The FaithOfJesus2 Daily Devotional

Focus:

kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

( FaithOfJesus thread begun by rRandyP )

Today's Verse:

kjv@Matthew:21:1-11

kjv@Matthew:21:1 @ And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

kjv@Matthew:21:2 @ Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

kjv@Matthew:21:3 @ And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

kjv@Matthew:21:4 @ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

kjv@Matthew:21:5 @ Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

kjv@Matthew:21:6 @ And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

kjv@Matthew:21:7 @ And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

kjv@Matthew:21:8 @ And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

kjv@Matthew:21:9 @ And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

kjv@Matthew:21:10 @ And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

kjv@Matthew:21:11 @ And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Today's notes: Jesus The Prophet of Nazareth

Context:

Before - two blind men
After - yea, have you never read

What is man believing/doing?:

two fetching ass and it's colt
put Jesus thereon
spreading garments in the way, strawing palm branches across the way, singing Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord
entire city moved
identifying to the city Jesus to be the "Prophet" of Nazareth

What is making man to believe/do as he is doing?:

commandment by Jesus at least in the part of securing the animals, we can only speculate as to how much more of this had been orchestrated by Him (or Spirit) or how much occurred on it's own
to symbolize the entrance of a king, unsure if fulfillment of prophecy was known at time or a guiding factor
kjv@Luke:19:37 because of the mighty works they had seen, similar and perhaps conscious use of the Feast of Tabernacles symbology
event draws out the clear divisions of the city regarding Jesus and the off schedule use of sacred traditional imagery
Prophet likely used in the sense Moses had used it kjv@Deuteronomy:18:15-19

Notes:

daughter of Zion Mount Olive
kjv@Psalms:118

We have a couple different interpretive options to consider:

This triumphant entry has been divinely orchestrated and the people are following along with it. The Lord is in need (ass + colt) because He/They is/are putting it together, this is what He or the Father needs it to be and testify of.
This triumphant entry has developed more organically through the collective desires of the people following Jesus. They have had plenty of time to consider it, plan and even prepare. This is what they want it to be and testify of. The Lord is in need (ass + colt) because the prophecy still has to be fulfilled or that because of the distance it was held off or because Jesus is now accepting of the public' display.

It may not be for us to know for sure except by context and familiarity. I beleive that the scene is out of character for Him thus far. He has purposely kept meek and forbidding of such notice and display. Given His many words and modus operandi, this is likely the multitudes testimony of Him and not His (or the Spirit's) testimony of Himself. Can He be meek if He is the one putting the event on?

It will be very important contextually for us to determine whether this is so as it would completely alter our discernment what is actually going on at this monumental moment and how the prophecy was fulfilled.

Key Messages:

What does this say about our present condition?

It is easy to get swept up in the movement of a thing on either side of it without knowing what it actually means or where it is leading to.
There is a considerable portion of the populous that can be and are now moved by an event, but for how long? Of those, many are but simple minded in it for whatever serves them best, they can/will be just as easily convinced something else is better. Some though are not just simple minded, they are intelligent enough to see what is about to happen, though they want it to be true for it to be true it must be costly, they themselves are not yet ready to share in that cost.
Perhaps in our rush to adoration there are hidden intents of convincing others what we want them to think. Perhaps by making more noise, making the crowd of us look larger in number, putting a significance to it that may or may not be there or that may have been altered by our straying eye on what other's are perceiving. Perhaps there is even the notion that we can somehow alter the course of what is most likely to play out historically by making just one event something that it may not ever be. The idea may have begun true and noble and sincere, even those ideas however can become corrupted.

Further Resources:

Comment Board:Matthew:21:1-11
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Matthew:21:1-11 rwp@Matthew:21:1-11 mhcc@Matthew:21:1-11
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index

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