Palm Sunday

This week is Palm Sunday, where we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem to cries of "Hallelujah".

A great crowd of people gather together, to declare Jesus as the king, to shout their allegiance to him. Perhaps some of them really meant to ride in with him and conquer Jerusalem through violence. Probably many of them were just there swept up in the moment. They were hopeful that Jesus was going to defeat the Romans, to bring back prosperity to Israel, to bring in the new kingdom. But their hopes were dashed; as one week later they yelled "crucify" as Jesus is bound and crucified by the Romans.

But it wasn't that Jesus couldn't uphold their hope; it was just that they were hoping for too little. Their vision of his kingdom wasn't too big; it was too short-sighted.

Jesus wasn't coming just as King into Jerusalem, he was coming as their Priest.

To make sacrifice for them- by being the sacrifice!

To bring about actual forgiveness of sin, to restore their relationship with God.

To tear down the curtain that kept them eternally separated from God, and bring the presence of God to them.

At Easter, we celebrate Jesus coming into his fulfilment as both King and Priest over the people.

Join us this Easter as we remember and celebrate that it is only Jesus who can make us right with God.