You can't help but wonder how many of those in the crowds had followed Jesus to see him heal people. Maybe there were even people who had carried loved ones to be healed. Jesus had been preaching and teaching to large crowds for three years. Surely, there must have been some overlap.
If Jesus had chased the crowds for affirmation, he surely would have been dismayed. But Jesus never pursued the crowds for their applause -- he served them in the hopes of converting hearts and minds to see that he was the true Messiah. That's why Jesus was never afraid to speak harshly when it was appropriate -- Jesus wasn't seeking approval for the day, he was building something eternal, and he knew that he would have to pay a terrible price to build that.
Crowds are fickle -- we see this on social media all the time, with the crowd turning on someone once considered popular or beyond reproach. The affirmation of the crowd, while wonderful in the moment, doesn't last.
So may we seek what is faithful and not what is transient. It may seem as though we sacrifice much in the short-term, but Jesus is building a long-term kingdom, one that will last forever, and that wisdom, that approval, is worth far more in the end, for in Jesus' kingdom, there is no end, only eternity.
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