The crowd is often wrong. Popular opinion frequently misses the truth. And unfortunately, it seems that unrighteousness is usually trending.
From the earliest days of human history that has been so. The crowd was wrong in the days of Noah, as it was in the gathering at Babel. Godliness was often forsaken in the days of the prophets, and the dominant culture was usually wrong in the days of the early church.
But the crowds gathered for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem got it gloriously right.
The crowds that gathered in the city just days later would call for the murder of Jesus. Many political and religious leaders would exult in his crucifixion. But first, the gathered people welcomed the Messiah and Savior of the world.
Let’s note three ways the crowd got it right as we consider our response to Jesus this Easter season:
1. The crowd was right to give honor. The people got word that Jesus was entering the city and they immediately stepped forward to honor him. He entered on a borrowed donkey, which both fulfilled Old Testament prophecy and spoke to his humility. People rushed to cushion each step by placing palm branches and even their own cloaks on the ground before him.
We rightly honor Jesus by our care for the things of God. When we care more about the glory of the Lord than our own comfort, we honor him. When we sacrifice our time and energy and possessions, we honor him. When we look for ways to bless his work, we honor him.
I pray you will honor the Lord with your life this Easter season. Honor him by loving the things that matter. Honor him with your sacrifice for the things that count. Honor him with a bent knee and a giving heart. May we remember all that Jesus is and all that he has done. And we honor that memory and that mission as we gather with the crowd.
2. The crowd was right to worship. The people began a spontaneous worship service as Jesus passed by just a few days before his crucifixion. They sang out snatches of the Psalms. Their cries of “Hosanna”—a word of praise from the Hebrew word for “salvation”—rang out above the noise. They sensed the working of God to save mankind from sin and could not contain songs of loudest praise.
I hope you will worship the Lord joyfully this Easter season. He is worthy of all your praise. By his death, we can find life. By his work, we can find meaning and purpose in the work of our lives. By his resurrection, we have power over death and the grave. We have ample reason to praise our Messiah, Savior, and Lord.
When you gather for worship on Sunday, remember who Jesus is and what he has done. And praise him from the depth of your heart. Jesus told the skeptical Pharisees who hated this praise that the rocks would cry out if the people didn’t. We have a reason to sing and a reason to shout, and the gathered crowd reminds us of this privilege. Let no stone be needed to take your place in worship. Praise his name fully and powerfully.
3. The crowd was right to proclaim. Matthew’s Gospel tells us the city was shaken by the crowd’s praise. People asked who it was that passed by. The crowd proclaimed, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee” (Matthew 21:11)!
We gather in worship during the Easter season to proclaim the message of Jesus. We proclaim the gospel message that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, that he died to pay the penalty for our sins, that he was buried but that he rose from the dead on the third day. We proclaim Christ as our Savior and as our King. We proclaim that he is the only hope for the world. We proclaim that he will return one day to claim his own and that those who repent of their sins and place their faith in him will live for eternity with him in heaven. This is our proclamation in song and sermon and life.
The crowd got it right that day. Let’s gather this season with other believers and all those who will hear and, together, honor and worship and proclaim the name of Jesus. There will be no need for stones to take our place.
Doug Munton pastors First Baptist Church, O’Fallon, and is a former first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.