holy Week goes through Jesus' days, his final days on earth, and we get to learn more about what he was doing and maybe what he was thinking based on scripture. And so Laura decided that she wanted to look at it through the lens of an Enneagram coach. She has a ton of knowledge, a ton of training, and she decided to go through each day leading up to Jesus's death and then his resurrection on Easter Sunday through that lens. And so that's what this episode is all about.
00:01:21
Speaker
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus had a personality just like you and me? He was both fully divine and fully human. We see this dual nature of him clearly in the scriptures from Holy Week. Join me each day this week as we travel to the cross with Jesus and we'll see how he exudes all of the nine personality types from the ancient spiritual growth tool called the Enneagram. As we see Jesus display the fullness of human personality in his words and actions,
00:01:53
Speaker
We are reminded that he understands our human faults and frailty, but he overcame all of those struggles that we face so that we could trust him in this life and live forever with him in the next. Let's begin.
Palm Sunday: The Humble King
00:02:09
Speaker
Psalm Sunday, Jesus comes to Jerusalem as King, from Luke chapter 19. After Jesus said this, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples saying to them, go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a c colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
00:02:38
Speaker
If anyone asks you, why are you untying it, say, the Lord needs it. Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colts, its owners asked them, why are you untying the colts? They replied, the Lord needs it. They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.
00:03:21
Speaker
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, teacher, rebuke your disciples. I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you on every side.
00:03:57
Speaker
They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you. In the account of Palm Sunday, as we read about Jesus choosing to ride into Jerusalem on a cult, there are several ways that he exhibits the individualist personality. He is all about authenticity in this scene. You see, the people wanted a regal king. They wanted a strong and mighty king who would help them conquer their enemies. And when such a person would come into a town, they often rode on a strong and mighty horse.
00:04:49
Speaker
But Jesus doesn't choose a horse. Jesus chooses a donkey, and not just a donkey, a colt, a young donkey who had never been rid upon. What this tells us is that Jesus wanted to come into this final week exactly who he was, not pretending to be what the people wanted him to be, not pretending to be something that his enemies would um consider as as more worthy or more appropriate. No, Jesus came humbly, authentically himself, riding on a young colt.
00:05:35
Speaker
When you think about the people in your life who have this authenticity, who are individualists, who celebrate the fact that they are different from others in the world, this type of personality reflects God's creativity and depth in humanity. Let's reflect on how we can incorporate this characteristic into our lives and appreciate it more in the lives of others.
00:06:07
Speaker
Dear Heavenly Father, as we consider how Jesus entered in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, being fully who he was, not pretending to be a mighty king, but acknowledging that he was a humble king who would come not to conquer kingdoms and people, but to conquer death by dying. Lord, His individuality and the creativity with which You imbued Him on this journey reminds us of all of the special ways that You make each individual on this earth unique.
00:06:51
Speaker
Help us to celebrate one another's individual characteristics. Help us to be in awe of Jesus's humility as he knew who he was, full and well, the Son of God, riding into Jerusalem to take his final stand. And he does it on a humble colt while people throw down robes onto the street. Lord, help us to take some of Jesus's humility with us into this day. Help us to be humble, to live the life that you have given us and intend for us and not the one that we want or that others in our lives want for us. Help us to be grateful today for what we have and for who we are in your eyes. Amen.
Jesus' Righteous Actions in Jerusalem
00:07:47
Speaker
It's Monday of Holy Week. Today we see Jesus at the Temple. From Luke 19 starting with verse 45. When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. It is written, he said to them, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers. Every day he was teaching at the temple, but the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it because all the people hung on his words.
00:08:27
Speaker
Today we see a different side of Jesus, an aspect of his personality that perhaps isn't as apparent through the rest of of scripture. We see him righteously angry as he goes to the temple courts and see those who are there selling things and preventing people from having a quiet place in which to discuss God and to be there with one another. He says, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers. In other books of the Bible, it says that he flips over the tables.
00:09:12
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And here we're seeing the personality from the Enneagram of a type 8, the protective challenger. The protective challenger is somebody who knows the truth and who wants to be a powerful agent of change in the world. Type 8s are known as being assertive and they have a great desire to protect those who which they love.
00:09:47
Speaker
Now, as humans, we can take this personality to the nth degree and we can let it move from being assertive to being aggressive. But here, as Jesus flips over the tables at the temple, he is doing so to prove a point. And in that way, we also see him acting as a type one, which is the moral perfectionist. People with this personality um are responsible and strive to do what is right and to help other people do what is right. So in this way, Jesus is saying, this is not how God wants his temple to be used. Let me show you a better way.
00:10:36
Speaker
Now, Jesus exhibits these personalities perfectly on this Monday of Holy Week. But as humans, ah we often let sin get in our way. So let's reflect on the people we know who have personalities of perfectionism and of strong leadership. And let's pray for God to open our eyes about how and why these are important aspects of those that we know and love. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us the side of Jesus as He confronts the people at God's house who are using it improperly. Lord, today we see so much conflict.
00:11:23
Speaker
And so many voices from all sides saying, this is the way, this is the truth, this is how it should be done. We see people with this challenger personality and this perfectionist personality. And all too often as humans, we let ourselves and our own ideas take precedence over your truth. So today, as we reflect on ourselves and on others that we know who have these strong personality types, Lord, help us to um see that parts of this personality are beautiful.
00:12:02
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You designed them this way to speak out against injustice and to speak for what is right. Forgive us when we let our own agendas take priority over what you would have us do and what you would have us say. And Lord, in our own lives, when there are times where we need to be assertive and we need to tell the truth, help us to do so only with your spirit guiding us and only with your words on our lips and on our hearts. It seems an impossible thing for us, but Jesus shows how the truth can be spoken powerfully and yet also in an attitude of love in Jesus name.
00:12:48
Speaker
<unk> Welcome to Tuesday of Holy Week as we look at Luke 20, starting with verse 1. This is when Jesus is teaching parables to the people who have joined him in Jerusalem. One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law together with the elders came up to him. Tell us by what authority you are doing these things, they said. Who gave you this authority? He replied, I will also ask you a question. Tell me John's baptism. Was it from heaven or of human origin?
00:13:33
Speaker
They discussed it among themselves and said, if we say from heaven, he will ask, why didn't you believe him? But if we say of human origin, all the people will stone us because they are persuaded that John was a prophet. So they answered, we don't know where it was from. Jesus said, neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. Then he went on to tell the people this parable. A man planted a vineyard. rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenant so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed.
00:14:20
Speaker
He sent still a third and they wounded him and threw him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do? I will send my son whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him. But when the tenant saw him, they talked the matter over. This is the air they said, let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours. So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyards to others. When the people heard this, they said, God forbid. Jesus looked directly at them and asked, then what is the meaning of that which is written? The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. Anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.
00:15:12
Speaker
The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately because they knew he had spoken this parable against them, but they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on him, They sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something so that they might hand him over to the power and the authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him, teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right and that you do not show partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
00:15:48
Speaker
Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? He saw through their duplicity and said to them, show me a denarius whose image and inscription are on it. Caesar's they replied. He said to them, then give back to Caesar. What is Caesar's and to God? What is God's? They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public and astonished by his answers. They became silent.
00:16:20
Speaker
On Tuesday of Holy Week, we see that the Jewish elite were trying to trap Jesus in his words. They were asking him purposely tricky questions so that he would slip up and they would have some kind of proof, some kind of um something that he had broken so that they could arrest him. But what we see here is Jesus using the personality of the Enneagram type 5.
00:16:56
Speaker
which is the wise thinker. All of us know wise thinkers in our life, those that we can go to with hard questions and and they always seem to have an answer. As Jesus is answering the questions of the religious leaders on Tuesday of Holy Week, he is fully engaging this personality type. He is showing that he cannot be stumped, that he is on to what the religious leaders are trying to do, and that he is not afraid of them.
00:17:34
Speaker
Now, for those of us who are human, who have this personality trait of being wise and having lots of wisdom to share with others, it's often easy for us to let our ego get in the way and to make everything that we say and do about us and the truth that we have that we want to tell. But Jesus is showing the perfect way, the perfect way to offer wisdom to a world that doesn't often appreciate it. So today, as you think about people in your life who
00:18:12
Speaker
have this personality type of being a wise thinker, let's reflect on how Jesus uses those kinds of people in our lives and also some things to be aware of, lest we fall into a trap ourselves. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for all of the wise people that you put in our lives. Those people who who just seem to always know what to say and how to say it. But Lord, let us not look to them as idols, for we know that the true wisdom and truth comes from you and from your word.
00:18:52
Speaker
So help us to appreciate wisdom in ourselves and in others, especially as we see it portrayed by Jesus here on Tuesday of Holy Week. But let us not fall into the temptation of putting earthly wisdom above heavenly wisdom. Lord, as we continue to journey with Jesus this week, we are thankful for all of the people that you put into our lives who are wise counselors. Be with them, protect them, and help them to balance their wise advice with keeping a heart tuned toward you. In Jesus name, amen.
Reflection and Rest: Preparing for the Crucifixion
00:19:34
Speaker
It's Wednesday of Holy Week and today we don't really know what Jesus did. Scripture seems silent and so we can make a few assumptions because of how often Jesus needed to go away and rest and recover and spend time with his closest friends. We assume that that's what he did on this Wednesday, that after the time spent in Jerusalem coming in on Palm Sunday and on Monday confronting the people who were selling at the temple. And Monday and Tuesday, teaching to the people who gathered there at the temple, he was probably exhausted. He knew what was coming. Tomorrow on Thursday, everything was about to begin. And he probably needed to rest.
00:20:33
Speaker
Remember that Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully man. And just like ah we get revved up when we are in the middle of stressful seasons of life, so did Jesus. And he knew that to relax his body and to be in the best frame of mind mentally, physically, and spiritually, headed into these last few days, that he would need to spend time with his father, with his friends, and in prayer. And so we assume that's what he did. And this reminds me a lot of the Enneagram personality type number two, which is the helper, the supportive advisor, because Jesus wasn't likely just resting for himself.
00:21:24
Speaker
He was likely also taking this day to pour into his disciples and his closest friends because he knew their world was about to be rocked. He knew that their world was about to be turned upside down. And that things were going to happen that they could, even though he had told them what was going to happen, they did not have a grasp on it. And so we see him using this personality type of the helper to help his friends, most likely on this Wednesday of Holy Week. Now helper types will do almost anything for others before they do things for themselves. And
00:22:09
Speaker
We don't see this happening with Jesus because, of course, he is the perfect example of the helper personality type in ways that we could never be. We see Jesus filling himself up so that he can then pour out to others. He knew the right way to be a helper in this world. As we reflect today, let's think about all of the helpers in our lives who sacrificially give to us so that we can live the lives that God intended for us and let us pray for them to be filling themselves up as well.
00:22:49
Speaker
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for how you were always with Jesus as he went through Holy Week. And even as we don't know exactly what happened on this Wednesday, we imagine that he spent a whole lot of time with you and with those that he loved. We imagine that he prayed with them, that he reassured them, that he encouraged them to rest and recover so that they could be prepared for what he knew lay ahead. Thank you for the people in our lives that do the same thing, that give sacrificially to us so that we might have the strength to do what we need to do in our days. And Lord, when these helpers in our lives find themselves with empty cups,
00:23:39
Speaker
because they have poured out and poured out and not been poured into, remind them that even Jesus filled himself up first with your love, with your peace, with all of the fruits of the spirit so that he could have emotionally and physically and mentally and spiritually an overflow of your love to put into the lives of others. In Jesus' name, amen. It's Thursday of Holy Week and we see Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. From Luke chapter 22, beginning with verse 39. Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them,
00:24:30
Speaker
Pray that you will not fall into temptation. He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed. Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done. An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. Why are you sleeping? He asked them, get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. In this scene, as we see Jesus praying fervently to God for another way.
00:25:20
Speaker
for this to happen, another way for this to play out, another way for him to be able to save his beloved from sin. I see the personality trait of the Enneagram six, the loyal guardian coming into play here. Loyal guardians are some of the most reliable, hardworking, dutiful and steady people out there. They are so dependable to do the right thing. And yet underneath that personality,
00:25:55
Speaker
is a sense of anxiety. And this is what we see Jesus displaying in the garden. He knows what his objective is. He knows what God would have him do. And yet he finds himself wrestling with this very real human emotion of anxiety to the point where he is sweating drops of blood. We all know people in our lives who are fiercely loyal and dedicated. What you may not realize is that underneath that dedication is usually a sense of stress and anxiety. Now, in the garden, we see Jesus say some of the most difficult words that we may ever say, which is, thy will be done.
00:26:47
Speaker
I ask you this, God, to take this cup to find another way. And yet, even though I don't want to have to do this, Lord, thy will be done. Let's reflect and pray for those of in our lives who are loyal guardians. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for putting people in our lives who are so faithful to doing the right thing. Lord, help us to recognize and thank them for being so loyal and to also recognize that underneath that loyalty, there may be a sense of anxiety.
00:27:30
Speaker
Lord, thank you for giving us Jesus as an example here in the garden, as He cries out to you in fear. He's honest. He is holding nothing back. And so for all of those in our lives and and in our own lives, Lord, even when we know the right thing to do and we're anxious about it, let us follow Christ's example here. and turn to you and to ask your Holy Spirit to give us the strength to follow through, just as we see Jesus do as he takes his next steps toward the cross.
The Trial and Crucifixion: Choosing Peace
00:28:14
Speaker
It's Good Friday in Holy Week. And today we see Jesus go to the cross. And on today we see him exhibit the personality of a peacemaker. Can you imagine?
00:28:29
Speaker
The Enneagram type nine is the peacemaker. And in the midst of the most conflicted day of history, this violent death that Jesus is about to endure, we see him bringing peace. From Luke chapter 22, starting with verse 47. While he was still speaking, a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, Lord, should we strike with our swords? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest cutting off his right ear.
00:29:18
Speaker
But Jesus answered no more of this and he touched the man's ear and healed him. And then we skip to Luke 23 to see the trial of Jesus. Luke 23 verse one. Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate, and they began accusing him, saying, we have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king. So Pilate asked Jesus, are you the king of the Jews? You have said so, Jesus replied.
00:29:57
Speaker
Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, I find no basis for a charge against this man. But they insisted. He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here. On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at the time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
00:30:53
Speaker
That day, Herod and Pilate became friends. Before this, they had been enemies. Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, you brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to a rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. As you can see, he has done nothing to deserve but death. Therefore I will punish him and then release him. But the whole crowd shouted away with this man, release Barabbas to us. Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city and for murder.
00:31:34
Speaker
Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again, but they kept shouting, Crucify him! Crucify him! For the third time he spoke to them, Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him punished and then release him. But with loud shouts, they insistently demanded that he be crucified and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for and surrendered Jesus to their will. We see several examples in this account of Good Friday of Jesus choosing peace over truth and even over justice.
00:32:25
Speaker
When one of his disciples cuts the ear off of one of the Roman soldiers, Jesus essentially says, stop it. That is not what we're here for. And he heals the soldier's ear. And then when Pilate and Herod are questioning him and questioning him, he often remains silent instead of defending himself. This is the mark of a peacekeeper. You know those people in your life, people who do not want conflict. And so they will do anything, even be quiet in the face of judgment in order to keep the peace. Now there is a time and a place for peacemakers. And as messy humans, sometimes we choose to try to keep the peace when we should speak up. And other times we speak up when we should try to keep the peace.
00:33:20
Speaker
But Jesus has none of this going on. He knows exactly when it is time to be bold, when it is time to be a peacemaker. And on Good Friday, on the hardest of all the days, as all of these accusations are being slung at him. He chooses peace. Let's reflect on our own lives and the people in our lives who have this personality trait of a peacemaker and thank God for them. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the peacemakers.
00:33:59
Speaker
Lord, we thank you for the people in our lives who help us to see the other side of the story, who are able to place themselves in the shoes of someone else and bring a different perspective to conflicts and to hard situations that we encounter. Lord, sometimes we know that we want to keep the peace out of fear because we're afraid of speaking up. And so help us to have the wisdom that Jesus had to know when to keep the peace and when to be bold. And thank you, Lord, as we head into Good Friday and we see Jesus pay the ultimate price on the cross. Thank you that you made him perfectly so that we would have this example to study
00:34:53
Speaker
and to speak to and to go to when we're uncertain about how to act and how to behave in our own lives. Thank you for Jesus bringing the ultimate peace by taking our place on the cross, dying the death that we deserve so that we can have eternal peace, true peace, everlasting peace, with you in heaven. In Jesus' name, amen. It's Saturday of Holy Week and we can read the account from Luke about the burial of Jesus to understand where he is on this day and what has just happened since his death on the cross. From Luke 23, starting with verse 50.
00:35:45
Speaker
the burial of Jesus. Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from a Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus's body, Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was preparation day and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes, but they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. At this point,
00:36:34
Speaker
Jesus is dead in the tomb. He has accomplished what no other human being on earth could accomplish. And that is why today I see him exhibiting the personality type of the Enneagram 3, the Achiever. People with the personality of achieving let nothing stand in their way of doing what needs to be done. And that is exactly what Jesus did. He suffered during Holy Week. He saw friends betray Him.
00:37:13
Speaker
He was wounded. He was beaten. He was put on a cross with nails in his hands and his feet, a thorn crown on his head. He was mocked. He was ridiculed. And yet nothing stopped him from achieving the goal that God had given him. The goal of dying the death that we deserved. Now, oftentimes, people who are achievers can fall into the trap of achieving things for themselves and not necessarily for the well-being of others. But we don't see this with Jesus, of course. He was the perfect man, the perfect example of having an achiever personality as he went through the horrors, really, of Holy Week.
00:38:12
Speaker
And here, as he lay in the tomb, the achieving was done. He had done it. As he said on the cross on Good Friday, it is finished. And yet, is it really? For we know that tomorrow is coming. Let's reflect a bit on those achievers in our lives and the personality that we might have in us of wanting to achieve good things. Dear Heavenly Father, bring to mind those people in our lives who are achievers, who like to check all of the to-dos off their list. Lord, help them to know that we appreciate the way they get things done, the way that they can look at a goal and break it down into pieces and understand how to take it from and an idea to fruition. And Lord, thank you for Jesus displaying this personality trait.
00:39:13
Speaker
throughout Holy Week. He never gave up. He knew what he had to do and he did it. And so even when those of us who are achievers get tripped up and and we find ourselves achieving for selfish reasons, ah remind us how Jesus was the ultimate achiever. And yet he did it for anyone but himself. He achieved the greatest thing in history, the greatest accomplishment. He achieved defeating death and the grave for us.
00:39:54
Speaker
And so too, for the achievers in our lives, help them to recognize how you have made them uniquely to get important things done in this world, but to not lose sight of how those things can be for the gift and the blessing of others. We eagerly await Jesus' triumphant resurrection tomorrow. But in the meantime, we wait and we give thanks for the extraordinary accomplishment that he made for us. In Jesus' name, amen.
Resurrection and New Beginnings
00:40:29
Speaker
It's Easter Sunday of Holy Week, and today we read from the book of Luke chapter 24 that Jesus has risen. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee. The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.
00:41:19
Speaker
Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all of these things to the eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away wondering to himself what had happened.
00:41:51
Speaker
Today on Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the fact that Jesus defeated death by rising again, by being resurrected fully to life, I can't help but compare this day to the personality of the Enneagram Type 7, the entertaining optimist. People with this personality love to see the positive side of life. In fact, they can't help it. They take any situation and they spin it to find the good in it.
00:42:23
Speaker
And in so Jesus did, by going through crucifixion on a cross to die for us, he knew that the good was coming, that it was worth it because he would be resurrected and he would be with his loved ones again. And in his resurrection, his followers, you and me, would also be resurrected from death so that we might live life eternally with him. What more optimism can you have than that? But you know, human beings who are Enneagram type sevens, entertaining optimists, can avoid hard things because they don't want to face the difficulty. And so they just choose to look
00:43:14
Speaker
at the positive side of life when sometimes it's necessary for us to look at the dark side. And we see this with Jesus in Holy Week. He knew he could not escape death. Good Friday is necessary for Easter. We have to go through the dark times in our life to see what God has for us on the other side. So as we celebrate Easter today and Christ's resurrection, I want to remind you of all nine personality types that we saw in Jesus as he walked through the days of Holy Week. The type four individualist that Jesus displayed on Palm Sunday, as he proudly rode into Jerusalem on a donkey,
00:44:09
Speaker
as a king of the people and not the king that they expected him to be. His humility was prominently on display. And then on Monday, the Type I moral perfectionist and the Type VIII protective challenger as he went to the temple courts and challenged the money changers and over through the tables, he did what he knew was right and what needed to be done to challenge the unlawfulness that was taking place in the temple.
00:44:40
Speaker
And on Tuesday, we see the investigative thinker, the Enneagram Type 5, the wisdom that Christ displayed as he answered those questions that the religious leaders were trying to trick him into giving an answer that they could use against him. But he could not be trapped. His wisdom was on full display. On Wednesday, when we don't know exactly what he did, but we imagine that he took his friends, his disciples away to rest and to be the helper, the Enneagram type two supportive advisor to prepare them and to prepare himself for what was to come. On Maundy Thursday, the loyal guardian
00:45:26
Speaker
personality shows up in Jesus as he confronts God in the garden, knowing what he needs to do, but yet expressing the anxiety that lies underneath what he knows he needs to do. And then on Good Friday, we see Christ as the peacemaker, as he heals the Roman soldiers' ears, as he is silent in the face of accusations that are thrown at him from Pilate and from Herod. He chooses peace over standing up for himself. He chooses peace over truth on Good Friday for us.
00:46:11
Speaker
And then on Saturday, he had accomplished what he came to earth to accomplish. He was the Achiever, the Type 3 Achiever who knew what needed to be done and got it done. And then today on Easter Sunday, we see the fullness of God and humanity in all the personalities in Jesus, culminating in the type seven entertaining optimist that knew he would defeat death. And he did. We praise God today for all of the unique
00:46:49
Speaker
personalities that he gives people in this world. We are all different. We see life through different lenses of our personality and we see them reflected in Jesus. Now he lived out those personalities perfectly and we cannot. But we do have the hope of forgiveness in Christ and the hope of transformation in Christ. And what here's what I can promise you. The longer you walk with Jesus and trust Jesus and get to know how he made you through your unique personality, you will better understand what purpose he has for you in this life.
00:47:35
Speaker
And in the next series, we're gonna take a deep dive into the Enneagram and help you learn what your personality is after this brief introduction as you saw them in the life of Jesus, so that you can experience transformation on this side of heaven, just as you will on the other side of heaven, that Jesus won for you on Easter Sunday. Have a marvelous day celebrating and being joyful, being glad. We are so thankful that you have been part of this journey with us and with Jesus as we journey to the cross and now we celebrate the glorious resurrection. Be still.