I wish to use this intro as a personal prayer for Todd Nibert, a gospel preacher and brother in Christ. As he returns home from surgery from cancer may God give him and his family comfort and it may be Gods will that he recovers and once again is behind the pulpit proclaiming the sovereignty and glory of God.
Extra Credit: Todays may not have as much direct relevance to my commentary and text but it was a great poem by Don Fortner that I recently read and wished to share. It deals with My Church.
Jhn 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
Jhn 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Jhn 12:14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
Jhn 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass colt.
- Why a young Ass?
The Passover was a celebration of the deliverance from bondage of Egypt. Now these Jews saw themselves again in a different type of bondage by the Romans. Their money and their allegionce, all were demanded to be paid to Caesar. Theirs lives and freedom were now given to Rome. It may have been that these people of Jerusalem sought another like a Moses to deliver them now from this Roman rule. They may have had their hopes of Jesus to be this mighty deliverer that had come to re-establish the kingdom of David. Not knowing how right they were in some accords, sadly they only were looking for physical or temporal salvation. They had no understanding of His true power and work He had come to do. They knew nothing of the spiritual salvation He would accomplish but were concerned instead of only earthly blessings. It was not the Kingdom of God they were searching for but the kingdom of their nation. This may be why they cried Hosanna but within 4 days shall cry crucify Him. This is the same people we see today. Those seeking the Lord for freedom of guilt. Those seeking only to cover temporal pain and search for earthly blessing. Those fighting not for the kingdom of God but for a worldly kingdom. Those crying Lord, Lord but when faced with the gospel of His sovereign grace rebel and cry crucify Him.
