# 165 Thoughts on the Sunday school lesson for March 30, 2014 TRIUMPHANT AND VICTORIOUS by Warren C Swindell Faith Pathway/Faith Journey Topic: Joy and Celebration The background scripture for this lesson is: Zechariah 9: 9-10. The key verse is: Matthew 21: 1-11. Unifying Lesson Principle. People from every generation and from every country have traditional rituals for welcoming dignitaries or heads of state. What is the most fitting way to celebrate the arrival of an honored person? The crowds who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem spread out their cloaks on the road as a special gesture to recognize Him as Messiah. WORD POWER. Rejoice (Hebrew: gily [gheel])---The root meaning is “to circle around.” From this word comes the idea of encircling in joy or rejoicing. Within the Old Testament, the word is used to express a wide range of joy or rejoicing. The majority of the time the word expresses the excitement or enthusiasm that results from what God has done in the lives of His people. Righteous (Hebrew: tsaddiyq [tsad-deek]) The Hebrew literally means “just or righteous in conduct.” The righteous person is someone who executes the will of God.Salvation (Hebrew: yasha [yaw-shah])---The word salvation has its origin in Arabic and literally means “make wide” or “make sufficient.” Within the Old Testament, the word is used to denote God’s deliverance of His people out of danger or life threatening situations. Unlike the New Testament meaning---which is primarily spiritual, moral, and ethical; in the Old Testament---God is the one who literally saves. INTRODUCTION to the lesson---Fit for a King. Several important events in the life of Jesus took place while He was enroute to Jerusalem. When He arrived in Bethany, a banquet was prepared in His honor. Martha served the meal and Lazarus sat at the table with Him. Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with a jar of costly perfume made from essence of nard, and anointed His feet with it and wiped them with her hair. The house was then filled with fragrance. But Judas Iscariot severely upbraided her because the perfume was so expensive. But Jesus replied: “Let her alone. She did it in preparation of my burial. You can always help the poor, but I won’t be with you very long.” The very next day, news that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem swept through the city and a large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet Him, hence the name PALM Sunday (see John 12: 1-13). Dr. Buchanan explains that the events that are taught in the lesson today are traditionally referred to as Palm Sunday, which marks the start of the holiest week in the Christian faith (see Spring 2014-TOWNSEND PRESS COMMENTARY| p. 218). Biblical background. The scriptures for the lesson this week come from two related passages: the first comes from the book of Zechariah in the Old Testament; the second stems from the gospel of Matthew and describes the events that began the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Dr. Buchanan points out that the passage from Zechariah covers events that took place during the Restoration, the period when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon (see also the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Malachi). 1. A. The Prophecy: The Triumphal Entry of the King. (Zechariah 9: 9). The prophet Zechariah announces the coming of the King by writing: “Rejoice greatly, O my people! Shout with joy! For look---your King is coming! He is the Righteous One, the Victor! Yet he is lowly, riding on a donkey’s colt!” We see in this verse The Triumphal Entry of Jesus riding into Jerusalem. This is clear evidence that the event was predicted here 500 years before it occurred. The writers of the LALB Commentary also point out that just as this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus came to earth, the prophecies of His second coming are just as certain to come true. 2. B. The Instructions Given to the Disciples. (Matthew 21: 1-3). The journey of Jesus to Jerusalem took Him through Jericho (see Matthew 20: 29) and through the small village of Bethphage. Each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) records the journey from Jericho concluding in Bethphage. Dr. Buchanan posits that the name Bathphage means “house of unripened figs” and refers to a type of fig tree that rarely ever produces ripened figs. “The arrival of Jesus on the Mount of Olives fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 14: 4, which spoke of the feet of the Messiah standing upon the Mount of Olives” (op, cit, p. 230). 3. C. The Fulfillment of the Prophecy. (Matthew 21: 4-5). The instructions given in verses 1-3 above were given to fulfill the ancient prophecy “Tell Jerusalem her King is coming to her, riding humbly on a donkey’s colt!” (See LALB). (See also 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4).Riding on a donkey’s colt is in stark contrast to riding in on a white horse. The donkey’s colt communicates humility, while the white horse communicates arrogance and worldly power. The crowd expected Jesus to be a warrior who subdued Israel’s foes. 4. D. The Presentation of the King-Messiah. (Matthew 21: 6-11). In these verses, the disciples strictly followed Jesus’ instruction. Dr. Buchanan writes that in this simple act of obedience, they followed the example of the Lord Himself , who reminded them on various occasions that He always obeyed the Father (see John 4: 34; 5: 30; 6: 38; 8: 29; 14: 31; 15: 10; also compare Colossians 1: 9-10). As Jesus rode along the route, some in the crowd threw down their coats along the road ahead of him---others cut branches from the trees and spread them out before Him. The crowds surged on ahead of Him shouting, “God bless King David’s Son!”…”God’s Man is here!”…”Bless Him, Lord!”….”Praise God in highest heaven!” The entire city of Jerusalem was ecstatic as He entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied: “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth up in Galilee.” To their chagrin, Jesus was/is the Prince of Peace, not a bloody warrior. Concluding Reflection. While Jews looked to David and linked Jesus to David, I agree with Dr. Buchanan when he explains that the kingdom was not about David; he was merely a representative of its founder. “The kingdom was and is about the rule and reign of God in the lives of people….Jesus refused to be lured into the false ideas of that large crowd that greeted Him and who wanted to make a different king out Him. The church must seek to establish a political agenda that is based upon our belief that God is King of the world and that His word calls upon us to promote justice, righteousness, equity, and peace” (op. cit., p. 221). The church that follows every popular culture fad is remiss. These thoughts are based on my views gleaned from the Townsend Sunday school COMMENTARY 92nd Edition, The Rev. Dr. William F. Buchanan, writer.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 15:47:20 +0000
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