Have you ever been caught up in the excitement of a large crowd? It can be thrilling or terrifying, depending on the circumstances and your own comfort level with being in the middle of a crowd. Commissioner Dawn and I are totally different in our reactions to being part of a crowd. She gets very claustrophobic when she is in a large crowd, and therefore, it terrifies her. For me, the energy of the crowd at a sporting event, a fireworks display, or a New Year’s celebration is thrilling, and I love being a part of the celebration. However, I also recognize that an unexpected event can quickly turn the celebration of a crowd into a disaster. I’m sure we have all heard stories of when something has sent a crowd into a panic, and it results in a stampede with multiple injuries or even deaths. Obviously, no one wants to be a part of that.

Matthew 21:8–11 (NIV) gives us the account of the large crowd that gathered to welcome Jesus into the city of Jerusalem:

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

In this passage, we find the crowds celebrating the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. In their minds, they were celebrating the entrance of their promised King, the one who would restore the Jewish Kingdom and free Israel from Roman rule once and for all. What they didn’t understand was that this “King of Kings” had come to bring about an entirely different type of deliverance. He came to free them from the chains of sin and death. But this deliverance would also come with a cost — the cost of the Cross.

As a result, this crowd of followers was nowhere to be seen less than a week later when Jesus was crucified. We are sometimes quick to criticize these people for being so easily swayed. But before we become too critical, we need to make sure we are not making the same mistake that they made, which was failing to count the cost of following Jesus.

How many of us have followed the crowd in making New Year’s resolutions to exercise and lose weight, and then quickly failed to follow through with the actions required to succeed? Why is it that something that seems like such a good idea becomes so hard to accomplish? I believe it’s because the concept of being in good health and living a healthy lifestyle is something that appeals to all of us, but when we realize how much effort it takes, we aren’t always willing to make the sacrifices needed to find success.

Several years ago, Commissioner Dawn and I discovered an app for our iPad and iPhones called MyFitnessPal, which allows you to track your calories and exercise in order to help you lose weight. Based on your current weight, it tells you how many calories you can eat each day in order to achieve your weight loss goals. Commissioner Dawn will readily tell you that she absolutely hates to exercise, but this app motivated her to try to walk 10,000 steps each day because the more she exercised, the more calories she could eat and still lose weight. In fact, she talked many times about buying a t-shirt and having it imprinted with the phrase “I walk to eat.”

But if you are like her and find it difficult to exercise, you’re not alone. There are a lot of people who have made New Year’s resolutions with good intentions to exercise and live a healthier lifestyle, but who were not prepared to make the commitment needed to benefit from their exercise. I think the people who came to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem fell into the same trap. The concept of welcoming the Messiah into Jerusalem and establishing him as their king was very appealing. However, they didn’t realize that following Jesus would lead to the Cross. They had not paid attention to what Jesus had been teaching and were not prepared to make the commitment needed to actually benefit from his teachings. Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate the Easter season, we need to ask ourselves if we are following the crowds or the Cross, and we need to decide if we are prepared to follow his teachings.

We need to remember that the crowds will always want the glory without considering the cost and without being willing to truly believe in Jesus and follow him to the Cross. As we celebrate the arrival of the King of Kings, we must recognize that serving Christ is not about following the crowds; it is about following the Cross and choosing to believe in Jesus. My prayer for each of us is that we will choose to follow the Cross.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Merle Heatwole

Illustration by Donghyun Lim