Brown's Daily Word 3-29-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Monday of HOLY WEEK. I trust you all had a blessed Palm Sunday in worship and fellowship. The Lord blessed with a wonderful weekend . We gathered for our annual Easter banquet, followed by the presentation of Simon Peter, by Dr. James Geer, PhD. The Lord visited us during the banquet and during the presentation of Simon Peter. The Choir presented our Annual Easter Cantata Journey to the Cross yesterday during Palm Sunday celebration and worship.
As we read the account of the Palm Sunday parade into Jerusalem, we can see that it was a grand event. As with any grand parade there was a large crowd, lots of wide-eyed children straining for a view, laughter, music, and color. Unique to the era, there was also the waving of palm branches, like banners, and Jesus, the center of attention, came riding into town on a borrowed colt. How exciting it would have been to be a part of that crowd, to walk down that winding road from the Mount of Olives, past the Garden of Gethsemane, across the Kidron Valley and up through the great Eastern Gate. It was a parade you would never forget!
Why did Jesus choose to ride a donkey in this parade? One reason was to fulfill prophecy about the Messiah. Both Matthew and John, when describing the scene of the Triumphal Entry, quote from 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."
This passage tells us some things about Jesus and why it was important to have this parade or procession. Notice it says, "See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation." This parade was announcing plainly to the world that Jesus was the Messiah. It would have been impossible for Jesus to stop and speak above the noise of an excited crowd like the one that followed him that day. So Jesus did something that everyone could see. He came riding into town on a donkey’s colt in a dramatic fulfillment of the words of the prophet Zechariah. Jesus came to the City of King David, to declare that He was a King. In common culture of the time it was known that in times of war the conqueror would ride upon a prancing stallion, but in times of peace the king would ride a colt/donkey to symbolize that peace prevailed. Zechariah said that the king would be "gentle and riding upon a donkey." Jesus deliberately fulfilled that prophecy to call attention to the fact that He had come not as a war maker, but to bring peace. Palm branches were waved as people shouted, "Hosanna!", and Jesus was the center of attention as he rode through the streets. They gave him a hero’s welcome and held an impromptu parade in his honor.
Scripture teaches us that Jesus often reacted emotionally to things that he saw. He was moved when He saw the poor, the hungry, or the ill, or when he saw people sinning. The Bible tells us repeatedly that, "He had compassion on them." However, it only tells of two times when Jesus actually cried. The first was at the grave of Lazarus, as it was recorded in John 11:35 that, "Jesus wept." Though we identify this as the shortest verse in the Bible, we know that He compassionately wept with Mary and Martha, identifying with their sorrow. The second occasion was recorded in Luke 19:4, "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it…" JESUS WEPT FOR THE CITY. Luke 19:41-44, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming/visitation to you."
John said in John 1:11, "He came unto His own, but His own received Him not."
The Prince of Peace was in town! The Messiah was riding through the streets of Jerusalem. The Redeemer, the Savior of the world was touchable by human hand. The Son of God could literally give you His autograph, and yet they missed Him!
Like so many people in our cities today, they were living for the here and now while Jesus was impacting eternity. That is why he wept for them saying, "If you only knew! Things could have been so different. You are headed for destruction and I’m trying to save you. God sent me to you but you did not recognize the day of my visitation."
Even now, He looks across the world and weeps for Jerusalem, Beijing, Paris, and Mexico City. He looks across America and weeps for San Francisco, L.A., New York City, Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. He sees lives that are torn apart and hearts that are empty. He sees the political arrogance, economic disaster, pride, lust for power, political anarchy, rejection of Christ, and the indifference to Him in high places. He sees it and he weeps. He is even more a King today than He was on that day, seated even now at the right hand of the Throne of God, but still He weeps. Our cities have been devastated. "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment of our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed."
He still weeps for you today if you do not know Him. He scans the crowd, with the cross now behind Him, offering complete forgiveness to all who will come to Him. "He came unto His own, but His own received Him not, but as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to those that believed on His name." - John 1:11-12.
THOUGH WE WERE NOT ABLE TO THERE ON THE FIRST PALM SUNDAY 2,000 YEARS AGO/ WE HAD NO CHOCIE.... BUT WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO BE IN A LARGE MULTITUDE AROUND JESUS WAVING PALM BRANCHES... THERE IS AN EVEN GREATER PALM SUNDAY YET TO COME. Revelation 7:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."
All Hail the Power Jesus's Name.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE2jZV43dl0

As you prepare for Holy Week, please read the following passages:

Palm Sunday: Mark 11:1-11 "Entry into Jerusalem and return to Bethany"
Monday: Mark 11:12-19 "Cursing of the fig tree and cleansing of the temple"
Tuesday: Mark 11:20-13:37
Wednesday: Mark 14:1-11 "Anointing in Bethany and Judas' betrayal"
Thursday: Mark 14:12-72 "Preparation for the Passover, Last Supper, Gethsemane, arrest, trial before Sanhedrin
Friday: Mark 15:1-47 "Trial before Pilate, condemnation, crucifixion, burial"
Saturday: Mark 15:42-47 "Jesus in the tomb"
Easter Sunday: Mark 16:1-8 "Resurrection"