Last week, we looked at how Jesus received true worship. However, just a day or two later, Jesus received false worship. As Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem, He sent His disciples to get a colt, a donkey, that had never been ridden yet. By the time Jesus approached the gates, the city was ablaze with chants and singing like a conquering king was arriving. The Jews were expecting a mighty king who could lead the people and finally free Judah from Rome’s grasp. Why would they think the Messiah would do that with no text of Him conquering any human foe? My guess is that is how Israel had been saved so many times before: a human leader to drive out the occupants. But they missed it all, and Jesus had something else in mind.
Jesus is not shown to enter the city with the joy of having won a great victory and soaking in the praises of His people. Rather, there is a great sadness in His eyes. He doesn’t refuse the worship and says even the rocks would cry out to worship Him. Jesus doesn’t refuse the worship, but He knew it was not genuine. He knew that in just a few more days, this same crowd would be chanting for His death.
Some people argue that Jesus manufactured the fulfillment of this prophecy; however, you can’t easily manufacture the whole thing. All Jesus could do was get the donkey, and remember, the donkey had not been ridden before. Donkeys won’t take riders, especially strangers, on their first go very easily. Jesus is showing His mastery over animals here, too. And Jesus also could not control or contain the crowds. For one to claim He manipulated the crowds, understand that every time Jesus drew a crowd, He basically chased them all away. Jesus was not a crowd-pleaser and never was concerned about keeping His popularity up, so any accusation that Jesus was trying to force this prophecy in really does not have much of a leg to stand on. Even then, it’s one of the very few that could be considered, out of 300+.
Jesus had a weeping eye towards Jerusalem. It grieved Him to see the city, the capital, the city of David, the centerpiece for everything God had done to prepare for this moment, in a moment of glory and yet so shallow. Jesus knew the religion was weak and fake. He knew the Temple was being horribly abused. And He knew that just 40 years from then, the whole city would be completely razed to the ground. How Jesus was able to maintain a face of enjoying the worship while bearing the grief of knowing what was about to happen is quite amazing.
Jesus would enter Jerusalem as a hero, and He would leave Jerusalem five days later, considered a criminal due for capital punishment. Jesus entered as the cornerstone ready to be laid down for the new kingdom, and He was rejected from being that cornerstone because it wasn’t the kingdom they wanted. It was for the kingdom promised, but not the kingdom the people wanted. So they called for His death.
As I read these passages, I can’t help but think how easily any of us would be in that crowd. We tend to think of ourselves as the disciples, but in reality, most of us are like the crowd: followers of either the Pharisees or the “radical voice” just for being radical. Being academically wired, I wonder if I would have been a Pharisee who hated on Jesus or a Nicodemus who realized Jesus was indeed who He claimed to be by scouring the Scriptures. I can say based on my own flesh that if I did believe Jesus at that time, I would have run and hid as the disciples did when Jesus was arrested and not spoken up. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit at that time, and they didn’t see everything being revealed yet. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, they thought one thing was happening, but in reality, something else was taking place. Jesus was setting things up to make the rulers cry for His death because it was His death, to be executed as a representative of sinners, that He came to do so that men might be saved.
Jesus was praised as an entering king, only to be mocked and jeered and chased out of the city to be crucified just a few days later. He knew this was in their hearts. While Jesus did not refuse the worship, He knew it was not genuine as a whole. He knew the city would reject Him. The people were sincere. They truly believed they were singing and welcoming in their Savior, and they were. But they had a false image of what He would do, such a low-level image, too. What was Rome but just the latest power to rule over what has historically been one of the weakest people groups of all time? Why be impressed with getting rid of Rome? Jesus came to deal with sin itself, the greatest enemy of all. An enemy that, when defeated, will make physical enemies friends and allies.
But at the same time, Jesus is also the king of Judah, the rightful heir to the throne. Had the throne still been kept intact, Jesus would have been next in line. He was legally the king of the Jews, but He had a kingdom that was above and beyond just that tiny geographic plot of land. The kingdom Jesus ruled would be the very rock that would topple the iron kingdom of Rome and make it crumble. Do not set your sights so low with God and His purposes. They are way above anything we can imagine or think, and when we get to see God’s vision for our lives fulfilled, nothing could give us greater joy than just being in His presence.
Let us worship the Lord with true worship and not be fickle to one day sing His praises and the next call for His death. Jesus has come. He came, He conquered, and now He rules a kingdom that is so much greater than any political kingdom. We get the privilege to be officials in that kingdom to rule alongside Him to see His kingdom’s purposes fulfilled. What an honor! Next week, we’ll look at Jesus’ most physically violent action: the cleansing of the temple.
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