Palm Sunday

The electricity in the air was palpable. Jesus had sent his disciples to a farmer to borrow a donkey and her foal. He then climbed up on the donkey and rode it into the city of Jerusalem. The people reacted with excitement! This was a clear political statement, as the King was the one who would ride a donkey, coming in as a conqueror in peace. The people cut palm branches, another symbol of the zealot party, signifying their choice of him to be their king.

“Blessed be the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!”

Luke 19:39

The emotionally charged scene made the Pharisees nervous. Rome wouldn’t like this at all.

“Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:39-40

This was a small preview of what will happen when Jesus returns to claim the throne. For now, it was a strange precursor to the events that would happen in over the next week. At this point, the people were excited to be a follower of Jesus. They thought that he would be an earthly ruler, taking the throne as their king and throwing out their Roman oppressors. He would bring peace and prosperity, returning Israel to her former glory.

They were wrong.

As they read their scriptures, they focused on the view of the Messiah that prophesied strength and an earthly, physical success. They overlooked the prophets who told of the suffering servant, who talked about weakness and pain.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3

We are not so different from those people who only wanted a strong and triumphant Messiah. We read our Bibles, and we like the parts that talk about God’s love for us, that promise us peace and strength. We are not as fond of the parts that require obedience, that tell us to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. We’re okay with following him, until we remember that following him leads us to sacrifice ourselves.

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

There is a cost to following Jesus. There is also great reward. Most of those who followed Jesus on the donkey into Jerusalem, waving their palm branches and declaring him king, had no idea that in just a few days they would call out for his death. As we proclaim him our King, we need to be aware of what that means. We need to remember that the cross is just ahead.

But so is the empty tomb.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

There is a cost to following Jesus. But the payoff is worth it. We are secure in his love. He is a King worthy of our praise.