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1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” 10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Why is there malevolence? What’s the source of it and who is to blame.
Many would wrongly speculate that this is the reason religion and to some degree philosophy (far as much as you can separate religion from the social sciences) were invented to solve this great dilemma.
Why do we suffer?
Especially if God is for us.
The truth is that suffering, specially pain is one of the few things everyone in the would has deal with.
The degree of that pain or suffering vary a bit, but not matter how rich you are and not matter your background or privilege, we all have face the pain of losing a love one.
Unless of course you don’t have any one you love, and that produce a whole set of other problems.
We all face some it.
The question than becomes, “how do we respond to that suffering?”
For thousands of years philosopher and theologians have tried to answer that question.
Is suffering a result of ones own actions? Thus, if mans actions are good, good things will happen.
That particular an important question especially if suffering is avoidable.
is suffering a result of more external forces, such as injustice, oppression, or any of the “ism?”
Is it someone? The devil maybe, or dare i say, GOD?
An interesting question the disciples ask Jesus
1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
We have concluded, Life NEEDS a villain.
There are certain universal truth and themes that we can universal and a good storyteller can bring those things out in a way that can easily be digested.
they tell the whole story in the first few moments. then retell the story in detail
Example, anyone ever seen the lion king.. not the new one, the good one.
There is a great gathering at Pride rock.. all the animal are assembled.
this means something important is accuring or about to accure
the music in the background confirms it.
notice the singing is first in another langue
you may not understand it but you know something going to happen is worth paying attention to.
you lean in..
the through the crowd come Rifiki.
He’s holding a stick to points to the fact that he’s elderly and means he must be wise.
he ascends up a hill.
points to whatever and whoever is up there most be important or royalty.
separated from the other lions is a family that the wise monkey goes to, these ones must be the greatest of the lions.
he take the young lion.. letting us know that this one is separate and the star of the story
he puts his hand and some dust on Simba.. Simba sneezes..
he sneezes to show his imperfections, his suscebilities (ability to be susceptible)
he take young Simba.. lift him up in front of the group. this one will deliver us..
the heavens opens.. the light from above shines on him.. as to say…this one is appointed.. this one is anointed.. to break the chain of suffering… able to dispel the gloom and dark..
and the crowd goes crazy.
Stories affective ones, at least gain this insight from Biblical examples.
Many
take gen 1 in the first 3 verse we see the Gospel story. Moses powerfully and prophetically tells the entire message of victory.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
“Notice in the beginning God created.” Not in the beginning God was created.
Mose is setting up the Biblical reality of God.
God is uncreated.
The writer here separated God existence from the time beginning to make the point that God himself was not created but rather was the source of creation.
2. God has no beginning
meaning He is greater than and outside of time.
3. God is the source of creation.
Out of nothing God created 3 things
1. The Heavens 2. The Earth 3. Time
Moses is setting up the story that God is all powerful.
verse 2
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
Here we see the struggle.. the suffering.. the pain…
the issue is the earth is coved in darkness, but darkness is not issue for God.
notice, the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
this being is uncontainable and well able to move over and in all situations.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
And God said.. he spoke.. the word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
There is an answer for suffering and pain. there is a solution for disappear and darkness.
at His appearance and visitation, darkness must flee..
notice now.. the appearance and arrival of Jesus, the light is GOOD!
This is the Goodnews
God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and all power
Suffer and darkness comes.
Jesus as come to break the powers of darkness.
And it all GOOD
now to our text
We find Christ enter into Jerusalem.
notice the beginning of this story and how it foretell 2 other story.
He enters
Jerusalem meaning Abode of Peace.
There is no peace without the prince of peace
Luke tells us, “He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,” Luke 19:44
dominated by the pagan Romans and the oppressed by Herod dynasty.
he foretells of a city that would be
43 “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Suffer and pain and darkness
but there will be a visitation.. the son of God will appear
The Jews where under a time of darkness and suffering and they cried.
first he find an donkey to fulfil the word of Zechariah
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Riding on the donkey speaks of the first advent of christ he come to saves
humble.
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
But the next time he comes..
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
took palm branch which was
a symbol of triumph and of victory, in Jewish tradition.
They laid the branches at his feet. The same place that Mary laid her tear and the fragrance a day earlier.
Oh that we would prepare the way of the Lord just like John the baptist.
Before the King can enter we must lay all we have at his feet.
The crowd began to cry Hosanna
Hosanna, The term is simply a transliteration of the Heb imperative hôšaʿ, “save,” augmented by the enclitic precative particle - (n)nā, which adds a note of urgency, “save, now/please.”
This one Jesus. who came in a time of hardship
in a time of persecution and darkness.
Just as he came into you life.
in a time of suffering in a time he pain.
he bring victory over the darkness victory of the pain..
SAVE NOW.. because he is mighty to save..
we know how this story ends because he told us from the beginning
the lamb was slain before the foundation of the world...
they take ahold on him
put him in chains
beat and spit on him
hang him high
but they don’t take his Power to save
and there will be a day.. when he cracks the sky.. a day of visitation the day of his appearing
when he break the power of darkness forever
and we will hunger no more.. neither shall we thirst
and he will wipe away every tear from our eyes
no more sorrow.. no more pain… no more suffering..
Hosanna in the highest… prepare the way.... SAVE NOW!!!!!
i’m closing...
the people then ask..
Who is this....
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. 8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.” 9 Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up.
11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”