Joy
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Matthew 21:8-9)
Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem precipitates a display of great joy among the Jewish people. Crowds line the road, laying their cloaks and tree branches on the path before Jesus, while shouting a chorus of loud and hopeful praise.
This level of joyful abandon would have been unusual for Jewish people living during the time. Daily life was harsh and difficult. They had all of the normal worries—health issues, interpersonal conflicts, financial concerns, etc. But they also had the added burden of living under the brutality of the Roman occupiers and the manipulation of the Jewish religious leaders.
But for this moment, people aren’t focused on their difficulties. News of Jesus is spreading. Stories of astounding miracles have been circulating through the city, and people are beginning to wonder if He might be the long-awaited Messiah. Their joy won’t last. Peoples’ thoughts will soon be dominated by fear and disappointment. The events of Good Friday will thrust Jesus’s followers into a state of grief and despair.
But on Palm Sunday, with their hearts fixed on the words and actions of Jesus, the people are joyful.
