Contrast

Re:Verse passage – Luke 19:28-44 (day four)

While Jesus didn’t enter his coronation parade like a typical king, robed in purple and mounted on a war horse, he was still surrounded by pomp and circumstance. While Luke focuses on the reaction of the disciples, we know from the other gospel accounts that a large crowd had gathered, echoing the disciples’ praise, calling out Hosannas, waving palm branches and loudly worshipping.

In the student guide for this Re:Verse series, Patricia Beck points out the irony of this moment beautifully. While the disciples and the crowd are rightfully praising Jesus as king, Jesus isn’t reveling in glory, he’s filled with sadness. When he made the final turn in the parade toward Jerusalem, he wept over the city. We don’t know how the crowd reacted to this or who witnessed his emotion, but it’s a stark contrast to the mood of the triumphal celebration behind him.

Jesus laments over the city of Jerusalem, knowing that they would soon suffer violence and destruction. They had “missed the time of their visitation.” Their minds laid superficially elsewhere as they remained concerned about their political standing with Rome, not their spiritual standing with God. He had come to them, Immanuel, yet they missed it. How heartbreaking this scene is.

As the Holy Spirit constantly works and moves among us, may we not become so focused on earthly trials that we miss heavenly miracles. The promised one has come. Hosanna!