Tag Archives: Bethphage

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – JESUS TAKES CENTRE STAGE

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JESUS TAKES CENTRE STAGE

“After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When He got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mount called Olives, He sent off two of His disciples with instructions, ‘Go to the village across from you…you’ll find a colt tethered…untie it and bring it…’

“The two left and found it just as He said…They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As He rode, the people gave Him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

“Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed.

‘Blessed is He who comes,                                                                                                                      The king in God’s name!                                                                                                                        All’s well in heaven!                                                                                                                              Glory in the high places!’

“Some Pharisees from the crowd told Him, ‘Teacher, get your disciples under control!’

“But He said, ‘If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.'” Luke 19:28-40.

This event, which is called Palm Sunday on the Christian calendar, was both highly significant and highly provocative in the life of Jesus, and at this particular time in the Jewish year.

It was the eve of Passover. People were gathering in the city for the feast from all over the country. It was a time of religious fervour and political ferment. The Roman authorities were on high alert for any signs of trouble. Messianic expectation was reaching flash point and all eyes were on this rabbi who was saying and doing outrageous things.

The religious authorities were well aware of how volatile the situation was and were keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of uprising from Jesus and His followers. They knew that the only solution was to eliminate Him to bring things back under control before Rome stepped in and set off a blood bath. However, they could do nothing at Passover because there were too many Jesus-supporters in the mob.

Then, into this tinder box situation, Jesus calmly entered on the back of a donkey! This was what they feared the most because it was public announcement that He was making a bid for kingship! They desperately implored Him to shut down the exuberant praise that was being stirred up in the mob, but Jesus laughed them off and they were even more enraged and determined to silence Him.

What was the significance of this provocative act? First of all, it was yet another fulfilment of an ancient prophecy, “”Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 (NIV), a Messianic fingerprint that would confirm the claim of Jesus that He was the king of the Jews.

Secondly, Jesus was claiming a kingship that was in no way intended to challenge their Roman overlords, but they did not understand that. They waited with baited breath to see what He would do when He entered Jerusalem. Would He head for the governor’s palace to throw down the gauntlet? They did not understand His hot tears over the city. Instead of heading for the governor’s residence, He turned towards the temple.

The meaning of this prophetic action went right over their heads. They did not understand that Jesus was claiming a right to rule over the lives and destiny of His people that went far deeper than political authority. He was representing a kingdom that overrode every other kingdom, the kingdom of God. In a few days, He would authenticate that right by giving His life to remove the barrier of sin that stood in the way of access into that kingdom, and that would give anyone who believed in Him the right to approach the Father.

Jesus was no threat to Rome. Rome was only a pawn in the hands of a far more sinister domain, the domain of Satan, the god of this world. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15 (NIV).

However, this action was imperative for Jesus because it was also the final nail in His own coffin. Like it or not, the religious leaders were forced to take action, spurred on by the offer of the treacherous Judas, because Jesus had to die as God’s sacrificial Lamb at the precise moment when the Passover lambs were being slaughtered!

A String Of Little Miracles

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A STRING OF LITTLE MIRACLES

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say. ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back shortly.’ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, ‘What are you doing untying the colt?’ They answered as Jesus told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the cold to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, He sat on it (Mark 11: 1-7).  

Have you noticed how we tend to read this incident as a matter-of-fact account of something that was miraculous from beginning to end?

Take, for instance, the very fact that Jesus was nowhere near the village. He had no way of knowing that a colt was tethered in the doorway of a house on the outskirts of the village. How did He know that the colt was there and had never been broken in?

He instructed His disciples to help themselves to the colt without asking permission from the owner. Was this a usual practice in Israel? Wasn’t it tantamount to theft? And then He knew that some people would query their action and allow them to take the colt when they responded, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back shortly.’ No discussion, no questions asked! How could they be so trusting?

And then there is the matter of a young animal that had never been ridden. Wasn’t it risky for Jesus, a grown man, to climb on the back of a donkey that could bolt with Him out of fear? And yet, without a qualm, the donkey accepted this unknown rider as though they were old friends.

There is something supernatural about this whole event if one digs a little deeper. It’s as though it were all planned and rehearsed beforehand and went off smoothly and without a hitch. Was this one of those innumerable times when Jesus had communed with the Father, received His instructions and carried them out to the letter?

Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father, David! ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven,’ (Mark 11:8-10).

The atmosphere was electric with excitement and anticipation. How was it that many of the people were equipped with branches to spread on the road when Jesus entered Jerusalem? It’s almost as though they had received a tip-off that Jesus was about to set up His messianic rule in Jerusalem. They greeting Him and hailed His as their long-awaited Messiah. Finally their dreams were on the brink of fulfilment, so they thought. They were lavish with praise. The noise must have been deafening. People had gathered in Jerusalem from all over the land for the Feast of Passover. Thousands thronged the streets at that moment.

What was their expectation? When you listen to their words, you get a feeling of the intensity of their desire. All their hopes were pinned on this miracle-working prophet of God who said and did things that blew their minds. They had no doubt that He was able to send the Romans scurrying out of Israel in a heartbeat. There was no lack of evidence from their history that God could do this. Remember the Midianites whom Gideon defeated with only 300 men and no weapons? Remember the Assyrian host, all 186,000 of them wiped out supernaturally in one night?

Excitement and anticipation ran very high. The mob was whipped up into a frenzy of joy. At last they were going to be free of these pesky Roman soldiers who harassed them around every corner. God’s man had finally arrived and they were breathless with anticipation. What was about to happen? How was He going to handle this situation? They were ready to hound the Romans out of town and help them on their way if necessary.

But Jesus didn’t need their help. He could have called down the entire host of heaven to do the job for Him without lifting a finger. What was He going to do? Imagine the disciples’ excitement. Were they about to receive their commissions in this new kingdom of God? What places would each of them occupy? Which way would He go? To Pilate’s residence to throw down the gauntlet? To Herod’s palace to topple him from his throne?

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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