Skip to main content

The Two Palms: Hosanna! to Crucify Him!

 


On Palm Sunday people waved palm branches to welcome The King, "Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!”" (John 12:13), then they beat Him with the palm of their hands, "Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You" (Matthew 26:67-68 NKJV). How fickle the crowds  can be, but what is most alarming is that in the Church it can be the same. People can be ardently proclaiming Christ one minute, and then renouncing Him the next. Palm Sunday to Good Friday reminds us that people can switch sides as swiftly as the wind changes direction, and that we must be humble and like Jesus’ disciples who stood in the shadow of the cross beams not just in shade of palms branches. 


As we raise up palm branches, let us pray we do not bray against our Lord as loudly as we praise Him now. We need The Holy Spirit's help to keep us humble, for those who our loudest for Christ can be loudest against Him. In fact that was something Pastor Greg Laurie shared in all his years of ministry, "those who I thought never could fall away, devout and powerful people in the God’s kingdom fell away, and those I worried were teetering, ended up remaining faithful." (Paraphrase). The Apostle Paul has a similar warning, "You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.” (Romans 11:19-21). I am not saying love in terror of falling away, I even believe in Eternal Security (John 10:25-30), but like Peter we can say one moment, “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same,” (Matthew 26:35), and the next, “Again, Peter said he was never with him, saying, “I swear I don't know this man Jesus!” (Matthew 26:72). Notice that is all in same chapter. 


I believe Jesus is merciful, that if people fail in their fear, emotion, and disappointment like Peter did they can be forgiven, for Jesus said to those mocking Him in the cross, “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Remember Jesus gave a parable about two sons, “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” (Matthew 21:28-34). Many say they will serve the Lord and do not, and some who say they won’t end up doing God’s Will. So despair not if you said Hosanna much of your Christian Walk but at times shouted Crucify Him! In your anger, disappointment, and fear. Ask for Christ Jesus to forgive you, He will, “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) and sin no more. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Israel’s Conquest of Canaan: The Nephilim and Giants

  Christianity Today asserts that the conquest of Canaan can be a “stumbling block” for believers. This probably is because of a foolish idea of comparing it to a modern conquest happening in our world. The truth is that God had Israel conquer Canaan because it was ruled by evil giants, “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:33). These are Anakim or Nephilim, the children of angels and human women, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God (angels) saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These w
Post a Comment
Read more

Dispensationalism

John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) was a man who did two things, he took 70th week of the Book of Daniel and stretched out to the End Times, and he was the father of  Dispensationalism , a belief system that God dispenses different peoples with separate blessings and covenants. According to Darb'ys doctrine of Dispensationalism, God dispenses different covenants. There are total of seven dispensations that divide the history of man: I. Dispensation of Innocence (prior to the Fall, "Do not east of the Fruit of Good and Eve, Eden), II. Dispensation of Conscience ( You must assuage guilt and sin with blood sacrifices.) III. Dispensation of Human Government (Multiply and Subdue the world, example the Tower of Babel Gen 11:1-9, and Genesis 1:28). IV. Dispensation of the Promise (Dwell in Canaan, Jerusalem) V. Dispensation of the Law ("Obey the Law of Moses and the Prophets"). VI. Dispensation of Grace (The Church, Jesus Christ has come and died for our sins an
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus’ Name in Aramaic

There has been a trend to render Jesus’ name Hebrew, יֵשׁוּעַ , Yeshua. The problem is neither Christ nor his apostles, nor the Jews in 30-33 A.D. spoke Hebrew, they spoke Aramaic. A ramaic is the oldest language on earth and was the language Jesus spoke. In fact, the oldest Old Testament is the Septuagint a Greco translation around 132 B.C.E. (165 Years Before Christ)that was translated from Aramaic. The Masoretic Text, The Hebrew Old Testament most Bibles use, dates from 7th to 10th Century A.D. (Medieval Times).  This translation does not cross reference with the words of Christ in the New Testament which are Aramaic and Koine Greek.  If the Aramaic was what Jesus spoke, then by what name would have been called? Jesus’ name in Aramaic is Isho or Eesho, spelled ܝܫܘܥ . That is the name of our Lord in Aramaic! He would have heard his name in this dialect, “Hail Isho or Eesho!” as well as the Greek, Ἰ ησο ῦ ς , Iesous.  Aramaic is disappearing, only a few people are endeavo
Post a Comment
Read more