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About-Him.Com Devotional 07-09-2005
Http://About-Him.Com/ My Thoughts on the Life of Christ, from His Baptism to His Ascension. 183: The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-11; Lu 19:29-44; Jn. 12:12-19 Mark 11:8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. It is necessary to read all the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to get an accurate picture of what transpired on the day that Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Even then, some things remain a matter of conjecture and interpretation. Jesus and His disciples and a large group, who had been at the place in Bethany where Mary anointed the feet of Jesus (See Par. 182) , were now leaving Bethany to go to the feast of Passover at Jerusalem. Up until this time Jesus had affirmed His Messiahship to just a few people. Now it was time to proclaim it to the world. He told His disciples that if they went to a particular place in a nearby village, they would find a donkey with her young colt. They were to loose them and bring them to Jesus. If anyone questioned why, they were to simply, reply, “The Lord has need of them.” In doing this, Jesus is consciously going about to fulfill the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9 and perhaps Isaiah 62:11. Zechariah 9:9 ¶ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he [is] just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. They brought the animals to Jesus, and placed Him upon them. As a sign of honor they placed their garments for Jesus to sit on. Others began to place there clothes in the walkway and to cover the path with palm leafs. A spontaneous praise began to well up that reverberated throughout t he surrounding area. At the same time, there were many pilgrims from the north attending the Passover feast also. They had heard of the many miracles of Jesus and were determined to seek him out to see and hear Him. These people joined the large group who had originally started out with Jesus. All were caught up in the ecstasy of the moment. Their Messiah had finally decided to declare Himself. The throne of David would be restored with all it’s glory. Matthew 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. As the procession was passing the place where the Roman garrison was encamped, some Pharisees in the crowd pleaded with Jesus to have His disciples tone it down and not attract the attention of the Roman occupiers. Jesus replied that if these held their peace, the very stones of the earth would cry out in praise. As the city came into view, Jesus broke the festive mood of the assembly as He began to weep over Jerusalem. His heart was broken that they had missed the day of their visitation. He then gave a very vivid description of what would happen to Jerusalem in just a few years. The whole city and the beloved temple would be utterly destroyed with a wholesale slaughter of the population. It happened just the way that Jesus predicted in A.D. 70. As the crowd entered Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, and asked “Who is this?” Others answered, “This is Jesus of Nazareth.” It was evening, and Jesus went into the temple. He left and returned to Bethany for the night. He would be back the next day and exercise His Lordship by once again driving the money changers from His house. Conclusion and Application: Jesus announced His Messiahship riding on a donkey rather than the stallion that would have been expected. In doing so, He was presenting Himself as the Prince of Peace. He was coming to claim a kingdom, but not in the manner that was expected. Instead of going directly to a throne, He took a detour by way of Calvary. He would be crucified and rise again in a glorified form. He would ascend to the very throne of God with all power of heaven and earth entrusted to Him? Millions in the world today are like the colt and her foal who were tied at a place where two ways met. The Master sees and has need of them, just as He saw the animals upon whom He entered Jerusalem. Our job is to loose them and bring them to Him. Just as He grieved over Jerusalem, He grieves over you and me when we miss our day of visitation. Just as Jerusalem had a final call, the same thing can happen to us. Lu 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. He said His Spirit would not always strive with man (Gen 6:3). If He calls today and I die tomorrow without having answered, oh how sad that will be(Hebrews 9:7) . It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God (Hebrews 10:31). We don’t hear that preached much anymore, but perhaps we should hear it more?. Perhaps if we comprehended it, we wouldn’t be so swift to trample His mercy under foot? I don’t want any stones to take my place in crying out praises to my Savior. The great emotion that was aroused attracted the attention of all the city, but it soon wore off. Many of the same people who shouted Hosanna as He entered Jerusalem would be shouting, “crucify Him,” later in the week. However, in about fifty days, another event would shake the city. The Spirit would come in supernatural fashion. The emotion that the Spirit brought would never die down. Those who were empowered at the Day of Pentecost, went to the ends of the earth proclaiming, “This is Jesus of Nazareth!” In About-Him
Online Sermons http://about-him.com/sermonlink.htmlOur Bible Studies http://about-him.com/bslinkpage.html Our Music: http://about-him.com/audio.html Flash Theater http://about-him.com/player.html Scripture list on 30 subjects http://about-him.com/wordarc.html Humor
While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim,
but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft. Spotting and old
beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted,"Are there any gators around
here?"
"Naw," the man hollered back, "They ain't been around for years!" Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy,"How'd you get rid of the gators?" "We didn't do nothin'," the beachcomber said. "The sharks got 'em." Somebody Has Said
"You cannot convince me that I am wrong until you first demonstrate that you grasp
what I am talking about." _Attributed to Finnis Dake
Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@about-him.com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe@about-him.com
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