April 10

Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 10
Luke 22:14-23

As followers of Jesus, we need to be prepared to answer uncomfortably hard questions from family members, colleagues, and friends: Why do we believe that Jesus is our Savior and the Son of God? Why do we dedicate our lives to following Him?

For me, one of my go-to arguments is that if the early Christians were making all of this up, why would they invent a Jesus that is disarmingly humble, who suffers along with us, who serves others rather than being served? Why wouldn’t they have invented a strongman savior and King, who vanquished the enemies of Israel rather than submitting to an excruciating and humiliating death on a cross? The human mind could never “invent” Jesus, our Lord and Savior, so doesn’t that mean it must be true?

We see many glimpses of Jesus’ character in this passage. We see Him serve his disciples by serving them Communion, we see Him predict his own suffering, and we see Him taking every opportunity to pour his heart, soul, and teachings into the apostles who will soon be carrying forward His ministry here on Earth.

Today is the Sunday of the Passion, where we remember Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice for the fulfillment of prophecy and for the forgiveness of our sins. Today is a somber day, but let’s be thankful for Jesus’ teachings, both what He says but also learning from his actions. Let’s renew our commitment to emulating Jesus’ humility, posture of service, and investment in others. And most of all let’s be eternally grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Amen!

Reflection by Dave Wasik