Assembly of God

By Sheryl Franco

Co-Pastor

This coming Sunday, March 31, is traditionally referred to as “Palm Sunday,” the day Christians commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, lauded by cheers and demonstrations of honor. As we look at the Scripture this week, instead of a detached, routine reading of this familiar passage, I invite you to take your Bible, quiet yourself and your surroundings, and ask God to give you a fresh understanding of his word. Ask him to illuminate the story, as if it were being played out in real time and you were one of the people in the crowd. Read Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40 and John 12:1216, putting yourself in the crowd along the road.

What a scene. Here comes Jesus, riding on the back of a donkey’s colt. You recognize him and the group of 12 who travel with him. What a rag tag and strange bunch they are. Former fishermen, a tax collector (not an admirable position in the day), a zealot (who might be identified in modern vernacular as a revolutionary who engages in politics and desires to overthrow the Roman government), and Judas, whose previous profession is not identified. However, just a few verses earlier in John, he is referred to as an embezzler and a thief. At the periphery of the crowd are some pharisees, standing apart, observing dispassionately.

You are jostled and carried by the crowd. The entire city is in an uproar. Those who are not involved in the action on the street are flocking to the scene, asking, “Who is this?” Word is quickly spreading that this is the prophet from Nazareth, Jesus. There is an almost riotous fervor as people are shouting acclamations: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” “Praise God for the Son of David!” “Praise God in highest heaven!” The shouts and joyful cries are almost deafening. As the small bunch with Jesus in the center approaches, you feel something rising in your chest, a knowing, an understanding that identifies Jesus as more than a prophet, more than a political king. He is the answer. It’s an almost audible statement, but where did it come from? How did you hear it over the roar of the clamor surrounding you?

The people at the edge of the road nearest Jesus are spontaneously ripping the coats off their backs and throwing them on the ground in front of him as he passes, creating a royal carpet. Others are waving palm branches as they shout in raucous celebration. Pressed forward by the throng, you look up to see how close you are to being shoved into the street. Suddenly, his eyes catch yours. A moment of personal connection. Messiah. It’s an almost audible statement, but where did it come from? How did you speak it, when you were being so crushed by the throng that you could hardly breathe?

The question to you today is who are you in the crowd? Are you the one who recognizes Jesus as Messiah, the answer, in the middle of the crowd? Do you know him? Are you one of the pharisees, a religious person who recognizes Jesus, but you do not know him as a personal, living savior, your redeemer? Are you one of the crowd, caught up in the emotion of a good parade, who is easily dissuaded and will join the same crowd in few days when they call to crucify Jesus?

Assembly of God will celebrate Palm Sunday at 11 a.m. in the Amphitheater. We invite you to come with the expectation of experiencing heartfelt worship and solid, biblical preaching.