As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd begins to shout:
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is the King!”
It’s loud.
It’s emotional.
It looks powerful.
But it’s incomplete.
Because they are praising Him…
without truly understanding Him.
Matthew 15:8 says,
“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
That’s Palm Sunday.
They celebrated Jesus as King—
but rejected Him as Savior.
They wanted:
- A deliverer
- A problem-solver
- A political rescuer
But not a Savior who:
- Confronts sin
- Calls for surrender
- Requires obedience
Luke 6:46 says,
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?”
That question still stands today.
John 2:23–24 tells us that many believed in Jesus,
but He did not entrust Himself to them.
Why?
Because belief without surrender is incomplete.
Here’s the hard truth:
You can praise Jesus and still resist Him.
You can:
- Go to church
- Lift your hands
- Say the right words
And still hold onto control.
Palm Sunday teaches us:
Not everyone celebrating Jesus is following Jesus.
Real restoration doesn’t come from emotion.
It comes from surrender.
So the question becomes:
Is He just someone you celebrate…
or is He the One you follow?
Thoughts from Pastor Toney 