Are You a Fan or a Follower?

A Series on Lent
The stories of Passion Week - the Palm Sunday crowd
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 12:12-19 

[Lent is a 40-day season of personal reflection with the purpose to prepare your heart to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. In this series on Lent, we will be looking into the stories of Passion Week. How the people who were directly involved were impacted and how that applies to us today.]

  

On Saturday, December 9, 2023, the Columbus Crew won their third MLS Cup by defeating the Los Angeles Football Club 2-1. The following Tuesday there was a huge victory celebration in downtown Columbus.

 

My daughter and her family had season tickets and actually went to the championship game! On the day of the victory parade and Championship Rally, they were there chanting and yelling along with all the other Crew fans.

 

Palm Sunday was a victory parade for Jesus. After raising his good friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus made his grand entrance into the city of Jerusalem. It was Passover, so throngs of people had made the pilgrimage from all across Judea.

 

With news of Jesus’ expected appearance, the roads were jammed. He had instructed his disciples to go into a village to find a donkey that had never been ridden. The symbolism of this was humility and suitability for religious purposes.

 

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, a “very large crowd” embraced him by laying down palm branches which was a sign of the celebration of victory and a symbol of Jewish nationalism. They welcomed him as a victorious king.

 

¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”       NIV

 

Hosanna is a Hebrew expression meaning ‘save!’ The second line is a quote of Psalm 118:26, which is about the one who defeated the enemies of the Lord. The third line is a reference to the royalty of King Jesus.

 

Make no mistake about it! Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was his public declaration of who he was. That’s why he rode a donkey. The significance of this goes far beyond the symbolism of humility and suitability. It was the fulfillment of prophecy about the Messiah quoted from Zechariah 9:9.

 

¹⁵ “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming,
    riding on a donkey’s colt.”       NLT

 

Like the Crew fans, the great crowds that greeted Jesus and gave him a king’s welcome soon returned to their daily lives. With time, they may have told their grandchildren how they were amongst those who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem. But the real question is, would they have understood who he was.

 

As we enter the season of Lent, it is important to ask ourselves the same question and not just be a fan of Jesus, but a follower. Do you understand who Jesus is? Are you a fan or a follower?

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

Everybody Loves a Parade

A Series on Lent
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 12:12-19 

[Lent is a 40-day season of personal reflection through prayer, fasting and giving in order to prepare your heart to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. We will be following Jesus as he enters Jerusalem for Passover, and the ensuing events that led up to his trial, crucifixion and resurrection.]

 

Last October, my wife and I went to Disney World with my daughter, son-in law and grandkids. One of the many special activities that we attended was “Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party” held in the Magic Kingdom. It was packed.

 

During the party there was a magical parade called “Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade”. There were so many people lining the streets that it was difficult to see all the characters. After all, everybody loves a parade.

 

Jesus had a parade given in his honor. After three years of trying to stay under the radar, he embraced a public declaration of being the Messiah. He did it by fulfilling this prophecy in Zechariah.

 

⁹ Rejoice, O people of Zion!
    Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
    He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
    riding on a donkey’s colt.           Zechariah 9:9 NLT

 

The six chapters preceding John 12, highlighted the escalating conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders. There was division, dispute and unbelief about who Jesus was. As the conflict crescendo reached its peak, Jesus called his friend Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead. Word spread like wildfire.

 

This happened just before Passover when large crowds of pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem. Jews had celebrated Passover for centuries as a way to remember God’s salvation for his chosen people when Moses led them out of slavery from Egypt to the Promised Land.

 

The atmosphere was charged with electricity; with the anticipation of a king leading Israel from under the rule of Rome. The crowds laid their palm branches and cloaks on the road for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Expectations were out of sight!

 

As Jesus road the colt they shouted…

 

^13b “Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!”            NLT

 

Indeed, everybody loves a parade. Even Jesus didn’t avoid it. But did he enjoy it? He knew that it was his time. He knew that death was waiting for him. Yet he still trusted and obeyed his loving Father. Why?

 

^2-3 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it.

Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!                        Hebrews 12 MSG

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

The Taste That’s Worth the Wait

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Mt 21:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2021%3A1-11&version=NIV;NLT

 

In the 1979 classic Heinz Ketchup commercial, two little boys complain about how slow the Ketchup comes out of the bottle onto their hamburger. As it does, the Carly Simon song, “Anticipation”, plays in the background. The final tag line is, “The taste that’s worth the wait”. (A link for the commercial is at the bottom of the page.)

 

Up until now, Jesus had always been reticent about proclaiming who he was; even to the point of telling others not to say anything about a miracle he performed, or being recognized as the Messiah. It wasn’t a matter of humility, but of timing. It hadn’t been the right time for him to claim his rightful place as the Son of David… until now. It was a milestone.

 

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.              Zechariah 9 NIV

 

By riding the donkey into Jerusalem, Jesus not only fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, but also made a powerful statement! He was claiming to be the king who would fulfill the promise of David’s reign! This only served to increase the anticipation of his arrival.

 

Other events leading up to Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem included raising Lazarus from the dead; the Pharisees planning to kill Jesus and Lazarus; Jesus and his disciples laying low in the countryside; and large crowds of Jews gathering in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was a chaotic time; and the anticipation was palpable.

 

Think of this Palm Sunday story as a metaphor. Jerusalem represents your life. Just like Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into Jerusalem, he brings the Kingdom of God into your life, every day.

 

He’s the Son of God, and can change your life. He can also use you to make a difference in the lives of others. Will Jesus ride into your life today as king? What are you anticipating for him to do?

 

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoLoyg3JKRQ

 

 

 

 

“What do you want me to do for you”?

Matthew 20:29-34

 

Wouldn’t you say that Jesus was pretty observant? He had an uncanny ability to know what people were really thinking. He was able to see behind the masks that people

wear to hide their true self, and understood what was actually motivating them. He could look into your soul, and know what your greatest need was.

 

So then, why did he ask the two blind men, “What do you want me to do for you”?

 

Was he preoccupied with what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem? Maybe he was distracted by the large crowd around him? Or, was he still upset that two of his closest disciples had just asked the most self-centered question possible right after he had told them he was going to be crucified? I don’t think so.

 

I believe that he was making a point. It was obvious that these men were blind, and despite their handicap, they knew who Jesus was. By calling him the “Son of David”,

they were using a title that referred to the anticipated Messiah. It would have been easy for Jesus to just walk up to them and heal them; but he didn’t.

 

The passage tells us that “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes”. Jesus always had a personal touch when he ministered or healed. He interacted with the woman at the well; with Nicodemus; with the woman who dried her tears on his feet. In other words, he had a personal relationship with them.

 

The same is true for us. Jesus desires to know us personally. He wants to interact with us. He wants us to admit our need; to recognize who he is and to approach him, not like he is a celestial genie in a bottle, but as our Lord and Savior.

 

There is a booklet titled “My Heart, Christ’s Home” by Robert Boyd Munger. In it, he

compares our life to the rooms of a house. He suggests that Jesus wants to interact with us in every room; but mainly that he wants to fellowship with us.

 

Revelation 3:20 states, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends”. Jesus is constantly standing at the door of your heart and knocking, not just as your Savior, but also as your Lord. Will you open the door for him?

 

He asks us every day, “What do you want me to do for you”. What will your answer be?

Will you ultimately respond like the blind men who once Jesus touched their eyes, “immediately they received their sight and followed him”?