To the People of God-
Jesus entered Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11. The writer of Matthew’s gospel, while Jewish, was not as familiar with Hebrew poetry and misinterpreted Zechariah 9:9 in his understanding of the humble leader riding on a donkey. Therefore, Matthew wrote of Jesus riding on a donkey and its colt, rather than understanding the second line of “on a colt, the foal of a donkey” as an emphasis of the first line, “humble and riding on a donkey.” The crowds cried out “Hosanna, save us!” as Jesus entered the city, and the crowds quoted Psalm 118, “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Perhaps this misunderstanding of Zechariah helps us understand why the crowds and the disciples misunderstood Jesus, and their expectations of God’s anointed one. Matthew 21:1-11 New International Version, Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” In Matthew, Jesus sends his advance scouting party, stages both his procession and his temple demonstration, performs healings, and engages his first conflict with the temple authorities all in one day. He then returns to Bethany to spend the night. Picking up on this chronological unity, the Narrative Lectionary treats this sequence as a sustained body of action. What questions come to mind as you read through the Triumphal Entry? What is Jesus doing? How does this set the stage for the week ahead? One more thought. Indeed, Jesus is not innocent victim — at least, not in the sense of being passive. Having condemned corruption in the Temple, he initiates hostilities with the Temple authorities (21:46). But Matthew delays that sort of conflict for later in the story, focusing for now upon the royal acclamation Jesus receives. He does not come with weapons or armies, although he does bring crowds. He is David’s Son, come to claim his throne. The question for Matthew’s readers and hearers is: now that we have acclaimed Jesus along with the crowds and the children, will we continue in this way as conflict escalates? PRAYER OF THE DAY: Righteous God, you brought your son Jesus into Jerusalem to show people the radical grace of your love. Show us this grace, and give us eyes to see your goodness. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. In His Service, P Jim♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< Comments are closed.
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September 2023
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