“Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord! Luke 19:38.
For Christians all over the world, Sunday is Palm Sunday. This year, it crept quietly upon us. We are experiencing something never seen in my lifetime, a worldwide pandemic! Everyone has been told to stay home, no church gatherings, no celebration of Palm Sunday or Easter Services. We are “sheltered at home” watching the sermons through modern technology and wondering if our life will ever be the same! But let’s turn for a moment and consider the events surrounding Palm Sunday, and the Passover of Jesus’ day.
Many times Jesus had said, “My time has not yet come” — Now His time had come, the climax of His purpose in coming to earth! It was the last week of His earthly life, Jesus was going to the cross! “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” 1 Timothy 1:15. We call this Passion Week! The days were filled with the most amazing events in the history of the church:
- Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
- Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem
- The clearing of the temple, His Father’s House
- The Passover Supper-New Covenant instituted
- The betrayal, scourging, mocking, condemnation
- The crucifixion
During Passover up to a million people would throng the streets of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Thousands of sheep would be prepared for sacrifice. The areas of Bethpage and Bethany, 2 miles away, would be crowded with pilgrims. Nearby was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. When Jesus began His descent from the Mount of Olives, a huge throng came to meet Him waving palm branches! Because of the Passover, the atmosphere was festive, a celebration! People were excited! The disciples were expecting Jesus to be inaugurated as King. Instead, He said to two disciples, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘why are you untying it?’ You shall say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Luke 19:30-31
Riding into Jerusalem on a colt was the fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, “See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” A colt was used by kings when they entered a city in peace to show peaceful intentions. When a king entered a city as a conqueror, he rode a stallion. (Revelation 19:11). This was not the time for a conquering king with an army. Jesus was coming as the King of Peace, to save men not to destroy them.
As Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives on the donkey’s colt, the crowd began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” This quote from Psalm 118:26 was electrifying! These were code words announcing the Messiah! For the people who were laying down their cloaks and waving palm branches, those who believed, it was the most incredible moment of their lives. History in the making! The Messiah was here!
Psalm 113-118 are the “hallel” Psalms and are sung today by the Jewish people at Passover. The same Psalms would have been sung by the Lord and His disciples just before He went out to the Garden of Gethsemene. The final words of Psalm 118 include verses 22-24: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Rejoice my friends, Behold your King!!
Your friend, Jean (taken from a Palm Sunday sermon by Terry)