Tuesday, March 10, 2020

"Shout O daughter of Jerusalem"


   “Now when they drew near the Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them,  ‘Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.’” (Mark 11:1-3)

   The disciples did as they were told and they found the colt tied up just as Jesus said it would be. And someone asked them the exact question that Jesus said they would ask: “What are you doing, loosing the colt?” (Mark 11:5) They answered just as Jesus told them to do and the person who asked the question let them take the colt. 

   There are several wonderful points from this short Scripture. First, the disciples did exactly as Jesus had commanded. Am I as quick to obey the things that Jesus says I am to do as they were? Do I have as much faith to be obedient to the things I know are right because Jesus said so? These disciples have given us the perfect example of how we are to respond to our Savior daily! Second, did you notice that Jesus knew exactly what was going to transpire with the colt and the people who owned it? Do I really take into account when I read the Scriptures that Jesus is the Son of God who created the universe with the Father and the Holy Spirit? He knows all things, past, present, and future. I can trust Him! I can confidently obey His leading and directions because He loves me and has my best interests at heart!

   “Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut leafy branches from the tree and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mark 11:7-10)

  Thus it was that our Savior started the last week of His life. There was great joy in Jerusalem and Judea as many looked upon Jesus as their Messiah but no one, including the disciples, understood what was in store for Him in the coming week. He would cleanse the temple on Monday, would teach in the temple the last time, predict the destruction of the temple, (fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Titus and the Romans destroyed the temple.), celebrate the last supper with His disciples, be betrayed by Judas, tried by the Sanhedrin, and Governor Pilate, crucified on Golgotha, buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, and then rise from the dead that glorious Easter morning!

    The Jews had no excuse for not receiving Him as their Savior on that first Palm Sunday. They had the words of the prophet Zechariah who told them hundreds of years earlier: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey. A colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

   We know from these same Scriptures that He is coming back.  Jesus said this: “You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’” (John 14:28) and “They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” (Mark 13:26) The question we might ask ourselves as we reflect upon this day and this upcoming week that preceeds Easter is: What am I doing to live for Jesus this week considering all He has done for me? Am I being faithful to allow His Spirit to live through me as I tell others about Him and pray for those that don’t know Him to be here on Easter Sunday? Am I living a life of obedience to the commands of Jesus just as the original disciples (minus Judas) did? 

   Let us make our church a true “house of prayer” as Jesus said it should be and pray for many to come to know our Savior this coming week and let us be some of the ones who will invite the lost to come and to tell our friends, neighbors, and, relatives about our Risen Lord!

PRAY

1.    Lord put on my heart the people You want me to pray for and those You want me to invite or tell about You.
2.    Fill me with Your Spirit today that I might live this day for You and prepare myself spiritually so that I may be used by You this coming week.
3.    Lord forgive me of my selfishness and laziness in not spending more time with You in prayer and the reading of Your Word that I might be a better vessel for Your use daily.


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