Praise To The King! Hosanna! The Christ, the Messiah, our Savior has come! These were the cheers which greeted Jesus upon his arrival into Jerusalem that special day over two thousand years ago. He had been ministering in the area for nearly three years, and had often asked not to be worshiped or praised publicly, but on this day, this day of destiny which began his last stretch leading to the cross a few days later, he welcomed the praise and presented himself as King of the Jews! You can read the biblical account HERE in Matthew's record of the triumphal entry.
There is much happening in this entry. There is prophecy being fulfilled; Jesus openly accepting adoration from the people; the crowds being stirred up in front of their Roman oppressors that here is their true King: Jesus; and the plot to kill Jesus is activated by those that hated him. But it is the praise we are going to consider today.
1. Praise Helps Generate Interest In Jesus
In Matthew 21:10 we read that the whole city was stirred by the praise. They wanted to know who this man was. The Passover was happening this week and thousands of non-Palestinian Jews were in the city for the festival. They had not heard about this amazing healer and teacher from Nazareth.
2. Praise Helps To Silence Objectors
In Luke's account of the entry, the Pharisees in the crowd were asking Jesus to have his followers be silent (Luke 19:39-40). Jesus does not quiet his followers and tells the spiritual leaders that if these people were quiet, then the very stones around them would cry out. There is nothing the Pharisees can say. The King is worthy of praise and he will be praised. In Psalm 149 we read that praise can help to inflict punishment on the wicked. Those who oppose us and our God will be silenced by the praise of our LORD.
3. Praise Helps Us Understand God's Plan
John 12:16 tells us that his disciples did not understand all that had happend the day of the triumphal entry. It was only after Jesus had been glorified that they realized the significance of this special day. Jesus had been very clear with the disciples as to what was going to happen. He told them three times that he would be going to Jerusalem to be handed over to the rulers and killed (Matthew 16:21; 17:22; 20:19). Still they were not ready to accept the plan God had laid out.
A.W. Tozer writes, "The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work in us." We are too much like the disciples sometime, making our own plans for what Jesus should be doing instead of discovering and accepting God's plan. Praise places us in perspective relationship with God: He is LORD and creator of everything; I am not. If he has a plan, then I will assume it is better than mine and follow it.
Takeaway From These Teachings
When we praise the entry of Jesus in our life, we refocus our attention on Him, silence our objectors, and create an opportunity for understanding God's plan for us.
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