When He had entered
Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" 11And the
crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee. Matthew
21:10
Palm Sunday was over now.
Jesus had entered Jerusalem on a donkey and the people had cheered for
Him and laid their coats and palm branches in the road. The cheering did not last for long. Soon the
tide began to turn against Jesus.
Some of the people still followed him, but the
excitement was missing, and the crowds were not as large as they had been. His critics now began to publicly attack him.
That was something new. Earlier they had been afraid to speak out for fear of
the masses, but they began to perceive that the public was turning on him. Soon the opposition began to snowball. When
they discovered that they could not discredit his moral character, they began
to take more desperate measures.
Why did the cheering stop? Why did the masses so
radically turn against him? How did the shouts of Hosanna on Sunday transform
into the shouts of crucify him on Friday? In five days it all fell apart. Why?
During the last week of Jesus life, a very interesting
scene occurred, and even more significantly, it occurred in full view of the
people. A rich young ruler came enthusiastically running to Jesus.
You probably know the familiar dialogue that took
place. Jesus told him: Go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor
and then come follow me.
The people were stunned. They had been raised to
believe that God had especially blessed rich men. Yet, here is Jesus turning
the big money away. The words of Jesus
ring loudly across the ages: "If anyone
wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow
Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his
life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)
The people were noticing another difference in Jesus.
Prior to this week, Jesus’ message had largely been one of grace. When the
5,000 were hungry He fed them. When they brought their sick to him, He healed
them. When a woman is caught in adultery and is about to be stoned, it is Jesus
who comes to her rescue and saves her.
But now He seems to be saying, “The time for miracles is over. The time for commitment is now.”
It is interesting to note that in all four Gospels
after Jesus enters Jerusalem to the shouts of Hosanna and palm branches there
is not another miracle recorded. Jesus
had spent time already revealing His power through many miracles. The clock is ticking. He knows that He only has days left. He needed people to get it. Being a follower of Him is more than being a
cheerleader. Commitment means after
the shouts of Hosanna we walk to Golgotha carrying his cross of suffering. The
road to Christlikeness often leads to a cross.
Jesus doesn’t want us
to stand on the side of the road and cheer for Him forever. He wants us to move into action. Following Him requires commitment, and now is
the time for commitment.
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)
