Sunday, March 24, 2013

What Do the Palms Say?


Hosanna courtesy Google search
 
Zechariah 9:9 reminds us of the prophesy;

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Today we celebrated Palm Sunday, and were reminded of the children waving palm branches, and the people placing cloaks in the pathway of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.

Pastor Jerry was reading from Luke 19: 28-40 about the triumphant entry of Jesus
The people assumed that Jesus was ready to restore the kingdom, and to rescue them from Roman rule.  Usually a king would enter on a charging white horse as if coming to war, but Jesus had chosen to humbly ride a young colt, the foal of a donkey.

The people were reminded that 400 years earlier, a wicked Syrian King had desecrated the temple by bringing a pig into the temple and setting up an alter to Zeus.  An Israelite priest and his sons formed a coalition to over throw the king.  It took time, but finally they were victorious and the people cheerfully waved palm branches and shouted Hosanna and praises to the Lord God as they cleansed and rededicated the temple.

On this day as Jesus rode seated on the donkey, the people shouted Hosanna, but their cries were short lived.  In a few days they would change their shouting to “Crucify Him.”

What do the palm branches say to us?  “We are tired of oppression and unfair treatment.”  They are a cry for help and deliverance.  “Save us now,” they say.

No, Jesus did not come to conquer Rome.  Jesus came to save the world.

If you are standing with a shouting crowd who are crying “crucify Him,” it might be time to separate yourself from those who are against Jesus.  

Are you tired of those who tell you to believe lies and want you to settle for their way of thinking that evil is good. 

So many of our leaders today have twisted thinking and are making laws that mock God.   Let us lift our Bible high and accept it for what it says.

If push comes to shove, are you willing to perhaps stand alone, and wave your palm branch while singing your own song of; “Victory in Jesus!”

This post is shared with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays

3 comments:

Floyd said...

Just wrote a post about this. Awesome and heart pulling. Victory in Jesus!!!!

Janis Cox said...

I love the cries of deliverance you associate with palm trees.
Following you from Spiritual Sundays.
Blessings,
Janis www.janiscox.com

TC Avey said...

Our church did a play this past Sunday on this. It was moving. Our God gave us His ALL.
It's easy to say I want to give Him my all, but it's harder to live that out. But thank God for His mercy.

Happy Easter!