37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, a time when we remember Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The scene was not all that spectacular—at least not compared to King Herod’s or Pontius Pilate’s entry into Jerusalem at about the same time. Jesus was riding on the back of a donkey, traveling down the Mount of Olives, headed toward Jerusalem. A crowd of people, many of whom were disciples and close followers of Jesus, started shouting “Hosanna!” which means “save us.” The crowd laid cloaks on the ground before him and waved palm branches, giving Jesus’ sort of a poor mans red carpet treatment. We know the rest of the story. We know that it would only be a few day later when crowds would turn against him, and disciples would abandon, deny, and even betray him. Within less than a week, Jesus had traded his donkey for a cross. We know what happened.

Evidently, it is much easier to cheer for Jesus than it is to follow him. “The way is narrow, and the path is difficult that leads to life, and few travel it” Jesus once said. He also said, “Not everyone who cries Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who do the will of my Father.” The life of discipleship is more than words, it is more than crying out “save us Jesus.” Of course, words are important, and our witness is important. So is walking the talk! And walking the talk reminds us that following Jesus requires us to walk, to move, to put our faith in action, even if it means spending time with him at the cross.

As we approach Palm Sunday, I invite you to think about Jesus’ triumphal entry. Think about the simple truth that Jesus knew exactly where his entry into Jerusalem would lead. Think about the simple truth that crowds of people wanted something different from Jesus than he was offering. Think about what you want from him. Most importantly, think about what Jesus wants from you. I suspect it will have something to do with walking the talk. And I suspect will it result in this crazy and mixed-up world in which we live seeing a glimpse of the truth: Jesus is the way of life.