April 11 | John 12:12-19
- Jennifer Jerrome
- Apr 11
- 2 min read
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
What Comes Next
By Jennifer Jerrome
Imagine being told a king was coming to save you:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
And now you’re in Jerusalem celebrating Passover and the man who raised Lazarus from the dead and performed a bunch of other miracles comes riding into town on a donkey!
Absolutely, you’re going to start shouting “Hosanna” and waving palm branches at him. That’s what you do for royalty. He’s the one you’ve been waiting for! He’s the king who’s going to save you from the Romans.
But give it a few days, and strange things start to happen. He’s not leading you into battle but instead is accused of blasphemy by your own leaders and treason by the government. He’s crucified and buried and nothing has changed. (Or so it seems!)
How confused would you be? You watch Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. You praise him and shout “Savior” at him. Palm branches that were meant for celebrating victory are now withering in the sun.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out. HE was supposed to change everything.
I imagine being a member of the Jewish community at this time would have been difficult. Would I have been among those turning shouts of “Hosanna!” into cries of “Crucify Him?”
Having my hopes dashed as my savior died on a cross would have been a difficult pill to swallow. But sitting here thousands of years later, I have the privilege of knowing what comes next. I have the Bible and history to tell me that things do change and change like they never have before.
My future took shape that day Jesus rode into town, just like it did for all who called themselves followers. Their lives took a turn they would never see coming (though maybe they should have.) But in their defense, things looked so much different than they expected. It was hard to see past their immediate disappointment.
As we approach Holy Week so much will happen. So many twists and turns which makes it a glorious story indeed!
PRAYER
Thank you, Father, for sharing your Son with us and making us part of His story. Though things didn’t turn out the way people thought they would/should, it was so much more than they could ever imagine. I appreciate living in a time when we know what happens next. May we continue to cry “Hosanna!” because Christ’s death is not a defeat, but the ultimate victory for us all. On Sunday may we wave our palm branches high and declare that our Savior has come. Hallelujah!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JENNIFER JERROME
I have known I was a child of God from the beginning. I was baptized and raised in the Catholic church and began attending UALC about 18 years ago when my husband I were searching for a place to worship and serve as a family. UALC has helped shape our faith over the years. We have been through several seasons of life and the constant has been our faith and family.
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