Most of us can recall a particularly memorable ride at one time in our lives, a ride that we won't ever forget. It was, in so many words, the ride of your life. For me it was a ride in a souped-up Ford Mustang on the rural highways of southern Alabama in 1978 and the lesson I learned on "southern hospitality." But that's a story for another time.
The ride of one's life is often associated with something spectacular. Speed, danger, adventure, or exoticism are all part of such a ride. We wouldn't count our mundane commuting to and from work or school as a ride worthy of such a distinction — unless, of course, something out of the ordinary were to unexpectedly take place. A break down, an accident, stopping to lend aid, or being pulled over by a police officer could all turn a routine commute into the ride of one's life. That's the thing about the ride of your life, it is most often spontaneous — unplanned and unexpected.
When we look at the one instance of Jesus riding something in His earthly life we might get the idea that the resulting celebration was unplanned and unexpected. As He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey the people turned an ordinary "commute" into a frantic celebration. While they may have been spontaneous in their response, the ride that Jesus was taking had been planned for centuries. The prophet Zechariah spoke of Jesus' triumphal entry around 520 BC. The ride that he described was not simply the ride of Jesus' life, it was — and is — the ride of your life.
Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the beginning of the end. We know that the shouts of "Hosanna" would soon turn to "Crucify Him!" The ride we remember today continued to the Cross. There at the Cross we see the end — not the end of the ride of His life, but the end of sin, the end of the Law, the end of death. The ride celebrated today continued beyond the Cross to His burial, descent, resurrection and ascension. And it continues today in your life. As one who has been baptized into His death and resurrection, you have joined Christ in this amazing journey — the ride of your life.
