Eastertide: Palm Sunday.

Welcome to Eastertide! Eastertide is the season of the year from Palm Sunday to Pentecost. If you don’t know what those are, it’s OK, we’ll explain it all as we go. My hope is that these devotionals will be a chance to walk with Jesus and let his resurrection give you joy and peace as a family.

Mark 11:1-11. ¹Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ²and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. ⁵And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. ⁷And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. ⁸And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. ⁹And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹¹And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Palm Sunday is the first day of what Christians call Holy Week. Holy Week is the celebration of the week that Jesus spent in the city of Jerusalem leading to his terrible death on the cross and then his glorious resurrection from the grave! But before Jesus will rise from the grave a lot will happen, including his ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.

A donkey?

Yes, a donkey. Not a horse like a warrior, or a camel like one of the wise men. Jesus will ride on a lowly donkey, and the Bible says it was even a colt, a young donkey. Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey? Because that is what kings did for thousands of years before Jesus. When a king was crowned in Jerusalem, they would then ride around the city on a donkey to show that they came peacefully and humbly to serve their people. And that’s why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. For peace.

But the people wanted Jesus to start a war with Rome. Rome was the nation that controlled Israel and the Jewish people. The Jews wanted a king like David to come and kill all the big bad Goliaths that terrorized them. But Jesus didn’t come to fight the Romans; he came to fight the devil. Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a king to show that he will free us from sin and its consequence – death!

Make sure you understand what Jesus is saying on Palm Sunday. He is saying, “I am your king. You need to obey me and worship me and listen to me.” But he is also saying, “I am a king who has come to serve you, help you, and save you.”

Look at verse 11 again. After riding into Jerusalem as a king, Jesus doesn’t go to the temple or the palace and take over. He leaves the city and goes a couple miles away to a little town called Bethany.

Bethany is where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived (do you remember the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead?).

Bethany is where Jesus will be loved and listened to.

Bethany is where Jesus will be able to rest and pray.

Bethany is where Jesus will stay every night of Holy Week until Friday when he will die on the cross.

Today, Jesus doesn’t live in Bethany. He lives in our hearts. Our hearts are Jesus’ home. Our hearts are where Jesus must be loved and listened to. Our hearts are where Jesus lives and rules. Our hearts are where Jesus loves us so much that he would come stay with us forever.

If you have asked Jesus to save you, then he has ridden into your life as a king, and he has moved your heart to live there forever. And that’s the best news ever.

You: Does Jesus live in your heart? How do you know? Do you spend time with Jesus? How can treat Jesus like your king?

You with Jesus: What might change if Jesus moved into your house like he did with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany?

Prayer: Jesus you are my king and my friend. Help me to obey you and trust you. Thank you for moving into my heart and loving me no matter what. Amen.