(This year, I am reverencing Easter week with one post per day.)
Even though Jesus had taught His disciples in plain terms that His time with them was ending, they failed to revise their expectations of how things should happen. They were in denial. Their belief that He was the Messiah came with the expectation that He would deliver their Jewish nation from the immediate oppression of Roman occupation. Little did they understand that His mortal work was not concerned with the immediate, but rather, He was focused on the indeterminate—conquering sin and death through an infinite atonement.
This year, I think of how the disciples must have felt as they entered Jerusalem with crowds gathered, heralding Him as King of Kings. They must have tasted the potential of what they hoped would be. Their celebration and worship of the Son of God were welcome and holy, but their reliance on their own understanding of what those celebratory events would mean was not.
We often experience similar celebratory moments and the complex challenges that follow. Long stretches of growth, challenges, and setbacks follow celebratory honeymoons in relationships, careers, and all other worthwhile pursuits. While celebrations have their place and purpose, true happiness is mined in doing hard things.
In education and business, this same phenomenon is known as the Dunning–Kruger effect.
When we first start to learn something, gain a skill, or start a relationship, it is easy to become overconfident. Once we learn more, we realize how little we know, how far we have to go, and how complicated relationships can be. These realizations can lead to despair. Healthy, stable, and long-lasting fruits are found in long stretches of work, not in the hype and party.
Use this Palm Sunday to reflect on your hopes. While looking to the Messiah for redemption is good, it is not good to believe it comes on truncated timelines without passing through the hard work accompanying actual growth. May we celebrate bright visions and have the patience and determination to see them through over long periods of growth.