John 12:12-19 (The Message)
See How Your King Comes
12-15The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered:
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in God's name!
Yes! The King of Israel!
Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it:
No fear, Daughter Zion:
See how your king comes,
riding a donkey's colt.
16The disciples didn't notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.
17-19The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: "It's out of control. The world's in a stampede after him."
We celebrate “Palm Sunday” on the Sunday one week before Easter. Some churches re-enact this story by actually waving palm branches and reciting the cheer of the crowd. Sometimes we call this story “The Triumphal Entry” because it tells how Jesus entered Jerusalem.
This event was important in the life of Jesus. Jesus had not been in the city of Jerusalem for some time, but like other Jewish people came to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover. (The Passover is a Jewish holiday which remembers how God freed the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.)
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem turned into a parade of sorts. The crowds saw that Jesus was entering the city and rushed out to meet him. They cheered and waved palm branches in the air. Why did the crowd do this? They had heard about Jesus and the signs Jesus had done, especially raising Lazarus from the dead. They thought Jesus was special, so special that they were welcoming him as they would have welcomed a king.
Jesus was and is indeed a king. But most kings of his day would have entered the city riding a big horse or in a chariot. Jesus did not enter that way. He rode a donkey, a humble and low animal compared to a mighty war horse. Jesus was not the kind of king the people expected.
In a few short days, this crowd, which cheered Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem, would change their shouts. They would no longer say “Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in God's name!
Yes! The King of Israel“
but rather, “"Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!"
How could the crowds turn their backs on Jesus in such a short time? They want to murder the one they hailed as a king.
Have you ever treated Jesus this way?
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