Have you ever experienced something not turning out the way you hoped?<\/p>\n
You had believed a certain thing would happen.<\/p>\n
Expected something specific. Maybe even built something up inside. But then it went another way. And what began with excitement\u2026 ended in disappointment.<\/p>\n
It isn't only something that happens in relationships.<\/p>\n
It happens in faith too.<\/p>\n
There is something in us human beings that loves the idea of a savior. Just not necessarily the savior we actually get.<\/p>\n
We want one who solves our problems, eases our lives and makes things fall into place. One who helps us move forward. One who gives meaning, peace and maybe a little direction.<\/p>\n
But what do we do when the savior doesn't do what we had hoped? That is exactly the tension of Palm Sunday.<\/p>\n
Jerusalem is packed with people. The mood is electric. People are shouting, palm branches are waving, cloaks are laid on the road. Jesus rides in, and the whole thing looks like the beginning of something great.<\/p>\n
And in the middle of the excitement the question rings out: \"Who is he?\" It isn't just a question back then. It is the question \u2014 today too.<\/p>\n
For the people already had the answer. They thought: Now it's happening. Now he takes power. Now he overthrows the Romans. Now the world becomes the way we want it. But they were wrong.<\/p>\n
Not because Jesus wasn't king. But because he wasn't the kind of king they had imagined.<\/p>\n
It's revealed quickly. The people shout \"Hosanna\" \u2014 \"Save us now!\" But their salvation was concrete, political and visible.<\/p>\n
They wanted: freedom from Rome, national restoration, outward change\u2026<\/p>\n
They expected Jesus to ride straight for the center of power and lead an uprising. But Jesus goes another way. He does not ride toward the garrison. He goes toward the temple. That is no accident. It is a confrontation.<\/p>\n
For while the people think their biggest problem is the enemy out there, Jesus reveals that the biggest problem sits in the heart.<\/p>\n
Sin. Empty religion. A relationship with God that is broken. That is why he cleanses the temple. He says with his life: I have not come merely to make life easier for you. I have come to save you.<\/p>\n
And this is where the tension arises. For this is not the Jesus we naturally want.<\/p>\n
If we're honest, we resemble them more than we think. We too would like a Jesus who helps us, fixes things and brings order to our lives.<\/p>\n
We are glad to follow him, as long as he:<\/p>\n
\u2022 gives peace<\/p>\n
\u2022 gives answers<\/p>\n
\u2022 gives experiences<\/p>\n
\u2022 gives progress<\/p>\n
But what about when he doesn't?<\/p>\n
What about when he doesn't move against \"Rome,\" but against the \"temple\" in us? What about when he doesn't change our circumstances \u2014 but changes us? Then something begins to shift. For that is exactly what happens in Holy Week. The same crowd that shouts \"Hosanna\" shouts \"Crucify him\" a few days later.<\/p>\n
How can that happen? The answer is uncomfortably simple: They wanted Jesus \u2014 as long as he fit their expectations. When he didn't, they turned.<\/p>\n
This is where C.S. Lewis touches on something crucial.<\/p>\n
We often try to place Jesus somewhere he doesn't disturb too much. As an inspiring teacher. A good moral voice. One who talks about love.<\/p>\n
But that is not an option Jesus leaves us. As Lewis puts it:<\/p>\n
\"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be insane \u2014 on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg\u2026 You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God \u2014 or else a madman or something worse.\"<\/p>\n
Jesus lays claim to something far greater.<\/p>\n
He forgives sins. He receives worship. He says that he is the way to God. That means we cannot meet him neutrally. Either we reject him. Or we must bow before him.<\/p>\n
We see the same thing at the cross. Two condemned criminals hang beside Jesus. The same situation as on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Two completely different reactions. The one mocks Him and says, in essence: \"If you are who you say you are, Jesus \u2014 then help yourself and me.\"<\/p>\n
It is the same thought as on Palm Sunday: Prove yourself. Do something for me. On my terms.<\/p>\n
The other sees something entirely different. He sees his own guilt. He sees Jesus' innocence. And in the middle of pain and chaos he still sees a king.<\/p>\n
He says: \"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\"<\/p>\n
He isn't asking for a solution here and now. He is asking to belong. The one wants to use Jesus. The other surrenders to him.<\/p>\n
That is the difference.<\/p>\n
And maybe this is where our times get challenged. For we live in a culture where even faith is easily packaged as self-help.<\/p>\n
Not necessarily because anyone wants something wrong.<\/p>\n
Not necessarily without Bible verses to back it up.<\/p>\n
But something quietly shifts and the center moves.<\/p>\n
From God\u2026 to me.<\/p>\n
Faith comes to be about how I get:<\/p>\n
\u2022 more peace<\/p>\n
\u2022 more balance<\/p>\n
\u2022 more energy<\/p>\n
\u2022 more experiences<\/p>\n
\u2022 a better life<\/p>\n
And let's be honest:<\/p>\n
God gives peace. God helps. God heals. God comforts. That is true. But it is not the center.<\/p>\n
For if Jesus primarily becomes a way to feel better\u2026<\/p>\n
then he is no longer Lord.<\/p>\n
Then he has become a function.<\/p>\n
A religious service.<\/p>\n
Something I use \u2014 instead of someone I bow before.<\/p>\n
Palm Sunday exposes that difference.<\/p>\n
The people shouted: \"Save us now!\"<\/p>\n
But they meant: \"Make our lives better.\"<\/p>\n
Jesus came with something deeper.<\/p>\n
Not just improvement.<\/p>\n
But salvation.<\/p>\n
And salvation is not the same as self-help.<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Find the strength in yourself.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"You need a savior outside yourself.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Believe in yourself.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Put your trust in Christ.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Follow your heart.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Follow Jesus.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Live your truth.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Live in the truth.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Find yourself.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Deny yourself.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Take control.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Surrender your life.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Put yourself first.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Put God first.\"<\/p>\n
Self-help says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Live for yourself.\"<\/p>\n
The gospel says: \ud83d\udc49 \"Die to yourself.\"<\/p>\n
They are two completely different directions.<\/p>\n
The one puts you at the center.<\/p>\n
The other puts God at the center.<\/p>\n
And here it gets personal.<\/p>\n
For it is possible to have Jesus\u2026<\/p>\n
and still have yourself as the center.<\/p>\n
It is possible to sing, believe, take part \u2014<\/p>\n
and still, in practice, live as if:<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 \"My life is mine.\"<\/p>\n
But Jesus did not come to make you a slightly better version of yourself.<\/p>\n
He came to save you from yourself.<\/p>\n
So Palm Sunday asks us the same question as back then:<\/p>\n
Who is he?<\/p>\n
So let's cut right to it.<\/p>\n
If Jesus is who he says he is \u2014 then he is not one option among many. He is a confrontation.<\/p>\n
You can't park him as inspiration.<\/p>\n
You can't reduce him to a life coach.<\/p>\n
You can't settle for letting him help your life a little.<\/p>\n
Either you reject him. Or you must submit to him.<\/p>\n
But Jesus does not ride into Jerusalem to be applauded.<\/p>\n
He rides in to be king.<\/p>\n
So the question is not whether you like him. Or whether you believe in him a little. Or whether he makes sense to you.<\/p>\n
The question is: \ud83d\udc49 Will you bow?<\/p>\n
For if he is Lord\u2026 then it is not he who must be adapted to your life.<\/p>\n
It is your life that must be surrendered to him.<\/p>\n
So this Easter the choice still stands open.<\/p>\n
Not: \ud83d\udc49 \"Do you want a little more Jesus?\"<\/p>\n
But: \ud83d\udc49 \"Will you give him your whole life?\"<\/p>\n
You can reject him. Or you can receive him. But you can't control him. And maybe that is precisely where it becomes real. When we stop using Jesus \u2014 and begin to follow him.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 So honestly: Is he someone who helps you? Or is he your Lord?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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