Seek TRUTH - Choose LIFE
THE GOSPEL
Palm Sunday
As we enter the events of the holy week, the last week of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry we can see the power of God’s love and His prophetic Word. We read what God has revealed to the prophet Zacharias 500 years earlier:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”- (Zechariah 9:9)
Jesus entered Jerusalem on the tenth day of the first month. He instructed His disciples to get a donkey (Matthew 21:2-3) so He could enter Jerusalem gates on it.This was a very significant date because it was just before the celebration of Passover; an ancient holiday that God ordained for the Israelites to follow (Exodus 12:11) 1479 years earlier. Year after year and generation after generation they practiced this commandment. This was a remembrance of their deliverance from the land of slavery when they were physical slaves in Egypt. This was also a foreshadowing event of the day when they would be freed from their spiritual bondage of sin (Isaiah 9:6-7)
The Israelites would select a Passover lamb from the fields of Bethlehem and lead it through the eastern gate. This gate would lead to the temple whose entrance doors also faced the eastern gate. When they were all expecting the lamb from the field Jesus descended from the Mount of Olives and entered with the disciples.
Even though He entered Jerusalem years before and taught the people - this was a unique event. On this day Jesus entered Jerusalem as the promised Messiah - the Christ as was prophesied by many prophets thousands of years ago. People would await for the Passover lamb from the fields at the gates of Jerusalem, year after year to be led to the temple for the Passover sacrifice. This time - Jesus Christ enters earlier as that Passover Lamb of God.
As He entered, the people rejoiced and welcomed Him with praise as King of Israel and for all the things that He has done (Luke 19:37). Over the course of 3.5 years He: healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the multitudes and taught: wisdom, truth, life and love. But not everyone rejoiced.
The pharisees standing were concerned that He entered as the Passover Lamb and they pleaded with Him to silence the crowd. Jesus answered them: “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40). This can be interpreted that the stones themselves would announce His entrance into Jerusalem as King of Israel or that people would stone Him to death for taking the place of the Passover lamb as He did.
Jesus cleanses the Temple
Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (Luke 19:45-48)
After Jesus entered Jerusalem He entered the temple and saw that it was made into a market place. This was a time approaching the great Passover celebration and people came over from all over Israel bring their sacrifices. Instead of bringing their animals with them they bought them at the temple for convenience. Those who were changing the money from other currencies would charge a fee for the service. Jesus seeing this was outraged by the sight and making a whip drove out the merchants with their stuff and tipped over the tables of money changers (Matthew 21:12-13) saying “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mark 11:17).
The scribes and chief priests who were rebuked for allowing such temple disorder were outraged by this and sought to destroy Jesus. (Mark 11:18, Luke 19:47). He spoke with authority (Matthew 7:29, Mark 1:22) and everyone listened to Him.
Jesus then healed many that were lame and blind in the temple and the Children praised Him (Matthew 21:14-15).
When the Jewish authorities questioned His authority he said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day His disciples remembered that Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body and believed in Him.
The plot to kill Jesus
Most people who celebrated Jesus' entrance did so in hope that He would free them from physical earthly bondage of Roman oppression. That He would re-establish the kingdom of Israel as they wanted yet neglected to understand the His message pertaining to God's kingdom from within that would free us from our bondage to sin. Most pharisees and scribes seeing the public behavior were certain that a nationwide uprising against the Roman Empire could result in the destruction of the nation and it's people. (John 11:48). And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, "Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not"......Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. (John 11:49-50, 53)
Jealousy was another major reason that pharisees and scribes wanted to get rid of Jesus. He taught the crowds not simply as a teacher but as the Son of God. His the crowd who were filled with jealousy These were the religious leaders who lost the public respect for them because Jesus could do much more than just teach the multitudes. He had done many miracles that the pharisees could not explain or deny. He gained much popularity and respect without having been taught by the religious leaders of that day. Jesus did not need to be taught the wisdom that He gave to the prophets, because He was the God who gave it to them.
-Others were offended that He, being only a man - claimed to be a Son of God making Himself equal with God. (John 5:18)-At this time, Judas Iscariot - being one of the 12 disciples went to the pharisees to make a deal to betray Jesus into their hands. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
Later that day Jesus left the city (Mark 11:19).
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” (Matthew 23:37-39, Luke 13:34-35)
As Jesus descended the Mount of olives He foresaw the coming destruction to happen in AD 70.
"For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:43)
-When Jesus was led to be crucified He repeated warning (Luke 23:28-31).
Even though the religious leaders were very well educated in the scriptures they did not fully understand the prophetic word and did not recognize Him as the Messiah (Luke 19:44) even to this day. But He did NOT come to save them from physical bondage to establish a kingdom as they expected. Jesus was born to save them by sacrificing Himself (Isaiah 53) as the Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Five days after His entrance the same crowd would demand His execution by crucifixion.
Jesus is knocking at the door of every heart. (Revelation 3:20) Has Jesus Christ entered your heart as the king and savior? If we welcome Him as our personal Savior and King He will enter and cleanse our heart from our sins and give us peace and hope for everlasting life (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6 ) and everyone who enters through Him will have an everlasting life (John 10:9).
Golden Gate - Eastern Gate
Closed by the Muslims in 810 AD, reopened in 1102AD by the crusaders, sealed by the Muslims - Saladin in 1187 to prevent a false messiah from entering Jerusalem.
"And the LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore it will remain shut.Only the prince himself may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He must enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.”"
(Ezekiel 44:2-3)