Matthew 21:1-17
"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them." All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' " So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord !' Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise' ?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there."
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Today's passage is quite a long one but I wanted to include the entire section about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem which many Christians celebrate as Palm Sunday. It is traditionally called Palm Sunday because as Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowds through down their coats and palm branches for the donkey to walk over.
I will let the scripture speak mostly for itself today, but I will share one interesting item that our pastor mentioned in his sermon today. He showed that in Exodus 12:3-7, the Passover festival really foreshadows the Holy week for Jesus. The parallels in Exodus are that "on the 10th day, everyone was to take a lamb for himself", and then "on the 14th day, the whole congregation of Israel will kill it at twilight." The time between Jesus' (the lamb of God that was slain) entry into Jerusalem and his killing and crucifixion was also 4 days. Additionally in verse 7, it says to "take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and the lintel (top frame of the doorway). This description also models how Jesus was hung on a cross with outstretched arms. The Passover Lamb is just one of the many Types" of Christ" that you will see in the Old Testament. For an explanation and example of other types of Christ, see this article: http://www.christianlibrary.org/authors/Grady_Scott/types.htm
So as we travel through this Holy Week, I would ask you to consider following along with what Jesus experienced during those days. A good place to start this reading is in Mark 11 or Luke 19. Enjoy the journey but as the trials of the week continue to build, remember that Friday is not the end of the story!
...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!
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