Topic: John 1:11-12
"He came to his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:11-12).
A parade is coming! You hear the joyful shouts of the crowd of people approaching.
"What's going on?" you ask a bystander. He cranes his neck. "It's some man riding on a donkey. I think it may be that Jesus, who goes around healing people!"
You squeeze through the crowd that has gathered around you. There's no band, no drumbeats. But the noise is deafening! Then you break through, and you see Him. People are throwing palm branches on the road before Him. Children are all over the place jumping for joy.
"Hosannah to the Son of David!" they're shouting joyfully. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
"Son of David," someone says. "He must be the Savior God promised to send--the Messiah!"
As Jesus draws near, you peer at Him. That's Jesus, the Man who healed your blind uncle! That's Jesus--the man who healed the lame, the deaf, the lepers--the man who raised that widow's son from the dead! Your heart leaps for joy. He is the Messiah, the Savior. You start leaping for joy and shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David, the Messiah!"
Some Pharisees step up to Jesus and stop Him. "Teacher," they exclaim, "rebuke your disciples!"
Jesus looks at them soberly. "I tell you," He says, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!"
You join the great crowd following Jesus. And suddenly He stops again on a hillock. As He looks at Jerusalem, tears roll down His cheeks! Then He says sadly, "Oh, Jerusalem! If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes! The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within the walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you!"
This prophecy made by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came true in 70 A.D.
You really weren't there that day; but Jesus still offers His salvation to those of us who live today. Have you yourself received Jesus Christ as your Messiah, as your Savior?
The reason God allowed cruel men to crucify His Son during that terrible week that followed was because "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." And Romans 10:13 declares, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
When God saves us, He transforms our lives. If we truly know Jesus Christ, we will love, follow, and serve Him, the Holy One who gave His life for us!
Help us to realize what great love you have for us, Lord, and to follow you!
If you could witness Jesus' triumphent entry into Jerusalem, what would you shout out? (Or what would you LIKE to shout out?)
Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation
at 8:08 AM CDT
