Clueless in Jerusalem

 “Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. He was the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, ‘Praise God for the Son of David! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!’ The entire city of Jerusalem was stirred as he entered. ‘Who is this?’ they asked. And the crowds replied, ‘It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:8-11 NLT)

The crowd was clueless. They never got it right. They shouted praises. He wept. They looked for a warrior-king riding a white stallion. They got a carpenter riding a donkey.  They wanted hype. They got a healer. They wanted a prophet. They got one who fulfilled prophecy. They wanted a scepter. They got a savior. They got nothing they asked for but everything they needed. Only they never got it. They were clueless. Jesus was the only one there who really knew what was happening on that first Palm Sunday.

It’s so easy to become like those people in Jerusalem. We think we know what’s going on, but we really don’t have a clue. We have a bad week, and we blame God. Our kids act out, and we blame the school. We work two jobs and wonder why things aren’t better at home. Jesus comes to our town, and he wants to help. But we don’t even recognize him for who he is. We think he will be impressed with our boats and our businesses and our stuff. He is not. He wants our hearts. That’s what Palm Sunday is all about.

"Lord, how patient you were when everyone misunderstood what you were doing on the first Palm Sunday. How patient you are when I still don’t get it! Open my eyes to what’s going on around me. Let me catch a glimpse of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Let Palm Sunday be a time of spiritual renewal for me—a time when I reflect on your Passion. But more than that— let me begin to think about Easter! Thank you for dying. Thank you for rising again! Thank you for believing in me! Thank you for offering to me eternal life. I love you for that. And I give you my heart. Amen.”