Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey. There is nothing along those lines that piques anyone’s interest today because there is nothing great or inferior about riding a donkey. Most people today would pay good money just to get a ride! But what follows this simple action is what really makes it sound absurd. The people shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and he put cloaks before the donkey (Mark 11:9). They waved leafy branches and blood and danced (Luke 19:36-37). Now this is a typical welcome for a king and no king rides into his city on a donkey! So what exactly was going on here?

Christians around the world observe Palm Sunday one week before Easter. Palm Sunday marks the entrance to Holy Week, a week that highlights the fundamental beliefs and fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. Holy Week is unlike any other week on the Christian calendar. It is not marked with big noise and amusement park. In fact, it brings up the 40 days of Lent, which is a period of fasting, penance, almsgiving, and most of all, repentance and change. Holy Week reminds each Christian of the reason for his faith and his existence as Christians. It brings them to the awareness of who God is and reminds them of what He has done and, above all, challenges them to accept who they are before God.

The people who gathered to receive Jesus in Jerusalem were great devotees. They recognized him as king even though he did not wear imperial robes and jewels and did not come mounted on a mighty horse with an imposing army. They had heard of his fame; they had heard of the wonders he had done by the touch of his hands or the words of his mouth; they knew of his anointed preaching… They knew… and heard… Perhaps they had not seen it with their own eyes; they hadn’t experienced it firsthand but believed the talk. This is the typical character of a devotee. The devotee believes and even acts on the belief, but he is not intimately connected with the person he worships or praises.

A worshiper, on the other hand, is not so much concerned with the person’s words and actions as he is with the person himself! This is the fundamental difference. A devotee is excited by words and actions; the worshiper has eyes only for the person; all words and actions are just a bonus. It is interesting to note that Jesus preferred the latter to the former. “But the hour is coming, and it is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him” (John 4:23). Jesus was hardly concerned with the large number of people who simply devoted themselves to him. His focus was on gathering people who would worship God the Father. He emphasized worship and not just devotion. Not that he killed the devotion completely. He was careful not to let the devotion remain purely peripheral or superficial. He always invited people to go deeper and become worshipers. Take the example where he healed the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Only one of the ten turned to praise God and thank Jesus for what he had done. Seeing this, Jesus commented: “Were not ten clean? But the other nine, where are they? Were not any of them found to return and praise God…?” (vv. 17-18). This incident shows very clearly that Jesus was not overly impressed with devotion alone. Perhaps the other nine went around the field proclaiming the miracle that Jesus had worked in their lives. But that is nothing compared to the man who turned and worshiped the Lord.

Much of religion is centered around devotion and therefore very often ends up making all its adherents devotees. Very little attention is paid to true worship. There is a difficulty in drawing a clear line between devotion and adoration. The best way to judge is by examining the effect it has on a person’s life and behavior. A devotee does the things that he thinks or is told are pleasing to God. Therefore, they often get lost in performing rituals and keeping traditional edicts and practices. Worshipers keep their minds fixed on God and exude an aura of holiness. The focus of all your thoughts, words and actions is to praise God.

Palm Sunday offers us the opportunity to introspect and discover our nature before God. Are we just like the crowd that gathered around Jesus to show their devotion to him? Is God someone we must please through our rituals, fasts, observances, and penances? If that is the case, then we are simply devotees of God. God doesn’t impact our lives much. We are quite happy living our own lives and doing the things that 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 care, I don’t mean just respecting or honoring Him in the place of worship, but really wanting to have a relationship with Him, then I think we will enter the realm of worship. When we desire something more than pleasing God by actually desiring God himself, we progress from being devout to being true worshippers. These are the people the Lord wants. He is not interested in devotion to the mother. He wants worship. Are we ready to give it to you?