The Path Forward

“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David:  Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the LORD; Hosanna in the highest.  And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?  And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”  Matthew 21:9-11

This would be the last week in the life of Jesus upon this earth, called, by scholars, the Passion Week.  It wasn’t the passion of the mere mortals that caused this time to be called the Passion Week for there wasn’t very much compassion shown to Jesus in this final week nor in the three plus years leading up to His crucifixion.  There is not very much passion shown for Him even today except among those who are true Christ followers.  Multitudes celebrate what we call Easter, but not so many honor the true reason for this time of year, that is, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Easter, just like Christmas, has become not much more than a secular holiday for many celebrated with food, gifts, candy eggs, and pretty colors.

Jesus and His disciples had been traveling toward Jerusalem.  They arrived in Bethphage where the mount of Olives was located, and Jesus told two of His disciples to go to a nearby village, and there they would find a donkey and her colt, that is, a young donkey.  Donkeys were the usual transportation of the common person besides going on foot.  By choosing a donkey to enter Jerusalem, Jesus was displaying humility in a way to appeal to the everyday person.  What if He had ridden in on a valiant white steed all dressed in royal garments?  Actually, this was how most of the Jews believed the Messiah would appear.  If he had appeared in such royal array, many of the common folks would have been impressed, but they may have thought that He was just another one of those elite religious leaders because that’s how they usually appeared.  Another reason that Jesus rode a young donkey was to fulfill the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9.

The common folks of Jerusalem were in great anticipation to see Jesus.  Most likely some of them had seen Him before doing miracles and/or preaching while others had only heard about Him.  Some came because they truly believed Him to be the Messiah, some came to see if what they heard about Him was really true, and others came just out of curiosity.  (Too bad folks don’t have at least some curiosity about Jesus rather than ignoring Him entirely.  They just might discover what they have been missing.)  In their excitement and as a show of respect and honor, the crowd threw their garments down in the path of Jesus, spreading them out over the dust and rocks.  They also cut down palm branches (hence the name Palm Sunday) and placed them on the road.  This was the special way that kings, princes, and heroes were welcomed into the city.  Palm branches were symbolic of peace.  John envisioned, in Revelation 7:9, people from all nations standing before Christ’s throne dressed in white robes with “palms in their hands”.  The garments were symbolic of personal possessions given up for the honor and glory of Christ.  The common folks didn’t have closets full of clothes.

Many of the people along the path were shouting and praising the LORD for this One who had come in the name of the LORD.  Some of their praises came directly from Psalm 118:25 and 118:26a.  By their response of praise and adoration of the Son of God, it would appear that many really did believe that Jesus was who He said He was, God’s Son.  However, were they really eager for Christ the Messiah to rule over them, redeeming their souls from the wrath of God and the curse of sin, or were they more desirous to be out from under Roman domination and to become free of rule by anyone, including the LORD?  We can’t say for we don’t know what was abiding in their hearts.  An indication, though, that the latter was their real motive in honoring Jesus, was found looking back into the history of ancient Israel.  How many times did they turn to idolatry, abandon God, get into some very serious situations such as war and captivity by their enemies, cry out to God, repent, return to Him, and then repeat the cycle over and over again?

I would predict that if Jesus had of come to set up His kingdom on earth, casting out the Romans, and becoming their Ruler, then, because they were still living in their sins, would once again walk away from Him and repeat the cycle again.  That’s why, instead of coming the first time to set up an earthly kingdom, Jesus came to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice so that Jews and Gentiles alike could have their sins forgiven and understand what it truly means to have Christ rule their hearts.  For the time being, though, the crowds adored Him and gave Him the honor of which He deserved.  Jesus received their adoration for now even though He knew what lay ahead in the path forward.

Not everyone was aware of Jesus for they asked, “Who is this?”  I suppose these folks were looked at incredulously by those who had been paying attention, perhaps asking, “Where have you been?”  How could Jesus make such an impact on some of the people while others were so uninformed about Him?  But couldn’t we ask that question today?  Matthew Henry wrote, “In places where the clearest light shines, and the greatest profession of religion is made, there is more ignorance than we are aware of”.  Mr. Henry wrote that over 300 years ago, and it is even more relevant today.  The Jews should have recognized Him for He was described so clearly in many of the Old Testament prophecies, but, as John wrote in John 1:11, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not”.  At the very least, the folks of Jerusalem did enquire about Him, and for some, that was their saving grace.  But for others, it was their eternal doom.