John 12: 17-19 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: “It’s out of control. The world’s in a stampede after him.” (The Message)

Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to be one of Jesus’ disciples and been there with Him for His entry intoJerusalem?  It would have been so exhilarating to see and hear the huge crowd cheering Him and spreading their cloaks and palm branches on the road before Him; listening to them cry Hosanna to the Lord.

Using an expression common today, I can see the twelve disciples looking at each other and exclaiming “YES!!”  The atmosphere would have been electric.  It would have been so easy to get caught up in all this and to join in with all the disciples joyfully praising God for all the miracles they’d seen – particularly Lazarus being raised from the dead.  The crowd was even proclaiming Jesus, King of Israel!!

Although in the midst of all this celebration and cheering, somewhere in the back of their minds they might have been struggling, unable to understand how this incredible welcome fit with what Jesus had told them.  Jesus had said that He would be handed over to the Gentiles and be mocked, spit upon, flogged and killed – here inJerusalem– on this trip!!  How could that happen with a welcome like this? It’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Even though Jesus told them that He would be raised from the dead in three days, they didn’t understand any of this because it’s meaning was hidden from them and they didn’t know what He was talking about! (Lk 18:34).  Only after Jesus was glorified were the disciples able to understand.

Each day, when we read the scriptures and their description of the events of this week, try to view them through the eyes of the disciples who didn’t know nor understand what was about to happen.  Think of the incredible pain they experienced seeing Jesus tortured and killed – with no idea that there was a “Rest of the story…” beyond anything they could imagine about to happen.