Palm Sunday
So, Jerusalem. All the people, all the noise; the cheering, the praise. The warmth. And the weight of expectation.
I wonder how many of them will remember this when they’re calling for my death, just a few days from now? How many will have been in both crowds, caught up in the moment, swept along, but not really knowing, just carried in the moment? It reminds me of the beginning – humanity so close to the Father; intimate, walking with Him; yet so soon and easily swayed to rejection by a few well-placed words, a gentle nudge at the right time, in the right place.
And look at my friends: bewildered, excited, happy, overwhelmed by this reception, not sure quite what to make of it, but certain it’s right, that we have finally arrived. The mixture of joy and bemusement on their faces is such a picture, it makes me smile deep inside! For them, despite the colt, despite all the subtle ironies, despite my trying to tell them what is to come, this really is a “triumphal entry”. Yet at heart, it’s just another step of obedience, another moment on the journey, the choice to continue, to fulfil the task set before me, to walk in the Father’s will.
Still, it is good. Good to be welcomed, to be recognised, to be known and acknowledged. Good to share the joy, the celebration and the fun of this day, to see the Spirit stirring these hearts, to know that the stones don’t have to cry out. And for my friends, my disciples, I hope that they can hold this day in their hearts, and begin to grasp that exciting and uplifting as it is, it is only a shadow of what is to come.