WHO DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Matthew 21:8-10 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" (NLT)

When I enter an eating establishment that someone has hyped up, I expect everything they promise—great food, service, and experience.  

But when that happens, I wonder what went wrong? Did the restaurant have a bad day? Does the person who hyped up the establishment have low standards? What went wrong? 

Now I'm not saying that the people's rejection of Christ is the same as a bad steak. But we can understand why they felt the way they did. 

Someone created a whole persona of Jesus to fit the narrative of the people's desires. Instead of listening to Him, they listened to the narrative. When it became apparent that Jesus wasn't going to be the Messiah they hoped for, they became outraged. As if Jesus had double-crossed them.  

Nowhere do we see Jesus making the kind of promises they thought He would keep. We see Him going out of His way to say the exact opposite. But people didn't listen. The noise of the narrative was louder than anything else. Jesus knew this, and He knew that this would lead people to crucify Him.  

But He didn't try to stop it. At this triumphal entry, He didn't stop everyone and say, "Hey! Listen up!" He knew that the results of His crucifixion and resurrection would make the Gospel clearer than the narrative.  

That's why we read the book of Acts. 

Pray: Dear Jesus, help me hear you clearer than the narrative of this world. In Jesus' name, I pray-AMEN. 

Photo by Eric Mok on Unsplash