GIVE GOD TIME
Prayer and Praise
Jesus said, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” Matthew 26:40, so we start our journey of giving God time to work in us, by praying along with this hymn… Ride on ride on in majesty … at this link
A WORD IN YOUR EAR
John 12:12-19 The people want Jesus to be their King (v.16)
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”.
“Blessed is the king of Israel!” (quoting Ps.118:25-27)
It was prophesied that the people would want to make the one who came in the name of the Lord, their King; (Ps.118:25-27).
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (Zech 9:9).
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
Jesus was truly the King – in disguise. (Matthew Ch.1 & Luke 3:23-38.) Although the King, coming on a donkey meant He came in peace, and this first coming to earth, He came as a servant. He was the Son of Man on a mission. Next time He comes on a horse in what the Greek calls, a “parousia”, which means appearing as He really is, as the King of the universe, and our Creator and the Messiah. No more “incognito”.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to spread the word.
18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.
So primarily the people turned out because they had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead! The word about what Jesus had done, spread like wildfire, so when they heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, everyone turned out to see Him!
19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
Result? The religious leaders saw they had lost the battle of the mind… as the people had already turned to Jesus to the point where they wanted to make Him King.
The religious leaders were enraged and envious that the people were following One who brought a man back from the dead, and so they set their minds on murder as their next course of action.
—-Summary
John 12:15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (Zech 9:9). N.I.V.
- Today’s Verse…
Who is Jesus? John 12:15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (Zech 9:9). N.I.V.
- Today’s Challenge
John 12:15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (Zech 9:9). Compare the response to Jesus from the man in the street with the response from the religious leaders. Have you made Jesus your King? Are you His obedient servant?
Prayer and Worship
“… He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Matthew 14:23.
Jesus taught His disciples what we call ‘The Lord’s Prayer’; (Luke 11).
Listen here to Albert Malotte’s ‘The Lord’s Prayer’.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever;- Amen.
Prayer suggestions;-
- The world. (ie ‘For those in authority.’)
- The ‘suffering church.’ https://barnabasfund.org/nz/pray/daily-prayer/#previous-dates
- Your own situation. (Suggest ‘needs’ rather than ‘wants’.)
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John 12:12-19 Jesus riding into Jerusalem
2nd Reading.
12 The next day, the large crowd that had come for the festival heard that Yeshua (Jesus) was on his way into Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Deliver us!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai, (the LORD), the King of Isra’el!”
14 After finding a donkey colt, Yeshua (Jesus) mounted it, just as the Tanakh (Scripture) says —
15 “Daughter of Tziyon, (Zion) don’t be afraid!
Look! your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
16 His talmidim (disciples) did not understand this at first; but after Yeshua (Jesus) had been glorified, then they remembered that the Tanakh (Scripture) said this about Him, and that they had done this for Him.
17 The group that had been with him when he called El‘azar (Lazarus) out of the tomb and raised him from the dead had been telling about it.
18 It was because of this too that the crowd came out to meet him — they had heard that he had performed this miracle.
19 The P’rushim (Pharisees) said to each other, “Look, you’re getting nowhere! Why the whole world has gone after him!”
(Complete Jewish Bible)
