At Gateway Church in Austin, we kicked off a new series called “The In-Between.”
So much of our lives are lived in the middle, somewhere between beginning and ending. There are countless places where we live “in-between” – between hope and heartbreak, between belief and doubt, between clarity and confusion. We celebrate one moment and struggle the next. We want to trust God and we still have questions. If you’ve ever felt caught in that tension, you’re not alone. Jesus understands the in-between, because He lived it. He experienced joy and sorrow, friendship and betrayal, confidence and anguish.
As we prepare for Easter, we’re going to hone in on this famous week of Jesus’ life – “Holy Week” – 7 days that stretched from his arrival in Jerusalem to cheers and ended with his resurrection from the dead after crucifixion. Over the next 4 weeks, we are going to look closer at his life and experience of the “in between” and let it shine light on our in-betweens.
Digging Deeper:
Video Message from Gateway South Austin:
Audio Message from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes by Justin McCarty:
Palm Sunday and The Praise
Let’s begin by taking a look at the event that kicked off this week in Jesus’ life in Luke 19; we often call this “Palm Sunday” because of the kind of reception he received from the people of Jerusalem.
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Luke 19:28-40 ESV
A little historical context might be helpful here: Jesus is intentionally playing on a host of images from Jewish history that would have been really evident to almost everyone in this scene. First, riding in on a colt draws directly from a prophecy about how the Messiah (Chosen One) would arrive in Jerusalem
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 ESV
He is declaring himself to be the Messianic King, heir of David; but the colt imagery is really important – a conquering king would have come on a war horse, ready for battle. Riding a donkey’s colt is an image of humility and peace. He has come to rule, but isn’t declaring war on anyone.
Jesus’ followers and most of the Jerusalem crowd are picking up on all this. They rise to celebrate him as the Messianic King – the palm branches, hosannas – that’s all traditional royal celebration; that’s how you welcome a king in their culture. They see in Jesus what they have been hoping for; he is the candidate with a reputation for power and change, and they throw their weight behind him. But don’t miss this – everyone has an agenda for Jesus. They have some things they want done and he’s their man.
Let me just pose this question: do you approach Jesus this way? Do you follow Him only for what you can get from him? It’s an important question to consider. We are so broken and often so selfish that if we aren’t careful we can see our relationships as transactional – even our relationship with God. By transactional I mean you are in the relationship only for what we can get from the other. The moment we don’t get what we want in a friendship, at a job, in a marriage, or even with Jesus, we move on.
According to religious sociologists the number 1 prevailing view of God in the US is something called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism which sees God more like Santa Claus. You may have accidentally bought into this idea because it prioritizes happiness and being nice or good in order to get to heaven. You may be slipping into this if you don’t go to God unless you need help or want him to bless something you’ve already done.
We are invited into something so much deeper! We are invited into a relationship with God through Jesus where His Spirit lives within us, guides us, convicts us, and helps us become more like Jesus – loving God and loving others. A relationship where we experience his presence, peace, joy, love, and kindness and bring that glimpse of heaven to others.Look at how Jesus lived this out. So remember this tiny line at the beginning in v.28 “he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” This builds on a theme that you see over and over in the gospels: Jesus knew what he was doing and what awaited him in Jerusalem. He knew his purpose; nothing about what was coming was about to make him a victim. But Palm Sunday seems a long way from the cross; today he has the praise of the crowd and that’s got to feel good right?
Whose approval would you love to have? Whose cheering would mean the most to you? A boss, colleagues; a parent, a child; recognition, admiration, applause of the crowd? Being celebrated by people isn’t a bad thing. Jesus himself didn’t turn it down – in fact, he responded to his critics, “I’m not going to stop them, the rocks would cry out.” But what power does praise have in our hearts? What are we willing to sacrifice to have it? What need is it meeting in our souls? Jesus’ approach to this moment reveals that The praise of people can never substitute for the pursuit of God’s purpose.
Praise Cannot Tell You Who You Are
Let’s zoom in on Jesus while this celebration is happening:
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44 ESV
They are cheering for him, but Jesus is weeping over them. He knows this is not going to go the way they want it to. Despite their cheering for him, he knows that they will ultimately reject him and God’s purposes for them, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and dispersion – they will never fully recover. Sadness grips his heart because there are things “hidden from their eyes” – they are blind to the path of peace. Interestingly, they are shouting “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” but in their hearts they are looking for a warrior; their preconceived notions about the Messiah will prevent them from recognizing him.
The people were praising Jesus for what he could give them, which made them unable to see who he really was. Which leads us to another realization: The praise of people tells you more about what they want; it cannot tell you who you are.
Case Studies: Fame Isn’t The Answer
Perhaps this simple truth has never been more clearer than it is right now. With the advent of the internet, social media, and viral content, it’s never been easier in human history to become instantly famous. So many people are hustling, chasing the dream, trying to amass followers, likes & subscribers, or filling auditoriums and arenas with fans. But the stress fractures are showing – no matter how much fame or money you have, it cannot tell you who you are.
I dare you to look closer at the stories of celebrities like Jim Carrey (who said “”I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”), Lady Gaga (suffered from deep depression and chronic pain [fibromyalgia], which she partially attributed to the trauma of being a “perpetual performer”), Selena Gomez (“addicted” to looking at the comments and opinions of others, which fueled her anxiety and body dysmorphia; deleted all social media apps for 4 years to “get her life back”).
Social media influencers like Emma Chamberlain (pioneered the “relatable” aesthetic on YouTube; shared in 2022-2023 about the deep loneliness that comes from being watched by millions while feeling completely disconnected from herself; articulated that she no longer knew what she actually liked or who she was without the camera), Elle Mills (rocketed to YouTube stardom in 2018, but stated at 19 years old, “I’m so unhappy… my life is moving so fast and I’m not moving with it.” She realized she was living for the “edit” rather than for herself, leading to a total loss of her own identity.), or Bill Maeda (Fitness influencer who stumbled into YouTube fame during the pandemic, admitted that while the views and likes initially felt like a confirmation of his purpose, he quickly became “addicted to the feeling of validation.” He realized that if his “numbers” or “engagement” fell, he felt he was “crumbling” inside.) No fame, no praise, no recognition can compensate for not knowing who you really are.
Being Understood Comes Later
Jesus was crystal clear about these things. Check out this flashback:
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. John 2:23-25 ESV
Another Passover Feast in Jerusalem (2-3 years prior?)… “he did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people… he knew what was in man.” Jesus is clear-eyed about the weaknesses of people, how misguided they are, how easily their desires twist their intentions.
Jesus knows who he is; his identity flows from his relationship to the Father and the sense of purpose that comes with it is the bedrock he lives from, even when it takes him down unexpected and hard roads. Another flashback:
And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Luke 18:31-34 ESV
Jesus has been trying to tell his followers what is coming, but they cannot hear it. It doesn’t make any sense to them. This vision of a suffering Messiah doesn’t fit their expectation, so it sort of bounces off. “Must be one of those Jesus’ parables or metaphors…” Remember at the outset of this Holy Week, Jesus knows precisely what he is walking into.
Which leads us to another challenging truth of the in-between, especially if we aren’t going to be governed by the praises of others: Living out God’s calling on your life often won’t be understood by others until later. It’s not what most of us are looking for, but in a world ruled by praise, purpose is usually the narrow road. It means we are forced to look inward – who’s validation is enough for me? Do others have to see it and applaud? Why? Maybe not applause, but does it have to be at least understood or appreciated by someone? Why? Sometimes it feels like if no one else knows, it’s meaningless. But is it enough that you and God know? Would his opinion be enough to build a life on? Apostle Paul writes this in Galatians 1:10: For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Throughout the Scriptures, the antidote to the fear of man or people pleasing which can be the source of so much of our anxiety is the fear of God. This means an awe or reverence for God. In his book The Awe of God, John Bevere points out that the fear of God is not being scared of God but being afraid of being away from God.
The Bible says that th fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and leads to intimacy and friendship with God because when we fear Him more than we fear people obey Him even when it doesn’t make sense and even when it may cost us in the eyes of the world.
Case Study: Bakht Singh
It’s not just Apostle Paul or Jesus, there have been normal people like you and me that have lived out their purpose, trusting God sees them even when no one else understands. Bakht Singh
Bakht Singh was born into a wealthy, high-status Sikh family in the Punjab region of India. He was so fiercely committed to his own heritage that, as a student, he actually tore up a Bible to show his disdain for Christianity. But everything changed in the early 1930s. While studying in North America, the simple hospitality of a Christian couple and a deep encounter with the New Testament led him to a radical conversion.
When he returned to India in 1933, his “calling” looked like a disaster to everyone around him. His father, a wealthy factory owner, begged him to keep his faith a secret to save the family’s reputation. When Bakht refused, he was completely disowned. His wife and son left him. He went from a life of luxury to being a homeless preacher on the streets of Mumbai, sleeping where he could and depending entirely on prayer for his next meal.
But it wasn’t just his family who rejected him; it was also the religious establishment. At that time, Christianity in India was very “British”—full of Western pews, Western hymns, and colonial traditions. Bakht Singh argued that the Gospel was being served in a “British cup” that kept Indians away.
He began doing things that made missionary boards very uncomfortable:
He went “indigenous”: He got rid of pews, used Indian instruments, and had people sit on floor mats.
He broke the caste system: He started “love feasts” where people of all social classes ate together—a move that was considered radical and “disorderly” by both secular and religious critics.
He refused foreign money: He wouldn’t join a mission board or ask for funds, which led many leaders to dismiss him as reckless or “unaccountable.”
For years, he was an outsider—an eccentric, “uncooperative” preacher in the eyes of many. But his calling was validated by its fruit. Over the next several decades, Bakht Singh planted over 10,000 indigenous churches across India and Pakistan.
The very scholars and leaders who once dismissed his “uneducated” methods eventually traveled to India to seek his counsel. When he passed away in the year 2000, the man who had once been disowned and homeless was honored by an estimated 600,000 people at his funeral. They finally saw what he had seen all along: a vision of a church that truly belonged to the people of India.
Suffering on The Path of Purpose
We don’t always see the significance of what’s really happening in the in-between. In between the praises of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem and his resurrection on Easter, Jesus experienced the in-between of rejection:
But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. Luke 23:18-25 ESV
The same crowds cheering for him have now been transformed into judge, jury, executioner. The crowd turns on him: “This guy is not going to stand up to Rome, he isn’t even going to put up a fight… let’s at least get Barabbas out of this deal, that guy showed some guts.” To be clear – everyone knows this is wrong – even the Roman governor, the one supposedly in charge, knows he is sentencing an innocent man to death. The crowds that had cheered with palm branches and Hosannas were now shouting “Crucify” – and their voices prevailed. But Jesus was steadfast – his identity and his purpose were clear – “he knew what was in the heart of man” and all of this would be a vehicle of God’s purposes.
But underscores a point that we cannot miss: Popularity today doesn’t guarantee loyalty tomorrow. No matter how many people sing your praises today, it doesn’t mean they will always be there. Even when you are doing what is good and right; even when you follow the leading of God in your life. If Jesus himself didn’t get immunity, it’s difficult to think that we would. Which reveals another critical lesson of the in-between: Suffering is often the path of purpose.There was no easy mode, no alternate way for Jesus – he knew it from the beginning, “he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.”
If we would live for more than the praises of others and seek out the purpose of God for our lives, we shouldn’t expect it will be easy. The allure of the crowd’s applause will never completely go away. The pain of misunderstanding and rejection from people we’ve trusted is a deep, lingering wound – some of you know that feeling. The perseverance to keep going, day after day, month after month, year after year, when sometimes progress seems to slow to a crawl – it can feel like an endless grind. But if you’re following Jesus – you’re in good company. He understands and has been there; moreover, he’s promised that he will never leave you alone. He is with you every step of the way. Moreover, you will be living out the reason for your existence – a deep, abiding partnership with God, letting his kingdom pass into and through your life to others, transforming your everyday moments into an eternal kind of life, right here and now.
Prayer for 3 Specific Groups
Where are you “in between” today? God sees and knows right where you are. More importantly, he is ready to walk with you, just as he walked with his Son, Jesus, through the praises and rejections of people, who may or may not understand what you’re doing. No matter where you are, he invites you into his purposes – it begins with a willing heart. I want to invite you to spend a moment in prayer with God; in fact, I want to pray with 3 specific groups that are listening right now:
Those who are realizing that they have substituted the praise of people for their true purpose. The applause of others cannot tell you who you are, but there is One who can. But as long as your ears are tuned to their approval, you will not hear his voice louder than all others. But you can turn from it. You can repent – turn from this path – and ask for God’s help to reorient around his purpose for your life.
Those who have experienced the wounds of rejection as they’ve walked the path with the Lord. Perhaps it has been family or friends that have not understood why you’re following Jesus; maybe they’ve openly mocked or ridiculed you; maybe they’ve made it clear that you’re not welcome; maybe they’ve just made life difficult in their resistance. There is nothing that changes what they have done, but just like Jesus did for the people who wounded him, you can forgive.
Those who are trying their best to walk the path of purpose God has for them, but their strength is waning; you feel like you’re at the end of yourself and you’re wondering if God is really in this with you. The “in between” can stretch out so long sometimes, but what you need is endurance. Hebrews 12 says – let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, the one who endured the cross, endured shame, endured oppositions and didn’t stop. He is with you and hasn’t forgotten you.
