On Sunday March 20th 2016 Christians all over the world celebrated the 2016 Palm Sunday a day set aside in
the Christian fold to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ
into Jerusalem. I was blessed to have been in the church that day and that is why I
decided to share part of the blessing with you.
My pastor the Rev
Bright Welekwe gave a massage he captioned Needed! Needed! Needed!
Ordinarily, I know some people may murmur ‘why has he come up to tell us
about material needs instead of the spiritual needs we’ve come for?’
All the same, the man of God did Justice to the message he had.
From the account I read, I understood that Palm Sunday originated in the
Jerusalem church around the third or early fourth century and was first
known as pasha. Its ceremonies consist of chanting of hymns, praises,
prayers and sermons as people move through the different holy sites
within the city of Jerusalem. At the last site- the place of Jesus’
accent ion into heaven, the clergy would read the biblical account of
Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then, as evening approaches, the
people would return to the city shouting ‘blessed is He that comes in
the name of the Lord.’ By the fifth century, the celebration had spread
beyond Israel and by the sixth and seventh centuries; the ritual
blessing of the palms (a sign of victory) was added. That celebration
has continued today in the 21st century.
The account of this entry was recorded in such places as Mathew 21, Luke 19, John 12, etc.
Luke 19:29
29. And it came to pass, when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at
the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples,
30.
Saying "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will
find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it
here
31. "And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.
32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.
33. But as they were losing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"
34. And they said, "The Lord has need of him."
In Judea there were few horses, and those were chiefly used in war.
Men seldom employed them in common life, and in ordinary journeys. The
ass, the mule, and the camel, are still most used in eastern countries.
To ride on a horse was sometimes an emblem of war; on a mule and an ass
the emblem of peace. Kings and princes commonly rode on them in times of
peace; and it is mentioned as a mark of rank and dignity to ride in
that manner. So Solomon, when he was inaugurated as king, rode on a
mule, 1Ki 1:33. Riding in this manner, then, denoted neither poverty nor
degradation, but was the appropriate way in which a king should ride,
and in which, therefore, the King of Zion should enter into his
capital-the city of Jerusalem. During this time, people were elated,
worshiping God, some had palm fronds in their hands while some others
rendered their garments laying them down while the colt carrying the
master steps on.
The Lord hath need of them. This simply means that
the master has need of it. The word lord often means no more than
master as opposed to servant. Master is sometimes used in the Bible as
applied to God, or as a translation of the name JEHOVAH. Its common use
is a mere title of respect given by an inferior to a superior, by a
servant to a master, by a disciple to a teacher. As a title of high
respect it was given to Christ, or the Messiah. The persons to whom
these disciples were sent were probably acquainted with the miracles of
Jesus, and favorably disposed towards him by letting the colt out. Jesus
had attracted great notice in that region particularly by raising
Lazarus from the dead, and most of the people regarded him as the
Messiah.
Wow! The Lord has need of him and the owner let them be, he
never complained nor murmured, nor question the authority of the lord.
When I got to this point, I paused and imagined the spirit the people of
the old served the Lord with. When you read their actions, you are left
with no option than to wonder what could be wrong with today’s
generation of Christians. Our forefathers taught us the way of Christ,
they left the good account we are recalling today and I ask what we are
going to leave for the generation to come.
The Lord has been in the
business of need in the church- He needs your services, your
availability for the propagation of the gospel, He needs your money. Did
I say your money? Sorry it is not your money but the Lord’s because
everything we have is of Him.
I need you oh I need you, every day I need you, oh bless my now my savior, I come to you.
These are the lyrics of a common song we sing in the Christian fold
emphasizing our needfulness of the Lord- Jesus. Yes we sing it but do we
really mean to need the Lord? How can we really need him after
objecting to his need of us? Is that not childish? When the Lord needed
you, you objected and now you have turned around to tell him you need
Him.
The Lord is in the business of needing our all, which is of
him. How I wish this hymn by Fernando Ortega can really be our song
today
I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.
