On the Sunday before being crucified Jesus entered Jerusalem a hero, the great hope of the people, and on Friday he would leave the city condemned, rejected and despised. He had entered Jerusalem being carried on the back of a young donkey, but he would exit the city just a few days later as a beast of burden himself, carrying a cross on His back. On Sunday they cheered for the fact that Jesus had called Lazarus alive out of a tomb and on Friday they cheered as He was killed and placed into one. On Sunday, they had excitedly declared Him to be their King, and on Friday they sought to kill him, and on the basis of what charge? That he said He was their King.
Earlier this week I was speaking with Pastor Dave Goupille from Perham Baptist Church. He made the observation that since most churches no longer have a Good Friday service we tend to skip from the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday to the Resurrection on Easter morning without ever pausing to reflect too much on the crucifixion itself. I thought there might be some truth to that. So, although this Sunday is not Palm Sunday, we’ll be talking about the triumphal entry, and on Palm Sunday proper we’ll be studying the strangest coronation that ever occurred when a blood-stained crown of thorns was pressed rudely onto the head of Jesus.