Lift up your heads, O ye gates!
Be lifted up, ye ancient doors
For the King of Glory is coming in!
Who is this king, the King of Glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
The Lord, mighty in battle!
Our time has come, the time to arise.
We lay our cloaks in his path
That the King’s colt might not touch earth.
Blessed are we who come in the train of the Lord!
My liege has need of me, and I know what I must do.
I shall not remain silent; this stone shall certainly cry out.
I shall bear fruit without ceasing, both in and out of season.
He shall have no cause to rebuke or curse.
His might breaks through like the dawn
Our champion leads in the van
With the glory of the Lord behind–
Yes, the glory of the Lord trails behind.
Peter doesn’t have the luxury of hindsight to process the “triumphal entry.” He’s still relishing the thrill of victory, not yet realizing that the agony of defeat is the real gateway to glory. And he likes how Jesus’ posse rolls at this point. A little too much.