“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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