The Answer

"Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him." (John 12:17-18)

We call this day Palm Sunday. It comes a week before Easter Sunday, just as Jesus' "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem on a donkey came a week before His Resurrection. And what a terrible beautiful week it was!

The region was buzzing with news about Jesus. He already had a reputation as a healer and a rabbi that taught with confidence, as if He was telling God's own words. But the energy around Him was spiking. Lots of people had seen Him raise His friend Lazarus from the dead. That's serious power. Could He be the Messiah? Was He here to overthrow Israel's enemies and set them free?

We now know why He had come. He was (is!) the answer to last week's question: How can anyone be saved from the downward spiral of sin-drenched human existence? "Hosanna!" the people called out in the traditional greeting. It means "Save us!" And that's just what Jesus was about to do.

Think: Why do you think the people were so fickle about Jesus -- curious and worshipping Him one day, then allowing Him to be crucified a few days later? Are people still fickle about Him?

Pray: Ask God to give you a heart to appreciate what Jesus did for us during this week before Easter.

Do: Make a plan to read from John 12 through 20 this week to remind yourself of the things Jesus said and did during the "Passion Week."