I am thinking about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem–on what we call Palm Sunday.  And I’m thinking, in particular, about the crowd gathered for the parade.  There seems to be a bit of Dr. Jekyell/Mr Hyde syndrome going on.  One minute the crowd is waving palm branches or some kind branches to celebrate the One who will come and save them and the next they are yelling “Crucify Him.”  As I read the text, it seems that the crowd is one big group of people (instead of two opposing crowds) who are initially excited about Jesus, but later change their mind.  How is this possible?  Were they just fickle or is this an example of the psychological phenomenon  “Group Think?”

There’s the old adage “It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole barrel”.  Could that be what’s going on for these first century people? Are they allowing the rants of some to poke holes in their hope and faith? Or, are they just too afraid to stand up for what they believe, andt follow the loudest voices because it was safer and easier?

Do we have a tendency to listen more to the loud voices who question our faith, question God’s existence, question the possibility of miracles, than to listen to our own hearts and make a stand for what we know, deep down, is truth–that is, that Jesus Christ is God’s Son?

The church is in trouble today.  I wonder if one of the reasons Christianity is being pushed to the sidelines is that folks are listening more to the “crowd of the 21st century”,  that is yelling as loud as possible,  “crucify him”,  than listening to our own hearts that remind us that Jesus is our Messiah, that he’s really God incarnate, that he loves us just the way we are, that he died for us in spite of the fact that we too often say “no” to him and “yes” to the world?  How can we turn our back on a love like that?  How did those fickle folks in First Century AD?

Who’s who in the crowd?  Are they us and we them?

What do ya’ll think?

Our journey through Lent is quickly coming to a close.  It’s amazing how such a long difficult road of reflection and repentance could go so quickly.  But here we are.  A week away from Palm Sunday, Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

As I continue to ponder the Lenten lectionary text for this Sunday, John 12:1-8, I am looking hard at Jesus’ words to Judas and the family at Bethany (Mary, Martha, and Lazarus).  When Judas scolds Mary for wasting her expensive nard on Jesus feet, when she should have used that money to feed the poor, Jesus tells Judas to “leave her alone.”  Then he says something puzzling.  Jesus says “She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

What’s he saying here?  Is he referring to priorities? Is he saying that feeding the poor isn’t important?

Most Christians I know, especially those  in the Mainline Protestant tradition,  are passionate about mission and serving others, but it’s not easy to get folks out for small groups, Bible studies, adult Christian formation classes, etc.  I wonder if we put so much emphasis on busyness and doing things for the Lord that it leaves us little time or energy to just spend one on one time with Jesus.

Can we really serve others effectively unless we allow God opportunities to fill us up?

Is Jesus saying in this passage that sitting at his feet is more important than feeding the poor?

Thoughts?