Angi Aymond

JOHN 12, LUKE 19

On this Sunday, Jesus woke up in Bethany with the fragrance of nard still filling the air around Him. Perhaps a strong reminder of what lay ahead.

He and His eleven made their way into Jerusalem where the crowds were gathering. 

¹²The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ they took palm branches and went out to meet him. They kept shouting:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord^[d] —the King of Israel!”

JOHN 12:13 CSB

These people were Jesus fans. 

Earlier, many in the present crowd had been in Bethany when Jesus had called Lazarus — dead man walking — out of his grave. And many of them believed Jesus to be the Messiah.

And now they were part of this spontaneous crowd, shouting and waving their palms.

Had this man Jesus come to save them from their oppressors? Surely He’d come to conquer the Romans. To silence Caesar. Save them.

But…

⁴¹ As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it, ⁴² saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

LUKE 19:41-42

Jesus wept. Not for Himself, but for Jerusalem and her people. God’s people. The people He had come to save were the same who would reject Him. Expecting one thing, they would miss the real thing. Had they  forgotten the prophets words?

Though their sin had separated them from the One who loved them, Jesus came to bridge the chasm between them and a Holy God.

But these religious leaders couldn’t see their sin. Nor their need for a Savior. A personal Savior.

Before Jesus would lay it all down on the cross, He showed them who God was. How He loved — with compassion and kindness. With mercy and with grace. With tenderness. And He asked people to follow Him.

Follow me. Watch me. Become like me.

Friends, I gently encourage you to take a long look inside. Are you a Jesus follower? Or just a fan?

Do you want Him to deliver you from your enemies, or the enemy of your own heart?

It was easy for fans to turn on Jesus when He wasn’t who they thought He was. When His purpose didn’t match their perceived need.

Can we look long and hard inside our hearts to make sure we’re not just fans of Jesus, shouting and waving our palm branches? Wearing bracelets and fitting our cars with fish?

Jesus never asked us to be His fans. He asked us to follow Him. To know Him. To watch Him and imitate Him so that others might know the love of God.

Are we becoming more like Jesus? Do we love like Jesus? Serve like Jesus? See like Jesus? Surrender like Jesus?