It’s Palm Sunday, the sixth Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week, where many of the same people that lauded him on Sunday called for his crucifixion on Friday.

And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11.7 – 10, ESV)

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15.11 – 15, ESV)

I quoted from The Ignatian Workout for Lent: 40 days of Prayer, Reflection, and Action by Tim Muldoon when I published Water to Wine? on March 26. Tim has excellent observations in Exercise 21, Triumphal Entry, about the fickleness of crowds:

One day, crowds gather and welcome a celebrity into their midst. Another day, they watch him get tortured and killed. What is going on here?

Jesus is completely unconcerned with the adulation of the crowds, in this situation and others. Like any modern story of the celebrity who is lionized one day and vilified the next, this one points to the unreliability of public opinion as a barometer of divine favor. The “voice of the people” may sometimes be the voice of God, but if so, it’s coincidence.

God often directs his servants to expose personal and social sins: biblical figures such as Noah, Moses, the prophets, Jesus, Paul, and the disciples; saints such as Augustine, Francis of Assisi…latter-day figures such as Martin Luther King Jr.,…Mother Teresa….

We who have fragile egos so often act in light of what we perceive to be the voice of the people. It is very difficult to hold truths that are frowned upon by those around us, especially difficult moral or political issues that are constantly in the news. Jesus’ example here shows us that the right action is never based on looking around us at what others think; it is always about obeying God’s commands. – Tim Muldoon, The Ignatian Workout for Lent

“It’s about obeying God’s commands.” What commands? Here’s where it gets dicey. He reminds us…

We practice discernment of God’s commands by remaining close to Christ and Christ’s Body, the church. In doing so, we place ourselves with the poor, the suffering, the forgotten, the abused, and the hated: God’s beloved creatures whom others have forgotten. We choose to see humanity where others see problems: the child starving on the streets or growing in her destitute mother’s womb; the young prostitute whose daily bread comes from the grasping hands of sex tourists; the foster child shuttled from home to home; the elderly person in need of health care. Seeing Jesus in those people, we ask three simple questions:

• What have I done for Jesus?
• What am I doing for Jesus?
• What will I do for Jesus? – Tim Muldoon, The Ignatian Workout for Lent

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25.35 – 40, ESV)

Did you ever consider the Feeding of the 5,000 from the disciples’ point of view? Jesus had sent them out on a mission trip (see Mark 6.7 – 13).

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. (Mark 6.30 – 32, ESV)

And they had done a lot:

So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. (Mark 6.12, 13, ESV)

So a retreat would be great! “A desolate place and rest.” Sounds great! Oops:

Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” (Mark 6.33 – 36, ESV)

Send them away, indeed! Where is our rest? Where is our quiet place? Forget it:

But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” (Mark 6.37, ESV)

So instead of rest, the disciples get to be:

• Ushers

For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” And they did so, and had them all sit down. (Luke 9.14, 15, ESV)

• Waiters

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. (Mark 6.41, ESV)

• Busboys

And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. (Mark 6.43, ESV)

Now it’s back in the boat and go back to where we were.

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. (Mark 6.45, ESV)

Sometimes, maybe most of the time, ministry isn’t easy:

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. (2 Corinthians 1.8, ESV)

Many of us have heard of the “Proverbs 31 Woman” (see Proverbs 31.10 – 31).

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies…Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31.10…30, 31, NKJV)

It’s good stuff, and there are books and sermons galore. HOWEVER, I’ve not heard one sermon about the Job 31 man. I don’t know why. It’s an expansion of what we saw from Job 29: what does a righteous man look like? The entire chapter is worth reading. Here’s a brief summary.

• No lust (verses 1 – 4)

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. (Job 31.1, NIV)

And Job’s rationale is that God is watching:

Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps? (Job 31.4, NKJV)

• No lying (verses 5 – 8)
• No adultery (verses 9 – 12)
• Proper treatment of servants (verses 13 – 15) Again, the rationale is that he’s under God’s authority:

What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? (Job 31.14, 15, ESV)

Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (Ephesians 6.9, ESV)

• Care for the poor, the widow, the fatherless (verses 16 – 23)

If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering… (Job 31.19, NKJV)

If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (James 2.15, 16, NKJV)

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (1 John 3.17, NKJV)

• No worship of wealth (verses 24, 25)

If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, “You are my confidence”; If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much… (Job 31.24, 25, NKJV)

• No worship of creation rather than the Creator (verses 26 – 28)
• No joy at enemy’s destruction (verses 29 – 31)
• Hospitality (verse 32)

But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler. (Job 31.32, NKJV)

• No hiding transgressions like Adam did (verses 33 – 37)
• Care of the land (verses 38 – 40)

If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives; Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley. (Job 31.38 – 40, NKJV)

It’s a good list. 11 characteristics by my count, and, remarkably, none has anything to do with religious activity or the spiritual disciplines. How do I stack up?

And remember, God himself assessed Job:

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1.8, NKJV)

I wrote about the Parable of the Sower a couple of weeks ago: “Keep sowing seed” was my application since you don’t know where the good soil is. Or, as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Here’s another take on the Parable of the Sower from Sahil Bloom, April 1, 2025. He writes :

This is one of my favorite parables:

A sower went out to sow.

And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.

Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

He who has ears, let him hear.

– Matthew 13:3-9

This passage offers a powerful reflection on one truth:

Your environment creates your reality.

The same seeds can manifest very different results:

• They fall on the path and are quickly eaten
• They fall on rocky ground and cannot establish a foundation
• They fall on thorny ground and fail to breathe
• They fall on good soil and thrive

Even the best seeds are no match for the worst environment. You can only flourish if you’re planted in the right ground.

Plant yourself in the fertile soil necessary to grow:

• Surround yourself with positive, kind, authentic people
• Invest in mentors who shine a light on your path
• Embrace a growth mindset in all areas
• Set boundaries that protect your energy and peace
• Create space for stillness and reflection
• Remove “weeds” that threaten to harm your soil

Your environment creates your reality. Choose wisely.

–End of Sahil Bloom’s Essay–

That’s really good. And maybe there’s another application:

BE the right environment for others.

Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. (1 Samuel 10.26, ESV)

Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.” And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” (1 Samuel 14.6, 7, ESV)

From the beginning, God declared Job to be:

…a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. (Job 1.8, NKJV)

What does that look like? Job gives us a little picture in Job 29:

When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; Because…

• I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper.
• The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And
• I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
• I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
• My justice was like a robe and a turban.
• I was eyes to the blind, And
• I was feet to the lame.
• I was a father to the poor, And
• I searched out the case that I did not know. I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth. (Job 29.11 – 17, NKJV, bulleted for clarity)

What does righteousness look like?

• Eyes to the blind
• Feet to the lame
• Father to the poor
• Searching out injustice and defeating the wicked, saving the victim

I started reading The Men We Need by Brant Hansen, and its message is that men need to “protect the garden.” Look out for the marginalized.

In the Bible, God says he raises the poor from the dust. He doesn’t forget them. He defends the afflicted. He saves the children of the needy. He defends the weak. He favors the humble...If I’m going to be more like him, guess what I’m going to do? I’m going to raise the poor from the dust. I won’t forget them. I will defend the afflicted. I will save the children of the needy. I will defend the weak. I will favor the humble. – Page 31.

Sounds a lot like what Job was doing.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. (Genesis 2.15, NKJV)

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25.37 – 40, NKJV)

Finally, a good word from the book of Job: he tells us where to find wisdom. He begins by talking about mining ore:

Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore… (Job 28.1, 2, NKJV)

But can we mine wisdom that way?

But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me;” And the sea says, “It is not with me.” It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. (Job 28.12 – 15, NKJV)

So where is it?

From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, “We have heard a report about it with our ears.” God understands its way, And He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28.20 – 28, NKJV, emphasis mine)

It’s a truth taught often in scripture: “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding.”

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. (Psalm 111.10, NKVJ)

“A good understanding have all those who DO His commandments.” Sounds like, “To depart from evil is understanding.”

There’s more:

Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.” (Proverbs 1.10 – 14, NKJV)

I wrote back in February about the conversion of Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, formerly an agnostic. And then a month later about the transformation through the gospel of a village in Viet Nam. God is at work in all kinds of ways…including The Chosen, a series I’ve written about and highly endorsed.

In Meet the Non-Christian Fans of The Chosen, Christopher Kuo tells stories of people all over the world, including atheists and Muslims, who are coming to faith through watching The Chosen. I recommend the article in its entirety. What’s remarkable is this story not in the article.

Converts include the agnostic husband of Christianity Today editorial director of news Kate Shellnutt who wrote:

I wasn’t sure what to think when my husband, a lifelong agnostic who wasn’t raised in church, started bingeing The Chosen last summer.

My husband had been scrolling through apologetics videos on YouTube when ads directed him to the series. He watched it without me. It was unexpected viewing, sure, but I told myself not to get my hopes up. Plenty of people watch the show. Plenty of people admire the person and stories of Jesus without placing faith in him.

Turns out, I had reason to hope. During the Sermon on the Mount scene, my husband later told me, he felt something shift inside him. He felt it again when he immediately read the Gospel of Matthew—then the rest of the New Testament. He came to faith about six weeks later.

God and the Gospel are clearly on the move!

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. (Philippians 1.12, NIV)

…the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world… (Colossians 1.5, 6, NIV)

As we move through Lent, toward the cross and the resurrection, we observe yet another attempt on Jesus’ life. If it’s not the religious leaders as we saw last Sunday, it’s Satan himself:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. (Mark 4.35 – 5.2, ESV)

The text doesn’t mention Satan explicitly, but it’s reasonable to attribute the storm to him, apparently to prevent Jesus from confronting the demons in Mark 5.

And, of course, it’s a teaching opportunity for the fledging disciples: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” My friend and Navigator mentor Skip Gray used to say, “Jesus said, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ He didn’t say, ‘Let us go to the middle of the lake and drown.'”

This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (Ephesians 6.12, MSG)

Speaking of putting the word into practice, my friend Aaron Dorman, pastor of The Christian Church of Estes Park, is teaching his folks to do precisely that. He told me during a recent visit that they are logging community service hours: 6,000 hours two years ago, 7,500 hours last year, and he’s shooting for over 10,000. (This is a church of fewer than 200 members.)

Our conversation reminded me of what I read recently:

And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” (Mark 4.30 – 32, ESV)

“…the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” The Kingdom grows, and is beneficial. The Kingdom is not just a conclave for the faithful; it should spread and benefit society. I recommended to him (and to you) Church of Irresistible Influence by Robert Lewis. I’ve heard Robert say:

Jesus said, “Let your light so shine…that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” He said, “See your good works,” NOT “Hear your good words!”

PS You can access an AI-generated summary of the book here.

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47.12, NIV)

On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22.2, NIV)

To continue yesterday’s theme that growth and maturity are expected, look at what Jesus said just before the parable of the growing seed:

Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Mark 4.23 – 25, ESV)

Pay attention to what you hear. It’s not enough for us to go to church and listen to sermons. We actually have to pay attention and put what we hear into practice.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1.22 – 25, NIV)

“Blessed in what they do,” not “Blessed in what they hear.”