SUNDAY: March 24, 2024
In the religious world, today, Palm Sunday, is the beginning of the week referred to as the Passion week or the Holy Week and is a time for both reverence and celebration. This week is not like any other week in history as it begins and ends with triumph but the days in the middle are the most difficult days for Jesus during His time on the earth. For those of us who are Christ followers, these days are the perfect time to reflect and remember what He did but more importantly who He is! You see, the Word of God gives us a window into the past, to read with an ancient audience, to experience the message in its original intent. Yet, the timeless truths written in a time gone by transcend to our life today – in 2024. As we reflect this week on Jesus’ journey to the cross, let’s consider how this first century AD event is more than just a part of history but is one that is still transforming lives in the 21st century!
Read Matthew 21:1-11 and Luke 19: 28-40
Reflection: Palm Sunday is the celebration of Jesus entry into Jerusalem for the final time. He entered Jerusalem on Sunday* for the last time in what is known as the “triumphal entry.. Exactly one week later, he has the ultimate “triumphal” re-entry into the world through the Resurrection! In between these two events, Jesus experiences a multitude of emotions.
The significance of this whole event cannot be overstated. Up until now in Jesus’ ministry, He has shut down all attempts to hail Him as king in an open and public way. Over and over, He has told the disciples that His time had not yet come. When those who had been recipients of miracles wanted to spread it around, He told them to not make it known But today is different. Today is the day He allows them to worship Him as king!
Why is this day different? First and foremost Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel. In fact, the passage in Daniel is very specific about the date that the Messiah will enter into Jerusalem. (Dan. 9:24-27). When studied closely, the day Jesus enters fits the specifications described by Daniel to a tee. The fulfillment of prophecy doesn’t stop there. In Zechariah 9:9, written 500 years before this event, the Messianic prophecy involves how the King will come: “lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Psalms 118:25-26, another Messianic prophecy, is fulfilled by the peoples’ shouts of “Hosanna, hosanna.”
The fulfillment of these prophecies is profound because the statistical probability of Jesus fulfilling even one is quite remarkable, but there are three in this one event. During the whole week, prophecy after prophecy is fulfilled by Jesus, which, is a mathematical impossibility, giving solid evidence for the validity of Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God.
Another reason why this day is so profound is the way that Jesus comes: “on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” His entrance in this way emphasized His humility, as one who came to bring peace not the sword, as a humble servant rather than a conquering king. While Jesus deserved all the honor given to any earthly king and exceedingly more, He rejected this sort of reception and chose a less “showy” sort of display of His royalty. He did allow them to worship Him, but it is clear that He allows this because His “time had come.”This praise especially would be the catalyst that caused the Pharisees and religious leaders to finally arrest Him, thus fulfilling more prophecy. Everything about this day was calculated and planned by God to fulfill His ultimate plan of redemption.
An interesting point to consider as you reflect on this day is that in a few days from this one, the crowds will be shouting a different sort of message: “crucify, crucify.”
How could this happen? The most likely reason is that these “worshippers” didn’t really know Jesus. They praised Him because of what they expected Him to be — a king who would set them free from Roman oppression. But this is not a part of the plan. In fact, in Luke 19: 11, we read, “The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.” He never promised that the Kingdom of God was an earthly kingdom at all. This misunderstanding of “who” Jesus was is precisely the reason He is being targeted by the Pharisees!
I guess the question for you and I is, do we “really” KNOW Him as Lord? As you approach this week, can you join in the cry, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” and really mean it? Although “hosanna” may sound like a declaration of praise, it is actually a cry for salvation. It essentially means, “please, save us.” As the people shouted this, they wanted “salvation” from the Romans, but what Jesus’ would bring is something so much more wonderful. His sacrifice a few days from now would give them salvation for eternity, but they didn’t understand. They wanted salvation on their terms rather than trusting in the God who had always been eager to “save.” Do you understand who He is or do you want Jesus on your own terms?
If you do understand why He came, then this day should be a day of rejoicing over the reality of who He is, a king to be worshipped, in fact, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! (Phil. 2:10-11)
Ask God to help you gain a deeper understand of Jesus’ deity today! He came to this earth to live as a man, but make no mistake, HE was no man! He was and is the LORD OF ALL!
*For the sake of historical accuracy, I need to state that the chronology of the events of this week are up for debate. First, the gospel writers did not necessarily write everything in pure chronological order. The Roman and Jewish calendars differed quite a bit, so this could account for differences in the timetable among writers and historians. Some believe the triumphal entry actually happened on Monday while others hold to the traditional Sunday entry. If it is on Monday, then the other days would also have a slightly different focus, particularly Wednesday. From Thursday on, there is little debate. In the end, being overly dogmatic about the chronology of the events of this week doesn’t serve any practical purpose. For the sake of consistency and clarity, this devotion sticks with the traditional calendar but acknowledges that there are other plausible views on this timetable.
Here is an interesting video with some extra historical facts about what was happening on this day – A.D. 33
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