Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I love parades. My wife and I and family have been to many parades. I love seeing the floats come down the street, the clowns, everybody throwing out candy and just all of the celebration that happens during a parade. Here in our Verse of the Day in Matthew chapter 21 and verse 9, we see, in a sense, it's kind of a parade for Jesus.
A Triumphant Entry
It's Palm Sunday. It's a week before Jesus Christ is crucified and these people are praising God.
He's the center. This is actually a fulfillment of a verse, Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9, way back years before. Jesus Christ was right on time in this triumphal entry. People are praising Him. People are lauding Him. People are giving Him the praise that He deserves.
From Praise to Crucifixion
It's amazing. They're not only praising Him as the King of kings here in Matthew, but secondly, a week later, they're going to crucify Him. They not only praised Him, but secondly, they crucified Him as King. They praised Him as King because they wanted a political leader. They wanted someone to deliver them temporally. But Jesus Christ came to die. He came as a servant. He humbled Himself as a servant. Philippians chapter 2 says, and He became obedient to death on a cross.
He came as the suffering servant. It's amazing this group of people, some of them not only praised Him here, but they crucified Him just days later. You know what that shows me? It doesn't matter necessarily what we do publicly. We can fake a lot of people out publicly. Let's face it, we love to play to the crowd, but privately, what we do really says a lot about us.
Follow Jesus Christ
Two quick thoughts as we look at this passage. They not only praised Jesus, but they crucified Him later. We also know this, that Jesus Christ was crucified as the King of the Jews. He didn't come to be some world political leader. He came to be a Savior for you and for me.
Number one, don't follow the crowd. The crowd was there throwing palm branches, praising Jesus. I think a lot of people, they followed the crowd. They followed the multitude of people. Everyone's doing it, we might as well jump in.
Secondly, follow Jesus Christ. You know, Jesus didn't say, just make a decision for me. Those are good things we can do. He said, follow me.
This triumphal entry marks a key spot in history. It goes into this beautiful week that ends in an amazing crucifixion. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21, God made Him, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus Christ lived the life we could never live, and He died the death we could never die. Let's worship this Jesus Christ today.
