People are Fickle. But Love is Faithful

Palm Sunday is commemorated as the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem to the jubilant exaltations and praise of the populace, waving palm branches to declarations of Hosanna! (‘Save us, please’).  Palm branches were symbols of victory in Jewish and Roman imagery.  By waving them at His arrival, they signaled their identification of Jesus as their long-promised Deliverer.  


This same group would shout for His crucifixion just days later.  


What changed?  


Their deliverance came, sure enough, but not in the context in which they wanted or expected. They desired an avenging warrior-king who would slit the throat of Roman tyranny, freeing them from colonial rule.  Instead, what they received was the Prince of Peace who brought true freedom from a far greater oppression they didn’t even know held them in bondage: a mistaken identity of separation from God.  


People are fickle.  Their faithfulness is fleeting, dependent upon several internal and external factors.  Even the most trustworthy, consistent person may falter if/when the issues of life come bearing down.  BUT LOVE (which IS GOD, for God IS Love), is ever-faithful, never failing.  He is so faithful, in fact, that He is forced to swear by His own name as only He is worthy of validating His vows.  


As emissaries of Christ in the earth, we are in the business of people.  But we must never lose sight of just how fleeting their adoration can be and thus never look to them for approval.  Rather, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is always faithful.  


People are fickle.  But Love is faithful.  



——————————————————

Passages to Ponder:


John 12:12-13

The next day the news that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem swept through the massive crowd gathered for the feast. So they took palm branches and went out to meet him. Everyone was shouting, “Lord, be our Savior! Blessed is the one who comes to us sent from Yahweh, the King of Israel!”


Luke 23:20-24

Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, tried to convince them it was best to let Jesus go, but they screamed out over and over, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”  A third time, Pilate asked the crowd, “What evil crime has this man committed that I should have him crucified? I haven’t found one thing that warrants a death sentence! I will have him flogged severely and then release him.”  But the people and the high priests, shouting like a mob, screamed out at the top of their lungs, “No! Crucify him! Crucify him!”  Finally their shouts and screams succeeded. Pilate caved in to the crowd and ordered that the will of the people be done.


1 John 4:16-17

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.


2 Timothy 2:13

But even if we are faithless, he will still be full of faith, for he never wavers in his faithfulness to us!


Isaiah 9:6

A child has been born for us;

a son has been given to us.

The responsibility of complete dominion

will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be:

The Wonderful One!

The Extraordinary Strategist!

The Mighty God!

The Father of Eternity!

The Prince of Peace!


Hebrews 6:13

Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than himself, he swore an oath on his own integrity to keep the promise as sure as God exists!


2 Corinthians 5:18-21

And God has made all things new, and reconciled us to himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God. In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God. We are ambassadors of the Anointed One who carry the message of Christ to the world, as though God were tenderly pleading with them directly through our lips. So we tenderly plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Turn back to God and be reconciled to him.” For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.


Hebrews 12:2

We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! 




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