Stir Up the Crowd

Perhaps you have seen pictures of ticker-tape parades in New York City. These city wide celebrations have been held for everything from welcoming home war heroes to championship sports teams. I’m sure the Colts were welcomed back to Indianapolis with the same kind of festivity.

Jesus entered Jerusalem with large crowds shouting, waving palm branches and even laying their garments on the road before Him. Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem as a victorious king; “Hosanna to King David’s Son!” If they could have had a ticker-tape parade they probably would have.

[10] When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
[11] The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Matthew 21:10-11 (NIV)

As I read this it makes me wonder, if Jesus were to enter our town today would there be the same commotion and excitement about His arrival? Would the TV stations and other news organizations be there to report it? Or would Jesus’ coming be overlooked?

While we could debate the possibilities of my hypothetical question, one thing is certain. Jesus does come into our towns and homes everyday and no one notices. How? Stay with me.

After coming into Jerusalem Jesus entered the Temple area and turned over the tables and drove those buying and selling out saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

God’s temple, His dwelling place today is not a man made building. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). Jesus is within us. That’s why Paul says we are “Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20); we are the representative of Jesus to our towns and cities.

So why doesn’t the presence of Jesus stir up the crowd wherever we go? Perhaps like those in Jerusalem so long ago we too have turned God’s house into a thrift store selling second had stuff at retail prices.

Are we like them guilty of neglecting prayer? Let’s clean our spiritual houses and repair our altar of prayer; perhaps then we may stir up the crowd with the presence of Jesus overflowing from our lives.