From “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him”… and Still He Rose
The Wednesday between Palm Sunday and Easter always feels like holy tension. Just a few days ago, we were waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” But we know what’s coming. On Sunday, I said something I haven’t been able to shake: “The same crowd that shouted ‘Hosanna’ will shout ‘Crucify Him’ just days later.” That’s more than a dramatic contrast. It’s a mirror. It’s easy to cheer for Jesus when He looks like the king we want. The crowd welcomed a Messiah they thought would overthrow Rome, not surrender to it. They praised Jesus as long as He fit their expectations. But when He didn’t — when He challenged the temple system, refused to take up the sword, and started talking about suffering and sacrifice — the cheers stopped. The same voices that cried out for salvation became the ones that called for His execution. We’d like to believe we would’ve done better. But if we’re honest, we know how quickly our own hearts...