“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” Shouts of joy, of excited exuberance filled the air! Their king was here and the promise of victory over their oppressors! People lined up to offer Him homage and praise! Finally! Yes, it was a bit different than expected perhaps, but oh well…at least their Messiah was here! Now, those evil Roman oppressors would have to leave them alone!
We all can relate to the experience of being thrilled by the anticipation of something GREAT about to happen in our lives. Something long awaited, and finally this was the moment! We overlook the details that don’t line up with our expectations; after all, maybe it will be even better than we thought!
The Jewish people in that day, had expectations of a physical king who would overthrow the rule of the tyrannical Roman Empire. A strong leader, who had the blessing and mandate of YHWH to reign over the people with righteousness. Israel would be a powerful nation again!
During His 3 years of teaching prior to the day He was paraded on a donkey into the streets of Jerusalem, Jesus taught about His kingdom. Few understood what He really meant. Although we have had over 2 millennia to read what really happened and why; we too, can often get caught up with expectations that may not match God’s plan. Why? Perhaps, it is because we either do not know or understand the true message Jesus gave us, or we are so deeply entrenched in our own perspectives of what would be “best”!
When Jesus came into Jerusalem that day, it was right to proclaim Him as King! He DID come under the mandate of His heavenly Father, YHWH, to usher in the kingdom of heaven! As that week progressed, more was revealed; both about the true nature of His mission, and also about the true nature of those who began the week by hailing Him as King.
Have we learned from those parade bystanders that were waving palm leaves? Have we allowed the truth of God’s Word to teach us about the true nature of His mission and about our true nature?
Dear Lord, I also am so susceptible to anticipating and expecting what I feel is “best”, but it may not be Your idea of best. Help me to understand Your true message! Help me to accept it!
