“The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:6-9, ESV)
In ancient Jewish culture, welcoming a traveler with palm branches and laid-out cloaks was no ordinary occasion, but rather one saved for only the most important of entries: the entries of kings and conquerors. When one of these very important guests came to town, the branches and cloaks acted as powerful metaphors. The palms represented victory and triumph, and the cloaks represented the absolute surrender of the people, literally being walked upon by the king or conqueror. To put it bluntly, welcoming Jesus in this way was extraordinarily lavish of the Jews, and seems to suggest that they understood the true importance of who He was and the purpose of His mission.
Then why, not even a week later, did they cry out “crucify him!” as Jesus was on trial?
Because they welcomed the Jesus they had constructed in their minds, instead of who He truly was. After centuries of persecution and waiting for their savior, they had the expectation that Jesus would overthrow the occupying Romans and make the Jewish people the rulers of the world—not that He would come preaching grace, humility, and love. When Jesus didn’t meet their expectations, they turned on Him and abandoned Him.
The thing is, what Jesus was truly there to do was greater than anything the Jews would have imagined, and in fact set them more free than any liberation from the Romans ever could.
The thing is, what the Jews did isn’t just something of the past; we do it just as much as they did. Think about it—have you ever prayed that Jesus would do something in your life and He didn’t? Did you feel betrayed? I know I certainly have. But thank God, He does with us exactly what He did with the Jews: He gives us more than we could have ever asked for. All we have to do is welcome Him for who He is. When we do this, we open our hearts to the work He is doing, the miracle He’s creating, and the breakthrough He’s sowing, and boy is it beautiful.
So, as we enter this Holy Week with Palm Sunday, let’s learn from the Jews, and choose to welcome Jesus as He truly is, rather than the construction we might make of Him in our minds. You may just find He wants to do a work within you that’s greater than you could ever imagine.