"The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, 'Praise God for the Son of David.' But the leaders were indignant."
It's interesting to note that the religious leaders personally witnessed the miracles that Jesus performed and experienced the positive effects of his healings. Yet, they were like wolves gathering together to bring him down. Their reaction was so opposite of what it should have been.
In fact, most English Bible translations use the word "indignant" to describe the religious leaders' reaction to Jesus entering Jerusalem. Indignant is not a word that we use very often. It means that these leaders were angry because they felt that Jesus was unworthy of the adoration that he was being shown by the people.
This incident is an important reminder to us that we should not be surprised when others respond negatively to something good we have done. Have you ever done a kind act only to have someone criticize you for it? Have you ever volunteered at your church only to be mistreated or ignored by a church leader? If so, you have shared in one of the sufferings of Christ. But the interesting thing about this, and the lesson we should take from this, is that Jesus didn't stop healing or serving because he was being criticized by others. In the same way, as Galatians 6:9 instructs us, do not give up doing what is good. Don't let the wolves keep you from showing kindness.
(New Living Translation; photo credit: Eva Blue via Unsplash)