The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God’s name! Yes! The King of Israel!
(John 12:12-13 MSG)
My brother-in-law has a hard time trusting people, so his motto in life is “don’t trust anyone.” As I reflect on the Palm Sunday story, I, too, find it hard to trust the cheerful crowd that was following Jesus and singing His praises because a week later, we hear them shouting, “Crucify Him!”
But in case we think that Jesus was oblivious to the reaction of this fickle crowd, John reminds us that since the beginning of His ministry, Jesus never entrusted Himself to people because He knew what they were like:
During the time he was in Jerusalem, those days of the Passover Feast, many people noticed the signs he was displaying and, seeing they pointed straight to God, entrusted their lives to him. But Jesus didn’t entrust his life to them. He knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were. He didn’t need any help in seeing right through them. (John 2:23-25)
The United States also has a motto, and it’s one that I would add alongside my brother-in-law’s motto. The nation’s motto is “In God We Trust.” So while we can’t always trust volatile human beings, we can trust God, who remains the same.
Never trust anyone completely but God. Love people, but put your full trust only in God.
-Lawrence Welk
Rising with the Son 