The triumphal entry follows the pattern of triumphal entries of the time.
- They thought he was coming in as a military force.
The first significant departure is Jesus weeping over the city
and preaching an oracle over it.
- Jesus is weeping over the ways the people do not understand, and are failing to follow him as the Messiah, despite what they have seen.
The second significant departure is that, when Jesus enters the temple,
he does not offer a sacrifice.
- Jesus seems to again be trying to get people to understand the ways they have strayed from understanding, and he is still giving them an opportunity to repent.
As we enter Holy Week— be reminded of what Jesus ultimately came to do.
- God continues to enter the world in unexpected ways.
So, as we sit in this tension between praise and sacrifice,
between palm branches and a cross,
may we learn to seek after the kingdom of God
and follow the Prince of peace.