It’s Sunday evening, and although I have been in touch with my congregations by way of two preached messages and a leadership meeting, I have not touched base with them today via my daily musings. Since today is Palm Sunday 2020, I think perhaps a simple reiteration of the evening message should suffice.
St. Matthew’s gospel provides us with a vivid description of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ initiating that fateful week with Calvary as His final earthly destination. In this scene are fulfilled the prophetical utterances of the Prophet Zechariah who spoke with eschatological overtones regarding this event in Zechariah 9:9 on this wise: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion. Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem. Look, your king will come to you. He is righteous and victorious. He is humble and riding on an ass, on a colt, the offspring of a donkey.” (Zech. 9:9 CEB). With Old Testament prophecy now being fulfilled, Jesus, the King of Kings, riding on humble beasts of burdens, receives praise and worship from His Jerusalem admirers. Matthew says, “Now a large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut palm branches off the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds in front of him and behind him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. “Who is this?” they asked. (Matt. 21:8–10 CEB). The primary point here is that they, the worshipers of Christ, raised such a stir that the rest of the citizenry of Jerusalem, most of whom did not have great familiarity with Jesus, were forced to give consideration as to who He just might be.
My prayer for each of us as a new week ensues, with the coronavirus still on the rampage, is that the Holy Spirit would make such a difference in our lives until an unbelieving world around us will ask the question put forth by the occupants of Jerusalem who observed the pageantry and ebullience of that Palm Sunday procession. Let’s allow God’s praise to show forth in every aspect of our daily living to such a degree that the unregenerate will want to know the identity of that Savior who lives within us.
Yours in His Service,
Bishop Lambert W. Gates, Sr.