/And when they came near unto Jerusalem and came into Bethphage into the
mountain of the Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples on a mission,
saying to them, "You go into the village, the one across from you, and
immediately you will find, tied, a donkey and a colt with her; having
loosened, you lead to me. And if ever anyone to you may say anything,
you will say that the Lord has need of them; and immediately he will
send them on a mission. And this happened in order that the spoken word
through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Tell the daughter of
Zion, ‘Look, your king comes to you, gentle and mounted upon a donkey,
even upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden.'" And the disciples went,
and did just as Jesus had instructed them; they brought the donkey and
the colt and placed on them the garments, and He sat upon them. And much
of the crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting
branches from the trees and spreading in the way. And the crowds, the
ones going before Him, and the ones following after were saying,
"Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed– the One coming in the Name of the
Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" And He, having entered into Jerusalem all
the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowd was saying,
"This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth of the Galilee." /
Happy New Year! "Um, Pastor. It's *December* 1st, not January 1st.
You're a month early." But the church's new year begins today with
Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. "Pastor, you've got it wrong.
That's *Palm Sunday*". But in the restored lectionary, it is returned to
where it belongs, on the 1st day of the church year. For Advent means
"arrival", and salvation arrived in Jerusalem.
So what does Jesus riding a donkey have to do with Advent, which focuses
on Jesus' last day return? We must go back to the days of Israel's
kings. On his deathbed, David instructed his son Solomon to ride into
Jerusalem on his own royal steed. The man whose name meant "peace"
entered the city for his coronation. This is a type of the Prince of
Peace riding on a donkey to die as King of the Jews.
As Solomon's ancient ride foreshadowed Jesus' Palm Sunday, that day is
also a type, prefiguring His return to earth on the last day to judge.
As Jesus comes down in the clouds you are snatched up to meet Him in the
air, to descend & remain with Him through the final judgment. As the
citizens went out to usher Jesus into the 1st Jerusalem, so too will you
meet & follow Him to the New Jerusalem.
History repeats itself, and that's a good thing. As Nathan the prophet,
Zadok the high priest, and the people gathered to welcome Solomon
saying, "Long live King Solomon!", so the crowds met Jesus in His day
with shouts of, "Hosanna in the highest!" Hosanna means "save us!". But
you won't be making any such exclamations when Jesus returns on Judgment
Day. For He is already raised to everlasting life. He has already saved
you from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil.
You might shout as they did on Palm Sunday, "Blessed–the One coming in
the Name of the Lord!" For Jesus is truly the blessed One, from whom all
blessings flow. He has already blessed you with salvation, having
redeemed you by His blood sacrifice at Calvary. He came to you not as a
king of war, but one of peace. Meek, gentle, He came to offer Himself
unto death for you, as His riding of a young donkey instead of a
war-horse foretold. He is the lamb led to slaughter in silence, for you.
Jesus came once before as your salvation, into Jerusalem where He
sacrificed His life to save you. He comes again in triumph at the last
day to usher in His heavenly kingdom on earth–paradise restored. So
don't get caught up in all the false rapture theories. Jesus isn't
coming invisibly to snatch folks from behind the driver's seat of their
car. That's nonsense. He who ascended once in the clouds comes back the
same way He left to complete His as-of-yet unfinished kingdom of God.
This is why you pray, "Thy Kingdom Come." It has come to you, in your
heart by grace thru faith. You have received the righteousness of Jesus
in blessed exchange for your sin Jesus bore at Calvary. You have been
washed clean in the waters of your baptism, nourished by Jesus' body &
blood, and comforted by the gospel. Your spirit & soul are saved, but
your body of flesh still may taste death.
Yet your salvation is nearer than when you first believed, because as
each day passes, the last day looms closer. On that day, the Spirit will
raise all flesh, and your body will be made glorious as Jesus' Own body
is! When Jesus returns your body, soul, mind & spirit will all be saved,
and the Kingdom of God will be complete! For this we pray, Blessed–the
One Who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.
John C. Drosendahl, Pastor
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