Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem was the highest point of his earthly ministry. Aside from his Transfiguration on the mountain, it is the closest He ever came to revealing His rightful stature as the King of Kings.
In Luke 19:39-40, the Pharisees saw all his attention and they told Jesus to rebuke the crowd, to which he responded, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”
The reality of what was happening on that day is often overlooked.
Jesus’ procession wasn’t to make a show of his Divine birthright. It wasn’t an act of boasting or a chance to bask in the people’s praises. It was just the opposite – it was one of the most extraordinary acts of humility that the world has ever known.
Jesus wasn’t entering the city to accept a crowd’s adoration. He was willingly walking towards the painful death that awaited him there just days later. With unimaginable resolve, He who 'knew no sin' would soon take upon himself the wrath of God so that those who are slaves to sin could be set free. His entry was the act of a Redeemer – He was the greatest liberator of all time. If people had remained silent on such a momentous day, then the rocks themselves would have cried out – creation itself was at stake in the redemption of the world.
The apostle Peter wrote in I Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” MEV
So What
What’s the difference? Someone might ask. The events described in the Gospels happened two thousand years ago; what does Palm Sunday mean to anyone now?
The question we must consider is how does our heart respond to the coming of the king? Even today, some respond the way the Pharisees did, with disregard, jealousy, or contempt. Some are willing to accept other people’s right to welcome Him but see no need to bow themselves.
However, Those who bow know the full meaning of that day – it’s the day their Redeemer took the final steps that committed Him to the greatest act of sacrifice of all time. An offering for sin that would spell victory over sin and death.
No wonder the stones would have cried out!
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