The past couple of days, I have spent a lot of time outdoors... looking for reminders of Jesus' last week on earth. I don’t want to forget the past…I want to remember it!
I want to remember the triumphal entry - Jesus’ famous ride into Jerusalem. It wasn't on a white steed or in a chariot...it was on a donkey. A lowly animal that reveals much about Christ’s character and purpose.
I want to remember all of the horrific cruelties that man placed upon Jesus...during His final (physical) week on earth.
I want to understand how people could cheer and wave palm branches at Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem...and then 5 short days later…many of those same people were cheering “Crucify him.”
I want to understand what kind of evil lives inside of a person that could cause them to inflict such heinous crimes against one another.
I want to remember just how much Jesus loves me… the sacrifice that He made…the punishment that He endured…the humiliation that he faced…the betrayal that He felt.
I want to remember the cross...the burial...and of course that glorious resurrection when Christ defeated sin!
I want to remember it all…the good and the bad!
For it is by looking at our past that we better understand...we grow...we learn to appreciate the sacrifices that were made…and we break the pattern of the atrocious deeds of our past.
Erasing our past does not change our past...it simply sets us up to repeat the sinful deeds once again.
We can either learn by our past…or be destined to repeat it!
This week, I choose to remember...to learn...to appreciate...all that Christ has done for me...and for each one of us!
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21: 1-11