The Journey Begins — Part 4: 03/28/2024

Broadcast

                      The Journey Begins - Part 4
                             Zechariah 9:9
                              03/28/2024


        9    Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud,
             O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is
             coming to you; righteous and having salvation is
             he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the
             foal of a donkey.  (ESV)

        On Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of the
   crowds, fulfilling the prophecy written a half millennium before.
        Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O
        daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to
        you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and
        mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


        This King of Righteousness, the One who brings salvation,
   quickly journeyed from the gates of Jerusalem to His destiny of
   the cross.  On Thursday of Holy Week, we remember two events.
   The first, Jesus gave His Church the Meal which brings to us the
   fullness of His sacrifice, the complete forgiveness of our sins
   as we partake of His very body and blood.  The second, Jesus was
   betrayed into the hands of sinners to suffer and die.

        No kingly crown lies upon Jesus' head as He rides into
   Jerusalem, but His brow will bear the marks of a crown of thorns.
   Now Jesus, recognized as the Son of David, prepared for the
   ultimate Passover sacrifice.  The Lamb of God, the one who will
   shed innocent blood, will die so that the angel of eternal death
   will pass the homes of those who believe in Him.  The Jews who
   looked for a king with pomp and power missed seeing Jesus, the
   true Son of God, who works through humble and gentle means.  ``My
   kingdom is not of this world,'' this King told Pontius Pilate.
   For this, the King died.

        May our Lord bless us with recognizing His love, grace, and
   mercy both as we receive His holy Supper, and as we ponder His
   innocent suffering and death.  Amen.