Jesus: He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord
Then the multitudes who went before
and those who followed cried out, saying…
baruch haba beshem Adonai (in Hebrew)
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"
On Palm Sunday Jesus rode victorious into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds spread palm branches and their coats on the road. They cried out, “Hosanna,” and called Jesus Son of David, which meant they recognized that Jesus was heir to David’s throne. The crowd recognized Jesus as their Messiah-Deliverer. They wanted Jesus to proclaim Himself King of Israel, to raise an army and to drive the Romans into the sea. They recognized Jesus as He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord. Palm Sunday had everything to do with rightful ownership. Jesus owned the right to be their King. He had the royal rights to a kingdom on earth, but He would not exercise His rights on Palm Sunday. Jesus would patiently wait until Good Friday to die for the sins of the world. Jesus wanted to first rule them internally, from within their hearts.
Jesus, You are LORD; thank You for coming to establish Your kingdom in my heart. I yield to Your rule.
Jesus came the first time peacefully, upon a donkey, to establish His rule in the hearts of His subjects. Jesus will come a second time in war, riding upon a white horse to conquer His enemies. Then He will come in the name of the Lord to establish His earthly kingdom. He will institute social justice and set up world peace.
Jesus, I look forward to Your coming to establish justice and peace in the world. Help me live for You in this present world, which has so little peace and justice. Amen.
Go Deeper: Matthew 21:1-11
Jesus came the first time to rule the hearts of people.
