May 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering – Triumphal Entry
The May 2023 Come, Follow Me Ministering Printable ties together Brother Milton Camargo’s April 2023 General Conference talk “Focus on Jesus Christ” and this May’s “Come, Follow Me” lesson on the Triumphal Entry and “Behold, Thy King Cometh.”
Download May 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable (4×6)
You can print these printables as 4×6 photo prints. My local drug store prints them for just pennies. They are also a higher resolution if you want to enlarge them.
May 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering Message
Great Expectations – The Triumphal Entry and The Crucification
In “Come, Follow Me” this month, we cover Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19.
The Triumphal Entry
Even though Christ warned His apostles that He would be killed in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21), the triumphal entry must have filled them with hope that things would turn out differently.
As Christ rode into Jerusalem, he was heralded as a conquering king. People spread clothes and palm fronds in the street. They waved palm fronds in the air and shouted, “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). Amid such celebration, it is not surprising that the apostles struggled to grasp Christ’s teachings about His upcoming death. It would be hard to believe that the same crowds who shouted “Hosanna in the highest” would soon be shouting, “Crucify him.”
But the people gathered to welcome Jesus were not there to learn what He had to teach. Some came for food and miracles. Others were hoping for a political liberator. Some were there to see the risen Lazarus. Many were so caught up in their customs, culture, and traditions that they were distracted by issues of little or mistaken importance. Or they failed to see the larger purpose behind the prophecies and commandments. Ultimately, they assumed Christ must fit into our plans instead of us fitting into His.
The Crucification
While only about a week apart, the contrasts between the triumphal entry and the crucification are sharp. Christ was no longer surrounded by adoring crowds. When Christ surrendered to the soldiers, even the apostles “forsook him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). At the foot of the cross, only a handful of His supporters remained.
One of those supporters was the apostle John. I get emotional as I imagine Christ suffering on the cross when He looks down and sees John standing by His beloved mother. Knowing how hard this was for His mother, Jesus wanted to make sure she would be alright. So he asks John to take care of His mother as though he were her son. Because of John’s physical and spiritual proximity to Christ, he was able to serve the Lord in this intensely personal way. John did not flee when things got hard, John stayed near. I can’t imagine the love Christ felt for John in that moment.
Like John, do we stay near? Do we only stand with palm branches in our hands or do we also stand at the cross? Even though many came to see Christ, only a few followed Him. Even though many believed in His miracles, only a few believed in Him (John 12:37).
Focus on Jesus Christ
During Christ’s ministry, He was constantly doing and saying the unexpected. As His followers, we shouldn’t be surprised that it is still the same today. It can be hard to accept something different when it goes against our preconceived notions. But how can we learn from the Master Teacher if we are constrained by our own ideas or popular sentiment?
And this is where following Christ gets tricky. What happens when His plans don’t meet our expectations? Do we allow our expectations to get in the way of seeing the bigger picture? Do we metaphorically show up for the triumphal entry, but then flee when popular sentiment shifts.
Brother Milton Camargo in his April 2023 General Conference talk, “Focus on Jesus Christ,” teaches us that Christ is “the solution to even our most difficult problems.” But if we are too focused on our problems, we won’t be able to see the solution.
Like those in Jerusalem, we can also get caught up in our own expectations. We can be distracted by the customs, traditions, and popular thoughts of our time. The adversary would have us so distracted that we fail to see the solution. But like John, we can decide to follow Christ all the way to the cross. We can look up and see our Savior and what He has sacrificed to redeem us.
As Brother Camargo reminds us, “[Jesus Christ] is the solution to our problems, but we must lift our eyes and raise our sights to see Him.”
May 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering Handout
I loved pairing the palm tree with Brother Carmago’s quote. Not only did they wave palm fronds at the Triumphal Entry, but I live where there are a ton of palm trees. And to see the fronds waving in the breeze, you must also raise your sights.
I decided to pair these with coconut, chocolate covered almonds. They have yummy ones at Trader Joe’s, but Aldi also has some very good ones too! They even have some cute palm trees on the container! You can also find some on Amazon.
You can either place them in a cellophane bag or one of these nifty clear boxes.
Did you like this May 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering message? Find more Relief Society Ministering Printables for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These ministering printables are a great way to help families incorporate the “Come, Follow Me” lessons into their own study. They are also perfect for Young Women’s, Relief Society, Sunday School, or Family Home Evening. I hope that these ministering printables will be a simple way to reach out to those we minister to.
