All Eyes on Jesus

As [Jesus] approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and 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 untying it?' say, 'The Lord needs it'" (Luke 19:29-31). When Jesus was preaching in Capernaum a man possessed by a demon cried out at the top of his voice, "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly (4:33-35). A little later Luke makes this editorial comment "demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But [Jesus] rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ" (4:41). When he healed a man who had leprosy, Jesus said "Don't tell anyone..." (5:14). Likewise, after he had healed their daughter Jesus ordered Jairus and his wife "not to tell anyone what had happened" (8:56). Even after Peter had confessed that Jesus was 'The Christ of God', "Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone" (9:21). But Palm Sunday is different. Jesus takes a new approach, arranging to enter Jerusalem as a king. Two of His disciples are sent ahead to bring him a colt no one had ridden. Among the Jews there were two things that unridden colts were used for: for sacred purposes and to transport a king. Jesus needed it for both. With this animal, Jesus evoked the prophecy in Zechariah 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" (9). He came to bring God's kingdom, but that kingdom could only take root if he now embodied it in himself. He had spoken this kingdom with his word; he had lived the kingdom by touching the outcast; he had shown the kingdom with his miracles. But none of that would matter if he didn't fulfil his final act, his great sacrifice. On the cross he would break Satan's power. The living God was at work to heal and save, and the forces of evil and death were gathering to oppose him. Pharaoh and his armies had failed in their efforts to prevent Moses from leading Israel out of Egypt. This is the moment of God's new Exodus, God's great Passover. Jesus must eat it and offer himself as the final Passover lamb. Jesus' time had come. For this, the son of man had come to earth. All eyes needed to be on him. As we take up our cross to follow Jesus, we too must choose. Do we want a Saviour who fixes only the symptoms of the problem: sickness, loneliness, and physical death? Jesus went to the cross to deal with the problem: our bondage to sin. Will we follow him all the way to the cross? Will we receive forgiveness there and new life? As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.