Listen to Jesus Early and Often #1908

Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him. (Luke 21:38, NKJV)

The excitement in Jerusalem had been building daily, ever since Jesus came into the city riding on a young donkey. Anticipating the deliverance of Israel from the oppression of her enemies, the people had lined His pathway with clothes and palm branches as He entered the city (Matt. 21:1-11; Lk. 19:36-40). Their king had arrived (Jno. 12:13)! People came early each morning and listened attentively to Jesus (Lk. 19:48). The crescendo was nearing its apex, but the climactic event would not be as the crowd envisioned. Soon, in frenzied dismay, they would cry out, ”Crucify Him!” Until then, Jesus kept teaching in the temple daily. “Why did He bother?” you ask? The Son was doing the work His Father gave Him (Jno. 12:27-36). Now, we have what He taught that week in the inspired Scriptures for our faith and salvation. I wonder, are we as eager to hear what Jesus says as they were? And if so, are we also eager to do what He says? We cannot correctly call Jesus our Lord if we believe what He says but do not obey Him (Lk. 6:46). Let us always listen to Jesus – early in the morning, late at night, and all through the day. May we believe Him, obey Him, and so be delivered from sin and death as citizens of His kingdom (Jno. 18:36-37; Col. 1:13-14).

Hosanna! #1801

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” (John 12:12–13, NKJV)

The Passover feast of the Jews was approaching as Jesus entered Jerusalem. People laid palm branches (and even clothing) in His path as symbols of festive joy (Matt. 21:8; cf. Lev. 23:40; Rev. 7:9). The people verbalized their anticipation of victory with shouts of praise from the Psalms: “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Psa. 118:25-26). “Hosanna” (“save now” or “oh save!”) punctuated their excitement that Jesus was the “Son of David,” the “King of Israel” (Matt. 21:9). But, Jesus was not riding upon a mighty steed as a conquering hero, but upon a lowly donkey (fulfilling a prophecy depicting the humble nature of the King and His kingdom, Jno. 12:14-15; Zech. 9:9). The salvation He brought was redemption from the bondage and death of sin, not freedom from their oppressive Roman overlords (Isa. 62:11-12). His kingdom is “not of this world,” and when their vision was not realized, they viciously turn against Jesus and shouted, “Crucify Him!” (Jno. 18:36-38; 19:14-16). We must not conjure up false images of Jesus and His gospel. If we do, we join hands with the faithless crowd that crucified the King of Israel, the Savior of the world.

The Treatment of Animals #1469

A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10, NKJV)

Every beast belongs to God, who created and who sustains them (Psalm 50:10; Matthew 6:26). A man’s animals were beasts of burden, beasts of labor and sources of food and clothing. While the Law of Moses had many animal sacrifices, it also commanded consideration toward animals. Domesticated animals were not to work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10); a person was to help an over-burdened animal, even an enemy’s (Exodus 23:4-5); one was not to unequally yoke an ox and a donkey (Deuteronomy 22:10); one was not to muzzle the ox when it was treading out the corn (Deuteronomy 25:45); they were not to disturb a bird sitting on its nest of young (Deuteronomy 22:6); and a young goat was not to be cooked in its mother’s milk (Exodus 23:19). While the upright person considers the welfare of his animals, the wicked have no such thoughts. Cruelty is their compassion. One can learn some things about a person’s character by how they treat animals. What are people learning about you?