Triumphal Entry of the King

April 3, 2022 Background Scripture: Matthew 20:25 - 28; 21: 1 -11 Lesson Passage: Matthew 21:1-11 Jewish Leaders had sought for three years for Jesus to affirm his identity. That affirmation finally occurred in today's text. For three years, Jesus had purposely avoided such a public display of himself and his mission. On occasions when the masses tried to embrace him and declare him to be their earthly king, Jesus quietly slipped away. Jesus seemed content to remain rather lowkey and spend his time ministering to the overlooked, or outcast, members of society. He was criticized by the religious leaders for readily fellowshipping with those who were often despised by the Jews—such as tax collectors. But, in today's lesson, Jesus orchestrated a public presentation of himself as the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. He rode into Jerusalem in the style of a king. The people cheered and place articles of clothing and palm branches along the path. He was hailed as Israel's king and a descendant of King David. In a parallel account, the Pharisees called out from the crowd and asked Jesus to rebuke his followers for what they were saying. Jesus declined to do so and thus endorsed what was being said by the crowd. After three years of undeniable evidence that clearly identified Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus publicly displayed his identity and mission. He knew that this too had to come to pass. This public presentation of Jesus would lead to his rejection by Israel. That is good news for every nation of people in the world. Salvation was made available to the world after Jesus was rejected by the nation of Israel as their king. It was necessary, and prophesied, that Jesus had to be offered to the Jews first. That seems like a strange turn of events given today's text. But within a week of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, there would be a crowd screaming "Crucify him!" Some have opined that it was the same crowd. That is not a surprising accusation given the fickleness of human character. However, there is nothing in the scriptures to substantiate such an opinion. How should believers today consider and understand this text? From a historical perspective, we should know that there was an event in time when Jesus publicly and formally offered himself to the Jews as their long-awaited Messiah. What Jesus did and the way he did it was prophesied centuries earlier by the prophet Zechariah. Sometimes it is not easy to recognize the present fulfillment of prophecy. Today, it seems obvious to us when we read the prophecy of Zechariah and we read the account in the Gospel that the two events are one and the same. The Jews then, as we do now, focused on the issues of the day with little to no regard for unfulfilled prophecy. We have the luxury of looking back at this as history. How well do we compare the current events of today with unfulfilled prophecy? Most importantly, we should see this from a theological perspective. As a non-Jewish person, I must embrace the importance of Jesus offering himself to the Jews first. It was their rejection of him at that time that made provisions for non-Jews to be saved and brought into God's covenant of grace. Their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah also paved the way for his crucifixion. The crucifixion was the public offering of the sinless Christ to God as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as their king foreshadowed the real mission for which he came into the world. Robert C. Hudson March 5, 2022

Free Because of the Lord

March 27, 2022 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 8 Lesson Passage: Deuteronomy 8:1 -11 Oh, how difficult it is to warn a younger generation based on one's own experiences! Every generation seems to believe they know what's best for them. How quickly we dismiss older generations as being out of step with the times; and we tend to treat them as though their knowledge is not relevant for today or tomorrow. How can someone who remembers riding in a wagon pulled by a mule have something worthwhile to say to a young person driving a new sports car? The Bible is clear about this one thing, "There is nothing new under the sun." What is has already been, and what is yet to come, has already happened. In today's lesson, Moses had the unenviable task of preparing a new generation of Hebrews to enter the promised land of Canaan. This new generation of Hebrews was comprised of those who were either children in Egypt or born during the forty years of wilderness living after God delivered their parents from Egypt. God was not going to allow Moses to enter Canaan with them. Whatever advice, or wisdom, Moses had that would help them, he had to share it prior to them entering Canaan. Moses shared with them the relationship that existed between them, their ancestors, and God over the past forty years. He reminded them of the failures of their ancestors during those years and the faithfulness of God throughout the entire time. He reminded them of the times God humbled them by allowing them to suffer need, and then God supplied everything they needed. God hates human pride, and therefore taught them to be humble. Moses told them that God allowed their clothing to remain sufficient for forty years. Although they walked in a desert for much of that time, they didn't have problems with their feet swelling. God fed them for forty years with food that their ancestors had never heard of. This generation had survived the past forty years because of the hand of God. God was preparing to bring them into a land that would have more than they could possibly ask for. There would be more food, water, and wealth in that land than they could possibly imagine. It was this prosperous future that was of grave concern to Moses. Despite their humble past, their future prosperity could cause them to suffer amnesia. Some would forget that the invisible hand of God was orchestrating it all. God was leading them into this prosperity. Yet, they would be delusional and start believing that their own capabilities were causing them to prosper. Worshiping God would soon become old fashioned. If this were to happen, then they would perish as a sovereign nation in this world. These children of former slaves were taught humility by God for forty years. However, sometimes when we receive an overflow of blessings that we did not work for, we forget where those blessings came from. We forget that God is the One providing for us. We must learn to thank God when we are enjoying abundance. Otherwise, we could be tempted to give ourselves credit for what we have obtained as though our skills and knowledge were the key to gaining it. God gives us the power to get wealth. We acknowledge God by living according to His commandments and statutes. Our lives should reflect God's guidance more so than our wealth. God kept them when they did not have enough that they might appreciate God's blessings when they receive more than enough. Unlike their parents, they would live as free people. But they needed to remember that they were free because of the Lord. Robert C. Hudson February 21, 2022