“And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
‘Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!’
10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’
11 So the multitudes said, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.’”
Matthew 21:8-11
This is what Palm Sunday is all about, Jesus is coming to protect and save His father’s people, fulfilling a promise before to them of salvation. Although the people believed He was coming to save them from something different than what God intended they recognized He was there to save them.
They saw His good works and saw that He was their Savior, saying, “Hosannah in the highest!”(Savior in the highest). They recognized Him as a King spreading palm branches (signifying victory and flourishment) and their clothing (showing honor and signifying protection), but not everyone saw and believed He was the Savior.
Some Pharisees (religious teachers) even told Him to tell His disciples to stop but He refused saying, “if these [the disciples] should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
Some people knew and saw who was coming and some were blind to the good news coming into their lives including the city of Jerusalem.
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying,
“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19:41-44
Jesus was a man full of compassion on those around Him, when He had the opportunity to heal someone the scriptures say He was moved by compassion.
In this moment He was seeing the city of Jerusalem and the people there. He knew they would be rejecting the peace He would give and knew the destruction that would come from not accepting His coming as the Savior. Knowing this made Him weep over them and the loss they would experience.
His last line is one that really stuck out to me, “because you did not know the time of your visitation.” I understand this as Him saying they will have destruction until there is nothing left of them because they weren’t aware of Jesus the Messiah when He came.
This man came into their town and their first question is “Who is this?” They did not recognize who He was in their town, in their dwelling.
My question to you is this: Do you know when the Lord has visited you? Have you been aware of God and His power in this craziness and busyness of this life?
On this day He was welcomed as a King into the land outside of Jerusalem bringing peace in heaven and given all the glory. He knew the city would not accept Him or the Good News He brings but still people believed and followed Him.
This life is not easy, it is hard and without the Lord, without hope but know one thing: The Lord is waiting for you to accept His invitation, today is the day we celebrate Him walking into all God had for Him. What God had for Him was not all pleasant or easy but it was for OUR good, for the good of all people who KNOW Him.
Have you accepted Him when He has visited you? Are you paying attention? I’m praying you are, it worth it I promise you.
There are many times God does things we didn’t recognize as His work! I pray that my eyes are open to those times and I give everything to Him!!
So true, praying that for myself today too. How have you seen Him working?