How Cries for a Savior Switched to Shouts for Crucifixion
John 12:12-13 “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’”
John 19:15 “But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the chief priests answered.”
I’ve always wondered how a people who saw Jesus come in on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, could go from shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” to a few days later shouting, “Crucify Him!” Obviously, we know it had to be this way and that through Jesus came the forgiveness of sins. But the drastic shift from praise to crucifixion has always puzzled me. But to understand why they would crucify the King; we must look back.
The History of Israel in a Nutshell:
For thousands of years, Israel has gone from one oppressor to the next. After they Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom it was the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, and then the Romans. Every one of these conquerors only intensified the hope and desire that God would send the Messiah. Israel in turn became so focused on their present circumstance that they forsook and missed all together why God was sending the Messiah (Colossians 3:2).
They perceived this King to come as only the Lion, but what Israel did not expect to see was the Lamb. Israel only sought God for the Lion, they didn’t understand all of humanities need for the Lamb. They thought they only needed political and worldly liberation, but God, as He has continued to do throughout history, gave them what they needed not what they wanted. What they truly needed was a spiritual liberator not a political or social one.
But this was not the first time that Israel had forsook their need for spiritual salvation and instead wanted some temporal fix. We see this with their response to God revealing Himself to them at Sinai. God’s intent was for Israel to be a priest to the nations, a nation that would put forth the worshipfulness (worthiness) of God. Through this display of how great God is, all the nations would be drawn to God (Genesis 12:1-3). But Israel forsook this duty and went their own way. When God wanted to reveal Himself to them at Sinai, they just asked for a list of demands for which they could follow. They wanted a religious ritual; they wanted to keep the status quo, spiritually speaking, but desired the earthly blessings that came with being the people of God. Therefore, Israel only knew God on the basis of acting out of a desire to gain a benefit.
The Question Answered:
So, why then did Israel turn on Jesus in the matter of a few short days? Because although Jesus was the King, he did not meet their demands for earthly (political and social) liberation so they rejected Him. He rejected their wanton desires and gave them, as He always has, what they truly needed. They wanted Him to be their military king that would lead a revolution against their oppressor. Afterall, Jesus had the attention of all of Israel and could have easily led a revolution against the increased Roman presence in Jerusalem. Undoubtedly this would’ve sent a message throughout the ancient world that Israel is not to be messed with. Instead, He offered Himself up as the Lamb (the sacrifice for sin) on the Lamb Selection Day during Passover. The people didn’t realize that he came to serve not to be served. So in the understanding that Jesus did not come to do their collective and self-serving bidding and would also work to reconcile their oppressors to their God, they put Him on the cross.
What seemed to be shouts of a savior we were really demands for Jesus to save them on their own terms. They wanted Jesus to crush their enemies, but He came to deal with their sin and that of their enemies. Even the most vile and selfish hatred couldn’t keep Jesus in the grave. On the 3rd day he rose having conquered hell, death, and the grave and gave all people the opportunity for new life. Jesus was obedient unto death to the plan of His Father and not His people. He persevered in drinking the cup given to Him, so that all might be saved.
Remember, Holy Week is more than celebration, it’s about remembering what Jesus confronted in his time on earth, especially His last week. People hardly reject Jesus for what He did but always reject Him for not doing what they expect.