Re: Roy Exum article on Palm Sunday:
Your question about the people cheering Jesus when he entered the city, then later crying out for his crucifixion is easily answered.
When Jesus was arrested in the garden, he was taken before judgement in the early hours of the morning. The religious leaders had never held a meeting at that hour—ever. The leaders had no doubt “hired” a group of the cities outcasts to be their audience. They were paid to respond exactly as these leaders had coached them.
At the crucifixion of Jesus these same leaders walked past the cross and mocked him. They had successfully engineered the trial, punishment, and death of Jesus. They had squelched the one person who threatened to upset their grip on the Jewish population while helping Roman leaders maintain a controlled occupation.
The total sham of the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus was carefully orchestrated by religious leaders. The cooperation by the Romans was stealthily achieved by the religious leaders. According to them, Jesus was inciting the Jews and could only lead to problems which would cause Roman leadership to lose their position and be replaced by Caesar.
Ted Ladd
Ooltewah