IT HAPPENED ON PALM SUNDAY

 PARABLE OF PALM SUNDAY

JESUS RIDES A DONKEY 

THROUGH THE EASTERN GATE

Pastor Dave, leader of the college group has an informal discussion saying, "Tonight we are going to look at the events of Palm Sunday."

Mary adds, "Is that were Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem and every shouts,  'Hosanna?'

Peter blurts out, "Hosanna means, 'Save us!'

Pastor Dave speaks, 'Let's look at the back story before Palm Sunday.  Where was he staying?'

Susanna smiles, "Staying at Mary, Martha and Lazarus' home during sabbath day, before Palm Sunday."

Mary speaks, "6 days before Passover, Mary annointed Jesus' feet with expensive oil."

Matthew adds, "2 days before Passover, a woman annointed Jesus' head with Spikenard at Simon the Leper's home in Bethany.  Perhaps his wife or daughter, happy to see him healed."

Cindy says, "Jesus was annointed head to toe."

Pastor Dave speaks, "Now let's look at Palm Sunday."

James reads, "When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it,  and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the donkey?”  They answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go.  Then they brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it.  (Mark 11:1-7 HCSB  Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Ruthie adds, "Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them."  on the road.  Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:8-9  NASB ~ New American Standard Bible)

Dan adds, Jesus borrowed the donkey to fulfill prophecy.  "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; cry out, daughter of Jerusalem!  Look! Your king is coming to you.  He is righteous, and he is able to save.  He is humble, and is riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey."  (Zechariah 9:9  ISV ~ International Standard Version)

Ruthie reads: "As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,  saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”  (Luke 19:37-40  ESV ~ English Standard Version)

Debra, "I like that part!  Everyone praises the King of Kings, descending down the Mount of Olives."

Pastor Dave remarks, "Now this is where it get's interesting.  Jesus stops  half way down to look at the Temple and Jerusalem at the same area where the red heifers were sacrificed on the Mount of Olives and weeps!

John reads, "And as He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He cried over it, saying, "If you knew in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!  But now they have been hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognized the time of your visitation."  (Luke 19:41-44 LSB ~ Legacy Standard Bible)

Paul says, "Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD."

Dan speaks, "We are not sure if Jesus rode his donkey across the Red Heifer bridge or went down to the Kidron Valley and climbed up to the Eastern Gate.

Susanna says, "The Eastern Gate was also known at the Golden Gate or the Mercy Gate."

Sally blurts out, "Is that the Beautiful Gate?"

Paul remarks, "People mistake the Eastern Gate for the Beautiful Gate, which was an ornate gate inside the city, near the Temple."

James adds, "The Eastern Gate is where the Priest would take the scape goat out on Yom Kippur. And he also carried out ashes of the Red Heifer from this gate for ritual purification."

Pastor Dave remarks, "In the second coming, Jesus will return on the Mount of Olives and ride his white horse through the Eastern Gate."

Matthew says, "Most people didn't use the Eastern Gate.  The Huldah Gates on the south side of Jerusalem was the popular way to enter the city."

Matthew continues, "When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”  And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”  (Matthew 21:10-11  NASB ~ New American Standard Bible)

Pastor Dave adds, "What did Jesus do next?"

Paul continues, "Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.  He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers!”

The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.  But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonders he performed and heard the children calling out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant. They said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?”

“Yes,” Jesus told them, “Have you never read, 'From the lips of little children and nursing babies you have prepared praise?'  He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there."  

(Matthew 21:12-17  EHV ~ Evangelical Heritage Version)

Pastor Dave concludes, "After a full day of excitement, they leave Jerusalem, returning the donkey and head back to Lazarus' home in Bethany." 

John concludes, "Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him."  John 12:9-11  (NIV ~ New International Version)

Dan concludes, "Maybe that's the reason why Jesus and his disciples moved from Lazarus' home to Simon the Lepers home in Bethany."

Pastor Dave concludes, "Tomorrow, we're are going to look for figs on the tree."