Are We Following Jesus, or the Hype?

Friday I'm in Love - The Cure

Before I became a vicar, I used to have a two-hour commute to work. During those long hours in the car, my mind came up with some pretty strange ways to pass the time. One of the oddest ways? Mentally writing sermons about songs that came on the radio. I can only imagine what that says about me, but what I do know is that most of what I preach comes from moments of delirium, fuelled by Haribo and a few miles outside Newport Pagnell services.

Take, for instance, The Cure’s "Friday I’m in Love."

I don't care if Monday's blue

Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday I'm in love.

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart

Thursday doesn't even start

It's Friday I'm in love.

I've always heard this song as the tale of a guy who doesn’t really care much about his girlfriend the other six days of the week, but on Friday, when they’re dressed up and having fun, he feels like he’s in love with her.

The comments on songmeanings.com suggest this interpretation might not be the universally agreed meaning, but I think it works. If this guy doesn’t care much for her on Thursday, it’s hard to believe he truly loves her on Friday. I wonder if he has something in common with the crowds in our Palm Sunday passage.

On Palm Sunday, the people were definitely caught up in the moment. They were enthusiastic followers of Jesus, throwing palm branches and cloaks down before him, shouting, "Hosanna!" But by Friday, those same voices were crying, "Crucify him!" and demanding that a murderer be released in his place. What could have caused such a dramatic change?

I think the answer lies in the fact that these people, much like the guy in the song, were prone to getting swept up in the hype of the moment.

Some more lyrics from The Cure:

Dressed up to the eyes

It's a wonderful surprise

To see your shoes and your spirits rise

Throwing out your frown

And just smiling at the sound

And as sleek as a shriek

Spinning round and round.

The weekend has arrived. His girlfriend’s dressed up, the music is playing, and in that moment, everything feels perfect.

Could Palm Sunday have been one of those moments? After all, it was Passover time, a time of celebration and festivity as people gathered to remember God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The atmosphere was electric. The disciples went into Jerusalem and ‘borrowed’ a colt—a bold move by anyone’s standards! Imagine the confidence they must have had to take someone else’s donkey and say, "The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately." If I tried that at Hertz, I don’t think it would go down too well!

And yet, as the crowds cheered Jesus into the city, no one could have predicted what was coming. Less than a week later, Jesus would be standing before Pilate, condemned, and ready to be crucified. How could the same people who hailed him as king on Palm Sunday call for his death on Good Friday?

If we had been in that crowd, would we have been able to maintain a consistent view of Jesus? Would we have stayed true to the praises of Palm Sunday, or would we have joined in with the condemnation of Good Friday?

I think we all experience moments when God seems incredibly near, when the gospel feels so real and so important. And then, there are moments when God feels distant, when Jesus seems less than real.

Perhaps you’re someone who gets caught up in the glory of God at a big Christian event—Spring Harvest, Greenbelt, or another festival. Or maybe it’s the Sunday service, the communion liturgy, or a song that always brings you closer to God. But none of these moments, however precious, can sustain us in and of themselves. We can’t live on festival highs, and we can’t spend 24/7 in church without becoming a monk! Life needs to continue, and we need to get back to the mundane.

So, how do we ensure that our faith isn’t just about the highs and the moments? How do we make sure that our love for God isn’t as flaky as the man in the song? How do we know that our praise is genuine, and not just a temporary hype, like the crowds on Palm Sunday?

I think the key lies in a relationship with Jesus, much like the disciples who, though they fled in fear on Good Friday, were faithful to Jesus after the resurrection. They were the ones who had already established a relationship with him before the crowds came to witness his "arrival." They were more than caught up in the excitement of the moment; they had walked with Jesus, and it was that relationship that sustained them.

So, maybe today is a good day to ask ourselves: Are we following Jesus, or just following the hype? Maybe you know, for sure, that you’re following Jesus. But if you’re like me, you’ll admit there are times when you lose sight of him. We can get caught up in the rhythm of church life, moving from service to service, group to group, without actually knowing Jesus more deeply. But knowing him, and knowing we are loved by him, that is what will sustain us.

If you’ve never really known Jesus or have seen your faith primarily in terms of places you go and things you do, perhaps today is the time to shift that focus.

Let’s take a moment of quiet, and reflect on Jesus and who he is. Let’s push aside the distractions of plans for Holy Week or social gatherings. Let’s simply ask Jesus to be our King.

After we’ve done that, we can return to all our plans, knowing that they aren’t the main thing. They may help us, encourage us, or refresh us—but the main thing is Jesus.