Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11:9-10)
Jesus entered Jerusalem in the middle of a triumphant scene.
People spread clothes and branches on the road in front of the colt he was riding as if Jesus were a king, a son of David. The crowds shouted cheers and quoted psalms that predicted the arrival of the Messiah. Sometimes this is referred to as the “triumphal entry.” The parade seems to live up to that description.
But consider what was at the end of this entrance. Jesus was entering Jerusalem to die. We would hardly consider that triumphant! But it is triumphant for you because Jesus’ death removed from you the liability for your sin. You get the victory of eternity in God’s presence! That’s triumph! And if it is triumph for us, then it is triumph for Jesus too, because his purpose was to reconcile you to God. He accomplished that! Jesus took up his throne, not by grabbing political power but by becoming the Savior of all through his suffering and death.
Jesus knew what would happen when he entered Jerusalem, but he entered anyway.
The events of the week did not take him by surprise. Three times in Mark chapters 8-10 Jesus plainly and clearly told his disciples that he would be rejected, suffer, and die. As he entered Jerusalem, he knew what the people would do to him. He knew what was in their hearts. He knew the torment he would endure. Jesus had the chance to turn around and avoid Jerusalem, but he didn’t. He entered willingly.
Jesus also knows that you have betrayed him and disobeyed him. He knows that you desire to do things that are contrary to his Word. He had the chance to avoid you too, but he didn’t. He came to you through your baptism. And he will not turn away from you today. He still wants to enter your heart through the Word of God and the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. He comes to you willingly, not to punish you but to give you the triumph of forgiveness.
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and willingly—and it was for you. He wants to enter your heart in the same way. Receive him gladly as you hear his Word and receive his Sacrament. He will not turn away from you!
Prayer: Jesus, come to me through your Word and sacrament, and give me joy from your presence. Amen.
From He Is the Christ. All rights reserved.
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