Passionate Leadership

As Jesus makes his way from Jericho to Jerusalem, he is about to receive an incredible gift from the Father—a king’s welcome into the Holy City. It is a day of celebration and deep emotion. What will happen as Jesus enters Jerusalem? Take a closer look.

Questions from your reading

• As you study these passages, how do you visualise the energy of this moment?
• How did Jesus respond to these crowds?
• What is the feeling as Jesus enters Jerusalem?
• What are the different groups saying about Jesus?
• What other questions do you still have?

Reflecting on your reading

A prophecy given hundreds of years earlier is being fulfilled before these young leaders’ eyes:

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

The King has arrived, and the air is filled with praise:

“‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’” (Luke 19:38).

“‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mark 11:9-10).

“‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’” (John 12:13).

There was a line of people stretching from the entrance of Jerusalem to the descent of the Mount of Olives. The crowds were so vast that the Pharisees said to one another, “‘Look how the whole world has gone after him!’” (John 12:19). And yet, despite the exuberance, we know how the story unfolds. How does a crowd shouting “Hosanna to the King of Israel!” one day turn to “Crucify him!” (John 19:15) only six days later? It's staggering.

John’s account adds a powerful detail: as they approach the city, Jesus begins to weep over it. Then, just as he had done three years earlier, he gives a prophecy. Previously, the prophecy was about the temple of his body. This time, it is about the physical temple and the city of Jerusalem. Jesus declares,

“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 recognise the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:44).

His words came to pass in 70 AD when Titus destroyed the city, tearing down both the temple and its walls.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey—the most unexpected entrance for the King of Kings. The people shout, throw their coats on the road, and cut branches from the trees to lay before him. The Bible says,

“[W]hen Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee’” (Matthew 21:10-11).

But when Jesus enters the temple, he finds the same scene he had encountered years earlier—people selling doves and exchanging money. Once again, he drives them out and overturns the tables. This time, he says, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’” (Matthew 21:13), quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.

Why such a strong reaction? The vendors were taking advantage of the poor and foreigners—the very people the Old Testament had repeatedly warned not to oppress. The poor, unable to afford lambs, bought doves for their sacrifices (Leviticus 5:7). Foreigners were forced to exchange their currency because temple taxes could only be paid in Jewish coinage—often at unfair rates.

People had come to worship the one true God. Others had turned it into an opportunity to exploit them.

Applying what you’ve read

Jesus responds with righteous passion—he shuts the whole system down. Remember his earlier words: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19)? The time had come for those words to be fulfilled. Jesus is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Lead with passion, but make sure your passion is in the right place. Let it be for his name and his fame—not for yourself, not for a cause, not even for a ministry, no matter how worthy it may seem.

Take time to talk with your disciples about what it means to live with the same passion Jesus had.