Title Day of Triumph/Matthew 21:1-11
Contents Today is the day to commemorate the last entry of the Lord into the city of Jerusalem to be crucified. This day is called Palm Sunday because the people of Jerusalem at that time welcomed Jesus with palm branches in their hands. And one week from this day is called Passion Sunday and is a week to meditate on the sufferings of the Lord. In our church, we spend the coming week as Holy Week, and every morning we have time to meditate on the Lord's sufferings and pray through a special early morning prayer meeting during Holy Week. Let's take a look at what that means.
On Palm Sunday, our Lord rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Until then, he had been walking, but when he reached Jerusalem, he did not want to leave. He sent two disciples to go to the village opposite and to untie a colt. Then he rode in on the colt that the disciples had brought.
So why did Jesus do that?
First, if you look at verse 4 here, you can see that it was to fulfill the words spoken by the prophet. What prophet are you talking about? These are the words of Zechariah 9:9. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king comes to you, just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, the foal of a donkey, the foal of a donkey."
This was to show that Jesus is the King who came in fulfillment of this prophet's prophecy. At that time, when kings visited, they always rode animals. It's like a sedan when the president or state guests come these days. Jesus also tried to show that He was their King by riding on an animal.
Therefore, before Passion Sunday, we must first of all know that the one who came to this earth and died for us is our King. We need to know that the King suffered and died for us. We must worship this King, Lord. And you have to look back on what Jesus, the king, went through during the week. The Lord, the King, entered today on a donkey. And on Monday, the day Jesus showed his authority as king in the temple, on Tuesday he argued with those who wanted to confront this kingship. Wednesday was the day a conspiracy was made against this King Jesus, and Thursday was the day the King Jesus prepared to die for us. Friday is the day the King suffered for us, and Saturday is the day the King was buried. And next Sunday is the day the King, Jesus, rose again for us.
So, what should we do to the Lord, the King?
Let's think about how we should serve the Lord while looking at the attitude of people at that time toward Jesus, who entered Jerusalem as king.
First, consider the owner of the donkey in today's Word.
The owner of the donkey really thought of Jesus as his king. When Jesus asked for a donkey, he gave it to him unconditionally. It was because Jesus said that he was Lord, and he did it in recognition of Jesus' sovereignty.
Today, if we know that Jesus is the King, we must acknowledge the sovereignty of Jesus in every way. I need to know that everything I have belongs to the Lord. My life, my time, my health, my wealth, my talents... All of these things belong to the Lord. And if Jesus, the king, wants to use all of them, he must be a person who can give it up at any time, like the owner of the donkey. That is the attitude of those who know the meaning of this Palm Sunday. When we think about the sufferings of Jesus with this attitude, it is very meaningful.
In particular, those who were baptized and entered the church today, and those who were taught to be baptized in the future, the fact that you were baptized and entered the school today and wrote a letter of study is a vow that you will spend your whole life according to the will of the Lord. I hope that you will use your life beautifully for the Lord as you promised.
Among the hymns we sing well, there are such hymns. Chapter 348.
Verse 1) I give my life, Lord, accept it so that I may praise you while I live
Verse 2) I offer my hands and feet, Lord, accept me, and be agile for your work.
Verse 3) I give you my voice, Lord, please accept it so that only your words of truth may be preached.
Verse 4) I give you my treasure, Lord, accept it and use it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven as You will.
Verse 5) I give you my time, Lord, accept it, so that I may serve you throughout my life
This hymn is sung by the saints who have realized that Jesus is the King. Today, we too, realize that Jesus is the Lord of our life, our hands and feet, our voice, our treasure, and time, and I pray in the name of the Lord that you and I will live this Palm Sunday and Holy Week as this choir.
Second, think of your disciples.
When Jesus told him to go to the village across from him and untie the colt that was tied up, he obeyed. And when Jesus was about to ride the donkey, they took off their cloaks and laid them on it. Obedience and service. It is natural for a subject to obey and serve the king. Likewise, today, if we confess Jesus as our King, we must do this kind of obedience and service. The devotion to obey Jesus' words unconditionally and to give up any amount of self for Jesus' sake is the right life of those who know Jesus as the King.
Are we the ones who followed the Lord like the disciples? Did you follow Jesus, but did you really think of Him as your King? When Jesus' words fell, did you obey them unconditionally? Did you dedicate yourself and serve Jesus like the disciples took off their clothes? What happens when we obey and dedicate ourselves to the Lord? There will be hardships because of Jesus. But that's not all. Think of the disciples who obeyed and devoted themselves to the Lord at that time. When they saw Jesus as their king, they too were welcomed and glorified together.
I read someone wrote something like that. It's about the donkey on which Jesus rode. Although this donkey is a beast, it is a beast devoted entirely to Jesus. Among the beasts of this world, is there any beast as glorified as that donkey? It was difficult for a young donkey to ride Jesus, but when he welcomed Jesus, the donkey was welcomed with him. When the disciples also brought Jesus into Jerusalem, everyone welcomed them and was glorified. In this way, if we obey Jesus and dedicate ourselves to Him, there are times when we suffer with Him, but there are times when we also enjoy glory with Him.
Let's look at Romans 8:17, 18. "...We must also suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us."
That's right! Dear brothers and sisters, it is difficult and difficult for us to live a life of obedience and devotion for the Lord. But when we stand before God in the future, the glory that comes from that is indescribable. With this in mind, we do not need to feel sorry for giving ourselves to the Lord. If we really know Jesus as the King, then we, the king's servants, should obey Him and become people who can devote ourselves to Him by giving our all for Him.
Third, the attitude of the crowd.
They spread their cloaks on the road, cut branches and spread them on the road, and they went from front and followed behind, and cried out, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest." We praised and welcomed Jesus as King. Although it is true that they praised and welcomed Jesus with the wrong motive and purpose, and sang these hymns to make them their carnal king and to save them from the oppression of Rome, they saw Jesus as king and sang this song. They sang the proper example and hymn.
Jesus was not the King who came to liberate Israel from the world, but He was the one who wanted to set us free from sin and give us salvation and eternal life by dying on the cross through the sacrifice of His body for all mankind on this earth. Knowing this, as kings today, we must worship more than these. And we must truly praise the Lord for his kingship. That is our right attitude to know that the Lord is King. Are we offering true worship and praise to the Lord who has come as King? Palm Sunday is a day to worship and sing praises to God.
The Holy Week begins today, starting with Palm Sunday. Our Lord, who came as a king, was treated as a king for a short time, and after that, he suffered and was finally crucified and died. This week is the week of drawing closer to the Lord while thinking about it.
Through this Palm Sunday, we who confessed that we are the Lord's kings and vowed to obey and devote ourselves to the Lord, and we who worshiped and praised the Lord in this way, we hope that we will be able to ponder the footsteps of our Lord's suffering during this Holy Week. wish. So, I hope that you, the King of kings, will once again remember the wonderful love that He suffered and died on the cross for me. Let us give all our sovereignty to the King, Jesus. Let's acknowledge that the Lord is our King, give our things, obey whatever Jesus says, and make a commitment to dedicate our body and mind to Him. And let's praise and worship Jesus, who came to this earth for us and gave us salvation.
Therefore, no matter how difficult and difficult this week is, let's all come to the special early morning prayer meeting during the Holy Week every morning and follow in the footsteps of the Lord. Also, please come to the Holy Day meeting this Friday to meditate on the sufferings of the Lord, sing praises, and participate in the Holy Communion. If you want to spend a week reverently, I hope this will be an opportunity to participate in the sufferings of the Lord by fasting at least one meal a day and fasting at least once a week. So, as we celebrate Easter Sunday next week, I hope that the grace of the Lord will overflow among us. On Palm Sunday, I pray in the name of the Lord that the grace of our Lord our King may abound among us.