Series: Flowers in the Desert
Psalm 145:18 MSG
Zechariah 9:9 ESV
John 12:12-19 ESV
John 12:23 ESV
Matthew 21:1-11 ESV
Did you hear about what happened yesterday in Jerusalem?
Did you see the crowd gather and lay palm branches where He would walk?
Do you remember the words of the Prophet Zechariah spoken in Temple about the one who would come riding on a donkey?
Have we not prayed for the One who was promised? Have we not waited for Him to come?
In Psalm 145:18 it was written, “God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it.”
Oh, how we have prayed! We knew the promise from the Prophet Zechariah that has been read in Temple.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he,humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)
We were told a King is coming who would bring salvation.
It seemed so strange that the words of the prophet said the king would be humble and he would be riding on a donkey.
When we heard the words in Temple, we didn’t understand. How could it be that a king would be so humble that he would ride on a small donkey.
We would expect a king would ride on a grand camel, or a mighty horse…but not a donkey.
But, there he was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
We had heard about the miracles he performed and the lives he changed, but it just doesn’t make sense that the Son of God would be so humble.
Yet, we witnessed the large crowd that gathered.
We saw the palm branches.
We heard the shouts of joy.
“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
“Fear not, daughter of Zion;behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”
His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12:12-19)
I mean, this man Jesus said something about the hour that was coming…
“And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23)
It must be true because there were other stories about what happened…
“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11)
Can you imagine what it would mean if this really is the ONE we’ve waited for all these years?
Our family spoke about the One who would come.
My parents, and their parents and their parents passed down the words of the promise of one to come who would bring salvation.
Wouldn’t it be something if THIS man who rode into Jerusalem on donkey while people waved palm branches from the desert and laid them at his feet really IS the one who was sent be God?
I mean seriously…
He would change everything.
Spiritual Practice: First Century Perspective
Now…consider the perception of the common man who was part of the crowd on the day the Palm branches lined the road. Did they have any idea what would happen a few days later? They probable thought Jesus would do some kind of wonderful miracle. They didn’t expect what happened next…
In God, Deborah
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