How Quickly the Tide Can Turn

Last Sunday, my church celebrated Palm Sunday with a re-enactment of the Triumphal Procession. Members of the church dressed in Biblical costumes and paraded through the sanctuary with palm branches, rejoicing as “Jesus” entered the sanctuary.

Seeing that visual re-enactment of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, less than a week before the Crucifixion, all I could think about was how quickly the triumphant crowd would be replaced with an angry, condemning crowd.

Palm Sunday is a moment of refuge and joy, the calm before the storm. Only days later, the crowd will be shouting at Pilate to free a murderer and to crucify Jesus.

Have you ever experienced the turn of the tide in your life? Ever felt like public opinion was on your side one  minute, then turning against you the next?

Ever felt like a friend was for you one day, then nowhere to be found when things got hairy?

One thing’s for sure. Sinful people are fickle. It doesn’t mean we should condemn and distrust one another in order to protect ourselves. With God’s help, we can all become better friends, parents, and lovers.

But we have to remember that when everyone seems turn their back on us, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Jesus knows what it feels like to be betrayed by your closest friends and by the general population. Turn to the One who knows you and loves you when you’re going through a valley of betrayal. Ask Him for the ability to forgive and move forward in love.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16