As we begin Holy Week, it is only appropriate that we take a look at Palm Sunday.
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
The King of Jerusalem approaches His Holy City.
Mary -- the sister of Lazarus -- has (according to John 12) anointed Jesus in Bethany. An act that Jesus calls preparation for his impending burial.
"the mount that is called Olivet" or "Mount of Olives" is east of Jerusalem, overlooking David's city. It is an important Biblical landmark (It used to be covered in olive groves). There are many, many graves on and around the landmark.
It is from this same place that the triumphant Jesus will ascend into heaven. In Acts 1:11, the angels tell the disciples, "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
You can almost see a vision of Christ's return, in which He will descend upon the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem, and the thousands of graves will burst open at the resurrection of the dead.
30 saying,“Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
Jesus decides to enter Jerusalem upon a colt
He "has need of it" but why a colt?
He is fulfilling a prophecy made hundreds of years earlier.
From Zechariah 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”
Jesus is really good at fulfilling prophecy.
From verse 32, "and found it just has he had told them." This little interaction exemplifies a beautiful truth: You can trust what Jesus says to you.
35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
Jesus is being honored with a "royal procession"; the imagery is unmistakable.
But he is not escorted by a great military force; he is not entering the city upon a great war horse. He chooses unusual transportation.
Jesus is sending a message. To understand this message, once again, we turn to Zechariah, verse 10.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Jesus is a conquering King; He will conquer sin, death, and the power of the devil, make no mistake.
Yet, He conquers in the most unusual way. He makes peace. He cuts off war. He breaks the battle bow, by the shedding of His own blood.
He makes peace with His enemies, by making war with His own body... by dying for His enemies. We were the enemies of God, and yet, God Incarnate came to us and set us free.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 1, "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach."
38 saying,“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Wherever you are at today, Jesus is offering you peace.
However you feel about God today, Jesus is offering you peace.
He has proven, over and over again, that you can trust Him. He always keeps His promises.
39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered,“I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Their praise cannot be denied.
So, it will be at the resurrection. All creation will praise our returning King; it will be undeniable.
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
You may remember from like two minutes ago, when I mentioned that the Mount of Olives was an important Biblical landmark!
One event stands out to me, upon reading this verse again.
From 2 Samuel 15:30, "But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered."
David weeps over the city, upon the Mount of Olives, as he flees his enemy (Absalom). Jesus weeps over the city, upon the Mount of Olives, as he prepares to defeat His enemies.
The Greek word for "wept" comes from the Greek word κλαίω. It is a lament, audible, something that cannot be withheld.
Jesus is a righteous judge and judgment is coming, but he came to make peace, yet his own people would not receive him.
43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
In 70 AD, Jerusalem was besieged.
The city and the Temple were utterly destroyed by Rome.
The name Jerusalem is -- sadly -- ironic, in this instance. In Hebrew, ירושלים - meaning "city of peace".
45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
It was a common practice in the ancient world for a conquering king to enter into a city and make sacrifices to the gods of that city. What is Jesus going to do? Make a sacrifice to himself?
Jesus, instead, cleanses His Temple.
Jesus' words here echo Isaiah 56:7, "...for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
Picture the scene taking place... these men of Israel, chief priests, scribes, and principal men plotting to destroy Jesus (the true Temple of the LORD), while He teaches in the Temple of the LORD.
Right after Jesus prophecies its destruction.
I pray that as we start this Holy Week, that you would be filled with peace. I pray that you would know that your King comes to you, offers you peace and freedom. He offers you deliverance. You are a prisoner set free from the waterless pit. You are no longer the enemy of God; you are His people.
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