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Matthew 21:7-9

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!”

At first glance, the response of the crowd seems genuine and admirable. When we read this story in Luke 19, the people spread their garments in front of Jesus, a sign of adoration and respect. In John 12, we are told that the people met Christ waving palm branches, a sign of victorious celebration. Matthew tells us that they were shouting a song of thanksgiving and deliverance from Psalm 118: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! But even in their shouts of praise, we see that the multitude had a problem with Christ’s purpose.

For years the Jews had lived under the oppression of the Roman Empire. They remembered in their history when Moses delivered Israel from Egypt, and now they were ready for another deliverer. They desired Christ to be a military leader who would lead them to victory and establish their independence. However, they would soon learn that Christ did not come for their purposes. They wanted a physical kingdom; Christ came to establish a spiritual one. They desired freedom from the oppression of Rome; Christ came to free them from the oppression of sin. They wanted an independent standing as a nation; Christ came to give them an individual standing before God. Their unmet expectations quickly turned to disappointment.

Just as the multitude had a problem with Christ’s purpose, so do many people today.  Some want a relationship with Jesus so he can fix their circumstances. They want him to ride in, run the bad guys out of town, and then ride off into the sunset. But Jesus rides into our hearts to stay. He is more intent on changing us than our circumstances.

Father, may your dreams be our dreams and your expectations our expectations. Help us to submit to the leadership of your Son. In his name, we pray. Amen.

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