March 28, 2021 (Sunday)
The Scriptures tell us about the activities of Jesus from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Sunday to his crucifixion and burial late Friday.*
On that first Palm Sunday, Jesus and his disciples were guests at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, in Bethany, not very far from Jerusalem. When they left Bethany, they made their way to Bethphage, where Jesus mounted a donkey. He rode the donkey into Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah.**
On the way, while still in the country, many people thronged his way and shouted His praises. They spread their cloaks on the road and some laid palm branches on his path. “Hosanna!” (“Save us”) they cried. The gospel writers point out that the King riding a donkey into the city was fulfillment of prophecy.**
The chief priests and teachers called to Jesus, “Tell them to stop saying such things!” [They were plotting to kill Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:55-12:11)] Jesus replied, “If they keep their peace, the stones will cry out!”
As Jesus caught a glimpse of the city, He began to weep aloud (Luke 19:41). Surrounded by happy people praising Him, his heart was broken by His knowledge that the Romans would utterly destroy the city because God’s own people rejected Him.
Jesus went into the Temple, looked around, healed the people who came to Him there (Matt 21:14), then, as evening drew near, He returned to Bethany. No doubt he thought that night about the bleating of sheep, noises of falling coins, hawking of wares and the odors of animals in God’s Temple. On Monday he would cleanse that holy place.
John 11:55-12:19; Matt 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44
** Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
New Life Christian Choir sings, “Rejoice, the Lord Is King,” by Charles Wesley: