“Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”
“Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!”
The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
These passages from John and Mathew’s Gospels share the response of the people that witnessed the coming of the King. I wonder if Jesus came to our town would the response be the same? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And on a donkey‘s colt he rode into Jerusalem. The significance of a King on a donkey, peace. The ultimate peacemaker was coming to fulfill the promise of peace. He and he alone possessed the power and authority to produce true peace.
Have you ever dealt with someone who was disturbing your peace? Maybe you tried to get them to calm down but to no avail. Why? We have no authority and power over those who choose to act in their own self-interest. Not everyone thinks of the needs of others before they act. We can also be guilty of acting in our own self-interest.
Jesus understood that and offered His life to cover our shortcomings. What capacity did he have to accomplish that? He had all authority and power; he created the universe and everything it. He created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows we need a savior. His entry into Jerusalem signifies He is ready to do what must be done to cover our sinful nature.
I am sure those who were shouting hosanna had no idea what the week held for him. I am sure no one understood what must and would take place. Jesus did. He made preparations for it. He freely submitted to it.
The more challenging issue for us is how will we respond to His offer of peace, peace with God? Will we proclaim his presence? Will we sing his praises? Will we lay our possessions at his feet? Will we follow him?
Therein lies the decision, acknowledgement is the necessary first step for us to begin our relationship with God. Will we allow him to have a presence in our lives and reside with us. Not in secret, but publicly. Acknowledgement is an outward expression of what we have in our hearts. The writer of Romans put it this way;
Romans 10:9-10; NLT; If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
From there we follow the example of Peter, Andrew, James and John;
Matthew 4:18-22; NLT; One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.
A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
We can say we acknowledge Christ, but the proof in in our actions. We show our faith in Christ by not allowing anything in our life to be a priority above our relationship with God. Our actions determine what is most important in our lives. Do our actions reflect Christ as our top priority?
When He is the focus, we can do so many things that would not be possible without him. We can discuss how he has accomplished remarkable things in our lives. We can assist others as they search to find him. We can meet their needs. We can patiently bear the burdens and insults. We can love one another deeply. But we MUST be able to answer the onlookers who ask; Who is this Jesus?
Do we know Him? Have we acknowledged Him? Have we laid down our lives for Him?
Blessings,
Pastor Don
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