Q:
During Lent, I've been reading in the Bible about the last weeks of Jesus' life, and I've been puzzled by something. Why did the crowds turn against Jesus so quickly? One week they welcomed Him, and the next week they demanded He be crucified.
A:
First, let me commend you for taking time during the weeks leading up to Easter to read from the Bible about Jesus’ final days. No events in human history were more important than Jesus’ death and resurrection, and yet many people (even Christians) never take time to study them.
Tomorrow, Christians around the world will celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which we usually call “Palm Sunday,” because the crowd welcomed Him by spreading palm branches in His path). Those who greeted Him were convinced He was the Messiah (or “anointed one”), sent by God to establish His Kingdom on earth. The Bible says they shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9).
But not everyone in Jerusalem welcomed Him; the very next verse says that “the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?'” In other words, those who welcomed Him were His disciples—but large numbers of people were still debating who He was. Some of them (but not His disciples) later demanded His death.
Where would you have been on that first Palm Sunday? Among the disciples who welcomed Him—or among the skeptical crowds? You cannot remain neutral about Jesus. He came for one reason: “Christ died for sins once for all … to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Make your decision for Christ today.