Road to the Cross: Meditations for EasterSample

A Long Journey

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luke 19:38)

I rode a donkey, once, in Israel. It cost me 10 shekels. Two minutes into the ride I would have gladly paid another 10 shekels to get off the donkey. The animal had a salient, sharp-edged spine that made riding a decidedly unpleasant experience. It was the longest ride of my life.

How long was Jesus’ Palm Sunday ride? How far does he travel on his little donkey? In one sense, not far at all. The Palm Sunday parade started on the Mount of Olives, wound down into the Kidron Valley, and then up the hill to the gates of Jerusalem—about a mile. Not very far.

But in another sense, Jesus had come a long way. Palm Sunday, remember, was not an isolated incident. It was the climax of a long journey that began months earlier when, Luke says, “he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (9:51). There were many obstacles along the way, and much opposition. God had a plan, and by enduring all the difficulties along the way, and by surrendering himself, ultimately, to the cross, Jesus situated himself perfectly into that plan.

There are moments when you make a decision to follow a particular path. Maybe it’s a prayerful decision to accept a challenge that keeps whispering your name, or to follow God’s leading into a certain career. The decision we make in such moments launches us on a journey with God that changes us, and those who walk with us. 

Prayer: Lord, make me ready for the journey.