Many of us celebrated Palm Sunday, as we remembered the triumphant and joyful entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Exuberant crowds lined the pathway with shouts of praise. But joy soon disappeared and triumph became heartbreak.

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. The took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John 12:12-13)

Joy

Those who listened attentively to Jesus teaching, or had witnessed His miracles, were joyful about His visit to Jerusalem. They expected amazing and wonderful outcomes from His appearance there. More teaching, additional miracles–perhaps triumph over their enemies. Could this be their Messiah, a warrior to defeat Rome?

But joy can quickly turn to fear and heartbreak.

When our daughter shared the happy news of her pregnancy, my husband and I experienced great joy. We were both “older” as her parents (in our thirties and forties) and sixties and seventies arrived before we received the blessed news of a grandchild on the way.

But when our daughter developed preeclampsia, fear overshadowed our joy. Would we receive our happy ending? A safe birth with mother and child both healthy?

We were terrified by thoughts of the “what ifs…”

From triumph to heartbreak

The crowd welcomed Jesus:

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. (John 12:17-18)

However, Jewish leaders were against Jesus and stirred up controversy. Within a few days, Judas was persuaded to betray Jesus and His arrest followed. Both the High Priest and Pilate questioned Jesus, but the charges against Jesus lacked proof.

Confused, Pilate searched for additional information, asking Jesus, “You are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)

From heartbreak to triumph

But we know the rest of the story…

From the agonizing day of His arrest, through His mockery of a trial, to torture and crucifixion, the sorrow of His death, came the greatest miracle of all.

After the tragedy of Friday was the Sabbath, when followers of Jesus rested in obedience to the commandment to remember the Sabbath. On the first day of the week, the women gathered spices and perfumes and went to the tomb. They found the stone used to block the entrance had been rolled away.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Jesus was gone!

As the women wondered what had happened to the body of their Lord Jesus, two men appeared beside them, their clothes gleamed like lightning. Terror overwhelmed them:

In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’.” (Luke 24:5-7)

Jesus is alive!

When triumph became heartbreak, that was not the end of the story. Our Savior lives!

The gift of life

On the cross, Jesus took our sins so that we might live with Him in eternity.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

God also created the miracle of birth and the gift of answered prayers. Although my daughter and baby experienced complications, both she and our baby granddaughter recovered and are healthy and happy.

Thanks be to God!

Wishing you joy and thanksgiving this Easter.

*Update: My newsletter releases April 2. I’m taking a week to complete some writing projects, my next blog is April 12. Peace and blessings!