Palm Sunday

During the relatively short earthly minisry of Jesus, He has always maintained that His time has not yet come. And yet He has turned water in to wine. He has taught spiritual things like no one before or after Him. He healed the blind, the mute, the deaf, the lame, lepers, those taken over by evil spirits and even raised His friend Lazarus from the grave after being buried for four days.

But during the first Palm Sunday, the first day of the Holy Week commemorated by Christians all over the world, Jesus of Nazareth finally rode into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey in fulfillment of prophecies of the Messiah. Here Jesus finally allowed Himself to be praised, worshipped and acknowledged as the Messiah.

This is how the Apostle John described this event.

See How Your King Comes

"The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered:

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!

Yes! The King of Israel!

Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it:

No fear, Daughter Zion:
    See how your king comes,
    riding a donkey’s colt.

The disciples didn’t notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: “It’s out of control. The world’s in a stampede after him.” John 12:12-19 MSG

Today let us praise Him who came to fulfill God's amazing grace and who offered Himself as the ransom to pay for our salvation.

Hosanna in the highest!