Have you ever had a moment in retrospect where you were amazed? You were thinking about an event and you couldn’t believe you got to be a part of it. I’ve thought about that ordinary donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem in 33 AD. What a lucky donkey! Didn’t have a clue the Son of God was on his back.
But thinking about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, there are some things we can take away from John’s account during this week called Passion Week. Passion week is simply the last week of Jesus on earth before his crucifixion. Our narrative today comes from John 12:12-19.
We rediscover that Jesus is more appealing than religion. The crowds rush out of Jerusalem to greet Jesus on the road with palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna!” which means “Lord, save us now”. The Jewish people had been celebrating Passover for, well, centuries. It had turned into an obligation and a ritual. Every year, the people took the same pathways to Jerusalem. They told the same stories, said the same prayers, ate the same food with the same people. Then Jesus appeared and gave everyone a fresh perspective on who God was and how much He loved his people.
We notice some differences between Jesus and the stale religion of the day. Religion emphasizes the outward and how things look while Jesus focuses on the heart. Jesus highlights this in his confrontation with the religious leaders of his day in Matthew 23.
Religion is often about what you can’t do; Jesus is about what you can do. One often hears the “rules” listed from religion while Jesus says, “Come as you are. You don’t need to be perfect. I’ll make you perfect.”
Religion puts up barriers; Jesus tears down barriers. We see this as Jesus rides that donkey to the Temple. When he enters, he sees all the courtyards, literally barriers, with signs telling people where they can worship. In the Gentile courtyard, money changers and merchants have set up shop. They are indifferent to the Gentiles trying to worship so Jesus overturns the tables and drives out the merchants exclaiming, “My Father’s house is a place of worship for all people.”
Religion says you need to work your way to God. Check the boxes and toe the line or God will not accept you. Jesus simply says, “I am the way. Come and follow me.”
There are also four different groups of people greeting Jesus as he rides toward Jerusalem. Word reaches the Passover visitors’ ears that Jesus is coming. Everyone pours out of Jerusalem to see him. So many, in fact, the Pharisees say, “The whole world is following him.”
The first group are the disciples. They have been following Jesus for three and a half years. They truly believe that Jesus is who he says. The second group are those who were present when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. A third group are those who simply heard about Jesus raising Lazarus. And the final group are the Pharisees. We can find ourselves in one of these groups.
Are you someone who has seen what Jesus does but doesn’t really follow him because you have your own agenda and schedule? Are you someone who has heard a few things about Jesus but are really unsure if you believe any of it? Are you someone who is keeping a tally of wrong doing and more interested in telling people they are wrong rather than offering love and grace? OR are you a disciple…a follower of Jesus? Are you someone who desires to get as close to the Savior as you can no matter where that leads?
We all have the opportunity to respond to Jesus this week. The question is, how will you respond to the Lamb of God who comes to take away your sin? Most of us have narrowed down Jesus to put him in one of three categories. He is either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. This week some 2000 years ago, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem to give his life for you. My hope is you will claim him as Lord and celebrate the gift of life he’s given you that we claim this week. Blessings on your journey.