03/30/2026
Monday, March 30, 2026
Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem on Sunday, most likely through the Eastern Gate (the one associated with the coming of the Messiah). In this Triumphal Entry, he was lauded and worshipped by those who had waited for this arrival. Here was their KING!
The location of the Eastern gate, in proximity to the Temple, made it a short jaunt for Jesus to the center of Jewish religion and all that went with it. The leaders of that religion were already nervous about this Galilean preacher. No doubt, their concern was deepened by His passion for holiness as displayed by a DIY whip, some turned-over tables, fleeing moneychangers and livestock from the house of prayer - turned - dishonest marketplace.
What strikes me most, however, is what Matthew records next in Chapter 21…
The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read:
‘You have prepared praise
from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?’” Matt 21:14-16 (CSB)
From nervousness to concern to indignance, the religious leaders were blinded to something that was readily apparent to the children who were watching with amazement. When the children saw Jesus miraculously heal the sick, they praised Him. When the august, educated, self-confident leaders saw the same and heard the child-like response, they became more convinced that Jesus needed to be dead.
LORD, may we be like children in our view of you, simply seeing you for who you are. May we have a passion for holiness that displaces our natural pettiness, and may we be quick to praise you because YOU are our KING. Hosanna to the Son of David! -Amen
