Holy Week, Day 1: The Compassion of the King
Take a slow, unhurried moment to meditate on Luke’s account of the Triumphal Entry. Pay attention to the attitudes of the people involved: the crowds, the disciples, and the Pharisees.
Then give special attention to the attitude of Jesus in the story. What is he thinking and feeling as he approaches the city of Jerusalem?
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
“The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Luke 19v37-44 (NIV)
— Devotional —
It’s exactly one week before Easter.
Palm Sunday is the day we visualize Jesus rounding the corner as he approaches Jerusalem, the city of peace (Jerusalem means “Possessor of Peace”). It’s the day when Christians celebrate the entry of the king who has “come in the name of Yahweh” (v38; see Psalm 118v26).
Also known as “God’s city,” the “holy city,” the “city of David,” and “Zion,” Jerusalem was Jesus’ city—his rightful hometown. It was the location of the Temple and the place where heaven and earth intersected.
And yet, when he approaches his city, notice Jesus’ emotions: “he wept over it” (v41).
Upon seeing his hometown, Jesus wept.
Palm Sunday is usually a day of great fanfare, pomp, and circumstance. We call Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem “the Triumphal Entry” because, as the beginning of Holy Week, it marks the moment he begins his triumph over sin and death. We often focus on the crowd’s perspective—their longing and outcry. This is a day of expectant yearning—“Hosanna! Save us!”—not weeping.
But what about Jesus’ perspective? His emotional posture is not joy. It is sorrow.
What is going on here?
“[Palm Sunday is] a tough Sunday. Its begins in triumph and ends in catastrophe. We come in prepared to part, and we leave as if we were going to a funeral. We come in joyful and we go out stricken… It would be tempting, on this day, to follow good American practice and tone down the depressing parts – accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.”
— Fleming Rutledge
The Undoing of Death
If you were to describe yourself with one character trait, what would it be?
Perhaps you would say you are “creative” or “optimistic.” Or maybe “analytical” or a “loyal friend.”
For Jesus, that trait would be “compassionate.”
Compassionate is among the most common descriptions of Jesus used by the Gospel writers. We see his compassion in his miracles for hurting people, in feeding hungry crowds, in conversations with lepers and outcasts, in respectful heart-to-hearts with women, and in patience with people who don’t quite get it. Even in his fiery rebukes to those who should know better, Jesus shows that he is, above everything, compassionate.
By displaying compassion, Jesus embodied the God of the Bible. When Moses meets God face-to-face, God introduces himself as Yahweh—the “I AM”—and describes himself as “Yahweh, Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God” (see Exodus 34v6–7).
God is the great Understanding One, who hears the cries of slaves, defends the orphans and widows, forgives sinners, and is near to the brokenhearted.
This, then, is what is happening when Jesus rounds the corner and begins the climb toward the “city of peace.” He knows that, despite their fanfare and palm branches, they will ultimately reject him. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (v42). Why is peace hidden? Because “you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (v44).
This is the sad irony of Palm Sunday: the crowd yelling “Save us!” will soon yell for his death. Those clamoring for a coronation will soon cry out for a crucifixion.
And Jesus’ response to this great betrayal?
Compassion.
“Jesus rode into Jerusalem to claim His throne — and the throne he claimed was the cross.”
— N. T. Wright
Today, we are going to place ourselves in the story of Palm Sunday—not as outside spectators pointing a finger at “those people,” but as members of the crowd ourselves. Because in every way, we are like them.
It is you and I who lay our cloaks on the ground to make a path for Jesus. We are often passionate about letting Jesus into our lives—at least initially.
It is you and I who wave palm branches in the air and cry out, “Hosanna!” We love our displays of piety and worship, especially when everyone else around us is doing the same.
It is you and I who make up the crowd that one day blesses the name of Jesus and five days later—on Good Friday—curses it. We are often fickle in our opinions. How easily we find ourselves living in ways that contradict our own stated belief in Christ.
And it is you and I who—despite all that—remain deeply and profoundly loved by Jesus, who in his compassion journeys to the cross to die for the very people who cried out for his death. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (see Luke 23v34).
When we sin, Jesus shows compassion through forgiveness. When we suffer, Jesus sees our pain and shows compassion as he comforts us and suffers alongside us. When we struggle, Jesus sees our weakness and shows compassion as he forgives us and walks us back toward righteousness. Even when we, like Jerusalem, reject him, he shows compassion as he continues to draw near.
We may reject him, but he has not rejected us.
— Prayer —
Use the guided prayer below as a prompt for your own personal time of prayer today. If you can’t think of the words to say, read them and rest assured that God hears you.
Jesus,
Today I am filled with awe and wonder at your compassion and mercy for sinners such as me. When faced with an entire city you knew was set against you, you approached them anyway. You still went to the cross for them.
Today I bring to you my own sins, rejections, betrayals, and fickle decisions. I recognize my tendency to worship you out of pretense when it looks good in front of others. I see the ways I continue to edge you out of my life. You are the King of heaven and earth, yet there is territory I still keep for myself.
I invite you into those spaces of my life. Come, speak, and rule over them. Transform my fickle will into dedicated trust in you. Send your Holy Spirit to shape me to live out your commands. Forgive me when I stray. Help me entrust all of me to your compassionate and merciful care.
Thank you, Jesus, for your steadfast love, today and always.
Amen
