The Rest of the Story
Matthew 21:1 – 11
When I was growing up, my family would take trips to Michigan to visit our relatives. On those trips, I remember my dad tuning into a station that would air stories told by a man named Paul Harvey. To this day, I have no idea if that man was just a Michigan legend or if he had national exposure. If you are familiar with him, you immediately went to his catchphrase, “And now you know the rest of the story.” It’s hard for me to look at Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem without also including the rest of the story.
I tend typically to focus on the praise that is rightly given to Jesus as He rides into the city. One of the things I forget about these verses is that Jesus rode into the city knowing what was awaiting him. David Guzik says, “Jesus knew that the religious leaders were going to arrest Him and condemn Him and mock Him and scourge Him and deliver Him to the Romans for crucifixion.”1 Jesus knew what was waiting for him, and yet was still obedient to the will of His Father. This is not a shocking revelation. Jesus made it clear that He was here to accomplish the will of His Father. John 6:38 says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Because we already know the rest of the story, we know that these same people abandoned Jesus at His crucifixion.
This story reminds me that I can be a fickle follower instead of a dedicated servant. Recently, I had the privilege of being a part of the band one Sunday morning, leading the congregation in worship, and I got to participate in leading songs like, “Way Maker” and “Living Hope” (If you’re not familiar with those songs, I encourage you to look up the lyrics). That was on Sunday. On Monday, I was already lamenting how difficult life was. What’s even more indicative of just how fickle I can be in my desire for and service to God, is that while lamenting about life, I was singing the lyrics to the opening lines of “Living Hope”: “…How high the mountain I could not climb in desperation I turned to heaven…” While the lyrics were running through my head, and even coming out of my mouth, my heart was not turning to God. My heart was stuck in lament because things those days were more difficult than I thought they should be.
The truth of the matter is that we can be like the crowd on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. One moment we can be singing God’s praises, and the next be silent. When the difficulties and trials of life come, it’s easy for us to move from praising God to questioning whether things will work out. In those times, I need to remember Christ’s example as a dedicated servant. He became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Christ followed the will of God even though it would lead Him through some very painful times. I am forever grateful for that obedience, and it serves me as a reminder of the example set before me that I may strive to have the same mindset that Christ had (Philippians 2:5) and worry more about my obedience to God’s will and less about the situations and circumstances around me.
Adam Deering
- https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Mat/Mat-21.cfm?a=950001