Palm Sunday

The Bible says that on this day Jesus left Bethany for Jerusalem. His thoughts were on that holy city as He knew their future. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her!" the Lord said. "How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it."  (Luke 13: 34)

As He neared the city the scripture says Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying "Go ye into the village . . . ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him." And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them "Why loose ye the colt?" And they said "The Lord hath need of him. And they brought it to Jesus."  (Luke 19:29-35)

As He rode over the top of the Mount of Olives and saw Jerusalem the Bible says Jesus wept over it.

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 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. 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.” Luke 19:41-44

Having recently been on the Mount of Olives and in the city of Jerusalem, this scripture means so much more to me. But I never really thought of what the above verse (Luke 19:41-44) meant until this morning as our pastor was reading it from the pulpit.

Jesus knew even then that the great city of Jerusalem was doomed to be destroyed because they failed to recognize who He was. Only 40 years later the City of Jerusalem was leveled; completely destroyed by the Roman army in 70AD.

Palm Sunday, as that infamous day is now called, was the day that many people celebrated Jesus' entry into the city of Jerusalem with hosannas; celebrating Him not a the Messiah but as the son of David who would lead them in a revolt against the Roman empire. He rode the colt of a donkey, one that had never been ridden, in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. 'Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'

In Luke 19:37-40, Jesus came close to saying that He was indeed the Messiah.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," He replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

The people knew not who He truly was and just five days later, in the wee hours of the morning, they would demand His death. 

to be continued.....