PALM SUNDAY.
Matthew 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass.
Oh my Friends, Peace, Grace, LOVE and Good Fellowship to us all from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the same one who triumphantly entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday over two thousand years ago, thereby fulfilling the scripture that had been prophesied long before. Isaiah said it thus: ‘Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh, behold his reward is with him, and his work before him.’ (Is.62:11) Zechariah though was more to the point: ‘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. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to the sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.’ (Zech.9:9-10) Oh people, what moving, mystifying and prophetic verses of scripture! All written long before Jesus was even a speck in His mother’s eye. (smile) And yet they say the Bible is not God’s inspired Word? How else could too men, living years apart, write in such plain terms about the same event that would take place hundreds of years later eh? But don’t bother with the ignorant unbelievers my Friends, their day will come. Let’s just celebrate the triumphal entry that our Lord made that first Palm Sunday, riding on a lowly donkey, an animal of peace. The kings of the earth enter cities to rain disgrace, destruction, and devastation. But out Lord comes to bring salvation and peace; hence one of His many titles; ‘The Prince of Peace.’ ‘And he shall speak unto the heathen.’ This did Jesus do, preaching His gospel to all mankind regardless of creed, colour, class or race, also instructing His followers to do the same. Thus Bruh Paul took it upon himself to spread the word to the Gentiles; the non-Jews, the unbelievers. Jesus knew it was His job to fulfill the scriptures, that’s why on that prophetic day, when they came to Bethpage, near Jerusalem, he sent two disciples, ‘saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he shall send them…And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitude 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. And when he was come in to Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.’ (Mat.21:2-3, 6-11) Ah mih people, it’s such a moving story, I couldn’t cut it any shorter. That’s the day Jesus officially offered Himself to Israel as their long awaited Messiah; riding on a donkey like the kings of Israel were wont to do. And like a king, He asserted His authority: ‘And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all of them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves.’ (vs.12) But the audacity eh mih brethren! Conducting their crooked business in the Lord’s house. No respect! And Jesus rightly told them off. ‘It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it into a den of thieves.’ (vs.13) Jesus again shows His knowledge and use of the scriptures, for that quote came from two different prophets; Isaiah: ‘for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.’ (Isa.56:7) And from Jeremiah: ‘Is this house, which is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.7:11) Bruh Paul has that tendency too, to juxtapose bits of scripture from different places. But they all make sense. Then Jesus healed the blind and the lame in the temple. Obviously His sudden popularity and His taking over the temple to heal the poor and downtrodden displeased the Jewish elders, and they accosted Him and said; ‘Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them; Yea, ye have never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.’ (Mat.21:16) Oh Friends, what a way our Lord Jesus had with words! He could tie you up in knots, or whip you, like He did the elders there, referring to His forefather, Bruh David’s words. ‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.’ (Ps.8:2) Yes my people, that’s the awesome power of our God! That out of the mouths of infants He can establish His strength to silence His enemies. Ah Friends, this is a significant day in the Christian calendar. Let’s enjoy it by going to church and/or gathering with other believers, invite some non-believers too, and celebrate by giving thanks and praise to the Most High God Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ for being so good to us poor sinners. Enjoy today, for in five days time, our hearts will be sadly broken, like Jesus’ body was upon that old rugged cross. Much LOVE My People!…..the crowd cried…..Hosanna….. …..Hosanna….save us please….and Jesus did…
SCRIP-BITS 