Lenten Devotional...April 1

"So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

(John 12:19)

The Pharisees watch the crowds embracing Jesus as he comes into Jerusalem on the Sunday before his crucifixion. "Hosanna," the crowd cries, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” After all the Pharisees have tried to do to discredit this man, he is still before them, still lauded by the people, only now, the people want to make him king. As they watched, it probably seemed to these religious leaders that indeed, the whole world had gone after him.

Of course, we know that before the week was done, the cries of Hosanna had been replaced with calls for crucifixion. The changing nature of human allegiance was on display in the swing of just a few days. By the time Jesus got to Jerusalem he had already experienced the disappointment of rejection and the inconsistencies of the changing human mind. Many who had previously followed him no longer walked beside him. The crowds in Jerusalem wanted an earthly king who would give them earthly benefits. Jesus would not be that kind of king, and the world that seemed to have gone after him, suddenly rejected him.

Jesus isn't always what we want him to be. In our need, in our particular viewpoint, in the context of our own opinions and practices, he doesn't always conform to our desires. We want to proclaim him as king, and yet, in the swing of a few days, hours, perhaps minutes, we're not really sure. Oh we would never cry, "crucify him!" we assure ourselves...and yet, it was for your sin and mine that he died on the cross. Perhaps we are closer to the Pharisees than we might want to admit.

Prayer: Lord, we call out our praise to you in the midst of the parade...but do we really honor you as Lord of life? We see our faces and hear our voices in both crowds of that Jerusalem week. Forgive our inconsistencies. May we remember at the beginning of this Holy Week, that the sins Christ died for on Friday, were our own. Amen.

Jim Abernathy