Sunday, Jesus was about to enter the last week of His time on earth; He knew what awaited Him on Friday. Jesus entered His last week weeping for Jerusalem and the Jews…
“If you only knew…”
But they didn’t know.
Jesus
had compassion for them both as He knew what was to
come, not just for Him but more so for them, and not just now but in the future
– the suffering, the persecution, the desolation.
Jesus’ tears were for everything He had fought to give them
yet still they did not understand, but the time was approaching when He must
leave to go back to the Father, His mission soon completed…
“If you only knew…”
But they didn’t know.
They had expected a bloody coup but instead they got a
humble servant, for Jesus hadn’t come as a violent saviour but as a Messiah who
would provoke a quiet revolution in the understanding of authentic spirituality
Jesus was indeed a rebel in His approach, as everything He
had taught and displayed went against the grain, but they had wanted a rebel of
a different kind…
“If you only knew…”
But they didn’t know.
Sunday, that Sunday, the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, Jesus rode in on a donkey, not because he could not get a horse if
He wanted to but it was a deliberate mockery of the self-imposed celebrity and
fanfare of the hierarchy – those of Rome and those of the Temple.
Then, the adoring crowd waved and laid down palm branches to welcome Jesus as they proclaimed Him King. And just like that Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled:
“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.” – Zechariah
9:9
A joyous occasion and a time of great celebration, however,
soon thereafter, the same crowd would be choosing their kind of rebel, a
criminal, Barabbas, over Jesus (see John 18:39-40).
“If you only knew…Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they
don’t know what they’re doing.”
Jesus, incarnate, came in humility to fulfil the will of the
Father. The Israelites had been expecting a fierce warrior to wage a physical
onslaught upon their oppressors, but God fulfils His promises in unexpected
ways.
They could not fathom that the battle was a spiritual one. And, it still is, for we are told in Ephesians 6:12 (NIV),
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
If they only knew…
But now you know.
During our own times of struggle, we must invite Jesus to
the fight, rejoicing in the knowledge that He fights our battles for us (Exodus
14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30, 3:22; 1 Samuel 17:47; 2Chronicles 32:8).
On this Palm Sunday, as you enter the last week of Lent, keep in mind that Jesus has already won the battle and liberated us from sin through His death and resurrection. Acknowledge His finished work and welcome Him into your life with shouts of joy, praising Him as your King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Amen †
Shelley Johnson “Palm Sunday” © 2013 revisited April
12, 2025
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