Matthew 21:9 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 heaven!”
The Palm Sunday narrative is always difficult for me to read because I know that these same people who are hailing the Messiah today will soon be shouting, “Crucify Him!” What fickle people humans are.
Matthew 21:10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
Is it because they think they understand what being the Messiah means? Is it because they have preconceived notions of how He will act and what He will do as the Messiah and they are angry at Him (or more accurately at themselves) because what they expected to happen did not? Do they feel like fools because they thought the Messiah would act a certain way, yet Jesus defied these expectations? Would it have been any different if they had accepted Him as Messiah with no preconceived notions of what that meant?
Matthew 21:11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Lord, I think this passage bothers me so because I, too, am guilty of having preconceived notions and of reacting poorly when what I thought should/would happen doesn’t play out. I, too, would probably have been praising this week and shouting next. I don’t want to be that person. Help me to move through life without preconceived notions of who You are and how You should act. Help me to bring You praise and glory always. Amen.
Matthew 21:46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Have a blessed day.