Lessons from Matthew 20: Promise of Power
Promise of Power
And now we come to Jesus’s climatic entrance into the city of Jerusalem. Once again, on His way, He stopped and cared for those in need.
Jesus knew His death was imminent, yet He was not thinking of himself but of others. As He was approached by two blind men who were sitting along the roadside, He stopped and took care of their needs. He healed them and immediately they too followed Jesus.
As they reached the Mount of Olives prior to entering into Jerusalem, Jesus told two of His disciples to go at once and find a donkey and her colt and bring them to Him. And He said if anyone asks, tell them that the Lord needs them and they will respond right away!
We don’t know if this was prearranged or not. But what we do know is that both the disciples who went and the owner of the animals responded with acts of obedience.
Are you that likely to do as God has instructed you?
They returned with the donkey and they placed their cloaks on it and Jesus sat on it. Thus began this royal procession. And the people joined in by spreading their cloaks on the road before Him and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The people openly praised Jesus and shouted, ”Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city came alive and asked, “Who is this?” And the people responded, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
These words of praise and prayer come from Psalm 118:25-26 and they were used at the feasts of dedication, Tabernacles, and the Passover. Since Jesus entered Jerusalem during Passover, the city was bustling with people. Specifically Jewish people coming to the Temple and offering their sacrifices to be presented in celebration of the Passover Feast.
It was a time when every Jew came together to remember what God had done for them by delivering them from the bondage of the Egyptians.
Cleansing the Temple
But there were merchants in the temple courtyard who were taking advantage of those who had come. They were overcharging people from other cities and towns to convert their money and they were falsely telling those who had brought sacrifices that theirs were not without blemish. Thus, they were forcing the people to purchase sacrifices at inflated prices.
As Jesus entered the courtyard, He became keenly aware of what these religious leaders were doing and how they were keeping this money for themselves. He became so full of righteous indignation that He overturned the tables of the money changers.
He told them that His house was to be called a house of prayer, but they had made it a den of robbers.
These men and their practices had defiled the Temple, making it an unholy place for worshipping God. Jesus exercised His power and authority as the Son of God by driving out the buyers and the sellers.
Jesus is the same life-giving God today and He promises to cleanse our hearts if we will let Him. He promises to save us from ourselves and bring about His sanctification as we live to love and honor Him.
Believers receive power to live the resurrected life in and through Jesus Christ!
Are you living for the glory of His praise? Are you laying down your idols that you might live for Him and be used to draw others to Him also? What are you doing to show Jesus that you believe in Him and trust Him to see you through this thing called life?
Well, last but not least, we see Jesus once again set aside His own agenda and desires in order that He might make Himself available to those in need. Verse 14 tells us that Jesus once again healed the blind and lame that came to Him.
But as the chief priests and teachers of the law saw these wonderful things Jesus did and heard the children in the courtyard shouting Jesus’s praises, they became indignant.
They asked Jesus if He heard what the children were saying. Jesus responded, “Yes,” “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
Jesus offered no other reason, no defense. And He left that place and went to Bethany to spend the night.
What are you doing to shout your praises to King Jesus? Does your life, your choices, your words, and your actions sing His praises? Or are you robbing Him and others of seeing and hearing His goodness lived out through your life?
May we all learn to continually offer up our voices in praise and adoration and may others hear and come to Him because of it!
Is your love for God something others are aware of? What needs to be thrown out of your life, God’s temple? How will you openly speak of Jesus and publicly praise Him?
Terri Hamman
Faith & Fitness Coach