Day 1: PALM SUNDAY
Suggested Reading:
Matthew 21:1-11
Mark 11:1-11
Luke 19:28-44
John 12:9-19
In true Jesus fashion, this sacred week is kicked off by Jesus telling his disciples to steal a donkey.
“The Lord has need of it.” That is what Jesus instructed the disciples to say when they would inevitably be questioned for taking a donkey for Jesus. That’s right. Jesus told His disciples they would find a donkey tied up and that they were to take it. Why? I can imagine the disciples not understanding in the slightest why Jesus asked them to do this and why Jesus needed a donkey that had never been ridden. What an unorthodox request!
Yet after three years of ministry alongside Jesus, the disciples knew that when Jesus gave instructions, even if it made no sense to them, they should obey. They gave Jesus their unequivocal yes. So they untied the donkey, responded as Jesus instructed, and Jesus rode that donkey into Jerusalem for what we call the “Triumphal Entry.”
What the disciples didn’t understand in the moment was that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. More than 500 years before the birth of Jesus, Zechariah prophesied about the coming Messiah. Zechariah 9:9, “Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.”
Jesus sees beyond the moment. He sees the bigger picture. Even when we might not understand what He’s doing, are we willing to give Him our unequivocal yes? He is always good and worthy of our trust. When He calls us to do something big or small, let’s respond with a resounding "yes." Then step back and watch what He does with our simple obedience.
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey, people began to lay their garments and palm branches on the road to honor Him. They shouted and sang praises to God as He passed by! In fact, their worship was so excessive that the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke them (Luke 19:39-40). His reply? “If they keep quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers.”
Nothing and no one can silence the praise that belongs to Jesus. If I don’t worship, the rocks will. And I am not going to let a rock out-worship me. Jesus is worthy. He is the King! And so I will shout, sing, dance, and respond with obedience. Oh yes, even our obedience is worship!
This week, let’s focus on giving God praise in every circumstance. Thank Him for what He has done for you. If we’re going to be excessive about something, let’s be excessive in our worship to God. He gave it all for us, holding nothing back. So let’s not hold anything back in our devotion to Him. Praise God in the Highest Heaven!
Matt & Jessica Stallbaum - EEC - https://eccc.us/holy-week/