March 7, 2005

• Today I have been reading in Matthew 21 about the Triumphal Entry of Jesus.

  
  

  Jesus came to Jerusalem in humility in his first coming, riding on a colt, but in his second coming He will be riding a White Horse with His army of Saints.

  
  

  How often in our lives does God give us a job that is one of humility first, before He entrusts us with something requiring authority. If we cannot be faithful in the little, can we be faithful in the Big.

  
  

  Now a colt, that has never been ridden before is a difficult ride to control. It takes great authority to be able to ride with decorum a wild horse.

  
  

  The crowds were shouting Hosanna which means save now. They had their preconceived notions of what the Messiah would do, and when the Messiah did not perform to their expectations, then they turned against Him.

  
  

  I think that is much the same way that we turn against God at times when He doesn’t meet our expectations. I am so guilty of that, that I have to often apologize to God.

  
  

  One of my favorite verses is 16 when Jesus answers the indignant priests by saying, “out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise.”

  
  

  Jesus knew that any praise of the adults was political and had hidden agendas. Children do not have agendas, they either like or don’t like someone. Jesus must have been awesome to attract kids the way he did, so much so that the disciples wanted the parents to have the kids leave Him alone. Their worship and words were not calculated.

  
  

  The withered fig tree. Fig trees were a representation of the Nation Israel. This was a lone fig tree, (Mark) and that is a good indication that we must fellowship with other believers or we will not produce fruit. It takes cross pollination to produce fruit, if we are isolated, we do not grow spiritually. And our fruit will be barren. Jesus saw a tree that to outward appearances should have had fruit (just like the rabbis and priests should have had spiritual fruit), and when he did not find fruit, in Mark he says let no man eat from thee. He wanted people to eat from fruit producing trees and the leaders of the Israelites were not giving their people the spiritual fruit that Jesus offered.

  
  

  How telling that, when Jesus was asked by what authority he did what he did, that he answered his questioners by asking a question which they did not answer. Then Jesus said that He would not answer their questions. Yet he did in parable form.

  
  

  The first parable was about obedience to the father, and one son said he wasn’t going to do what the father asked, and did it anyway, the other son said he would do what the father asked and did not do so. It was illustrative of how Jesus felt that sinners and publicans had a bigger chance in the kingdom than the scribes and pharisees who gave lip-service to the law, but not obedience from the heart.

  
  

  Then in the wicked vinedressers, Jesus shows that He will be killed by the vinedressers (priests and scribes of the kingdom) for Jesus was a threat to their authority in the field. How little did they realize that they wouldn’t even be in the field if it wasn’t for Jesus and God. And the prophesy so awful for the Israelites and so good for us, V. 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” So we ended up with the time of the Gentiles, but Revelation shows that soon the remnant will also be regrafted into the kingdom of God and we will be one.

  
  

  Between my daily readings and the Bible studies I keep being blown away at the amount of prophesy in the Bible, and how so much is coming true in this day and age, and how much the Bible holds together as a whole.

  
  

  Have you ever read Flatland? It is about a world that is two dimensional and the residents, the line, circle, triangle, etc. contemplate the possible existence of the third dimension, but their perception of this dimension is only at a point of contact. For me the Bible is like a point of contact to something that is so deep and wide and long and tall that we can never fully appreciate all that it contains. Each time I read a chapter or verse, there is so much, that you can never tire of the study, and I know that the most learned scholar (which I am not) is barely scratching the surface. How awesome a book the living Word of God is.

  
  

  Will try to get to the Friday Bible study CD tomorrow, survived the delivery of 707 cases of Girl Scout cookies, and getting them distributed to the troops. Am contemplating a nice warm shower for sore muscles.

  
  

  Heather

  • 10:48 pm
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