Palm Sunday, Revisited in Mark

Daily Prayer: With the words of David we bow down to You, Heavenly Father.  Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled.  O you who hear prayer, to you all people will come.  When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.  Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts!  We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.  You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, our hope, our power, our strength and our joy.  You care for us, you water us, you enrich us abundantly.  You are our provider!  We shout for joy and sing!  In the mighty Name of Jesus.  Amen

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JESUS' MINISTRY IN JERUSALEM

Mark 11:1-11 (NKJV)

The Triumphal Entry

¹ Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, (Jesus) sent two of His disciples; ² 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. ³ 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.”
⁴ So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. ⁵ But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”
⁶ And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. ⁷ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“ Hosanna!
‘ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
¹⁰ Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
¹¹ And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

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This was Sunday (what we now call "Palm Sunday" - celebrated this month) of the week that Jesus would be crucified (that Friday), and the great Passover festival was about to begin.  Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the Roman world during this week-long celebration to remember the great exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:37-51).  Many in the crowds had heard of or seen Jesus and were hoping He would come to the Temple (John 11:55-57).  Jesus did come, but not as a warring king on a horse, or in a chariot; He came as a gentle and peaceable King on a donkey's colt, just as Zechariah 9:9 had predicted.

Zechariah 9:9 (New International Version)

The Coming of Zion's King

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

I love how everything in the Bible connects.

There was great purpose for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem at this time.  He knew that the massive amounts of people who would hear Him teach at the Temple would return to their homes throughout the world and announce the coming of the Messiah.  And the people were excited, exclaiming "Hosanna" (exclamation praising God).  They or maybe their spirit recognized that Jesus was fulfilling the above prophecy.  They mention King David's kingdom, and confirmed how God's promises are always fulfilled.  Check out 2 Samuel 7:8-11, when God declares this promise over David through Nathan (prophet):

2 Samuel 7:2-14 (New International Version)

⁸ "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. ¹⁰ And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ¹¹ and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

The crowd knew something that they didn't fully understand; they didn't get where Jesus' kingship would lead Him. To put it into clear context, this crowd, shouting "Hosanna" on this day,  was the same exact crowd who cried out, "Crucify Him! when Jesus stood on trial only a few days later.

I find this fascinating, don't you?  It is fascinating because however many years later it is today, people still don't get Jesus.  They take His name in vain, they dishonor Him daily, they say they love Him with their lips, but disobey Him with their hearts and actions.  And we really have so much more, necessary to get Him and the opportunity to live an incredible life with Him.

I propose this question to all of us, to ask ourselves:  "WHERE AM I PUTTING JESUS TO DEATH IN MY LIFE; INSTEAD OF ALLOWING HIM TO BRING LIFE TO MINE?"

Chew on it; pray about it.  We can't pick and choose ladies and gentlemen.  Are we out? Or are we ALL IN for Jesus?

I pray we each make  at least one concrete decision to step in the direction of our Great Savior.

♥Love♥