Matthew 21-22: Triumphant Entry

Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem should have been hailed by the religious leaders of the time, but it was not.  The crowds followed him, but it was probably the same crowds that had followed him throughout his ministry, the ones at whom the religious leaders of the day turned their noses up:  the sick, the lame, the blind, the untouchables, the sinners, the prostitutes, the crazy men, the sinners, the most repulsive of society.  All of these saw a king that they could follow, but not so the wealthy religious leaders.  Jesus didn't make them any happier when he entered the temple and overturned the tables where they were making money off of the poor who needed to buy a dove or lamb in order to make their sacrifice.  To make matters worse, there were children in the temple area shouting 'Hosanna to the Son of David.'  The chief priests and teachers of the law were indignant.  Whose temple did they think this was anyway?

The religious leaders of the day were following and serving God in name only. Jesus saw the truth as always and was not afraid to tell them so.   Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him..  - Matt 21:32 NIV

You are rejecting the very thing you should be seeking after, he told them.
" 'The stone the builders rejected
      has become the capstone;
   the Lord has done this,
      and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." - Matt 21:42-44 NIV

The chief priests and Pharisees took this as a direct assault and from that moment on began to plot how they could remove Jesus, and the kingdom of heaven that he was proclaiming, from the earth.  So much for the triumphal entry.  But, Jesus didn't come to save the righteous but sinners.  For the ones whose lives had been changed by his touch, he would always be triumphant.