Mark 11:8. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strewed them in the way.
PALM SUNDAY.
‘And (Jesus) saith unto them. Go your way into the village over against (opposite) you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any many say unto you, Why do ye this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.’ (Mark 11:2-3) Yes my Friends, that was the last stage setting for the crucial drama, set to unfold in the Holy City of Jerusalem that bright and sunny day many years ago. The Lord had already taken care of the other stage props: It was the feast of the Passover, so a multitude of people had come and were still coming to the city of Bruh David to celebrate that important day in the Jewish calendar. And obviously the two disciples Jesus sent to get the donkey found it just as He said. ‘And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.’ (Mark 11:7) Then began one of the greatest, most unique and exceptional triumphal entries of a monarch into a city: Our Lord and Saviour triumphantly entering the city of His famous forefather, riding on a donkey, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. John puts it this way. ‘Fear not daughter of Zion: behold, thy king cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.’ (John 12:15) ‘And many spread their garments in the way (road): and others cut down branches off trees, and strewed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.’ (Mark 11:8-10) Oh Friends, can you imagine the ‘carnivalian’ atmosphere that gripped stead, old fashioned Jerusalem on that auspicious occasion? (smile) Throngs of people gathered along the narrow street, jostling each other, all eager to catch a glimpse of Jesus, everybody waving their palm branches or clothes, and also throwing clothes or palm branches in the road so that the King of Glory could ride and trample over them. Oh Mama! What a sight that must have been eh mih people! The Pharisees and other Jewish elders must have been horrified though by the spectacle, since they considered Jesus a nonentity, a brash upstart. And this magnificent show of support must have surely deepened their resolve to get rid of Him. ‘And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.’ (Mat.21:10-11) And though that first Palm Sunday must have been a rather joyous and colourful scene Friends, yuh know what, the Second Coming of our Saviour will put His first to shame. Back then He rode a lowly donkey and people had to ask who He was. But the next time…Hn! The next time my people, our Leader Jesus will be coming in the pomp and splendour and glory befitting the extraordinary King that He is. The joy, the riot of colour, the singing of His praises, the acknowledgment of His eternal and everlasting supremacy will be sensational to say the least. Oh what a film palette to die for! Can you picture some great director like Cecil B. DeMille capturing that wonderful epic scene in blazing Technicolor as he did with the religious themed movies like The Ten Commandments? Wow! What a field day he would have! And most important of all mih breddren, on this Second Coming, nobody will have to ask ‘Who is this?’ For all will know that it’s the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counsellor, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the King of Kings come at last to claim His rightful throne. And most refreshing too, after the next Coming, there’ll be no Good Friday, no more weeping and gnashing of teeth, no sorrow and pain. Then Jesus won’t have to pay for our misdeeds. This time there’ll be only joy and laughter, happiness and harmony amongst all His people. And Friends, how can you help but LOVE our Jesus, for though He was meek and gentle, He also had much manly parts (smile). I’m talking about after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the procession ended at the temple, He went in there and cleaned out all the crooks and scallywags violating its Holy premises; ‘Saying unto them, It is written, My House is the House of Prayer: but ye have made it into a den of thieves.’ (Luke 19:46) That’s a combination of Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. And they said Jesus had no chutzpah. Well if that isn’t chutzpah, I don’t know what is. The Jewish elite that ran and profited from the elicit schemes that went on in the temple must have been so incensed by Jesus’ brash, brazen behaviour that were it not for the crowds gathered around Him, they would probably have done Him harm right then and there, instead of waiting a week more before railroading Him. By the way Friends, just a little info I read in the papers yesterday; they claim the Romans found some similarity between the branches of the trees the people spread and waved for Jesus and the palms of man, so that’s why they’re called palm trees. Anyhow Friends, please let’s give some serious attention to the state of our lives and souls this week, Holy Week, for it’s possibly the most profound time in our Christian calendar, leading up to the time Jesus was crucified for our sins. Have a pleasant Palm Sunday. Much LOVE!…the first coming was lowly and humble…but the second will be mighty and victorious…
SCRIP-BITS 