Good Morning Friends,
“The disciples went and did as Jesus had
instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on
them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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 21:6-11)
From our place in history, the acclaim of the
crowd for Jesus that day doesn’t seem very impressive. It would take only a few
days for the crowds to turn from highest praise to its call for His death. Jesus,
too, knew what would happen in a few days. The praise wasn’t all that
gratifying to Him.
However, His disciples didn’t have the
advantage of knowing the hearts of men or of knowing the future as Jesus did. They
must have been terribly excited by what was happening among the crowds. For
them, it must have seemed like vindication. Though it didn’t always seem like
it, they had made the right choice in following Jesus.
For Jesus, the last week of His life was not a
roller-coaster of emotions going from the high of the Triumphal Entry to the
despair of the cross. But for His followers it was. In reality, the highs
weren’t really as high as they seemed and lows weren’t really as low as they
seemed, either. Their thoughts and emotions were so clouded by the temporary
and by their lack of understanding.
Often mine are too! What seem to be terrific
highs often aren’t really as exciting as they seem. What seem to be terrible
lows often aren’t as devastating as they seem, either.
It’s just that I don’t see so clearly. A good
reason to trust and follow Someone who does!
His, by Grace, Steve
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