Palm Sunday...From Euphoria to Grief

Palm Sunday. We all know at least the highlights of the story that Palm Sunday celebrates: Jesus directs his disciples to get him a young donkey, and He uses the little colt to enter Jerusalem to the “Hosannas” of the crowd. Palm branches are strewn in His path and people run confidently alongside Him. It had to have been an exhilarating -- almost euphoric – experience!

But there is something odd about this picture. We’re not allowed to linger in this festive mood for very long at all. Over the next 100+ hours, Jesus is betrayed, rejected, deserted and denied. He is arrested and put on trial on trumped-up charges. He suffers vile abuse by Roman soldiers, faces the most cruel and terrifying death the world has ever devised and is forsaken by His Father. The same people who cried out “Hosanna” and waved the palm branches now called for his execution.

So where does Palm Sunday fit in our human spiritual journey? As we’ve been working through Jesus’ farewell conversation, we find that He has a continuing theme of reassurance and comfort for His disciples. But the guys just don’t get it. Put yourself in the disciples’ sandals. Would you have understood? “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come…” (John 16:7) They had no idea what Jesus was talking about and they remained confused and uneasy about the future. Are we much different? Who among us has not been confused about why God allowed certain things to happen? Who hasn’t faced an unwelcome surprise and wondered where God was in the mix? Jesus brings the whole thing full circle in John 16:33. He reminds his disciples one more time:

"These things I have spoken unto you,

that in Me you might have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer,
I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say that He will take the confusion away or make everything clear immediately. In fact, in verse 20, he tells us that we will weep and grieve. He does not promise instant relief. Instead, He promises that things will get worse.

This brings us again back to Palm Sunday. I read once that Palm Sunday can be seen as a kind of warning to us about the fleeting moments of euphoria that we encounter along our spiritual paths. The story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem bespeaks such euphoria. Palm Sunday reminds us that, while there certainly will be magical moments in our lives; there will surely be low points as well. Let this Palm Sunday remind us that earthly happiness is transitory; and that every triumphal entry inevitably leads to a cross of some kind.

But wait!…. Wait until Sunday. Wait until Resurrection Day. Wait until the disciples become fully aware that Jesus has really risen from the dead and that he truly has “overcome the world.”

To Be Continued…

-Pastor Mark