Following Jesus

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” John 12:13

Now that’s a welcome. As Jesus is entering Jerusalem on a donkey this is what he’s hearing. People are waving palm branches; it’s a wonderful scene. If I walk into a room and get a hello I’m happy. I’m not sure how I’d feel if this happened to me. Probably speechless, maybe tears of happiness?

But Jesus knew what they were cheering, and knew their agenda. It sounded optimistic, but we find then, and still today, that people’s hearts can become fickle. The same crowd that is cheering this, will in just a few days, be shouting, ‘Crucify Him! We had an agenda, we told him what we wanted out of a king. He didn’t do it-so put him to death!’

That’s how it is when we come to Christ with our agenda. We find that he has his own, and so then we have to decide, do we worship our agenda or his? If we worship our own agenda, then we end up hating him.

“Whoa-hold up. I don’t hate Jesus just because I don’t follow him. I just don’t want to be religious, and I don’t like church. I think he was a good guy that talked about a lot of good things, but hate him?”

Jesus claimed to be much more than a good man with a good word. He also claimed to be more than an earthly king who could overthrow the Roman government (which was what these people from this passage wanted). He claimed to be the resurrection and the life. He claimed to be the light of the world. He claimed to be the only way to heaven and he claimed that he was God.

I believe everyone in this world makes a decision about who Jesus is.  So yes, even if you just say that Jesus was a good man-you’re still calling him a liar. If you truly believe in Jesus and who he said he was, you realize that there must be a following on our part. It involves words, but it requires our actions.

So as Jesus is riding in on a donkey, he is looking at people in the eye with peace and love knowing that in a few days the same people will make a choice to deny who he is and want nothing more than to drive spikes through his feet and hands.

So what is your decision? Saying you believe in Jesus is one thing, and actually following Him is another. I’d love to talk with you about it – whether you have questions, or really just need someone to listen. Thanks for your time.

-PC

www.rescuesumner.org

pastorcory@rescuesumner.org