On the Road: Miami & Naples, Florida

From Palm Sunday (my last blog entry) to palms on the beach!

It is the time of the year again for my annual migration to the US to attend the American Real Estate Society (ARES) Meeting. This year, it will be held in Naples, Florida. Prior to that, I am visiting Florida International University (FIU) which is based in Miami. This will be my first visit to Miami, but my second trip to Naples, which I first visited in 2001.

In Miami, I will be staying at Sofitel Miami, which is close to the airport and FIU. It overlooks a blue lagoon (see photo on the right). The ARES meeting in Naples will be held at charming The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. It is Southwest Florida's only resort with its own 18-hole golf course.

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Facing the Gulf of Mexico, there is nothing much to do in Naples besides lingering on the gorgeous white sand beach (see photo below) and play golf (which I don't). Rather than being fronted by tall condominium buildings, the backdrop for the beach here is all the mansions along Millionaires' Row. Everything in Naples is laid back. But the guide book warned that this is not a place where little ones will have fun. Leave them at home. Also, it's not a swinging singles scene whatsoever. More of a romantic spot for couples.

It will be a busy meeting for me this year. I present a seminar at FIU, followed by three research papers at the ARES meeting. On top of that, I have to read a paper for a colleague and chair a session. These together with catching up with friends in the real estate academia circle as well as working on research with collaborators, will leave me little time to enjoy the beach.

Palm Sunday

Sunday church service (Mar 28): the preacher exhorted the congregtion to develop a 20/20 vision. One statement which I noted in my journal is,

“Life is like that… We see many things. We don’t always see clearly. And we don’t think about what we see.”

After the service, I saw a young child holding a palm branch. I was reminded of Palm Sunday; the day Christians remember and celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We are told in the scripture that as he entered the holy city, mounted on a donkey, Jesus was given a rousing welcome. A great crowd came to watch him, they waved their palm branches, and shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12:13).

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Monday morning (Mar 29): I was impressed to devote this holy week to reading, studying and meditating on Jesus’ last week on earth. Sometimes, we can become over familiar with a story such that we no longer pause to think deeper. From the scripture in John 12:12-21, I identified the different groups of people mentioned in the passage. Note their postures:

(1) The crowd – they are those that have come to celebrate the Passover feast; they are not inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are mostly country people; but devout Jews. Matthew Henry commented, “these were not the rulers, nor the great men, that went out to meet Christ, but the commonality.” In other words, they were ordinary people. What was their posture? (i) They had palm in their hands, which is an emblem of victory and triumph; (ii) they cried with a loud voice. In their exhortations, they acknowledge our Lord Jesus to be the king of Israel, and that he comes in the name of the LORD.

(2) The witnesses – they spread the word! What is the reason that instigated the crowd to come and pay respect to Jesus, though the government was so much against him? It was because of the miracle he had performed recently – he raised Lazarus from the dead. No doubt, the city heard about it; the report of it was in all people’s mouth, which is traced to the eye witnesses. It is probable that those who had seen the miracle did not only assert it to those who asked them, but published it unasked.

(3) Jesus – He rode on a donkey, which is a lowly animal (contrary to war horse). The slow-paced animal is symbolically linked humility and peace. Still, this is much more of state than he used to take; he used to walk on foot, but now he was mounted. Nevertheless, a commentator wrote, “according to the fashion of this world, to be introduced thus was a rather disparagement than an honour to the King of Israel, ... His kingdom is not of this world, and therefore come not with outward pomp.” In our modern day context, a car is not just a car. It is a status symbol… Mercs, BMW, Volvo, Jaguar… Jesus rode a colt – less than 1 horsepower! In comparison, a 2,000 cc car today is equivalent to approx. 150 hp.

(4) The Pharisees – consider their indignation; they rage. Their envy made them fret. They were determined to “go after him”, only to see the crowd has “gone after him.” Note that the word “go after” have opposite meanings (“catch” versus “follow”) depending on our posture. Matthew Henry commented, “considering how great these Pharisees were and what abundance of respect was paid them, one would think they need not grudge Christ so inconsiderable a piece of honor as was done him; but proud man would monopolize honor, and have none share with them (like Haman).”

(5) The Disciples – did not understand what was happening. Only after Jesus was glorified, did they realize… Jesus’ words and actions took on new meaning and made more sense…. As we journey through life, we missed many things along the way… But as we grow older, we’ll look back and see God’s involvement more clearly than we do now… We need a 20/20 vision!

(6) The Greeks – their address to Philip was short, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus”. Not satisfied being in the crowd and seeing Jesus from afar, they desire a personal converse with Jesus… They acted on their desire and approached Philip… (Note: it is good to know those who know the LORD. We should improve our acquaintance with good people who may lead to our increase in the knowledge of God).

As we prepare our hearts for this season, in prayer and penitence, may we adopt the same posture of the crowd, the witnesses, Jesus, the disciples and most of all, the Greeks:

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

reference: Henry Matthew & LAB.