This Sunday is Palm Sunday but we’re teaching on part of Jesus’ life and ministry long before he was welcomed in like a king to Jerusalem the week before his arrest, trial, crucifixion, death and resurrection. Jesus was Welcomed in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as he came into the city riding on a donkey showing how he was coming into the City with peace. John records the triumphal entry like this.
John 12:12-13
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
This is how Jesus was welcomed and we celebrate Palm Sunday because on that day long ago the people recognized Jesus as the one who came in the name of the Lord, as the king of Israel, but not too much later their attitude changed toward him when he wasn’t deposing the Romans and making an earthly kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital. The crowds were shouting Hosanna which literally means “I beg you to save!” or “please deliver us!” The crowds were begging, asking, pleading that Jesus would save them from the Romans, deliver them from the pagans but why they reject him later is that Jesus came to save and deliver them from their sins instead of saving and delivering them from their current troubles.
The people spoke the truth about Jesus on that day. He did save them and deliver them but not how they wanted. Jesus was the one who came in the name of the Lord. God the Father sent his only son to save the world and his son was Jesus. And God was supposed to be the king of Israel for their whole history but they had demanded an earthly king to be like the other nations so because Jesus was and is God he was who should have been king of Israel all the time.
The people on that day shouted more than they knew they were shouting about Jesus and if they would have chosen to believe in him, to call on his name, then they would have receive what he had promised so many times, forgiveness of their sins and eternal life with him.
Did all of them? No. But did some? Yes. This week I would encourage you to reflect on the three statements of the people from John 12:13 and how they can and should serve as an encouragement for us as believers as we look forward to Good Friday and Easter next week.
