April 5, 2020
The purpose of going to Jerusalem | Rev Dr Taiye Adeola
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Palm Sunday is observed all over the world by Christians to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as part of his preparation for the supreme sacrifice that he came to pay. Every sequence of the event was deliberate and purposeful and all were in the program of God to be executed in the line of bringing to pass the salvation plan of God for humanity.
Sending the disciples to bring the ass, riding on it, the singing by the people and the activities of Jesus in Jerusalem all have symbolic representations that we must take note of as we prepare for the Easter season this year.
I will be focusing this morning on why Jesus had to go into Jerusalem. We shall derive our answer from the record of the scripture in Matt.21:1-16
TEXT: Matthew.21:1-16
- Fulfillment of prophecy- Matt.21:4-5; Zech.9:9; John.12:15; Isai.62:11
- God is faithful to his promises-1Thess.5:24; Heb.10:23; 1Cor.1:9
- You can hold on to every word of prophecy that it will come to pass no matter how long-Matt.5:18; 1Pet.1:23,25
- There is hope for the daughter of Zion, God has not forgotten her, her king is coming to deliver her-John.12:15
- Proclamation or declaration of his Lordship-Matt.21:8-9
- His humility riding on the ass
- His kingship being carried
- His royalty being worshipped
- His Lordship coming in the name of the Lord
- To give answers to questions about his person-Matt.21:10-11
- The question about who he was
- The question about his mission
- The question about why he is so popular and given such welcome and acceptability
- The question about the hopelessness that he came to give a solution to problems
- To cleanse the temple of unholy deals-Matt.21:12-13 ; Mark.11:15
- Restoration of the sanctity of the temple
- Rid the temple of thieves and robbers
- Drive away those who come into the temple for shady businesses and unholy reasons
- Re-establish what the temple of God is to be – house of prayer
- To perform the miraculous works of healing confirming or demonstrating what the house of God is meant for-Matt.21:14
Jesus did not just send people out of the temple saying what they were doing was wrong, he set an example of what should happen in the house of God.- Healing of the blind and the lame. Many today are spiritually lame and blind, the house of God is the place they should come to and be healed.
- To declare his triumph over every situation including death
- Jesus was aware that the time for him to die was very near, he was prepared so he rode in triumph over death
- Jesus demonstrates to us the victory that we have in him in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. He secured our victory so we are made to be victorious.
- To raise a people of praise
- People praised him in various ways. – Singing, Dancing, Spreading clothes, Waving Palm fronts, shouting hosanna etc.
- God to date still requires a people that will declare the praise of Christ to all generation. Men and women who will carry Christ shoulder high and show him to those who have not known him