We celebrate Palm Sunday today. Almost two millennia ago Jesus was proclaimed The CHRIST by the multitude as he rode through the Eastern Gate into Jerusalem. When they cried: “Hosanna to the SON OF DAVID,” they were stating they recognized Him as THE long-awaited MESSIAH. Starting with God’s first prophetic Word spoken in Genesis 3:15 and all the hundreds of Old Testament passages thereafter, a Messiah had been promised. Now, on that first Palm Sunday, a mass of people went before and after Jesus, rejoicing and shouting in the streets saying “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord…” (Matthew 21:9)
You may be thinking: “But how does this relate to us today? We can barely go in the streets. We are hunkered down in our homes as protection against this invisible enemy—the deadly corona-virus. All around the world has changed: people and sick and dying, fear in rampant, the economy is collapsing, friends are distant, life is no longer the same. About what can we be happy?
Psalms 24:3-6 reads: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Who shall stand in HIS holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek Him, that seek God’s face...”
Do you want a blessing? Run to God: “ascend into the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place.” (vs 3) You may wonder how this is possible, but it is. The answer of HOW is right in the next verse where God speaks through King David to tell us we can access His presence if we have clean hands, a pure heart, humility and honesty. But then we ponder: “So there you go, I’m left out. You just lifted me up to bring me down. Because I’ve done bad things; I’m not clean, pure, humble, honest? I don’t think those words describe me at all!” But thank God (literally) there is a solution. And it began that first Palm Sunday when Jesus was recognized for who He really is: God wrapped in human flesh. Our Messiah came to shed His blood to pay for the sins of the world. All we need do is see Him for WHO He is, just as a large crowd in Israel did that momentous day when they hailed Him Messiah. Jesus blood cleanses us from all sin and therefore though His work we are pure and righteous.
Most Bible scholars believe Jesus rode on a donkey from Bethphage through the Eastern Gate into the city of Jerusalem, where he was hailed as King. Notice Psalm 24:7: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” I think it’s appropriate to make the following personal analogy: Just as Jesus entered through the gate of Jerusalem, we each have a gate through which Jesus wants to enter--the gate of our heart. We need to open our personal gate to Him. Then, the “King of glory” will come in. Can you imagine how comforting to realize God Almighty is with us?
Psalm 24:8 elaborates on who this “King of glory” is: “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” Wow! We certainly need someone “mighty in battle.” We need the Lord to help in this time of extreme and overwhelming difficulties. Let’s do our part and “lift up our heads” and open the gate of our hearts to welcome the Lord of glory in.
Remember Jesus today who makes us clean and pure; Jesus who will come and dwell with us; Jesus who is mighty and able to fight and WIN all our battles. Let’s “ascend into the hill of the Lord…and stand in His presence where all fear, anxiety, loss, pain and even death is overshadowed and diminished because our God is mighty in battle and the Lord of glory and He will be with us if we but ask.
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