Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax United Methodist Church

Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” ~ Mark 11:8-10

Within the Christian tradition, this episode from the Gospel According to Mark is called the “Triumphant Entry.” This scripture is often read on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter when the church celebrates how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, welcomed with excitement and open arms! So often, Christians make the point that Jesus was greeted with excitement, and just a few days later, the cheers from the crowds shifted from “Praise God!” to “Crucify Him!” It is easy to dwell on the shift of attitude of the crowd. Though sometimes, it is a good idea to think about how excited the crowd was, reflect on our own life, and ask, have I ever been that excited about Jesus? I would follow that question with this one, what in life excites me? Is it 18 holes on the course on a beautiful day? Is it the home opener at the K? A Chiefs Super Bowl win? A personal accomplishment? Something good a child or family member has done? Perhaps going to church on Sunday?

All of us get excited about different things. The point scripture makes, except for the religious leaders of the day, is that everyone seemed to be excited for Jesus entering the city, or at least those gathered in the crowd that day. The challenge isn’t to get excited but to keep the excitement going. That is where the crowds failed. We know Jesus had to die to fulfill God’s plan for God’s people, but the challenge for the crowd is to keep the excitement level up. For us today, our challenge is much the same; we need to get and stay excited for Jesus. As for the crowd, it can be easy sometimes to get excited about Jesus, but depending on our focus when considering the excitement, it can leave us just as fast. We will be let down if our excitement for Jesus rests on us counting on anything but Jesus. You can be let down if you need your pastor or church to be excited about Jesus. You will be let down if you need your spouse to be excited or your children. Jesus and Jesus alone must be the source of our excitement. Granted, we need the Christian relationships of our church family and spouse in our lives, and the healthiest way to live out God’s calling on our lives is through worshiping and serving in a local church. Our excitement for this life God has called us to must rest in Jesus and Jesus alone.

I have said it this way for years: Jesus + Nothing = Everything, but Jesus + Something = Nothing.

We don’t need anything but Jesus; we can’t add to Jesus.