As we enter into the Passion Week this Sunday, it never ceases to amaze me. We have been looking over the past several weeks at the controversial life of Jesus and nothing sums it up more than the Passion Week. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey at the height of his popularity. Jesus is a full-fledged celebrity! Everybody is crowding the streets to get a glimpse of Jesus. They are shouting accolades of praise “Save us! Save us”!
Matthew 21:8-11 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
This was an unbelievable scene! The people are literally worshipping Jesus. They are recognizing him as the Savior. The religious leaders are mortified and at one point ask Jesus to rebuke his disciples. They are encouraging this kind of behavior, which they considered to be blasphemous.
Luke 19:39-40 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Don’t you just love this response? I could stop them….but if they stop, then the rocks will cry out. Are you ready for that? This is driving the religious leaders nuts because there is no way for them to contain the disruption that Jesus brings. You either have to believe he is who he says he is or you have to turn against him. They decided on the latter.
This all took place on the first day of the week, a Sunday. These same crowds, by Friday, are shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify Him”! The religious leader had effectively turned the crowds against Jesus. They took full advantage of what Jesus controversial nature caused. The people really did believe Jesus was their hope and salvation but he was acting in a way that made them very uncomfortable. It even caused confusion and doubt for some. Jesus did things that seemed contrary to what they expected.
Perhaps they expected a Warrior King who would start a revolution. Jesus had the passion of a Warrior King but instead was more interested in cleaning his Father’s house by kicking out the merchants and turning tables. Perhaps they were expecting a resistance from Jesus and instead the saw humility and what seemed like passivity. They didn’t understand what was happening because they expected it to look different. They thought their salvation was in a glorious Israel that would return to it’s former glory under King David. Instead Jesus was restoring a glorious kingdom that is eternal and extends far beyond Israel.
There are many things that Jesus did that may be hard for us to understand. He was a very controversial figure. I’m glad we are still talking about him 2,000 years later. And why are we still talking? Because the mission that Jesus set out on 2,000 years ago is not complete. During his time on earth….he redeemed us….he purchased us with his blood. He redeemed religion….it is no longer about our ability to keep the law perfectly. He knows we fall short and that is why he went to the cross. Sometimes I marvel at how quickly the crowds turned. Were the religious leaders that convincing? No….it had to happen, all part of the plan to redeem mankind. That is what we celebrate in the coming week. Thank God for this week to celebrate what he did for us.
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