Palm Sunday Rebuke

Palm Sunday reading - Luke 19:28-47

Jesus enters Jerusalem riding not a lowly donkey, but the lowliest of the low - a donkey's colt. How Messiah's feet must have dragged the ground as the foal struggled to carry the weight of the Son of God! Perhaps the colt staggered at times along the road to Jerusalem. No matter. The people were wild with anticipation of their liberation from oppression by the long-promised Messiah:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. ~ Zechariah 9:9

Have we not heard this story many times of how Jesus entered Jerusalem as a triumphant king in the minds of the people? How they yanked off their coats and threw them on the ground in front of the colt as it carried Jesus down the road? Others cut branches from trees and paved the road with them in a show of honor to Jesus. Multitudes sang, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" and celebrated His coming (Matt. 21:9). Yes, it appears that they believed in the Messiah, but only as a liberating earthly king - the one who would free them from persecution by the Romans - not The One who had come to be crucified on the Cross at Calvary in less than a week.

As the procession neared the point in the road that led to the Mount of Olives, a whole crowd of disciples shouted,

"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." ~ Luke 19:38-40 NIV

True believers will not keep quiet. We do not rely on the stones to cry out for us. Despite more

bombings of Christian churches, believers focus on remembering our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem two thousand years ago. Whether Pharisees or the world rebuke, we will not be quiet. We continue to shout, to glorify, and to worship the Name of our King, Jesus in the Highest.

"Father, we pray for those who have lost their lives, indeed, been martyred today for the love of your Son, Jesus. Forgive those who continually persecute your church. We pray as brethren today for those injured in these bombing attacks that they would be healed by Jesus' wounds and that the families of those fallen will receive love and peace through your merciful Holy Spirit, our Comforter. In the Holy Name of Jesus, our Messiah, amen."