The Passion Week: Palm Sunday, The Triumphant Entry

This Easter season, I’ve made a series of posts addressing skeptics’ criticism surrounding the Resurrection.  As we close in on Easter, I want to do a day-by-day detail discussing the events happening during the Passion Week.  

Please keep checking back!

Palm Sunday: The Triumphant Entry

While Jesus was still on Mt. Olivet, He sent two disciples into Bethphage to bring Him the donkey He would ride into the city.  As He drew near the city, He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).  Even before He entered through the Eastern Gate, crowds had already begun to throng the street.

Matthew 21:6-11, And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on what is now known as Palm Sunday, He received a hero’s welcome. After all, He was looked upon as a deliverer, the one who would rescue the Jews from their Roman oppressors. They called Him the son of David and cried, Hosanna, which means, “Save us!”

As I read the account in Matthew, I’m reminded of a similar scene when David was welcomed after defeating Goliath:

1 Samuel 18:6-7, And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.  And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

David was their deliverer then and they wanted Jesus to be their deliverer now. His entrance into Jerusalem to the accolades of many is sometimes called The Triumphant Entry. He was the long awaited Messiah. However, Jesus’ plan wasn’t the same as those receiving Him.

The Jews were looking for a conqueror – someone who would break the yoke of Rome’s tyranny over the nation. They wanted the Messiah to overthrow Caesar’s kingdom and establish His own kingdom. It’s true that Jesus will one day return as the Conqueror; One day, He will come as the Lion – but first He had to come as the lamb.  In a real sense, He had come to save them!

The Bible says there were times that people wanted to make Jesus their king (John 6:14-15, et al) but Jesus rejected the idea. His plan was to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:9-10). He was the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice that would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). When He stood before Pilate, He didn’t proclaim Himself to be king; instead, He stood silently as a sheep before the shearer (Acts 8:32).

I can imagine the disappointment of the people less than a week later when they saw that Jesus was a prisoner of Pilate. The one in whom they had put their hope was now standing before them mocked, beaten, and humiliated. At the coaching of the Pharisees, they chose Barabbas (who had led an insurrection against Rome) for clemency over Jesus. Just a few days before, they hailed Jesus as the son of David; now they were crying, “Crucify Him!”

People are fickle. Some people want God to serve them rather than the other way around. They have a picture of who God is and how He is supposed to act. These people wanted God to rain fire down on their enemies but instead Jesus said, “Father forgive them” (Luke 23:34). They wanted Jesus to lead rebellion and Jesus said to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). They wanted the Messiah to be a conqueror – not sometime in the future but now! And when Jesus wasn’t, they didn’t want anything to do with Him. They wanted Him to be their king – next they wanted Him dead.

I hope to live to see the return of Christ. I long to hear that trumpet sound and be delivered from this world. I want to see the Lion of Judah. But I’m more glad for the Lamb! We sometimes want God to do things our way; I like God’s plan better!

The Bema Seat

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

The Bible tells us that there will be a time when believers will stand before Christ and have their works judged.  We’re not judged for our salvation but for a reward.  1 Corinthians 3:10-15 describes this judgment as a trial by fire which will reveal the sort of works we’ve done.  Our worldly pursuits will be burned away like wood, hay, and stubble.  Only the things we did for the Kingdom will remain, revealed by the fire and made pure like gold, silver, and precious stones.  What remains after the judgment will be our reward.  It’s sobering to know that the things I do now have eternal consequences.  It would be to my shame if I stood there empty handed while other saints cast their crowns at Jesus’ feet!

The word translated in the Bible as “judgment seat” is the Greek word, bēma (βῆμα, Strong’s word 968).  A while back, I did a search to see how many times the word βήμα is used in the Bible. It is used 10 times (in various forms): 8 times in the epistles and twice in the gospels. The two times it is used in the gospels (Matthew 27:19 and John 19:13), it refers to the same event which is the judgment of Jesus before Pilate.

Here is the account from Matthew in context (Matthew 27:19-24):

When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

I thought it was interesting that Jesus Himself was once judged before the Bema seat. We know the outcome, of course; He was ultimately sentenced to be crucified. However, note carefully what Pilate said about Him. He said that Jesus was a “just person” who had done no evil. In John 19:6, Pilate is quoted as saying, “I find no fault in him at all.” The accusation board Pilate wrote to be placed over Jesus said only that He was “King of the Jews.” Was that the worst that could be said about Him? Pilate might as well have written, “Savior of the world.”

It's significant that Jesus was found to be without guilt. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). If Jesus had been guilty of any sin, He would have been deserving of death. If He had been deserving of death, He could not have given His life as the payment for our sins since He would have had to die for His own sins. But He was innocent. He was the lamb without blemish – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Before we stand before the Judgment Seat, it was necessary for Him to stand before the judgment seat. It is by His obedience that we are made righteous (Romans 5:19). Praise God!!

St. Patrick's Breastplate

I arise today 

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

of the Creator of creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, 

Through the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through

God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today

All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Revelation 2:17 – What is our new name?

Revelation 2:17, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

In spite of the many criticisms I've heard about the Bible, for the most part, reading it is fairly straightforward and it's not too difficult to understand. However, books like Revelation are admittedly a little tougher. Certainly, Revelation is full of symbolism and while it may not be difficult to understand the words, the meanings of the symbols aren't always clear. Revelation 2:17 is an example of difficult symbolism. What does it mean to eat the hidden manna? What is represented by the white stone? What is the new name given to us? I've read many commentaries that talk about these things but, as for the “new name,” I also have a few ideas of my own.

There are some family names that carry a certain impact. Think of the name, Kennedy, for example. Anyone who is called, “a Kennedy” is immediately identified as a person of wealth, power, and influence. The name, Trump, has come to have a similar ring. Anyone born into these families inherit a certain reputation simply because of their name. Furthermore, it's not always the names of wealthy families that are commonly recognized, names like the Hatfields and McCoys have their own infamy.

In Isaiah 56:5, God said, “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” Names like Vanderbilt or Rockefeller might impress people in this world. However, the name Jehovah surpasses them all. In eternity, we will be called His people. That's a family name worth having.

Besides family names, the names of certain individuals carry their own baggage. A person's name is often the equivalent of his character. Abraham Lincoln was renown for his honesty; “Honest Abe” they called him. Other names are notorious. Benedict Arnold was a brilliant general who led his troop to many victories over the British yet now his name is synonymous with traitor. John Wilkes Booth was a handsome man and acclaimed actor. Even though he was the Brad Pitt of his day, when people hear his name, they only remember him as an assassin.

God is the perfect Judge. When we stand before Him, our earthly reputations mean nothing. No matter how many good things I may have tried to do here on earth, when I stand in judgment, I will be known only by my sins. I will be called a liar, thief, adulterer, blasphemer, sluggard, and murderer. In Christ, though, I am justified. I won't be remembered forever as the person I am now. I will be called righteous, redeemed, ransomed, reconciled, and loved. I will be called a child of God.

Your sins don't necessarily define you. What's more important is your relationship with Jesus. No matter what your past, you can be called forgiven. We can rejoice that Revelation promises us a new name!

How did John the Baptist ‘prepare the way’ for Jesus?

Matthew 3:1-8, In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Every gospel attests to the fiery character, John the Baptist.  Isaiah 40:3 prophesied that this greatest of prophets would come to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  Obviously, John was the herald who identified Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), but is that all he did?  How exactly did John “prepare the way” for Jesus?  I’ve thought about this and have a few ideas.

THE ROLE OF THE MESSIAH

The Jews who came to hear John the Baptist, were longing for the Messiah.  Because of the prophecies of Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks” (Daniel 9), the Jews were expecting His arrival in that very generation.  Every radical preacher, including John himself, was seen as a possible candidate for the Messiah.  

They expected the Messiah to break the yoke of Roman tyranny and reestablish the throne of David.  John announced that Jesus had come to be the Lamb, not the Lion they were expecting.  Mark 1:5 says, “And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.” 

Yes, John also warned of judgment, but at the heart of his messages there was always the gospel.  He told them to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand!

THE SCOPE OF THE MESSIAH

The Jews had thought that the Messiah would overthrow the Romans because they thought He would be the Messiah to the Jews.  The Baptizer made it clear that Christ came for the whole world.  Forgiveness was available to all who believed, not just to the Jews.

In Luke 3:6, John said, “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”  He went on to warn the Pharisees, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Luke 3:8).

John 1:6-9 tells us, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

 Salvation is not for the Jews alone but for every one who accepts Christ.  Amen!

THE DIVINITY OF THE MESSIAH

When you read the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, you will notice that “Lord” is spelled with all capital letters - LORD.  In the King James Bible, when the word “Lord” is spelled with all capital letters, it is actually the name of God, given to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).  It is the four letters transliterated, YHWH, (pronounced Jehovah or Yahweh) and means, “I AM.”   

When John said, “Lord,” he didn’t mean it in the sense that Jesus was just a person of nobility or some earthly importance.  Instead, he was welcoming the Word made flesh, the one who is God with us!  John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jehovah!

THE END OF SACRIFICES

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, they were ashamed and tried to hide themselves.  They tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7) but the Bible says God killed an animal and covered them with the skin of the animal.  What a sobering realization must have set in for the first couple when they looked upon that dead animal and saw the terrible consequence of their disobedience. 

That act ushered in an era of sacrifices where the shedding of blood was made to cover our sins (Hebrews 9:22).  God’s covenant with Abraham was also sealed with blood, the sign of the circumcision.  

The sacrifices continued until the appearance of Christ.  When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he told his disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.  This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me” (John 1:29-30).  His was the final sacrifice and now our sins are covered by His blood and righteousness.  Praise God!!

John the Baptist had to move believers away from the Old Testament system of sacrifices.  Those were only types and shadows of The Sacrifice that was to come.  Also, the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision was passed.  Believers now identify with the death, burial, and resurrection represented by baptism. 

Are we taking God's name in vain? Probably!

Exodus 20:7, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Like a parent who gives his child a curfew, God has given us rules to follow.  Also, like a parent, these rules aren’t meant to be abusive or arbitrary, nor are they “suggestions.”  They are given so that we might live happy, healthy, and productive lives.  God, being perfect, knows best what is important for us.  It’s not a coincidence that the first four of the Ten Commandments focus on our relationship with Him.  The 3rd commandment, the prohibition of taking His name in vain, should be of great importance to us.  

The Scribes and Pharisees prided themselves on their strict adherence to the letter of the Law.  Concerning this commandment, they were so obsessed with the letter of the Law that they would not even speak God’s name aloud.  While reading Scripture, whenever they came across the name of God (the Tetragrammaton, YHWH), they would say, “Adonai” (meaning Lord), instead.  We see a legacy of this practice in many of our translations of the Bible.  Whenever the word LORD appears in all capital letters, the original word being translated is the Tetragrammaton, the name God gave to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-14).

Now, I don’t claim to be a Bible scholar but I just don’t believe that God intended us to never speak His name.  But if the command is not against speaking His name in general, then what does the commandment mean?  When I was teaching my children about this commandment, I explained it this way: don’t say the word God unless you’re talking about God.  Never use it as a curse nor speak it in exclamation.  Never! I felt that was appropriate advice for a child but, at that time, even my own understanding of this verse was somewhat child-like.

I used to think this was an easy commandment to keep.  I know I get angry sometimes and there have been times I’ve said things I later regret.  But I have long since disciplined myself that no matter how angry I get and no matter what I might say, I will NOT say “G*d” - certainly not G.D. I will not even say, “OMG.”  So I’m innocent of breaking this command, right?  Wrong!!

2 Chronicles 7:14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Have you ever noticed in this passage who God is speaking to?  He’s not talking to the heathens.  He’s not talking to the unbelievers.  He’s not talking to the lost people of this world.  He’s talking to His people - those who are called by His name!  God isn’t saying He will heal our nation when the wicked repent.  He’s saying He will heal the land when the people who call themselves believers repent!

We call ourselves Christians.  The word Christian literally means “like Christ.”  So how are you doing being like Christ?  For good or bad, when we call ourselves Christians, we are calling ourselves by His name.  What we do and how we act directly impacts our testimony.  If you’re going to call yourself a Christian, you need to act like a Christian.  You need to act like Christ.  Do you love like Christ?  Do you pray like Christ?  Do you preach repentance like Christ?  

I know that as long as we live in our bodies of flesh, we will struggle with sin.  Even so, Christ has told us to keep His commandments.  When we say we are Christians, yet continuously engage in unrepentant sin, we are certainly not being like Christ.  In that case, I very much believe that we are using His name in vain!

A Christian not being Christ-like

Things we may have wrong about the Nativity

It’s that time of year when front lawns and fireplace mantles are adorned with a nativity.  I have to admit it’s probably my favorite decoration to see at Christmas.  To many people, the nativity is an iconic representation of Christmas.  Yet when we compare the popular scene to what the Scriptures say, I think we’ve gotten a few things wrong.  In this post, I’ll examine some of the more obvious errors.

THE TRIP TO BETHLEHEM

I’m not sure of where we got the postcard image of Joseph walking through the desert at night leading a donkey with Mary riding it but it’s almost certainly not the way it happened.  Remember that this was a census for the purpose of collecting taxes and everyone was required to go to his own city (Luke 2:1-3).  Every member of Joseph’s and Mary’s family would have been of “of the house and lineage of David.”  This would include any living parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews; they all would have had to make the trip and it only makes sense for them to all travel together.  Where are they on the postcards?  

THE DAY OF THE BIRTH

For some reason, movies like to show the couple arriving in Bethlehem with Mary already in labor.  In a hurry to find accommodations, all they can arrange is makeshift quarters in the inn keeper’s stable where Mary gives birth that same night.  It’s quite dramatic.  

The Bible, however, merely says that she delivered Jesus, “while they were there” (Luke 2:6).  More precisely, the verse says, “while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered,” strongly suggesting they arrived in Bethlehem at some point in Mary’s pregnancy, and remained there until Jesus was born.  They could have been there for days, weeks, or even months!

WAS JESUS BORN IN A STABLE?

My next point is probably the most controversial and puts me at odds with most Christians but I don’t believe Jesus was born in a stable.  What we think of as an inn (like a hotel or motel) didn’t exist in the 1st century - especially in a small town like Bethlehem.    The word translated as inn in the KJV (Strong’s 2646, kataluma, καταλύμα) is the same word used in Mark 14:14 to refer to the room where Jesus had the Last Supper.  In Mark, the word is translated as guestchamber and suggests it was just an area in a residence available for guests.  Typical Jewish homes in the 1st century weren’t spacious buildings with many bedrooms.  Instead, they were smaller buildings built upward with a second floor.   Mundane living, cooking, and family gathering was done on the 1st floor during the day.  At night, the animals (typically some goats or maybe a donkey) were brought inside, and the family slept on the 2nd floor.  As already discussed, Mary and Joseph would have had family in Bethlehem and they likely would have been staying with them.  Because of the census, many members of the same family were probably staying in the same house, making the normal sleeping areas overcrowded.  This, combined with Mary nearing delivery and so would have had difficulty climbing to the 2nd floor, means Mary and Joseph may have been sleeping on the 1st floor where the animals were kept.  This is the type of situation Jesus likely was born into - a poor, overcrowded home - not a stable.

THE WISE MEN

The final misconception many people have about the Nativity is that the wisemen weren’t there!  This point really isn’t debateable.  The coming of the wise men discussed in Matthew 2 happened when Jesus was nearing 2 years old.  Matthew 2:16 says that Herod ordered the murder of all children up to two years old “according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”  In other words, the wise men had seen the “star” as long as two years earlier and had just then arrived to worship the Savior.

Oh, and by the way, nowhere does the Bible say there were 3 wise men.  Since the word being used is plural, we can only say there was more than one.  Beyond that, how many there were is speculation.  Perhaps the idea of 3 became popular because there were 3 types of gifts given - gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Tradition also says there were 3 and even claims to have their names: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar.  Regardless of tradition and speculation, the Bible is silent on the number.  Whatever the number, they weren’t there on the night of Jesus’ birth.

In conclusion…

When I point out these little details, some people despair.  I’m not sure why.  I guess it’s because it upsets the scene of that night they have always pictured in their minds but there’s no need to lament.  The most important details about Jesus’ birth have been recorded correctly.  It’s the message given by the angel to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-14:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.   And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Wow, that is good news!!