Often in our lives, we are at a crossroads, trying to determine whether we will follow what we want and what we need. It might look like this.
We want a double cheeseburger with fries and a milkshake, but our body needs a salad.
We want to purchase the newest iPhone or a new pick-up truck, but our bank accounts shout at us, “You need to calm down and pay your electricity bills!”
We want to binge-watch 17 episodes of that new Netflix series in one night, but what we need is 8 hours of sleep.
Life tends to remind us how our desires can often conflict with our actual needs. On the one hand, our personal aspirations and wishes move us to follow our desires. On the other hand, reality continues to pull us back, reminding us that the things we want may not be what we need.
What if our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is like that?
We may want a faith that is easy, comfortable, and free of difficulties. We may want a faith that aligns with your personal aspirations. But what if that isn’t what Christ wants from you? What if you needed something else?
You see, Jesus was nearing the end of his journey. During the final stretch of his travels, he visited multiple towns but timed everything perfectly to be in Jerusalem for Passover. All the while, his disciples were following him – what did they want from Jesus?
Expectations were running high because, not long ago, Jesus proclaimed, “Lazarus, come forth,” and Lazarus was raised from the dead, which made Jesus even more popular. The excitement surrounding him grew to new heights. As Jesus approached Jerusalem, his crowd kept becoming bigger and bigger by the day. Furthermore, many Jews were also coming to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, and they wanted to see for themselves if the rumors they had been hearing about a young rabbi were true.
That day, Jesus walked in front of his disciples as they came to Bethany. From there, he sent two of his disciples to town to secure a donkey for him to ride on. The disciples were instructed to go into the village and find the colt that had never been ridden. If the owners asked, the disciples were to give the code word, “The Lord has need of it.” Jesus was to ride the donkey into Jerusalem.
Jesus, divinely ordained and carefully planned every aspect of this event, down to the smallest detail. This time was decided long before the foundation of heaven and earth. Eve, the choice of arriving on a young, unridden donkey was intentional.
Now, what was unique about this event is that never before had Jesus done anything to put himself on display publicly. But someone might ask, “Why all this planning? Why a young donkey? Why is he going into Jerusalem like that?”
The answer is that over 500 years ago, a prophet named Zechariah had prophesied that the Messiah would come, and he would come in the following manner:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey.
500 years before Jesus’ earthly time, Zechariah proclaimed that the coming King and Savior would come mounted on a donkey. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he identified himself as the Messiah – the one the Scriptures spoke about and the one the Israelites longed to see. Jesus Christ pointed to Zechariah and then to himself, saying, “The king that Zechariah spoke of? That’s me!”
Jesus’s entrance fulfilled a long-awaited prophecy of a savior and beautifully portrayed both his position as a king and a humble servant.
Those who witnessed what was happening also knew the prophecy of Zechariah and Jesus’ open identification that he is the Messiah that the Scriptures spoke about – the anointed one many prophets and righteous people in the past longed to see. However, what did the crowds who followed Jesus in that moment, even Jesus’ disciples, want from Jesus?
Once the donkey was secured, the march began. The Scripture says: “And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.” Jesus was the star of the show. All eyes were fixed on him, and they laid down their cloaks as a gesture of reverence and demonstrated. The crowds kept getting bigger and bigger. Then, Jesus drew near Jerusalem, and the people began to joyfully praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. People were shouting with great noise, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the Lord!” They said, “Here comes the King of Israel, the rightful heir of David, the Messiah who would usher in peace!
The people loved it! Just like cities throw parades for their favorite sports team, the people gave Jesus a welcome fit for a king! The Gospel of John further elaborates on this picture of Jesus’ grand entrance. John records, “The people took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna!”
Note, the people began to cut palm branches and went out to meet Jesus, shouting, “Hosanna.”
But wait a minute. What is going on here? Things start to get a little weird here. If you know a thing or two about history, this should raise a red flag. What did the people want from Jesus when they were waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna!”
Of course, in the Scriptures, palm branches were a symbol of victory and triumph. Palm branches were used as far back as the time of the Exodus when the Israelites used palm branches to celebrate the victory and salvation God gave them when he brought them out of Egypt. Sure. However, when we examine the ancient historical use of palm branches, we find that it was more nuanced than an innocent use to glorify God. Furthermore, the word “hosanna” literally meant “save” or “save us.”
For Jews in Jesus’ time, waving palm branches has become the equivalent of waving their national flag. When we, as Americans, wave the American flag, we symbolically represent freedom, the shared identity of its citizens, and the love for our country. The palm branches that the Jews waved were the equivalent of waving the national flag, and they represented the Jewish desire to be independent of their oppressors. The palm branches represented the Jewish nationalistic desire to be freed from the Roman Empire, which conquered and occupied Israel at the time.
As modern Christians, we look at palm branches and remind ourselves of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and was resurrected. We think of the peace and love that Jesus Christ brings. But what if that isn’t what the Jews saw on the very first Palm Sunday?
To answer this question, we go back 200 years before the first Sunday. We know well from the Scriptures and history that the Jews endured a long period of oppression by many foreign entities. One of them was the Greeks. The Greeks made a colossal effort to Hellenize the surrounding nations, so they conquered and campaigned against other nations to enforce Greek culture, values, and religion. Israel was no exception. The Greeks wanted to Hellenize the Jews and remove any features of the Jewish culture and the worship of God.
Then came a guy named Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who invaded Jerusalem, defiled the Jerusalem Temple, and began to ruthlessly torture and kill the Jews who wouldn’t comply with the Hellenization efforts. However, a small cluster of Jewish guerilla fighters, known as the Maccabees, began to gather people and fight against the Greeks. The resistance started with several years or guerrilla warfare, then the organization of a real army. Even though the Maccabees were vastly outnumbered, they defeated the Greeks, kicked them out of Israel, and restored the temple. They were finally freed from oppression!
The Jews celebrated their victory over the Greeks, and this celebration became an annual festival, which we know as Hanukkah today. One way they celebrated this victory was by waving palm branches. Even some of the coins circulated then had palm branches imprinted on them.
Now, we fast forward to the moment when Jesus entered Jerusalem, where the Jews were oppressed and occupied by the Romans. As Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem, the people shouted, “Save us!” and waved palm branches. When the crowds were doing these things, what did they want from Jesus? Those who were celebrating wanted Jesus Christ to free them from Roman oppression. They desired freedom. They thought, “You, Jesus, are going to be the one to lead us to freedom. You are the next Maccabees!” The crowd wanted earthly salvation and freedom from Roman rule.
The problem is that the crowds knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but they saw him through the lens of their personal desires and wants. Jesus entered as the true king and savior that all humanity desperately needed, but the crowds saw him as they wanted. In the crowd’s minds, they formulated their own ideas of who they wanted Jesus to be instead of how the Scriptures described the Messiah. Instead of seeing the Messiah as the one who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, the crowd saw Christ as they wanted, not as the Savior they needed.
This points to an important reality. Today, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, our King and Lord Jesus Christ have entered Jerusalem. He has entered our lives and it demands a response.
However, how are we seeing Jesus Christ? Are we seeing Jesus Christ as he is? Are we seeing him and submitting to him according to what the Scripture teaches about him – that he died for our sins and rose for our salvation and is worthy of our absolute trust and obedience? Or, are we seeing Jesus Christ through our “wants,” the lens of our personal desires and aspirations? Are we following a Jesus that we need, or are we following a Jesus that we want? Consider these examples:
Is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who emptied himself for us so that we, too, can empty ourselves of our pride and arrogance?
Is Jesus Christ our means towards prosperity and growth of our retirement funds?
Is Jesus Christ the one who can be trusted and depended on in every aspect of our lives?
Is Jesus Christ the one who will bring political change as another cycle of election approaches?
Is Jesus Christ our means to worldly power and influence?
Is Jesus Christ our Genie in a bottle that we bring out only when we need him?
The question is, are we seeing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, King of kings, Lord of lords, the bread of life, light of the world, the good shepherd, and the way, the truth, and the life, to whom we dedicate our entire lives, time, resources, and everything we claim to because he deserves everything as our King?
Do we believe in a Jesus Christ that we need, or do we believe in a Jesus Christ that we want? Perhaps the crowd on the first Palm Sunday saw a political savior they wanted. However, the truth is that the Jesus that we want cannot save us. If we want Jesus Christ to be a certain way instead of seeing that our lives are utterly dependent upon his grace and mercy, we have deeply confused our wants for our needs.
So, I must ask you today: What kind of Jesus do you believe in?
Like many of us today, the Jews were looking for a Messiah that would fit their aspirations for political freedom. As Passion Week continues, it becomes clear that Jesus does not turn out to be the savior they wanted and have been looking for, so the people grow disillusioned. Then, the people ultimately reject him and hand him over to be crucified.
The Jesus we need may look different from our wants. However, as I mentioned at the beginning, we often confuse our wants with our needs. We must believe in and give our lives to the Jesus we need.
We need a suffering Jesus so that he can help us in our pain and suffering.
We need a servant Jesus so that we can follow his examples to serve others.
We need a gracious Jesus so that we can experience the forgiveness of sins.
We need a humble Jesus so that we can lay down our prerogatives.
That is the Jesus Christ we need. We must believe in Jesus Christ, whom we absolutely need. As we enter Passion Week, wouldn’t you see Jesus Christ for who he is? Wouldn’t you worship him and praise him for who he is? Wouldn’t you give your life to the Jesus we need, instead of the Jesus we want?
