Mark 11:7-11 "And they brought the colt
to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. (8)
And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the
trees, and strawed them in the way. (9) And they that went before,
and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord: (10) Blessed be the kingdom of our father
David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
(11) And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and
when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come,
he went out unto Bethany with the twelve."
In a matter of a very few days, we can see just how fickle humanity can become. Jesus enters Jerusalem on the beginning of this final week of His earthly life. The people are gathered as they feel royalty is entering the city. They cry out with great accolades, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." But just in the matter of a few days, these same voices would cry, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" What made the difference?
To me, the key is found in verse 10, "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest." They thought Jesus was come to take the yoke of Rome off them and restore the Jewish kingdom back to the prominence it had once occupied. "Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve." Surely, He had come into the city to set His strategy. He would be back and then the kingdom of David would be restored. Right? - Wrong!
Jesus had not come to break the yoke of Caesar. He had come for a much higher, more nobler purpose than that. He had come to break the yoke of sin. He had come as Redeemer. It was the time for the Passover and the true Lamb of God had come to Jerusalem. He would be that perfect offering to take away the sin debt of His people. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem that week to sit upon the throne; rather, He had come to Jerusalem to die on the cross. His purpose for entering Jerusalem is found in the words spoken to Joseph, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
In those final days, Jesus began to fulfill the final prophecies surrounding His death. Not one thing was left undone and He could boldly say, "It is finished." Aren't you glad He finished the work of redemption? Aren't you thankful that He did not leave anything to be done in order to fulfill the work He came to do?
I love the song written by Bill Gaither, "It Is Finished".
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord
Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging
Not all prisoners of war had come home
These were battlefields of my own making
I didn't know that the war had been won
Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages
Had fought all the battles for me
And that victory was mine for the claiming
And now praise his name, I am free
Have you heard that indeed the King of the ages has fought and won that battle for you? I declare to you this morning, It is finished!
In a matter of a very few days, we can see just how fickle humanity can become. Jesus enters Jerusalem on the beginning of this final week of His earthly life. The people are gathered as they feel royalty is entering the city. They cry out with great accolades, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." But just in the matter of a few days, these same voices would cry, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" What made the difference?
To me, the key is found in verse 10, "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest." They thought Jesus was come to take the yoke of Rome off them and restore the Jewish kingdom back to the prominence it had once occupied. "Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve." Surely, He had come into the city to set His strategy. He would be back and then the kingdom of David would be restored. Right? - Wrong!
Jesus had not come to break the yoke of Caesar. He had come for a much higher, more nobler purpose than that. He had come to break the yoke of sin. He had come as Redeemer. It was the time for the Passover and the true Lamb of God had come to Jerusalem. He would be that perfect offering to take away the sin debt of His people. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem that week to sit upon the throne; rather, He had come to Jerusalem to die on the cross. His purpose for entering Jerusalem is found in the words spoken to Joseph, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
In those final days, Jesus began to fulfill the final prophecies surrounding His death. Not one thing was left undone and He could boldly say, "It is finished." Aren't you glad He finished the work of redemption? Aren't you thankful that He did not leave anything to be done in order to fulfill the work He came to do?
I love the song written by Bill Gaither, "It Is Finished".
It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord
Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging
Not all prisoners of war had come home
These were battlefields of my own making
I didn't know that the war had been won
Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages
Had fought all the battles for me
And that victory was mine for the claiming
And now praise his name, I am free
Have you heard that indeed the King of the ages has fought and won that battle for you? I declare to you this morning, It is finished!