Palm Sunday

Matthew 21

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

 ¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
 ⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
   ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
   and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”^[a] 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
   “Hosanna^[b] to the Son of David!”
   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[c]   “Hosanna^[d] in the highest heaven!”
 ¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
 ¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

What amazes me about the first Palm Sunday is that Jesus is God and yet he chooses to enter the city of Jerusalem on a donkey.  A donkey.  A peaceful sign a gentle sign.  The Lord of lords and King of kings who could have come on a gold studded "blinged out" (bling bling--diamonds) encrusted chariot...chose to come riding in on a donkey.

It says so much about the character of God.  He is so gentle.  He is so kind.  Not in a weak way but in a loving way.  He doesn't force himself on anyone...he gently pursues us and woos us to himself.  I love that.  I love that he is not flashy or loud. 

If I was a queen I think I would want the finest chariot to ride around in so people would know who I was (probably not because I might want to be anonymous and hide in my chariot so that I would NOT be the center of attention!)  

Jesus didn't have to prove He was God.  He was and IS God.  It is what it is.  He didn't come to earth to be flashy or show offy or proud.  He didn't make a grand entrance so people would look at Him and be amazed.  Just His very presence was amazing.  The miracles He did...feeding the 5,000, casting out demons, healing Lazarus from the dead...word got around fast without the use of cellphones, facebook, or IPADS...people knew this Jesus was legit because He is legit!  He is God.  He is God.  And He came for one reason and purpose to die in our place for our sins.

This morning as I was putting on my makeup and getting ready for church I could hear Julia in her room talking to her dolls about the miraculous empty grave and how Jesus rose from the dead for our sins...because He loved us...even young children can grasp this love and this need for a Savior.

Who is this? Who is this the people asked as he rode in on a donkey...

This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee...

He is the Son of God.

Jesus, I have so much more to learn about you and how great you are.  I pray today that as we celebrate Palm Sunday with family and friends we can also humbly and gently remind our family the true meaning of Palm Sunday and Easter.