Thou Cometh to the Messiah: Tranquility Before Chaos
PHOTO BY: Jhon Lenard Abawag
People tend to rejoice and proclaim peace on their land. They join the crowd that shouts the name of their perceived savior, hearing this phrase, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!"
This time, Jesus arrived being called a king, greeted by waving palm branches and warm shouts from the crowd of Jerusalem. These people, dear to his heart. . .
Might be the same people that broke it.
I wonder how a celebratory event feels tragic when viewed in an entirely different way. While most Christians consider this peaceful, this is tragic in the deepest sense for Jesus.
This scenario has been reliving up to this day through Palm Sunday. Jesus rode a donkey and was treated highly as he entered Jerusalem. The people who had heard about his miracles were there cheering Him, believing that he was the one in the prophecy. They believe that he is the king or the messiah that they are waiting for.
While he was being praised, his disciples showed enthusiasm. He loved these people. But as soon as Jesus climbed Mt. Olives and saw the entire city, he let Himself weep excruciatingly. While he was supposedly happy, he was grieving and crying without anyone around Him understanding why.
It was as if, right from the start, he knew that the same crowd who shouted “Hosanna” were the crowd who would shout “Crucify Him!”
Historically, people wanted a political figure that would finally save them from the Roman empire. They created the expectation that he was a king who would save the country from war. With that, they did not fully understand that Jesus would set them free, not in a physical sense, but in something that is beyond the physical conflict that a man created. Jesus wants and promises to give people eternal life. He wanted to create a bridge between man and God Himself, whereas, before Him, humans couldn't reach the Father. He is a messiah and a king, just not in the way people expect Him to be. He is far greater than that.
Jesus is a true savior, people only have different expectations.
I wonder how often this happens. How often do people give each other a false impression without being aware of their blunder? I wonder how often we pray with an expectation in mind, and when that expectation is not met because it was answered, not in the way we understand, then we tend to put distance away from God.
Right after proclaiming and welcoming someone, it was easier to drift away and hurt them once we got saved, but not in the way we expected to be.
That was what made his sacrifice gravely painful. It is a suffering that transcends beyond the physical pain of being beaten and humiliated while carrying about a hundred and sixty-five pounds cross behind his back. He walked that mountain, dying of fatigue. And I wonder if the shouts of people were still echoing in his ears while He was on His death cross—“Hosanna!” that soon fades into “Crucify!” I wonder if that was the reason He remembered to pray to the Father to still forgive these people and said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Palm Sunday will be remembered as a symbol of victory and peace. A scene where every shout echoes as a proclamation of the coming of the Messiah. He is a fulfillment of a known prophecy.
Only this time, I do not encourage everyone to wave the palm branches and greet Jesus as most people of Jerusalem did. Instead, I encourage you to truly know Jesus and open your heart and soul first.
Opening yourself to Him is the best way to wave hello.
References:
Matthew 21:9
Luke 19:41-44
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