Blessed is He

 

Threat or Savior? True God or false prophet? There were many questions surrounding the Man who was called the Christ by some, a good teacher by others and a servant of Satan by the religious leaders (Matthew 12:24).

On what we call Palm Sunday, the commemoration of the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, many people recognized Him as the King prophesied by Zechariah:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9).

The people of His day were hoping and expecting that His “having salvation” meant that He would be an earthly King who would rescue them from the Romans who were ruling Jerusalem in that day. Many sermons are clear that Jesus was not coming to order an army to annihilate the Romans but was rather coming for our spiritual salvation.

We can all agree that this is true…to a point.

Sadly, this has led to thinking that Christ does not rule on earth today. The thinking is that it is not His world until the New Heavens and the New Earth are restored and put in place at the end of the age.

In other scripture we can see clearly that Jesus is ruling now and has been forever. 1 Chronicles was written at least 400 years before the birth of Christ. In it the writer says, “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.”  (1 Chronicles 29:10b-11, Emphasis mine.)

At Christmas we love to repeat Isaiah 9: 6-7a, For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end.

The truth is that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, many people in the world will do as the people of Jerusalem did as Jesus was entering the city on a donkey. They will wave their palm branches and sing “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9).

Will they also know that He is the Lord of all? That He has all authority in heaven and on earth now? Will they understand that He is the King of Kings and LORD of Lords?

As Christ did at the Cross, we (nationally) are facing the “cup” of God’s wrath (Matthew 26:39). A lot of Christians are praying that if it is His will for us as a nation, that God would show mercy and take this cup from us. Unlike Christ who was sinless, we are a nation with blood on our hands (Proverbs 6:16-17; Isaiah 59:3). We are, in fact, guilty of all seven things that God hates in these verses:

These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

There is a time coming when the rest of Zechariah’s prophecy shall come to pass. He says in Zechariah 9:10, He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.

We can long for that day of peace, knowing it is coming. But, if we want to actively serve the Lord, helping to see that His “will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” then we have to proclaim His Name, take dominion of the earth, and actively teach that “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD!”

He is, indeed, our Savior, the True God.