We are a consumer driven society. We consume and we get consumed, and once nothing is left, once it seemingly has no value left, whoever or whatever it is gets disposed of. And once the last person or thing is disposed of, we move to the next person or thing, until it gets used up, and the cycle repeats.

Not only do we consume and get consumed, but like the water from our faucets, our loyalty often runs hot and cold. As long as that person or that thing is beneficial to us, we remain loyal. But the minute remaining loyal either becomes too hot or too cold, or when being loyal is seemingly detrimental or no longer useful to us, we throw out our loyalty like dirty water in the sink.

Does your loyalty, your allegiance, to others depend simply upon circumstances? What they can give you.

Now let me ask – Does your loyalty, your allegiance, to God also depend upon your circumstances? What you can get from God.

In one of Jesus’ most difficult moments, his closest allies bailed on him. When Jesus was arrested, did the disciples come to his defense, arguing for Jesus to be released? Sadly, they did not. Instead, they quickly ran the other way, fearing they too might be arrested, and maybe worse yet, killed. Here is what we read – “Then they all deserted Him and ran away” (Mark 14:50, HCSB).

The two verses that follow (51-52) tell us that a young man followed Jesus, but he too fled when the heat was on. Not only did this young man flee, but the text also tells us that he dropped his outer garment, apparently not wearing any underwear, and fled naked. Only Mark records this mysterious episode of the unidentified young man. Many scholars believe this young man was actually Mark, as his way to say, “I was there too.”

Scripture has few sadder words than “they ran away.”

In contrast to the “cold” faith in the previous paragraphs, another story that remains “hot,” even in the face of great danger. In the book of Daniel, we a find the story (click here) of three young Jews who remained faithful to God even when the heat really got turned up, literally! The story begins when the king issues a decree that everyone must bow down and worship a gold statue made in his image or be thrown into a fiery furnace.

When the three men refused to obey the king’s decree, he was furious and he summoned them, giving them two choices, either bow down to the gold statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace. They refused to worship the statue. I imagine that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were probably wondering where God was as they were bound and thrown into the furnace. This fire was so hot that several of the king’s soldiers were killed by the flames as they put the three men into the furnace.

After some time, King Nebuchadnezzar had his advisors check on the status of the three men, no doubt convinced that they were cooked to “well done.” But much to their surprise, the three men were seen walking around in the fiery furnace, unbound and unharmed. Plus, a fourth man was in there with them. The story ends with the three men being rescued by God, and because of their unwavering faith an entire province witnessed this miracle, many changed their allegiance from the king to God. Even King Nebby himself praised this God who rescued Shad, Mesh, and Benny.

Scripture contains few more heroic words than “But even if he does not” found in v.18.

I encourage you to read the click the link above to read this story.

So, today, I ask you – Do you have the unwavering “I know God can but even if He does not” kind of faith or do you find your faith running hot or cold contingent upon whether or not God has done what you asked of Him? Are you still faithful even when the heat is on?

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We all, yes, all of us, are good at doing things that cause harm to us. Physically. Spiritually. Emotionally. Relationally. The things we do. The things we think. The things we eat and drink. The things we watch. The people we sometimes hang with. The things that come out of our mouths. We somehow find ways to justify all those things. Sometimes we even know they are unhealthy, but we do them anyway. They often give us short-term pleasure but cause long-term harm. In the end, many of them end up leaving us with guilt and remorse.  

There is a word for this act of making ourselves “unclean” – defile. Think of graffiti on an abandoned building. It desecrates and defaces the building. Defilement is the act of desecrating ourselves. Not only is defiling ourselves potentially harmful to us and others, it is also an act of great disrespect toward God. When we defile ourselves through sin or neglect of God, we must seek cleansing by confessing our sins  (1 John 1:9). Only the blood of Jesus Christ is can make us fit to commune with God (1 John 1:7).

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. After His triumphal entry, Once in the city, we are told went to the temple area. Since it was late in the day, and the crowd had left, He and his disciples withdrew to Bethany for the night, possibly staying with Jesus’s good friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We read this in Mark 11:11 – “And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he… had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

According to Mark 11:15-19 (also Matthew 21:12-17 and Luke 19:46-48) Jesus returns to Jerusalem today and as He enters the Temple He finds the money-changers extorting money from those who had come to the temple for the Passover.

Here is the context – it was easier for those who came to offer a sacrifice to purchase an animal (to sacrifice) at the temple than to bring one with them and then have to get it inspected to see if it met the kosher laws. The pilgrim’s money first had to be exchanged into the local currency, since law required the temple tax to be paid in that local form of currency. The money-changers were charging exorbitant prices for the exchange of “pagan” money into Jewish coins. This infuriated Jesus and the text tells us that He cleared the temple and overturned their tables. This was a direct challenge to the high priest, because the money-changers were there by his authorization.

Matthew’s gospel tells us that Jesus returned once again to Bethany that evening (Matthew 21:17).

Now read Malachi 3:1-4. The cleansing of the temple – both the physical structure in these biblical narratives, and now you and me, the living temple – fulfills the prophecy found in these Malachi verses.

Look at your own life and see where you might be defiling your body the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) and pray with Jesus as He is desires to purify you. What better time than this week, Holy Week, to come clean with Jesus!

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Throughout history, those in power get celebrated. Their every move is documented, filmed, cheered. When they come to town, it is with great fanfare and pageantry, glitz and glamour, horns blaring and cymbals crashing, bringing a sense of grandeur.

When Charles III gets coronated as King of the United Kingdom next month, it will be a three-day extravaganza, seen by millions worldwide. Only a few thousand commoners will actually be in attendance, those tickets via a public ballot. There will be the coronation service itself, in Westminster Abbey, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury (most senior cleric in the Church of England); two grand processions through London, one from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey followed by a return trip to the Palace; the Royal Family balcony appearance; and the three-day event will end with a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle. I recently read that this coronation has no budget and that officials will spend as they see fit. The regalia and pageantry will likely be like none before.  

Pageantry is nothing new. In the ancient Middle East, kings and those in authority wore purple colored clothing, as a symbol of wealth, royalty, and status. Bling is not a new thing either. Gideon (fifth judge of Israel and often considered the greatest of all thirteen judges) wore a purple garment and had rings weighing forty-three pounds (Judges 8:22-27). Horses also represented majesty and power. The kings who sat on David’s throne came riding into town in chariots and on horses (Jeremiah 17:25). Roman military heroes rode into the town they had just conquered, usually on a four-horse chariot, wearing colorful embroidered togas, parading with them both their army and those whom they captured. They also flaunted the spoils of war.

Side note: Conquerors came to town on horses while those coming in peace rode donkeys. Abdon, the eleventh judge of Israel, and who reestablished peace after a disastrous feud that resulted in the death of 42,000 people, rode, along with his forty sons and thirty grandsons on donkeys (Judges 12:14). When David appointed his son Solomon ruler over both Israel and Judah, he (Solomon) rode into Gihon on a donkey (1 Kings 1:32-35).

Now contrast the pageantry and extravagance found in the previous paragraphs with how Jesus rode into Jerusalem today, on what we call Palm Sunday. This king came not as a conquering king but instead as a humble king. He wasn’t wearing bright colored clothing or gaudy jewelry. He rode into town on the back of a borrowed donkey, using other people’s clothing as his saddle. Luke tells us that this particular donkey had never been ridden before (Luke 19:30). People took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting – “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel! (John 12:13).

This triumphal entry narrative appears in all four gospel accounts – Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19. More than five hundred years before Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the prophet Zechariah foresaw it happening – “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).

Jesus is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. He is the King of peace. He is the coming Messiah and King of Israel, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy.

As you contemplate what Palm Sunday means to you, let me ask you – What kind of king is Jesus? What kind of king rides on a donkey? Is He your King? Is He your Messiah?

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