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by Sandy Shaw
This passage in Luke Chapter 19 verses 28 to 48 is so packed with significant incidents and lessons. Take time to study this section.
Jesus fulfils what He set out to do. He had set His face to go to Jerusalem, and now He arrives in the city, at a significant time – The Jewish Passover.
There are times when we too have to make crucial decisions and set our face to fulfil what Almighty God has called us to do, without compromise, and without allowing ourselves to be diverted or sidetracked.
There are the commands given in verses 30,31, and Jesus rides on this donkey which had never been broken in. His very presence seems to tame the wild untamed beast - what a lesson. The very presence of God can transform all kinds of situations, as can the very presence of the servant of God.
There is praise from the people as Jesus rides down the slopes of the Mount of Olives.
Soon He would be deep in prayer at the foot of these slopes, betrayed by one of the men who accompanied Him on this occasion, and then arrested.
And later, the Risen Jesus would ascend from the summit of the Mount of Olives.
We see how the religious leaders were not at all pleased at the people praising Jesus on this occasion. Then He refers to what God could enable the stones to do. There will be praise, even if people do not want to be part of it. That is a choice men make. To praise or not to praise!
Jesus sees the city and weeps. Jesus knows what is about to happen. Jesus knows the destiny of a city which rejects His Coming. For Jerusalem it was going to be very serious indeed.
That magnificent Temple, valued at around a billion dollars in today's currencies, would soon be in total ruins, and that happened.
Jesus entered the Temple area. It resembled a market. Everyone was on the make. They were making money out of those who had travelled to Jerusalem to worship.
The Temple was intended to be a place of prayer - a place for worship - a place which was conducive for communion with Almighty God. What was there was a noisy moneymaking rabble, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, deals with it.
Jesus had not come to fight the Romans, but to deal with sin: a word which has almost gone out of use and lost its significance and meaning.
John Chapter 2 speaks about this incident - verse 13 - very graphically. Had Jesus done this previously, and it had all just crept back in over these three years?
And in John Chapter 7, Jesus appeared in Jerusalem at the feast of Tabernacles. Whatever might have happened previously, there was certainly not much on offer to satisfy these thirsty people, and Jesus called out in a loud voice.
Have you noticed how frequently the gospels speak of loud voices? When Paul and Silas were in prison praising, the other prisoners heard them. That does not signify a nice quiet unobtrusive chorus, and "Songs of Praise". On this occasion in Acts 16 praise and worship takes place in a dark dank dungeon - not in a beautiful well-lit presentation.
A few weeks ago, we happened to have a number of people asking us to pray for specific needs. When all these prayer requests were brought here on Sunday, I thought - this is right - this is why we are here - to receive the prayer requests - and to remember others - some of whom are in such desperate need. This should be a place of prayer - and of course, a place of safety - not just here - but in the wider sense the church of Jesus Christ - but it has to meet in some place.
These people in our passage risked being robbed as they travelled to Jerusalem. We have the parable of the man going doing from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he is set upon by robbers. That was a common occurrence. There are caves and rocks and valleys out of which robbers could suddenly pounce. When people travelled to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem, they should have been safe from fraudulent traders, but that was not so at that time.
Jesus dealt with all that ought not to have been present in the Temple, then within a few days He closed down the Temple, and built a new one with men and women who believed.
We see from what happened on this day, that Jesus Christ wants to lead, and minister to those who desire reality. And also, Jesus wants to deliver people from all the religious sham and clutter and baggage.
It is like the needle's eye gate where you have to kneel down and have all the unnecessary baggage removed.
Jesus knew Who He was. Jesus knew what He was doing, and it was with this absolute assurance that He rides into Jerusalem and deals with the sin in the Temple.
Matthew adds – (Chapter 21 verse 14) – that the blind and lame came to Him, and Jesus healed them.
Every last day was taken up with teaching. To Jesus teaching was vital. Today it is almost anathema. The reaction was - we must kill this authoritative teacher. But the people hung on His Words.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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