21 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ² “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

⁵ “Tell the people of Jerusalem,
    ‘Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
    riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

⁶ The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

⁸ Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God for the Son of David!
    Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
    Praise God in highest heaven!”

¹⁰ The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

¹¹ And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

Dear God, first, I want to look at a map I found this morning of Bethpage and the Mount of Olives as they relate to Jerusalem, the Temple, the Garden of Gethsemane, etc.

First, it’s easy for me to forget just how big the Temple was. When comparing it with the scale on the bottom right, it was obviously the dominant presence in the city.

Next, I’m reminded of how many times I misunderstand what you are doing. The people knew Jesus was your son. They knew he was special. They knew he was the Messiah. They knew this was a special moment. But that’s where their knowledge ended, although they didn’t know that. They were thinking this was a watershed moment for Israel and their lives under Roman rule. They thought their king was their to free them. But that’s not what was happening. You were on your way to die. You were on your way to sacrifice and give them and all of the world something much more than an earthly victory. If Jesus had taken their path, he might have won the battle that day, but he’d have lost the war. As it turned out, the battle that week might have been lost, but he set the stage for us to win the war for all of eternity.

Father, as I go through this week, help me to be mindful of how I might be wrong like the people were that week. How I might see your signs, but I misinterpret them as being something they are not. Maybe it’s something in international or national news. Maybe it’s a local deal. Maybe it’s a relationship or something at work. Whatever it might be, give me insight into understanding how I might be wrong.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen