Matthew 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
With that, the Holy week began. The crowd was recognizing Jesus as King, and prophecy was being fulfilled. Yet, they still did not see Him for who He truly was and is. The crowds were looking for a warrior King who would conquer the harsh Roman rule that they lived daily. But there was one detail that they were ignoring. A warrior King would have rode into Jerusalem on a majestestic steed. But here was Jesus, making His grand entrance humbly, on a lowly donkey, He rode into Jerusalem not as a warrior King, but as The Prince of Peace. And yet, they were hailing Him as the King who would save them, and rightly so. But on this day, He was coming as the Prince of Peace, to do His Father's work. He knew the very ones who were praising Him and paving His path with their garments and palm branches, would in the next few days be the same ones Who would be shouting 'Crucify Him!'. Yet, He came in Peace. He went to His Father's house, His temple, to do His Fathers will. And found the world creeping in where it did not belong. In anger, He overthrew the merchant tables and set the captive animals free. Instead of overthrowing the Roman government, as the people desired Him to do, He threw the Roman government money out of His temple. Cleansing, begins on the inside. He was doing His Father's work. He was being our perfect example. He was showing them and us, what truly matters. And just like that, the crowds went from "Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord" to "Crucify Him!". Even though they were eager for a new King, they did not want to give up their money or their worldly riches, or their way of life. They had made their choice. "Crucify Him!".
They would be just like us today. One day we praise and worship God, we claim Jesus is our King and then what happens? We get up the next morning and rush into our week with our minds focused on getting to work on time, on what tasks we need to do, and we forget the most important thing. We forget to lay our garments down to pave the way for our King of Kings and Prince of Peace, to go before us into this crazy world, where we need Him most. We rush headlong into the world, unwilling to let go of our way of life or worldly riches, even though God has called us out of the world and told us to seek first His Kingdom. This week, remember who you are, because of what He has done, and who He is, and who He has made you to be. You need Him every day, every moment. Let Him go before you and He will make straight your paths. Jesus....don't leave home without Him! Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord! Hosanna in the highest!