Luke 19:35-44
They brought the colt to Jesus. Then,
throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode,
the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the
street.
Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its
descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise
over all the mighty works they had witnessed:
Blessed is he who comes,
the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven!
Glory in the high places!
Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!”
But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”
When
the city came into view, he wept over it. “If you had only recognized
this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late.
In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy
artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side. They’ll smash
you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact.
All this because you didn’t recognize and welcome God’s personal visit.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
What a difference one week
can make! In the course of seven days, Jesus was heralded as a hero,
arrested, interrogated, beaten to a pulp, crucified…and He rose from the
grave. Now that’s a week!
Our pastor likes to say that “you
cannot travel from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without considering the
cross.” And he is correct! But you also cannot safely and successfully
travel a single step of many of “life’s journeys” unless you “recognize
and welcome God’s personal visit”. Trials, physical abuse and
executions were common in Jesus’ day. Believe me…the mere mortals who
were convicted and crucified did not rise from the dead! And many of
those who were so eager and anxious to laud Jesus as the Messiah on one
Sunday were nowhere to be found by “Good Friday”.
Ours is not a
solitary journey. We cannot base our faith on one happy day…or one
devastating experience. We must embrace life as a whole...and trust God
in every minute of it. We must “recognize and welcome God’s personal
visit” in each and every aspect of our life…”the good, the bad, and the
ugly”…and believe that He will lead us “from Palm Sunday to Easter
Sunday” - and see us through what lies in between.
As difficult
as life seems some days, it can never compare to what Jesus endured for
us on the cross. How can we ignore the One who did so much for us - for
even one minute? Isn’t it time we welcomed God to reign in our lives
and dwell in our hearts…each and every minute of the day? Will this be
the Palm Sunday that you herald His presence…and give Him a permanent
“home”?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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