LET’S CELEBRATE!

This is the day that we have been waiting to come—Resurrection Day! Jesus has risen from the grave that could no longer hold Him!  Jesus defeated death and the grave!  He is alive! My Redeemer lives!  He will reign forevermore! There is so much to celebrate!

Now, being a party planner at heart, I love to celebrate!  I love finding anything to celebrate, like half-birthdays, national sibling day, promotions, traditional holidays like Thanksgiving, 4th of July, and my all-time favorites, Christmas and One Hope Birthdays.  This time of year is no different!  There is a lot to celebrate during Easter.  Many people celebrate by displaying baskets of colorful eggs, hopefully full of chocolate, and having beautiful, springtime flowers everywhere.  They also celebrate by having ornate wooden crosses, special depictions of what an empty tomb might look like, as well as signs that say He is Risen! However, as a follower of Jesus, the reason for this Easter celebration should be much more personal.
As we look into the gospel of John, we read the story of the Resurrection in chapter 20.  Mary Magdalene had come to visit the place where she knew the body of her LORD had been laid to rest.  As she arrived, she saw the stone that had been closing the tomb had been rolled away.  Running away, she found Peter and John and shared what she had discovered.  They both ran themselves and saw that only the linen cloths that had covered both the body and head of Jesus were left in the tomb.  By the time Mary came and looked inside the tomb, she saw two angels sitting in the tomb who asked her why she was crying.  She was distraught. She was deep in grief.  Someone had taken her LORD and she did not know where He was.

It was in that moment that everything changed for Mary.  It was a “SUDDENLY” moment, even though that specific word is not mentioned there in the scripture.  Jesus came to her and spoke words of kindness, bringing comfort.  Because of her devastation and tears, she didn’t recognize Him.  She explained why she was crying and then, Jesus called her by name.  He knew her name!  She knew that voice.  She recognized that voice. She had heard it before.  In that one moment, she realizes that her LORD, Jesus, is standing before her and He gives her directions to go tell His disciples.  

Later in the evening, when Jesus finds the disciples, they were together behind locked doors because they had great fear for their own lives.  They didn’t know what or who to believe. They were also distraught.  They were also in grief.  With Jesus gone, they were at a complete loss as to what to do next.  But, SUDDENLY, Jesus was standing among them!  In that one moment, everything changed!  Jesus was with them!  He spoke to them, showed them where His wounds had been, and they began to be filled with joy because He was again with them.  His words to them were so important that He spoke them twice—“Peace be with you.” He was sharing more of who He was to them—that He is their PRINCE of Peace and Immanuel.  Indeed, JESUS, the KING of kings, the LORD of lords, the PRINCE of Peace, the Risen One, IMMANUEL, was with them.
 
With confident celebration, we know and can believe that Jesus rose from the grave!  He defeated death, hell, and the grave!  He is alive!  We serve the Risen King! What makes this celebration be more intimate is evident here in these scriptures.  Jesus sees us.  He sees our situations.  He feels our pain.  He feels our fears and insecurities.  And yet, this celebration story doesn’t stop with those wonderful things.  But, SUDDENLY, Jesus calls to us—by name!  He knows your name!  He knows what you are going through and what you are facing at this very moment.  He knows every detail of your circumstances.  He is aware of your every thought, even those filled with worry, fear, or doubt.  Jesus comes to you right where you are because He loves you unconditionally.  With immense loving compassion in His words, He speaks to you and says, “Peace be with you.” Know that He is your Prince of Peace.  Know that He is your Immanuel.  Know that He is always there, even in the “suddenly” moments.  Know that JESUS, the KING of kings, the LORD of lords, the PRINCE of Peace, the Risen One, IMMANUEL, is with you, too! While we know all this about Jesus and how much He really loves each one of us, it becomes clear that we have a much more personal reason to celebrate this Easter! So—CELEBRATE!!

Matthew 27:59-61 (NIV): “Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb… Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”
 
A few weeks ago, I shared this story with some of the Heart & Soul team members. I was wrestling with a double gate at home, trying to install a new lock. My youngest son, Bryce, was my sidekick that day. Dad had to show off his power tools and nature born skills. I had Bryce holding screws and turning a few himself. He was so proud to help. It took hours – which wasn’t what I was planning. I’ll admit, I botched a couple steps, had to redo them, but we kept at it. Then came this tiny screw. I mean tiny! The size of a sesame seed. It had its own special Allen wrench. Bryce held it tight…until it slipped. Up into the air it went, and back down into the grass and dirt. We dropped to our knees, combing through blades and soil. Sadly, no luck. Bryce was bummed. He thought he’d ruined it. Dad had to pull him close. I told him, “It’s okay, buddy, we tried.” We ended up getting the lock to work…mostly. That missing screw left a quiet sting. That moment, waiting to see if it’d hold, felt like Silent Saturday.
 
Silent Saturday, or Holy Saturday, is the hushed day between Good Friday’s grief and Easter Sunday’s joy. Jesus is dead, wrapped, laid in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. The women (Mary Magdalene and another Mary) sit watching with hearts heavy (Matthew 27:61). The disciples were in hiding. It’s easy to assume they were shattered and broken. A Roman seal locked the stone as the guards stood watch (Matthew 27:62-66). No voice from heaven, no miracles…just silence. I was reminded recently that it was also the Sabbath, Passover’s high day – which meant it was double holy. So, everyone rests as it was commanded (Luke 23:56). This wasn’t a peaceful rest though. It’s a pause that’s thick and full of loss, doubt, and fear. People didn’t know the resurrection was coming.
 
Silent Saturday brings gifts! And this is the first gift from Silent Saturday: it meets us in our waiting. Bryce and I were stuck staring at grass and dirt. Work was done, but incomplete. I’ve found that life hands us those kinds of days. Prayer unanswered, hope on hold, God is quiet. Maybe your job’s shaky, you have a sick loved one, or a dream that’s buried. The disciples didn’t see Sunday; we don’t always see ours. The awesome part is that Scripture whispers to us – God’s not idle. Some say Jesus descended to the dead, proclaiming victory (1 Peter 3:19). This was a cosmic move while the tomb stayed shut. Silent to us, loud in ways unseen.
 
The second gift is trust. The women faithfully sat, not knowing dawn would break. Bryce trusted my “It’s okay,” even feeling like he failed. Silent Saturday asks us to lean in when nothing’s clear in order to trust that God’s at work. The Pharisees thought guards sealed hope in; they didn’t know God was rewriting death itself. Our lost screws, our sealed tombs, aren’t the end!
 
Easter proves it. Sunday’s shout of “He is risen!” makes Saturday’s silence a setup, not a stop. That gate was able to hold – tiny screw or not. God’s promise holds too. So, in your Silent Saturday, whatever feels buried…know this: God’s moving, even now. Hold fast, like Mary at the tomb. Resurrection’s coming.

“VIA DOLOROSA”  (Way of Sorrow)

Via Dolorosa is believed to be the path that the Jews led Jesus as He carried his cross to his crucifixion.  This was the traditional route from Pilate’s Judgement Hall in the Antonia, to Calvary Hill (Golgotha).  If you were to visit Jerusalem today and travel Via Dolorosa, you would see the “Fourteen Stations of the Cross”, that marks significant events in Jesus’ journey to the cross.  

I had the opportunity and privilege to walk Via Dolorosa in 2006, I stopped at each of the 14 stations, and let me tell you, I was not carrying a cross on my back nor had I been beaten, yet it was agonizing, exhausting, grueling, laborious, breathtaking and heartbreaking journey that I have ever taken in my life.  This journey was approximately 1/3 of a mile, but it felt like a 100 miles.  I can’t imagine how Jesus was feeling as he took each step, carrying the weight of the cross and the weight of the world (humanity).  

As I think about what it took for Jesus to get from the Judgement Hall to Golgotha, it breaks my heart and causes me to want to be more grateful and thankful for all that He has done, doing and will continue to do for me.  It demonstrates a level of Love that overwhelms me, one that I can’t explain, but one that I receive and embrace daily.
 
Now let’s get to the 14 stations:

#1 – Jesus is condemned to death.  “Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium.” (John 18:28)

#2 – Jesus takes up the Cross.  “Pilate took Jesus and Scourged Him.” (John 19:1)  “Then he handed Him over to them to be crucified.” (John 19:16)

#3 – Jesus falls under the Cross for the first time.  “He who would console me and give me back my life is far from me.” (Lamentations 1:16)

#4 – Jesus meets His Mother.  “All you who pass, look and see: is any sorrow like the sorrow that afflicts me?” (Lamentations 1:12)

#5 – Simon the Cyrenian is forced to carry the Cross.  “They enlisted a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry His Cross.” (Mark 15:21)

#6 – Veronica wipes the sweat from Jesus’ face.  “May the Lord’s Face shine upon you.”  (Numbers 6:25)

#7 – Jesus falls for the second time.  “With their affliction, He was afflicted.  In His love and His pity He redeemed them.” (Isaiah 63:9)

#8 – Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem.  “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, weep rather over yourselves and your children.  For if green wood is treated thus, how will the dry wood be treated?”  (Luke 23:28)

#9 – Jesus falls for the third time.  “I have come to do your will. O God.” (Psalm 40:8)  Here, Jesus was in sight of the place of his crucifixion.

#10 – Jesus is stripped of His garments.  “From the sole of the foot to the head, are bruises and scores and bleeding wounds.” (Isaiah 1:6)

#11 – Jesus is nailed to the Cross.  “They have pierced My hands and My feet.  They have numbered all my bones.”  (Psalm 22)  “He came to the Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, “Golgatha”) where they crucified Him.” (John 19:17)    Today, the main Latin shrine marks the place where Jesus was nailed to the Cross within sight of His Mother.

#12 – Jesus dies on the Cross. “Jesus cried, Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani? That is, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?  Once more, uttering a loud cry, Jesus gave up His spirit” (Matthew 27:50)

#13 – Jesus is taken down from the Cross.  “Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council, and a disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took the body of Jesus down.” (Luke 23:51-53) The Mother of Jesus was there.

#14 – Jesus is laid in the Tomb. “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock.  Then he rolled a stone before the entrance of the tomb.” (Matthew 27:59).

Good Friday is a day of sorrow and joy, when I think about what Jesus went through it brings me much sorrow to revisit, but when I think about why He did what He did and knowing He was victorious over death, hell and the grave, my heart overflows with jubilation.  On Good Friday, April 19, 2019, I lost my brother; it was bitter sweet, his journey with cancer was more that I could bear, so as much as I hated to lose him, my heart was full of joy for him, knowing that his battle, pain and agony here on earth was over and to know that he was being escorted by the angels to be in the presence of his heavenly father (2 Cor. 5:8), what a wonderful day to go home, Good Friday.  
 
I pray that Good Friday touches your heart, soul and spirit as much as it does mine.  Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry His cross, now Jesus is available and willing to help you carry your cross, will you let Him?

On Maundy Thursday, we pause to remember Jesus’ final night with His disciples before the cross. The word “Maundy” comes from mandatum, Latin for “command,” echoing Jesus’ words in John 13:34: “Love one another as I have loved you.” That love took a surprising form when Jesus, the Lord and Teacher, knelt to wash His disciples’ feet—a job for the lowest servant. This humble act wasn’t just about clean feet; it was a picture of grace, showing us how to love through service.
 
Recently, my mom shared a story that brought this to life. My grandpa, recently in the hospital after breaking his hip, has spent his life serving others. A laborer his whole life, he fixed broken things—cars, appliances, anything you can think of. He loves to grill too, especially for friends and family. He always ready to help someone in hard times. Now, his age and injuries mean he’s the one being served. Mom told me how she took him outside for the first time in a while, letting him feel the grass under his feet. It was a small gift, a moment of freedom. When she brought him back inside, she gently washed his feet, cleaning away the dirt and grass. As she described it, I thought of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet—both acts were quiet, intimate, and full of love. Grandpa, who’s always been the helper, let himself be cared for, and that vulnerability felt sacred.
 
In the Bible, foot washing carries deep meaning. Beyond John 13, we see it in other moments. In Luke 7:38, a woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair, an extravagant act of devotion. In 1 Timothy 5:10, it’s listed as a mark of a faithful widow’s service. Back then, feet got dirty from dusty roads and open sandals. Washing them was practical but also symbolic—guests were welcomed, burdens eased. Abraham offered it to his visitors in Genesis 18:4, and Abigail served David’s men this way in 1 Samuel 25:41. These acts showed hospitality and honor, but Jesus took it further, tying it to forgiveness and humility. When He said, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8), He pointed to the deeper cleansing only He provides.
 
Foot washing humbles both the giver and receiver. It builds trust, fosters care, and even soothes physically—something Grandpa likely felt as Mom tended to him. Maundy Thursday challenges us: How can we “wash feet” today? Maybe it’s a literal act, or maybe it’s fixing something broken, feeding someone, or listening well. Jesus’ love shines in the small things. As we reflect today, let’s ask God to show us who we can serve, trusting Him to make our humble acts ripple with His love.

At first glance, Wednesday of Holy Week looks surprisingly bare when compared to the other action packed days of the last week of Jesus’ life. It contains only two events that are recorded in Scripture: a woman anointing Jesus with oil and Judas agreeing to betray Jesus.

In Matthew 26:6-13, we find Jesus having a meal in the home of Simon the Leper. During this meal a woman comes in, identified as Mary the sister of Lazarus, in the Gospel of John. She pours an expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus’ head as He reclines at the table. This bottle of perfume was worth over a year’s salary and was probably part of her dowry and meant for her future husband. That detail alone puts Mary’s sacrifice in a new light. She was not just giving Jesus an expensive gift, she was giving Him her future as well.

However, it is not just her gift that is noteworthy. Pay attention to what Jesus says when the disciples rebuke the woman for “wasting” such an expensive gift. He says, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:10-13, NIV)

While I have read this passage many times, it was not until I read a commentary on these verses, that I really, truly paid attention to Jesus’ response. I have always thought that Mary just happened to be moved to anoint Jesus right before His death. But reread what Jesus says: “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” Jesus’ words could lead to the conclusion that preparing Him for burial was exactly what she was trying to do. Mary had heard Jesus say that His death was close. She believed in faith that He meant what He said (even when the disciples did not and argued with Him about it) and then did what she could to serve Him and prepare Him for it. What a beautiful, fragrant example of pure faith.

And who failed to grasp this on any level? Judas. After seeing a shining example of faith and love for the Savior, he is not moved to greater devotion for Jesus. Instead, Judas is spurred to an entirely different type of action. He goes out and finds the Pharisees. He. Finds. Them. And what does he ask when he does? “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15a) Judas doesn’t even have a set price for betraying his Savior. Think about that. Jesus has been his master, friend, teacher, and proclaimed Messiah for over a year. Judas has traveled with Jesus. Heard His teaching. Seen His miracles. And yet, Judas sets no value on their relationship. He betrays Jesus for the equivalent of a day’s worth of work.

Mary gave a gift beyond measure. Judas betrayed a great gift for next to nothing. Mary gave Jesus her future. Judas showed that all he cared about was his own future. Mary’s gift reminds us of the greatest gift of all… the one that we are celebrating this Easter week. Jesus ultimately made the greatest sacrifice in being willing to give His life for ours. What are you willing to give Jesus in return? Will your gift reflect the heart of Mary? What value do you set on your relationship with Christ? “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1, NIV)

The time was reflecting the beginning of what is referred to as Holy Week.  The people were gathering in Jerusalem for the festivals and celebrations that they had been taught to observe throughout many generations.  Yet, for Jesus, perhaps He was counting the days...He was watching the time.  He arrived on a donkey...day 1, just five days until it would be time.  He had been at the Temple and seen the evil that was being done...day 2, just four days until it would be time.  Here we find ourselves, on Holy Tuesday...day 3, just three days until it would be time.
 
The time for the Passover celebration was approaching.  Some of the disciples that followed Jesus brought some men from far away to see Him.  As they met, Jesus chose this moment to predict His death...to predict that His time was coming.  In John 12: 23 (NLT), we can read that He announced that the time had come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory. Then, He proceeded to explain with a metaphor about a kernel of corn being planted in the soil and dying alone.  He continued by saying that as that kernel died, it would produce a plentiful harvest.  He knew that in time, when He died, there would be many souls to rise up and want to follow His ways.  In verse 27, we see that Jesus said that His soul was deeply troubled, and He even contemplated asking His Father in Heaven to save Him from this hour...from this time.  However, He knew by doing that, He wouldn’t bring glory to God.  During the middle of the struggle that He felt, He knew the time was coming where He would have to do the will of the Father.
 
Inwardly, Jesus knew the time was approaching.  In fact, there was just three days until it would be time.  He wanted those around Him to focus on the future, on the eternal things.  Yet, He still was aware that the time for judgment was also approaching, so Jesus prophesied in verse 32 that when His time came, He would be lifted up.  He will draw everyone to Himself.  This would happen in time...and that time, was coming soon.  When Jesus told the people these things, those around Him responded by saying that they thought the Messiah would live forever and questioned why He was speaking as if He were going to die.  They had been told about this time when a Messiah would come.   They had understood it differently.  They thought it meant a time for their Messiah to come to rescue them and fight for them, as if he were to be a strong, militant leader guiding them into victory.

Since Jesus knows all things and He knew this discussion of His time was causing many of His followers to worry and fret.  He spoke with such intentionality in verses 35 and 36 in order to bring comfort to all of them.
 
“My light will shine for you just a little longer.  Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you.  Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.  Put your trust in the light while there is time; then you will become children of the light.”
 
Jesus had just told them that He would draw them to Him when He was lifted up.  In fact, verse 26 says we MUST be where He is if we are following after Him. So, Jesus admonishes the people to walk with Him, to walk in the light, while they can.  Jesus is the Light.  By walking with Him, we can see where we are going.  We can know that He will illuminate our paths.  He also tells them to put their trust in the light and to do that before time ran out.

The strange thing about time is that for some it can pass by quickly, in the blink of an eye.  For others, time can drag on and on for what seems like an eternity.  Yet in eternity, there is infinite time, it is literally forever. Earlier in that same passage, Jesus had mentioned that if you gave up your life and serve Him, you will keep their life for all eternity.  We would be with Him for all time.  As I have had more time to elapse in my lifetime, it is clear to me what I need to do, and I suggest you choose to do the same. Make time to walk in the Light, to walk with the Light.  Make a choice to give your time to honor God in everything that you do, to serve Him every day.  Put your trust in the Light, while there is still time, without delay. By doing these things, we can be assured that we will be with Jesus for eternity...for all time. 

From a Distance... Everything Looks Fine

Mark 11: 12-19 (ESV)
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
 —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday we read and celebrated Palm Sunday. We read how Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the sound of shouts and praises. “Hosanna! Hosanna!” the crowds cried, laying down palm branches and cloaks as He passed. From a distance, it looked like the city had embraced its King. It looked like worship. It looked like love.

But Jesus knew better.

That evening, He left Jerusalem for Bethany. And the next morning, He would teach His disciples (and us) a powerful lesson.

He saw a fig tree in the distance—lush, leafy, full of promise. But as He got closer, He found no figs, only leaves. It wasn’t even the season for figs, and yet the tree had presented itself as something it wasn’t. Full of life on the outside, but fruitless within.

Jesus cursed the tree. He said “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”

Later that same day, Jesus walked back into Jerusalem and entered the Temple. Again, from afar, all looked well. The city buzzed with Passover energy. Pilgrims packed the courts. Sacrifices were being prepared. Religious activity was at a peak.

But again, Jesus found no fruit. Only corruption. Greed. Exploitation. A place that was meant to be a House of Prayer had become a den of robbers. And just like with the fig tree, Jesus acted. He turned over the tables. He drove out the sellers. He cleansed the Temple.

Jesus’ curse of the fig tree wasn’t about botany. It was a living parable. A mirror held up to Jerusalem—and to us. The fig tree, like the people of the city, looked the part. It promised life. It had the appearance of fruitfulness. But it was all show. No substance. No fruit.

The crowds that cried “Hosanna!” on Sunday would cry “Crucify Him!” by Friday.
The Temple that looked so alive was filled with greed.
The fig tree was full of leaves… but empty inside.

What about us?

From the outside, our lives might look vibrant. We go to church. We serve. We post verses. We smile. We say the right words. But when Jesus looks closer, does He find fruit? Or just leaves?

Have we allowed our hearts to become like the Temple—busy, loud, religious… but disconnected from God’s presence and purpose?

Does Jesus need to turn over the tables in our hearts?

Let this Holy Week be a time of honest reflection—not just celebration. Let’s not settle for the illusion of health. Let’s ask Jesus to come close, inspect our hearts, and do whatever cleansing is necessary—so that we may truly live.

A couple of questions to reflect on:
1)      What “leaves” in your life might be hiding a lack of spiritual fruit?
2)   Are there areas where Jesus may be calling you to repentance and cleansing?
3)      How can you move from appearance to authenticity in your walk with Him?

Lord, I don’t want to just look like I love You—I want a life that bears fruit for You. Search me. Cleanse me. If there are areas of my heart that have become a den of robbers, overturn the tables. Drive out what doesn’t belong. Fill me again with Your Spirit, that I may walk in truth and bear fruit that lasts. Amen.

DONKEY SUNDAY

Today’s known as PALM SUNDAY in the Christian world.  It’s the celebration of Jesus coming into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passion Week.  We often call this His, “Triumphal Entry”.  This day is noted for people gathering to celebrate Jesus.  The Bible says that they cut nearby palm branches and began to wave them in celebration!  It even says that they began to take off their outer cloaks and lay them down on the road in front of Jesus. (Stay tuned to today’s One Hope Sermon for more about this!) John 12:13 depicts their cries of praise: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!”
 
If you’ve been around One Hope for any time, you know that I have an interest in little donkeys.  There’s a farm I pass on the way home every day that has 3 little donkeys, and I look for them every time I go by.  Maybe my interest comes from this story in Scripture, because Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a DONKEY!

At first glance, this may seem weird.  For the Romans, a Triumphant leader would come into a city like this riding on a White Stallion … or maybe even an Elephant.  Jesus has all the marks of the pomp and fanfare of an entry like this, but for the Romans, it might have even seemed laughable when He rode in on a DONKEY!

Some have looked at this part of the story and said that Jesus riding on a DONKEY marked His humility.  I will agree that Jesus was humble.  However, Jesus purposely did this to reveal Himself to those who were watching as the Messiah!

In Matthew 21, we read that while Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, He sent two of His disciples to a nearby village in search of a donkey and its colt.  They were to untie the donkeys and bring them to Jesus.  He set this in motion. By doing this, He fulfilled a prophesy found in Zechariah 9:9 (NIV) “See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

This isn’t the only prophecy He fulfills from Zechariah.  Matthew says that Jesus enters the city from the Mount of Olives.  Zechariah 14:1, 4, 9 (NIV) “A day of the Lord is coming … On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem … The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”

None of this is by accident.  Jesus is declaring who He is and why He is here!  He is the Messiah!

Matthew 21:10 (NIV) says, “When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

It wasn’t just the people there with the palm branches that noticed what was going on … EVERYONE noticed.  The whole city was stirred.  And in the next verse they answer the question … “Who is this?”

Matthew 21:11 (NIV) “The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Wave a palm branch today if you want!  Celebrate Jesus … but don’t miss the significance of what He signaled riding in on a DONKEY!  He is the Messiah!  He is our Deliverer!  He is the ONE … sent from God Himself … and through Him we have life, hope, joy, peace, forgiveness and freedom!   It’s DONKEY SUNDAY!