4/14/2025
On Palm Sunday Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey, as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9: "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" When Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem, the multitudes cried out, "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" These words, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD," are found in Psalm 118:26, and they will be repeated again by Jesus at the Lord's Supper, when He tells His disciples that He will not return and have a meal with them until He hears Israel say "Baruch haba B'shem Adonai" - "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." It is interesting to note that when the people were crying out "Hosanna, hosanna," they were crying out to the Lord in dire need of their deliverer. The words were "Hoshiana, Adonai!" that literally means "Save us, O Lord!"
After arriving into the city, Jesus goes into the temple, and He chases out the money changers (Matthew 21:13). In seeing Jesus doing this, his disciples remember that this has been prophesied in scripture, and it can be found in Psalm 69:9, "Zeal for Your house has consumed Me." If you follow the series, The Chosen, be sure to see The Last Supper, Season 5, as the scene with Jesus chasing the money changers away is quite revealing. The Pharisees and other religious leaders became incensed, because Jesus told them His Father's House was to be a House of Prayer, and they had made it a den of thieves. On Passover everyone makes the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to make atonement for their sins, so the animals were sold outside of the temple for their convenience. Of course the religious leaders were the ones who examined the animals to ensure that they were spotless lambs, without defect. Because people traveled there, they had to exchange the currency for the temple coins, and the prices were raised with additional fees, so it was hard for people to purchase an animal for sacrifice. This did not set well with Jesus, nor did it bode well for those setting the double standards. Ironic because Jesus was the only spotless Lamb, who could take away the sins of the world. Jesus, in His zeal for His House, messed up the plans of gaining lucrative income that would no doubt make it to the temple and into the hands of the Pharisees, as everything has a price. I have often wondered what God thinks of people selling their wares even in church lobbies after a special service or a bake sale for a good cause. I would think that if the church has a fellowship hall or another portion of the property where this business could be transacted, if it must after a worship service, that would be a more appropriate location. Just saying. But think about it. What God considers to be holy may be different from our compromises.
For Christians, Holy Week is a time of self-examination, as we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made to redeem us and keep us from an eternity in hell, which we all deserve, but not everyone believes so. Many times I have written about abiding in Christ, having a special place to shut oneself up to focus on Him. My devotional for today likened our doing so, creating a "sacred place" to fellowship with Jesus, to Jesus cleaning the temple. After all, our bodies are the temple of Holy Spirit, right?! Many times, like today, I have so many interruptions from my cell phone alone, that it becomes a noisome pestilence. I don't keep it near me, either, but the noise travels, even when turned down. So, I am turning it off - a lot!
Prior to Passover, the house must be swept clean of any leaven or chametz in Hebrew. This is in keeping with the tradition of the exodus, when the bread did not have time to rise, but for Christians, leaven can mean something different. Leaven is yeast, and the function of yeast in bread is to puff up or rise. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16:6 to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees meaning their hypocritical, prideful, self-indulgence. He also called them "whited sepulchers" or "whitewashed tombs" (Matthew 23:27). In order words, they looked good on the outside with all the religious trappings, but on the inside...well, imagine Lazurus' condition after four days before Jesus raised him from the dead. One thing is true, the religious leaders did not like Jesus. They were insulted by Him, but they were also jealous of Him, as they knew the people loved Him and believed Him to be who He is, the Messiah.
As I approach the days ahead, I want my heart cleansed before Jesus, and I want my dwelling place, the secret place where we meet, to be holy and set apart, because His Spirit dwells in me. David's Psalm 51 is one I try to say each day, recognizing that I sin in word, thought and deed every day. I am imperfect, but I have perfect Savior who loves me and wants to spend time with me. My prayer is that this week will be a time of cleansing and renewal for all who put their hope in Christ (Psalm 51:7-13):
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
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