The festive Palm Sunday scene when Jesus entered Jerusalem offered no hints as to what the week held for the one the crowd hailed with “Hosanna!” Why were the people so excited?

It looked for all the world as if Jesus would be swept on a massive wave of public support into prominence and power in some political capacity—and then He would finally inaugurate His promised kingdom. But the public’s enthusiasm for Christ was an illusion. Their expectation was for a Messiah who would quickly liberate Israel from the dominion of Rome and establish a political kingdom that would ultimately rule over even Caesar. Jerusalem was happy to have a worker of miracles and the hope of a conquering King like that. But they did not want Jesus’ hard preaching. They were shocked that He seemed more interested in challenging their religious institutions than He was in conquering Rome and liberating them from political oppression. They were stunned by His treatment of Israel’s religious elite—as if they were pagans. He spent more time calling Israel to repentance than He did criticizing her oppressors. On top of that, they did not appreciate His refusal to be Messiah on their terms (John 6:15). Before the week was over, the same crowd who praised Him with “Hosanna!” would be screaming for His blood.