Palm Sunday – (The Triumphal Entry)
We trust that you will find these devotions helpful on your spiritual walk with Christ. Please meditate on the Scripture passages, understand the story in context, then reflect on how this story relates to your life today. May God bless you this Easter season.
SCRIPTURE: Read Luke 19:28-40
SUMMARY: Jesus instructs two disciples to go ahead and fetch a colt in a nearby village, assuring them they’ll find it tied and available. They do as they are instructed, and when the owners ask why they are untying the colt, the disciples explain that the Lord needs it. The owners allow them to take it. The disciples bring the colt to Jesus, who rides it into Jerusalem.
As Jesus approaches the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples begins to praise God joyfully for all the miracles they have seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some Pharisees in the crowd ask Jesus to rebuke his disciples for their exuberance, but Jesus responds that if they were silent, the stones themselves would cry out in praise.
This passage marks a significant moment in Jesus’ ministry, as he deliberately fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which foretold the coming of the Messiah riding on a colt, symbolizing peace and humility.
STORY: Jesus needs this colt, and two obedient disciples do what is asked of them (Luke 19:32).
SELF-EXAMINATION: Does Jesus ever ask of you something you consider unreasonable? Imagine the disciples. Go fetch a colt? Seriously? That seems pretty menial, can’t you send a servant or hire someone to do that? Besides, I’m not really an “animal” sort of guy.
What are some of the things that you know Jesus has asked of you? Think large or small.
- Is it regular attendance in worship?
- Is it getting involved in a small group?
- Is it inviting that coworker to church?
- Is it to begin to trust God with your finances?
- Is it to forsake a habit from which you need to be set free?
- Is Jesus asking you to learn a gospel presentation, and put it into practice?
- Is Jesus asking you to mend a broken relationship?
- Is Jesus asking you to forgive someone who has offended you?
- Does Jesus want you to love your spouse better?
While we all love John 3:16, perhaps we never really make it down to John 3:36, which says, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Obedience is a big deal with God. Putting our faith into practice is all about obedience. It’s living out what we say we believe.
Obedience is THE sign that we love Jesus (see John 14:15, 21, 23, 15:10). We all need to settle something today: we must understand that whatever Jesus asks us to do, it is never unreasonable. It may be scary. It may be confusing. It may be uncomfortable. We may not understand the why or the how, but here is the real question that we must ask ourselves, “Is Jesus worth it?” Is he worth my obedience? How can we NOT obey, especially after all he has done for us?
SOUL-SEARCHING: This week, the events of Holy Week remind us of the extent to which God will go to demonstrate his love for us (Romans 5:8). God’s love was not some warm, fuzzy feeling he has for us. Love is an action word; love is a verb more than a noun. Love must be demonstrated. It is shown through our behavior. Remember all that Christ went through to bring us salvation. While salvation is free, following Jesus is very costly. We invite him to be our Master, Boss, and Lord. It’s tough removing ourselves from the throne of our lives, but it is oh so worth it.
Have you done that? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? If you want to know more, please reach out to us [ kgbc.us/more ]