Palm Sunday
Zechariah promises a king for Israel but it will not be in
battle that this king comes, not on a horse but on a donkey. This king will usher in a reign of peace and
it will be peace that this king speaks to the nations roundabout Israel. He is a king of righteousness and a king of
peace, the true king of Jerusalem.
Recall that Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which is to say the king
of peace. Her very name betokens peace
and this king will come and establish the kingdom to the ends of the earth, a
reign that will itself bring peace. We
have never known and will never know such a world-wide peace until Jesus
returns and establishes His kingdom by conquering all who are in rebellion
against Him, the battle is spiritual and the enemy is as well.
The time to establish the kingdom Zechariah prophesied could
have been 2000 years ago but God’s people rejected the Messiah He had sent, in
fact they rejected Him. Jesus weeps over
Jerusalem because He knows that their rejection of Him will mean that they have
rejected peace and the eternal kingdom, He weeps over the world, what trouble
and affliction this rejection will mean.
In rejecting Jesus we are rejecting everything He came to bring and
opting for more of the same from which we pray for deliverance. The creation, including us, is in subjection to
sin and the price is enormous for rejecting Him. The people were hanging on His words but the
leaders were plotting to kill Him. They
thought they were friends of God but they were actually His enemies.
Paul says to fight the good fight, to keep the commandment
unstained until the day of Jesus’ re-appearing when He will make God
known. He is the King of kings and Lord
of lords and the day of His coming in judgment will wipe every tear and will
bring an eternal reign of peace. When He
taught the disciples to pray they were to begin with hallowing or setting apart
the Name of Yahweh and to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done
on earth as it is in heaven and then move onto the cares and concerns of this
world. Do we desire His kingdom to come
beginning in our lives or are we more concerned about this life?
All glory, laud and
honor,
To Thee, Redeemer,
King,
To Whom the lips of
children
Made sweet hosannas
ring.
Thou art the King of
Israel,
Thou David’s royal
Son,
Who in the Lord’s Name
comest,
The King and Blessèd
One.
No comments:
Post a Comment