Follow Through
Matthew 21:1-11
1Now when
they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then
Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go
into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied,
and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone
says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send
them at once.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by
the prophet, saying, 5“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your
king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of
a beast of burden.’” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had
directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them
their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8Most of the crowd spread their
cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on
the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him
were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when he entered
Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11And
the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Palm Sunday conjures up the use of one word – Hosanna! The
only time we find this word used in the entire Bible is in 3 of the four
Gospels as the events of what we now call Palm Sunday are told. In fulfillment
of the Old Testament prophecies, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the back of
donkey colt, for He is the true King. The people gather to greet Him because,
by this point, He is famous. He is the One who can provide food where there is
none. He is the One who can heal the lame and blind. He is the One who casts
out demons with a mere word. He is the One who actually raises people from the
dead! So the people gather, waving palm branches and laying their cloaks down
on the path before Him. And while He passes, they shout “Hosanna!” The reason
we don’t use this word very much in our own worship is because it really
doesn’t mean very much. It simply means “save.” These people were looking at
the One who could indeed save them from eternal destruction, but they were
interested in being saved from other things – like famine, sickness, and the
rule of tyrants.
Today when we want to worship our God, we use words like Alleluia and Praise. Now these are strong words! Psalm 106:1a says, “Praise the
Lord!” Alleluia could also be put into that sentence, as the two words are the
same in the Hebrew. The actual definition is the fascinating point for the day.
“Praise the Lord” and “Hallelujah” actually mean FLASH FORTH the Name of
Yahweh! Now that’s some action for you. It conjures up images of lightning;
that sudden bursting forth of energy and power that is found in the Name of
God. Genesis 1:3 describes the creation of light this way. “And God said, ‘Let
there be light,” and there was light.” The word for “let there be” is Yahweh!
He uses His own name to flash forth the creation of the world. It’s a fantastic
picture. So on Palm Sunday, while the kids are waving their palms and shouting
“Hosanna!” you can smile and realize that we truly do have a God who saves and
is worthy of so much praise and shouted “Hallelujahs”!
Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day knowing full well what
awaited Him. Within one week, He would suffer, be crucified, and be buried. But
He would also rise again. He knew His purpose and followed through with what
God had promised millennia earlier to Adam and Eve. Praise God that He stayed
with that ancient plan of salvation. Praise God He held onto His purpose.
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