Picking a Side

One Palm Sunday, a little boy had a sore throat and had to stay home from church with a sitter. When the rest of the family came home, they were carrying palm branches. The little boy asked what they were for.

His father told him that people held them over Jesus’ head when he walked by. In a sad, disappointed voice, the little boy said, “Wouldn’t you know it? The one Sunday I miss, Jesus shows up!”

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. It's the beginning of "holy week," and commemorates the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem on his way to the cross. There was plenty of excitement and anticipation as Jesus rode into the capital city on the back of a donkey in an impromptu parade. The crowd put their coats on the ground and waved palm branches in the air, as they sang and shouted, welcoming their deliverer. A triumphant entry, and the beginnings of the coronation of a new king!

"Hosanna to the Son of David!" they shouted. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

But what a difference a few days made. By Friday, the crowds were no longer singing Messianic songs. They were yelling "Crucify Him!" And that they did. Pilate sent Jesus to the cross, which was God's plan all along, and he died for our sins.

We have often believed that it was the very same people who welcomed Jesus on Sunday and then condemned him to death on Friday. But they weren't necessarily the same crowd. We read in the gospels that on that first Palm Sunday not everyone in Jerusalem even knew who he was, or was happy about his arrival. Matthew writes that, "When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'" (21:10) 

Jesus has a way of stirring up the crowds, both for and against him. And even by that time, many there did not even know who he was. No doubt, some got excited at first, thinking that Jesus was their Messiah who had come to overthrow the Romans. It's so easy, even today, to attach politics to faith, but it is always dangerous, and will inevitably disappoint. Perhaps they were frustrated when they realized he had not come to establish an earthly political kingdom. Or maybe they turned against him because he demanded that they repent.

But by the time that week was over, everyone had picked a side about Jesus.

My question is, which side would I have been on that first Palm Sunday? Among the disciples who welcomed him--or among the skeptical crowds? It's easy to condemn those who condemned Jesus--but would we have acted any differently? 

For that matter, just look at our lives not only during holy week, but any given week of the year. We may be inclined to boldly proclaim our allegiance to Jesus as our Lord and King and sing His praises on Sunday, only to shrink back or turn away when the crowd turns in another direction by the next weekend. Whose side are we on?

My prayer for myself--and for you--is that our lives will reveal that we have picked a side--to believe in, and follow, Jesus-- and that we will be faithful to him all through the year. That's a choice we all have to make. May our hearts be sincere in our commitment to the One who gave his life for us, and may we follow through with devoted faithfulness, even if it requires that we go against the cries of the crowd around us.

I am praying for you, and I hope to see you this Palm Sunday. I trust that Jesus will show up too, as we join to worship Him together!

--Pastor Ken