I Received Public Acclamation

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 15, 2020

I Received Public Acclamation

Page 223-224

Matthew 21: 1-11;

Mark 11: 1-11;

Luke 19: 29-44;

John 12:12-19

If you look closely you can see Peter, John and the others following Jesus into Jerusalem. They were awed by the response of the crowd. It was no longer just a solitary woman in the privacy of a home demonstrating unrestrained devotion to Jesus. Hundreds were giving Jesus their heart, as they laid their coats before his feet, waved palm branches, and sang, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9). For a brief few minutes, all was right for the disciples as the crowds expressed love and devotion for their Messiah King who had come to end oppression, restore Temple worship, and establish his worldwide Kingdom of Justice.

However, it wasn’t long before the disciples and the crowd began to realize Jesus’ definitions of oppression, Temple worship, and the Kingdom of God differed entirely from their expectations of the Messiah. Jesus’s mission went much deeper than ending the relatively superficial oppression of the Roman occupation. Jesus came to end the oppression of evil, sin and death. Jesus’ mission was no less than the restoration of Paradise where the Temple of God is not a building built with hands; rather, it is God’s presence within His ultimate creation: human beings. Jesus’ mission was not to establish a new political kingdom for Israel; rather, Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God where God’s justice and mercy will transform the entire world.

My Takeaway: Sometimes, I can be so naive and think that when I call out to God for help, God will help me according to what I think I need. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is a reminder to me that God interprets my every cry to Him for help as an invitation for Him to come and do what He thinks is best in and for me; not to fulfill my temporal desires, but to accomplish His eternal purposes.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.