Jesus Conquered The World
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!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” -- Matthew 21:9-11
The crowd was so excited. Jesus entered the city on a donkey, just like the prophet Zechariah had predicted. They shouted praises at Him and laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road as He made His way into Jerusalem. He was their king, their victor, a conqueror for all time.
And, yet, Jesus came in peace. He didn’t ride forth on a horse, holding a sword and rallying his followers to fight. He came forward to complete a victory that was begun long ago but one this Passover crowd didn’t understand. They were expecting a Messiah, just not one quite like Jesus.
Who do you think Jesus is? God’s Son. Our Savior. Sure, He is that. But what else? Jesus came to free the slaves of sin. He came to suffer so that all who call His name might have eternal life with God. He came to champion those who have little, the repressed and the poor. Jesus came for the people who today would be on the welfare rolls, living in the desert without food and water, or dying needlessly because they couldn’t afford or didn’t have access to health care. Jesus didn’t come to help the rich. We forget that sometimes.
The roads to Jerusalem would have been especially crowded that day. It was time to celebrate the Passover, which remains the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar. The crowd no doubt remembered the night their ancestors had used the sacrificial lamb’s blood to mark their doorways so that the angel of death would pass over the Jewish homes as he struck down the firstborn sons throughout the nation of Egypt. God delivered His people then and they knew He would deliver them again.
They thought -- for a moment -- that Jesus might be the Son of David they were expecting. They celebrated His entrance. And quickly turned against Him when He didn’t behave as they expected. They wanted a warrior. Instead, that got a lamb. A sacrificial lamb.
How would you have reacted had you been there that day? Would you have cheered Jesus as He entered that Holy city? Would you have abandoned Him when the situation turned dangerous and He didn’t fight?
What do you expect from Jesus throughout this Holy Week and beyond? How will you remember His triumphant entry? How will your actions reflect the very real sacrifice that lay only days ahead?
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