12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” John 12:12–13 (ESV)
After years of quietly working, Jesus now bursts onto the public scene in what has become known as the “triumphal entry.” For both the crowds and the Apostles, the event seemed like a revolution. To the Pharisees, it signaled a severe problem.
To Jesus, the significance was something else. He was working on a prophetic timeline. The timeline of Jesus’ final days begins with his feasting at the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha (John 12:1-11), six days before the Passover. The next day Jesus enters Jerusalem.
Passover was initiated in Exodus 12:6. There we find that the Passover lamb was to be selected and examined over four days before being slaughtered.
As the crowds were crying out “Hosanna,” Jesus was offering himself as the selected spotless lamb for His 4-day examination. On the final day of the inspection, Pilate (John 19) declares to the crowd, “I find no guilt in Him,” and in so doing pronounced Jesus as our spotless Passover Lamb.
We see that Jesus’ deliverance to be crucified did not begin in the garden, where the religious leaders arrested him. Nor did it start when Judas betrayed him. The events of his crucifixion initiated when he entered Jerusalem and presented himself as a spotless lamb ready to be examined. He was in control of his prophetic destiny so that his glory would be evident on the cross.
Often, we find ourselves, just like the crowds and the apostles, thinking that we know what God is doing. Other times, we are confused and bewildered at what is happening around us and pondering over what God is doing. We learn from observing his life, that nothing comes as a surprise to Him. He’s working on God’s timeline, not ours, and He is always doing much more than we could ever imagine.
I the same way I believe this Easter 2020, that God is doing in our presence so much more than we could ever imagine! This virus is not a surprise to Him. It’s a tool he is using to accomplish something more significant than we know. God is at work changing lives and resetting outlooks. Lean into Him and know He has a plan. He’s got this! Amen.
-LW