“The next day the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, ‘Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!’”
John 12:12–13 (NLT)
When I first read this story, I wondered if these were the same people who later shouted for Jesus to be killed. But as I looked closer, I don’t believe the crowds were the same. John tells us these were Passover visitors—pilgrims coming into the city. Many of them were likely people Jesus had ministered to throughout the countryside, outside the grip of the religious system.
Later, Scripture shows us that the leading priests were able to persuade a crowd to demand Jesus’ death. That tells us something important. Influence still rested with those entrenched in the system. Lazarus’ resurrection became the final threat to their control, and instead of surrendering, they hardened their hearts.
Jesus spent far less time in Jerusalem than He did with common people in small towns and overlooked places. It wasn’t geography that divided these crowds—it was spiritual blindness. Those driven by control couldn’t see Him. Those hungry for truth ran to Him.
We still choose our crowd today. We can wave branches in surrender and follow Jesus for who He truly is, or we can cling to systems, rules, and self-made righteousness that quietly reject Him. One crowd shouted “Hosanna.” The other shouted “Crucify.” Only one led to life.