Category: Get Inspired

The triumphal Entry is that of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday – the Sunday before the crucifixion (John 12:1, 12).

The story of the Triumphal Entry is one of the few incidents in the life of Jesus which appears in all four Gospel accounts (Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19).

Putting the four accounts together, it becomes clear that the Triumphal Entry was a significant event, not only to the people of Jesus’ day, but to Christians throughout history.

We celebrate Palm Sunday to remember that momentous occasion.

On that day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey’s colt, one that had never been ridden before. The disciples spread their cloaks on the donkey for Jesus to sit on, and the multitudes came out to welcome Him, laying before Him their cloaks and the branches of palm trees. The people hailed and praised Him as the “King who comes in the Name of the Lord” as He rode to the Temple, where He taught the people, healed them, and drove out the money-changers and merchants who had made His Father’s house a “den of robbers” (Mark 11:17).

Jesus’ purpose in riding into Jerusalem was to make public His claim to be their Messiah and King of Israel in fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy. Matthew says that the King coming on the foal of a donkey was an exact fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Jesus rode into His capital city as a conquering King and is hailed by the people as such, in the manner of the day. The streets of Jerusalem, the royal city, are open to Him, and like a king He ascends to His Palace, not a temporal Palace but the Spiritual Palace that is the Temple, because His is a Spiritual Kingdom. He receives the Worship and Praise of the people because only He deserves it.

No longer does He tell His disciples to be quiet about Him (Matthew 12:16, 16:20) but to shout His Praises and Worship Him openly.

The spreading of cloaks was an act of homage for Royalty (see 2 Kings 9:13).

Jesus was openly declaring to the people that He was their King and the Messiah they had been waiting for. 

Unfortunately, the Praise the people lavished on Jesus was not because they recognized Him as their Savior from sin. They welcomed Him out of their desire for a Messianic Deliverer, someone who would lead them in a revolt against Rome. There were many who, though they did not believe in Christ as Savior, nevertheless hoped that perhaps He would be to them a great Temporal Deliverer.

These are the ones who hailed Him as King with their many hosannas, recognizing Him as the Son of David who came in the Name of the Lord. But when He failed in their expectations, when He refused to lead them in a massive revolt against the Roman occupiers, the crowds quickly turned on Him. Within just a few days, their hosannas would change to cries of “Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:20-21).

Those who hailed Him as a hero would soon reject and abandon Him. 

The story of the Triumphal Entry is one of contrasts, and those contrasts contain applications to believers.

It is the story of the King who came as a lowly servant on a donkey, not a prancing steed, not in royal robes, but on the clothes of the poor and humble.

Jesus Christ comes not to conquer by force as earthly kings but by Love, Grace, Mercy, and His own sacrifice for His people.

His is not a kingdom of armies and splendor but of lowliness and servanthood.

He conquered not Nations but hearts and minds.

His message is one of Peace with God, not of temporal peace.

If Jesus has made a Triumphal Entry into our hearts, He reigns there in Peace and Love. As His followers, we exhibit those same qualities, and the world sees the true King living and reigning in triumph in us.

Moses Durodola

CONVENER, DMC

This is a Significant Sunday in the history of Christendom as it is the Sunday Jesus Christ Triumphantly rode on an horse into the City of Jerusalem.

By nature of the events that herald this Triumphant Entry, it is normally referred to as PALM SUNDAY.

What then is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate the Triumphant Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1–11).

As Jesus Christ entered the Holy city, He neared the culmination of a long journey toward Golgotha. He had come to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and now was the time—this was the place—to secure that salvation.

Palm Sunday marked the start of what is often called “Passion Week,” the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Palm Sunday was the “beginning of the end” of Jesus’ work on earth.

Palm Sunday began with Jesus Christ and His disciples traveling over the Mount of Olives. The Lord sent two disciples ahead into the village of Bethphage to find an animal to ride. They found the unbroken colt of a donkey, just as Jesus Christ had said they would (Luke 19:29–30). When they untied the colt, the owners began to question them. The disciples responded with the answer Jesus Christ had provided: “The Lord needs it” (Luke 19:31–34). Amazingly, the owners were satisfied with that answer and let the disciples go. “They brought the donkey to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus Christ on it” (Luke 19:35).

As Jesus Christ ascended towards Jerusalem, a large multitude gathered around Him. This crowd understood that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. However, what they did not understood was that it wasn’t time to set up the kingdom yet – although Jesus Christ had tried to tell them so (Luke 19:11–12). The crowd’s actions along the road give rise to the name “Palm Sunday”: “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:8). In strewing their cloaks on the road, the people were giving Jesus the royal treatment—King Jehu was given similar honor at his coronation (2 Kings 9:13). John records the detail that the branches they cut were from palm trees (John 12:13).

On that first Palm Sunday, the people also honoured Jesus Christ verbally: “The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’; ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’. ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Matthew 21:9).

In their praise of Jesus Christ, the Jewish crowds were quoting Psalm 118:25–26, an acknowledged prophecy of the Christ. The allusion to a Messianic psalm drew resentment from the religious leaders present: “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus Christ, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ (Luke 19:39). However, Jesus saw no need to rebuke those who told the truth. He replied, “I tell you . . . if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40).

Some 450 to 500 years prior to Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, the prophet Zechariah had prophesied the event we now call Palm Sunday: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you,  righteous and victorious,  lowly and riding on a donkey,  on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

The prophecy was fulfilled in every particular, and it was indeed a time of rejoicing, as Jerusalem welcomed their King. Unfortunately, the celebration was not to last. The crowds looked for a Messiah who would rescue them politically and free them Nationally, but Jesus Christ had come to save them Spiritually. First things first, and mankind’s primary need is Spiritual, not Political, Cultural, or National Salvation.

Even as the coatless multitudes waved the palm branches and shouted for joy, they missed the true reason for Jesus’ presence. They could neither see nor understand the cross. That’s why, “as Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies . . . will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:41–47).

It is a tragic thing to see the Saviour but not recognize Him for who He is by the crowd.

Think over this as we rejoice in His Triumphant Entry once again!

HAPPY PALM SUNDAY FRIENDS!!!

Moses Durodola

CONVENER, DMC

The origins of Easter are obscure. It is often assumed that the name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. According to the theory, Eastre was the “goddess of the east (from where the sun rises),” her symbol was the hare (a symbol of fertility), and a festival called Eastre was held during the spring equinox by the Saxons to honor her. This theory on the origin of Easter is highly problematic, however.

The major problem with associating the origin of Easter with the pagan goddess Eastre/Eostre is that we have no hard evidence that such a goddess was ever worshiped by anyone, anywhere. The only mention of Eastre comes from a passing reference in the writings of the Venerable Bede, an eighth-century monk and historian. Bede wrote, “Eosturmononath has a name which is now translated as ‘Paschal month,’ and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate the Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance” (De Temporum Ratione). And that’s it. Eostre is not mentioned in any other ancient writing; we have found no shrines, no altars, nothing to document the worship of Eastre. It is possible that Bede simply extrapolated the name of the goddess from the name of the month.

In the nineteenth century, the German folklorist Jakob Grimm researched the origins of the German name for Easter, Ostern, which in Old High German was Ostarâ. Both words are related to the German word for “east,” ost. Grimm, while admitting that he could find no solid link between Easter and pagan celebrations, made the assumption that Ostara was probably the name of a German goddess. Like Eastre, the goddess Ostara was based entirely on supposition and conjecture; before Grimm’s Deustche Mythologie (1835), there was no mention of the goddess in any writings.

So, while the word Easter most likely comes from an old word for “east” or the name of a springtime month, we don’t have much evidence that suggests anything more. Assertions that Easter is pagan or that Christians have appropriated a goddess-holiday are untenable. Today, however, it seems that Easter might as well have pagan origins, since it has been almost completely commercialized—the world’s focus is on Easter eggs, Easter candy, and the Easter bunny.

Christians celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Christ on the third day after His crucifixion. It is the oldest Christian holiday and the most important day of the church year because of the significance of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the events upon which Christianity is based (1 Corinthians 15:14). In some Christian traditions, Easter Sunday is preceded by the season of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and repentance culminating in Holy Week and followed by a 50-day Easter season that stretches from Easter to Pentecost.

Because of the commercialization and possible pagan origins of Easter, many churches prefer to call it “Resurrection Sunday.” The rationale is that, the more we focus on Christ and His work on our behalf, the better. Paul says that without the resurrection of Christ our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17). What more wonderful reason could we have to celebrate! Whether we call it “Easter” or “Resurrection Sunday,” what is important is the reason for our celebration, which is that Christ is alive, making it possible for us to have eternal life (Romans 6:4)!

Should we celebrate Easter or allow our children to go on Easter egg hunts? This is a question both parents and church leaders struggle with. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of conscience (Romans 14:5). There is nothing essentially evil about painting and hiding eggs and having children search for them. What is important is our focus. If our focus is on Christ, our children can be taught to understand that the eggs are just a fun game. Children should know the true meaning of the day, and parents and the church have a responsibility to teach the true meaning.

In the end, participation in Easter egg hunts and other secular traditions must be left up to the discretion of parents.