Hossana!

Hossana!

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. And as they went, they kept shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is He and praise to Him Who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! John 12:13 AMP

Today is celebrated as Palm Sunday throughout the Christian community. It is the day we remember how Jesus got into Jerusalem, made to ride on a donkey and people celebrating and shouting Hossana. It was a lovely sight to behold - the simple carpenter, the one who had nowhere to lay his head, the one who had also called 12 simple, ordinary men to be his disciples, was coming into town. Maybe people eventually recognised his power, nature and glory. Maybe people finally identified with his mission on earth. They called him 'Blessed', they called him 'King of Israel', they acknowledged him as the One who comes in the name of the Lord, a confirmation of his God - nature, his Man- nature and his mission on earth. Wasn't that good?

Fast-forward a few days later, and the same crowd were shouting 'Crucify Him'. What went wrong? Did they not know him, or recognize him anymore? What happened to the one they called the King of Israel? Did he stop being King? Was he no longer sent by God?

Before we criticize these people, let us take a good look at ourselves. Are we like them - celebrating Christ when it is convenient, when the whole world is doing it, and then denying him when it comes to a personal walk? Are we like the crowd, content to get lost in what is current, even if we do not understand it, as long as the whole world is doing it?  Matthew's account of this story confirms that some people did not even know who it was that was being celebrated. Are we flowing with the multitude based on emotions, or have we had experiential knowledge about the only King of Israel? Have we recognised his Lordship and Kingship over our lives or are we still struggling within ourselves, unsure of what is ahead, unsure of where we are now, and tied down by the baggage of the past?

Today, seek out the King of the whole world and kneel before him today. He wants to ride into your heart, he wants to come and dwell in your heart forever. He desires fellowship and an enduring relationship with you. He comes humbly, he comes quietly, he comes with his power; will you let him ride in Majesty into your heart and life?