By: Dale Weckbacher
Mark 11:9-10
And those who went
before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed
is the coming kingdom of our
father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
(ESV)
Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem where he is about to fulfill
his purpose as the Lamb of God, becoming the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of
humanity, fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis
3:15. It would appear the crowd
understood what Jesus was about to do based upon their enthusiasm at Jesus entering
the gates of Jerusalem. However, in just
a few days some of these people will be among the crowd calling for Jesus’
crucifixion (Mark
15:6-15). What happened to change
the minds of the crowd and what can we learn from it to avoid a similar change
of mind in our lives.
1)
Unrealistic expectations – The fanfare and praise
given to Jesus upon his entry into Jerusalem are similar to that given a
conquering king returning victoriously from battle (1
Samuel 18:6-7). However, Jesus is
not entering the city on a horse as a conquering king, but on a donkey indicating
he came in peace, not to make war (Judges
5:10; 10:4; 12:14; 2 Samuel 16:2). While
some in the crowd may have listened to Jesus foretelling his death and saying
this last time that he would be executed in Jerusalem, others may have had the
expectation Jesus was coming to overthrow the Romans and establish a kingdom of
peace (Mark
8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-34). When
these unrealistic expectations were unfulfilled, they turned on Jesus, siding
with the Pharisees in believing Jesus was a fraud. God does invite his children to come boldly in
prayer, but we must also humble ourselves to God’s will in our lives Which may
not fulfill our unrealistic expectations (John
14:13; Luke 22:42).
2)
Lack of understanding Jesus’ purpose for coming –
Isaiah
53 and Psalm
22 describe the suffering Messiah with Jesus even quoting Psalm
22:1 from the cross. Since people
did not have easy access to written or digital versions of scripture, Jesus quoting the first verse of something they had heard read in the synagogue would
have led to them remembering the rest of the passage. However, in this instance, they would see Psalm
22 come to life before their eyes but when Jesus stood accused before
Pilate, they did not recall this and instead called for his crucifixion. Not only did the crowd that changed from praise
to crying for Jesus’ execution have unrealistic expectations, but they also lacked an understanding of scripture foretelling of the Messiah’s suffering and dying for
humanity’s sins.
3)
Fear of rejection by the crowd and religious
leaders – When Peter denied Christ it was out of fear of rejection by the crowd
outside where Jesus was tried and also fear the religious leaders would come
after the twelve after calling for Jesus' execution (Matthew
26:69-75). It is possible some in
the crowd when Jesus stood accused also feared rejection by those in the crowd and their religious leaders. However,
after encountering the risen Lord and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the leaders
in the early church were fearless and bold, turning their world upside down (Acts
4:13; 9:26-27; 14:1-7). When one
truly encounters the risen Lord in his or her life and allows the Holy Spirit
to empower them, fear is eliminated (Acts
1:8; 2 Timothy 1:7).
4)
Fear of their Roman oppressors – Similar to the fear
of going against the crowd and religious leaders is a fear of government
oppression. However, in places lacking
freedom of religion or worse in places where the practice of Christianity is
illegal, there is a real fear of imprisonment or even death for a belief in
Jesus as savior. The crowd seeing Jesus
beaten and on trial may have thought they would also suffer a similar beating or
crucifixion for their belief in Jesus.
Perhaps some called for Jesus’ crucifixion as a means of protecting
themselves and family from death at the hands of their Roman oppressors. However, after seeing the risen Lord and
receiving the empowering of the Holy Spirit, some of these people would willingly
die as martyrs for their belief.
As believers in Christ, Jesus has made a triumphal entry
into our lives forgiving us of our sins.
However, while this is something to celebrate, we must ensure we do not
have unrealistic expectations. Jesus
warned his followers that in this world there would be trouble but also reminds
us that He overcame the world through His resurrection (John
16:33). Believers in Christ also
have hope that the tribulations in the world will cease when Jesus returns to
establish His earthly kingdom (Revelation
19:11-16). Believers in Christ must
also study God’s Word to understand what is occurring in their lives and the world
from a godly worldview (2
Timothy 2:15). Most importantly, believers
in Christ need not fear for fear is a liar and not from God (2
Timothy 1:7). If you are fearful at
this moment, take a moment to watch this video and let the words
of the song minister to your heart.
If you are reading this and have not invited Jesus to make a
triumphal entry into your life, I invite you to do so now by praying with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
For those that just prayed, it is important to gain an understanding
of Jesus and His triumphal entry into your life by study of the Bible and
regular association with other believers in a church or bible study to learn more
about Jesus. This new life does not mean
an end of troubles, just that you now have help from the Lord and other
believers. Most importantly do not let
fear keep you from telling others about Jesus so He can make a triumphal entry
into their lives as well. May God bless
everyone reading this post.
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