Matthew 21:1-11
Today's Passage: Matthew 21:1–11
https://youtu.be/ifCWN5pJGIE?si=Y1E2-J9WeBopcoa1
In the last few years, I’ve appreciated Christmas music more and more. Near the top of the list of favorite Christmas songs is “Mary, Did You Know,” specifically this rendition by the Pentatonix. They deliver a hauntingly beautiful version that, for me, brings to life the words of the song—“Mary, did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you… Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kids your little baby, you kiss the face of God.”
It’s this time of year we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas songs are sung with cheer by people of all walks of life and backgrounds. Some carols are childish, some of them are Hallmark-ish, and some others are explicitly Christian. Mary, Did You Know is explicitly Christian. And, it’s sung, sometimes beautifully, by people who have no idea the richness of lines like, “That sleeping child your holding is the great, I AM”
In the same way, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to shouts of adulation and praise. More than a destination, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was a destiny. It’s the very reason he came, born in a manger, that first Christmas morning.
As much joy as that song brings, I grieve knowing that people do not believe in the one about whom they sing. Their lips sing with joy, but their hearts are unsurrendered. I’m guessing that Jesus rode into Jerusalem in much the same way, one part joy, and one part grief. He knew these people did not understand the depth of the words they shouted and sang.
The crowd shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” This long awaited moment had come to pass—God’s Messiah entering Jerusalem. They had knowledge of the Messiah, but they had no understanding of his true mission.
Had Jesus come in power and glory, all of humanity would have been judged and found wanting. Instead, the Creator needed to suffer and die at the hands of the created in order that we might experience restoration.
Acts 8 records the account of Philip and Ethiopian eunuch. Philip walked up to the official reading from Isaiah the prophet. In verse 30, Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Evangelism isn’t complicated. It may simply be hearing someone singing a Christmas Carol about Jesus and you asking, “Do you understand what you are singing?” Stepping out in faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to see what they say. If God opens the door, invite them to meet Hosanna, the Son of David—the Lord of all creation, who would one day rule the nations, heaven’s perfect Lamb, the Great I AM!
Written By: Tyler Short
https://youtu.be/ifCWN5pJGIE?si=Y1E2-J9WeBopcoa1
In the last few years, I’ve appreciated Christmas music more and more. Near the top of the list of favorite Christmas songs is “Mary, Did You Know,” specifically this rendition by the Pentatonix. They deliver a hauntingly beautiful version that, for me, brings to life the words of the song—“Mary, did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you… Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kids your little baby, you kiss the face of God.”
It’s this time of year we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas songs are sung with cheer by people of all walks of life and backgrounds. Some carols are childish, some of them are Hallmark-ish, and some others are explicitly Christian. Mary, Did You Know is explicitly Christian. And, it’s sung, sometimes beautifully, by people who have no idea the richness of lines like, “That sleeping child your holding is the great, I AM”
In the same way, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to shouts of adulation and praise. More than a destination, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was a destiny. It’s the very reason he came, born in a manger, that first Christmas morning.
As much joy as that song brings, I grieve knowing that people do not believe in the one about whom they sing. Their lips sing with joy, but their hearts are unsurrendered. I’m guessing that Jesus rode into Jerusalem in much the same way, one part joy, and one part grief. He knew these people did not understand the depth of the words they shouted and sang.
The crowd shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” This long awaited moment had come to pass—God’s Messiah entering Jerusalem. They had knowledge of the Messiah, but they had no understanding of his true mission.
Had Jesus come in power and glory, all of humanity would have been judged and found wanting. Instead, the Creator needed to suffer and die at the hands of the created in order that we might experience restoration.
Acts 8 records the account of Philip and Ethiopian eunuch. Philip walked up to the official reading from Isaiah the prophet. In verse 30, Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Evangelism isn’t complicated. It may simply be hearing someone singing a Christmas Carol about Jesus and you asking, “Do you understand what you are singing?” Stepping out in faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to see what they say. If God opens the door, invite them to meet Hosanna, the Son of David—the Lord of all creation, who would one day rule the nations, heaven’s perfect Lamb, the Great I AM!
Written By: Tyler Short
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