Palm Sunday—our yearly reminder of how fickle we humans really are. On Sunday, Jesus was a hero and they were falling all over themselves to show Him honor and support. On Sunday, they called Him Hosanna. On Sunday, He was their Messiah.
But… there was this little problem with their worship He needed to address, so He flipped a few tables, called out their sin and reminded them of the reason they were there in the first place. Sadly, many of their self-worshipping hearts also flipped. Not in humble repentance, but in angry indignation. He had disappointed their misguided expectations.
Within days, the crowd went from singing His praises and proclaiming their allegiance to wanting Him dead. And by the end of the week, Jesus was hearing the very same people who shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!” screaming “Crucify Him!”
If I’m not careful, my heartbreak can make me do the same.
When things are going my way, I’m “all in,” but when prayers go unanswered, or bad things happen, or people seem to get away with hurting me, the enemy tempts me to start questioning the character of God, and if I’m not careful, I will begin to pull away, revealing the harsh reality that I am a self-worshipper at heart. And so, I end up disparaging the very One I was created to worship.
His goodness and sovereignty, which I preached and sang about in my yesterdays, is now suspect in my heart. Before I know it, I’ve become like that fickle crowd, crucifying Christ on the altar of my own disappointed dreams.
How this must pain my Savior’s heart!
The One on the colt on Sunday, the One in the Temple turning tables, the One beaten beyond recognition, the One clothed only in the sins of humanity, hanging in shame for all to see…. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is faithful. He is love. He is good. He is Lord. And He is worthy of honor.
May we each search our own fickle heart. That doesn’t mean we can’t grieve our losses. He invites us to grieve. He even offers to grieve with us. Yes, we grieve, but we grieve with the hope of a death-defeating, redeeming, restoring Messiah!
So go ahead; lament! Wrestle with your faith! Run into the waiting arms of your Father and weep and wail and kick and scream if you want. Take every last doubt and disappointment TO Him. And then, leave it there. He’ll hold it for you in his nail-scarred hands, along with that bottle that collects your tears.