Verse of the day: John 12:14-16, Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry at Jerusalem; a day when the people cheered his arrival, but for the wrong reason. Israel was expecting Jesus to arrive on scene and liberate them from Roman oppression. Just a few days later they would cry out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (John 19:6). What the people did not understand was that Jesus had come, not to liberate them from Roman oppression, but to free them from the bondage of sin. If they had recognized and accepted Him as their Messiah, even though under Roman oppression, they would have been truly free. His mode of travel was one that pointed to Him as Judge. He could have ridden through those gates on a horse, which was kept by great men and used for war, as noted by commentator Matthew Henry. Instead, Jesus chose to ride the colt of a donkey, which was usually the transportation used by the sons of a judge, as demonstrated in Judges 5:10 and Judges 12:14. Interestingly, Matthew 21:4-7 indicates that Jesus rode on both the donkey and the donkey’s colt. This is significant in that Jesus by doing this He was showing that He was riding in the place of both God the Father and God the Son. In John 10:30 Jesus Himself said, “I and My Father are one.” Unlike the people of Jerusalem, we have the advantage of being able to look back on this event and see Jesus for who He is. He is Lord, Savior, and Judge. As our Savior, He gives us eternal life. As Lord, we should be living our lives in obedience to His Word. As Judge, we will stand before Him to give an answer for the life we are choosing live either for Him or for our own selfish motives. The bottom line is that today, as we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry, let us also celebrate Him as Savior, Lord and Judge. It is easy to see from what is happening in the world right now that the day is drawing near for His return. He will return to fulfill the promise He made in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” He will first come to get His beloved bride, the Church! (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) However, let us also remember that this Humble Judge who came as the Lamb of God will also return as the Judge who is the Lion of Judah. His judgement will be fair, just, and fierce! Revelation 19:11 clearly tells us, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” I beseech those who may be reading this, who have not called upon Jesus yet, not to make the same mistake the people of Jerusalem made on that day. Do not wait until tomorrow, for we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Do not reject the invitation to receive Jesus by faith. In John 3:18-19 Jesus said, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Let today be the day of your salvation. Brothers and sisters, let us use this day to celebrate the triumph or our King by sharing Him with others in this lost, troubled, and dying world.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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