Did you know that about 40% of each of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life deal with Holy Week, the week we are remembering this week? Because of that, I’m going to attempt to write a short devotion based on something we know Jesus did on each day of Holy Week. A blessed Holy Week to you!
“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ …as it is written ‘Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.” (John 12:13-16).
Have you ever had an “Aha!” moment? You know, when something all of a sudden ‘clicks’ in your brain and you discover something you didn’t know before?
The disciples must have had a bunch of those “aha” moments! One of those was about what Jesus did on Palm Sunday. Some 500 years before Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, God had the prophet Zechariah record the event in Scripture…and then Jesus fulfilled it. Jesus is the gentle and gracious Savior who came to Jerusalem riding gently on a donkey’s colt not to fight for an earthly kingdom but to fight THE war for our eternal salvation!
And after it all happened…the disciples got it! Do you think that led them to dig into Scripture even more and discover more exciting truths of God’s love? I’m guessing so!
Perhaps it can happen to us that we look at God’s Word, yawn, and foolishly think to ourselves, “I know all this already. What new thing could I possibly discover?”
A pastor friend of mine told the story about an old Seminary professor. He taught for many years and knew by memory most of the New Testament…in the original Greek! Apparently, one day he came to class just shaking with excitement. Why? Because that morning he learned something from Scripture, something he’d never seen before.
What new morsel of God’s delicious feast will you taste from God’s Word today? What beautiful aspect from the jewel of the gospel will you gaze at today? What “aha” moment will you enjoy from God’s Word today? Check it out and see!
Thankful for the Spirit’s work in me through the Word, just like you,
pastor