Jesus
Triumphal Entry…
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| Donkey at the Mount of Olives Jerusalem |
The
next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the
city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the
road to meet him. They shouted, "Praise God! Blessings on the one who
comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!" Jesus found a
young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: "Don't be
afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey's
colt." His disciples didn't understand at the time that this was a
fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they
remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written
about him. John 12:12-16
Not in
triumph—but in completion…
Jesus
knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said,
"I am thirsty." A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked
a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When
Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head
and released his spirit. John 19:28-30
Jesus…King of
Kings, Lord of Lords. It was predicted in Psalms that a King would come in the
name of the Lord.
This is the day the LORD has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD,
please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We
bless you from the house of the LORD. Psalm 118:24-26
When we
consider “Triumph” we think of victory, achievement, success, conquest,
accomplishment, rejoicing, elation and satisfaction. Jesus certainly had a
triumph as He entered Jerusalem that last week of His life. What a procession
with waving palm branches and singing! I wish I had been there to see that
sight. His followers sincerely thought that He was going to be that Messiah
that would save them from the Roman oppression. But that was not what Jesus’
ministry was all about. As He told John’s disciples…
Jesus told them, "Go back to John and tell him
what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are
cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being
preached to the poor." Matthew 11:4-5
Additionally,
Jesus emphasized that He came to do the will of the Father.
For I have come down from heaven to do the will
of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God,
that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should
raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his
Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the
last day." John 6:38-40
And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed
it's here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God.
And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has
granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority
to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. Don't be so surprised! Indeed,
the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of
God's Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to
experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to
experience judgment. I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me.
Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who
sent me, not my own will. John 5:25-30
So imagine
Jesus hanging there on the cross. He knows that He has done just what the
Father God asked Him to do. Now His work on earth is finished. It is finished.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father. What have you come to do? Do you ever
feel that you’ve achieved a level of success or accomplished what you set out
to do? We should all have those points in our lives whether it is just finishing
high school or college, birthing a baby or writing a poem. We have big and
small accomplishments every day. Rejoice in those—especially the ones in which
you can see God at work in or through you. Do you see moments like that? If
not, pray about it and open your heart to see God working in your life…to see
yourself working and serving the Lord.
Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, I give You my heart and my
life. Accomplish in me whatever You will. Give me understanding and I will obey
your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Psalm
119:34.
Daily
Bible Reading: Ezekiel 5-8
© 2018 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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