Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. There is nothing in that line to pique anyone’s interest today for there is nothing great or inferior in riding on a donkey. Most people today would pay a good sum of money to merely get a ride! But what follows this simple action is what really makes it sound absurd. People shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and placed cloaks before the donkey (Mark 11:9). They waved leafy branches and sang and danced (Luke 19:36-37). Now this is a typical welcome for a king and no king enters his city riding on a donkey! So what exactly was going on here?
Christians the world over observe Palm Sunday a week before Easter. Palm Sunday marks the entry into Holy Week-a week which highlights the fundamental beliefs and core tenets of the Christian faith. Holy Week is unlike any other week in the Christian calendar. It is not marked with great noise and funfair. In fact, it brings to a head the 40 day long season of Lent which is a period of fasting, penance, almsgiving and above all, repentance and change. Holy Week reminds every Christian of the raison d’être of their faith and existence as Christians. It brings them to the awareness of who God is and reminds them of what He has done and above all, it challenges them to come to terms with who they are before God.
The people who gathered to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem were great devotees. They recognized him as a king even though he did not wear imperial gowns and jewelry and did not come riding on a mighty horse with an imposing army. They had heard of his fame; they had heard of the mighty things he had done with the touch of his hands or the words from his mouth; they knew of his anointed preaching… They knew… and heard… Perhaps they had not seen with their own eyes; they had not experienced firsthand but they believed in the talk. This is the typical character of a devotee. The devotee believes and even acts on the belief but he/she is not intimately connected to the person they adore or praise.
A worshipper, on the other hand, is not so much taken up with the talk and actions of the person as much as he/she is taken up with the person themself! This is the fundamental difference. A devotee is excited by words and actions; the worshipper has eyes only for the person-all words and actions are only a bonus. It is interesting to note that Jesus preferred the latter over the former. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him” (John 4:23). Jesus was hardly bothered about the numerous people who were merely devoted to him. His focus was on gathering people who would worship God, the Father. He stressed on worship and not simply on devotion. Not that he did away with devotion completely. He was careful to not let devotion remain purely peripheral or superficial. He always invited people to enter deeper and to become worshippers. Take the instance where he healed the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Only one of the ten turned back to praise God and to thank Jesus for what he had done. Seeing this Jesus remarked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God… ?” (v. 17-18). This incident shows very clearly that Jesus was not too impressed with devotion alone. Perhaps the other nine went all round the countryside proclaiming the miracle that Jesus had worked in their lives. But that is nothing compared to the one man who turned back and worshipped the Lord.
Too much of religion is focused on devotion and thus very often ends up making devotees of all its adherents. Too little attention is afforded to real worship. There is a difficulty in drawing a clear line between devotion and worship. The best way of judging is by examining the effect it has on a person’s life and behaviour. A devotee does the things they think or are told are pleasing to God. Thus, they often lose themselves in fulfilling rituals and keeping edicts and traditional practices. Worshippers keep their minds fixed on God and exude an aura of holiness. The focus of all their thoughts, words and actions is to give praise to God.
Palm Sunday offers us an opportunity to introspect and discover our nature vis-à-vis God. Are we simply like the crowd that gathered around Jesus to show their devotion to him? Is God someone we ought to please through our rituals, fasts, observances and penances? If that is the case then we are simply devotees of God. God does not impact our lives much. We are quite happy living our own lives and doing the things we are told or that we have come to know are pleasing to Him. There is no real connection there. But if we really care about God and by care, I do not mean simply giving Him respect or honouring Him in the place of worship but seriously desiring to have a relationship with Him then I believe we will enter into the realm of worship. It is when we desire more than just to please God by actually desiring God himself that we progress from being devotees to being true worshippers. These are the people the Lord wants. He is not interested in mere devotion. He desire worship. Are we ready to give it to him?
