Today marks the beginning of Passion week or as some refer, Holy Week. It’s an amazing time to remember.
Today is Palm Sunday. It’s the day that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Everything he did, led to this moment.
Like today, many people love Jesus and many people hate Jesus. They love him for the the things he can do. They call upon his name, crying out for whatever it is they need or in times of trouble and pain. But they just don’t want him around when he tells them how to live. Times may have changed but people haven’t.
Jesus didn’t come the way people thought he would. He didn’t come the way people wanted him to come. We don’t like that. We don’t like when things don’t go our way. We want to order the steps of Jesus. He should do it our way. After all, we do know better.
The human species is above all others. That’s how God made us. But in every way, we we are still so inferior to God. But in arrogance and ignorance, we think otherwise. Our egos our shameful.
We argue and debate issues and truths that have been perfectly spelled out for us in the word of God simply because we think we know better. We are so intelligent that our ways must be higher than his. How foolish to believe that our thoughts surpass the very one who created us.
I know of an angel with such high esteem. He tried to to overthrow the kingdom of God. He was full of himself and pride and in that, was convinced his ways were better than God’s way. He wanted to rule and reign and so he attempted to hijack the holy authority of God.
Well that didn’t end well. It never does. We have no business being on the thrones of our lives. We mess it up. But it becomes messy when we don’t like or trust his leading. That’s how it began on that Palm Sunday.
They waved the palm leaves with enthusiastic joy as he entered Jerusalem that day. “Hosanna” they sang in loud voices! They thought he had come to deliver them from the political affliction and tyranny of their time.
People are fickle. People are persuaded and moved by feelings and emotions. The heart of mankind will change on a dime to fit a narrative that seems more pleasing. These people did the same.
In less than a week, the very people worshipping Jesus would be rejecting him. In less than a week, many who were recipients or witnesses of miracles would denounce him in every way. In less than a week, the word Hosanna would be replaced with crucify.
Jesus knew all that would happen. Long before he climbed on that donkey he understood the very people worshipping him would be the same people crucifying him. And he still entered. It was the beginning of the end that paved the way for our hope.
I think about this day a lot. I wonder if I would be standing with a palm leaf in one hand and praises on my lips while holding nails in the other hand. I know me well. And I also know, He’d go anyway.
Today is the beginning of the most powerful week ever. The culmination and climax of three years in the life of Christ. A long awaited fulfillment of the redemption promised to us. A promise made in a garden thousands of years ago. The seed will crush the head and the enemy defeated. This is a powerful week!
Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant to the fact that it happened. Whether you embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior doesn’t change the truth that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And for many, that will be a glorious day. But for those that have remained lord of their own lives, that reality will seal a fate of perish.
My prayer this Easter season is that you come to him in humble surrender. Don’t reject the only Savior. Time is running out. He’s waiting. How beautiful is that….. he’s waiting for you!