Are We the Modern Palm Sunday Fair-weather Friends?

Today is not Palm Sunday for us Orthodox, but most of my family is Protestant, and most of my wife’s family is Roman Catholic, and seeing their posts on social media got me thinking…

Palm Sunday has always fascinated me. The Jews welcomed Christ, because they did believe at that moment that He was the Messiah; but they likewise thought that He as Messiah would free them from the Roman Empire politically and reestablish an earthly kingdom.

Our Savior had other plans; the kingdom He wished to establish was of God, and He needed to suffer and die—but then be resurrected—to accomplish this.

When those of little faith saw this, the same people who today on (Western Christian) Palm Sunday put their cloaks and branches down in front of Him, just five days later cried out for Him to be put to death.

Yet despite believing in Jesus Christ, how often do we go to Church, put down our cloaks and branches, hail Him as King, and then go home and reject Him through Sin?

Yet He forgives us as long as we repent…may He forgive us all.