Triumphal Entry

March 21, 2016 Monday Message:

“See, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” John 12:15b

Christians could use any of three titles for this past Sunday.

Some call it “Passion Sunday.” Passion is the word for what took place during the week leading up to Easter or Resurrection Sunday.

“Palm Sunday” is probably the most often-heard name, referring to the palm branches waved overhead and placed in the path of Jesus as he entered the streets of Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.

Others call this section of scripture, “Triumphal Entry,” and I like that title a lot.

Jesus’ ministry had been on the increase for three years, and this was the peak, the apex, of all that had been happening. Word about Jesus’ miracles preceded him. He could calm the storm, he could walk on water, and he could feed people as necessary, and not just a few. Feeding 3,000 and 5,000 men is documented in the Bible, but they might have had their wives with them, so is that number closer to 10,000? What if their children were there too? Does the number become 20,000? We don’t know the exact number, but my point is that this wasn’t 35 people or 65 people or even 100 people. At this point, thousands and thousands of people were enamored with the carpenter’s son from Nazareth.

But the crowning achievement in a lot of people’s eyes was when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Remember Lazarus had been ill, they sent for Jesus, but he didn’t come right away. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus was long dead, prepared for burial. But Jesus shouted at the tomb, “Lazarus, come out!” and out he came, wrapped in strips of burial cloth. Eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ power over death fueled the Triumphal Entry.

The people shouted, “Hosanna,” which means “save us, save us NOW!” Think about it - people would not ask someone to save them unless they had a reasonable expectation that that person COULD save them.

And that day, they knew that Jesus was not just King of the Jews – he was King of the World!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016, Pastor Pilla celebrates the resurrection.