The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,
“Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming,
riding on a donkey’s colt.”
His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.
John 12:12-18 (NLT)
Imagine
Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. You’re heading to the city for the
Passover. As you approach, you hear people shouting and singing, you see a
crowd gathering along the road, waving palm leaves. You go over to investigate,
and ask ‘What’s going on?’
“It’s
Jesus!” someone replies. “Have you not heard of him? Have you not heard of all
he’s done?! Only a few days ago he raised Lazarus from the dead – that guy over
there! He’d been dead for FOUR DAYS! And this guy raised him! He must be the Messiah!”
How
excited would that make you? You have been waiting centuries for the promised
Messiah! Would you not also go and get Palm leaves and join with the crowd?
According
to this passage in John, this is what happened at that first Palm Sunday. In
verse 12, we read that ‘the news Jesus was on the way… swept through the city’,
and verse 18 says ‘many went out to meet him because they had heard about this
miraculous sign’ – which is referring to the resurrection of Lazarus. It is the
good news of all Jesus has done that drew the crowds that day.
Most
of the people in the crowd are unlikely to have had a personal experience of
Jesus’ miracles, and yet they are there, cheering his arrival. Over the past 3
years, they must have heard so many stories, maybe even known someone who was
at the feeding of the 5000, or one of his other miracles. They praised because
someone had shared their good news.
How
often is this still true today? Many people begin their journey towards God by
hearing of what he has done for others, by hearing their personal experiences.
They may never have experienced God in their own life yet, but they can get
excited and be just as joyful as we are when they hear of the good things God
is doing in our life.
By
sharing our experiences of God, we are saying ‘Let’s dance’ to those around us.
We’re inviting them to join in the experience themselves, and through rejoicing
in our experience, they can come to experience God for themselves. When we talk of a dance, we don't just talk of physical dance and praise, but a dance is a relationship. As well as praising God, we are inviting those who do not know him into a relationship with him.
And
this isn’t just for those who don’t know God. Sharing our experiences and
inviting each other to dance is just as important. It can encourage those of us
who are downcast and remind us of how faithful God is.
When
we dance in praise before God, he draws near to us, and he then begins to teach
us how to dance his way, keeping in step with him.
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