Hail Jesus! You’re My King! - TRIUMPHANT AND VICTORIOUS - Lesson for 3/30/2014

Hail Jesus! You’re My King!

This review is brought to you by the Hope Temple Church of God in Christ Sunday School Department.  

Zachariah 9:9| King James Version (KJV)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Matthew 21:1-11| King James Version (KJV)

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Last week, John was speaking to the churches of Asia-Minor and giving them a little taste of what God had revealed to him…Jesus, as He is a mighty Lion who becomes the slain Lamb who is worthy to handle the scroll in Revelation 5:8. This message of encouragement continues on to this week’s lesson, but now, Zachariah gets to share it!

How somber and hopeless life must have seemed for the people of God in Jerusalem. They have been persecuted and now set free after their seventy years of exile in Babylon, but their spirits are broken here. Though these are the times that test our faith the most, God always finds a way to refresh, revive, and reassure His people that their dedicated living and discipleship is NOT in vain!

God chose Zachariah, whose name translates to “Yahweh Remembers”, to lift up His people with a message of hope and expectation, as they sought to rebuild their city and their lives. Zachariah, who is a priest and a prophet, provides details about the coming of King Jesus. No doubt, there were preconceived notions that there would enter with fanfare with all the kings high palace horses, and all of the kings strong, decorated men, as they would already have been used to…since this is the way kings behave. When Zachariah told the people that their promised king would be entering, they knew exactly what to do! Gathering palm branches was another way to express “victorious ruler”. They were ready for Jesus, but He shocked them!

Instead, Jesus would come to them humble, meek, and lowly. His choice of transportation? A young donkey!

Side note: How many times do we imagine our experiences with God to be a grand event on a large scale? If God is coming to save us, and we anticipate our blessing to come one way, we may miss it altogether. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. “Come Lord Jesus, come!” should constantly ring out in our hearts. We should allow Him to bless us as He sees fit.

The people were amazed and ultimately felt patronage to God to make a path for their new King. They welcomed Him by cutting down branches and lining the ground with hay, all whilst crying out, “Hosanna!” which means save us!

As we approach the Passover, would it hurt to cry out for our own situations? Hosanna in our churches! Hosanna in our homes and marriages! Hosanna in our schoolhouses, Hosanna in our governments!  Hosanna in our own hearts and minds! Jesus has come to save us! Hail Jesus, You’re My King!

This lesson serves as encouragement, even in our own world. When we look around, there isn't a whole lot of wonderful news in this deteriorating world. We’re living to live again. But Christ has already come; He took our place on the cross and paid a debt that He didn't owe. (We owed a debt that we could never pay). So, now what? Well, you can be the hope that someone in your world needs. When you arrive, you should bring hope, revival, and refreshment into the lives of those around you, who are constantly let down by broken promises and the sense of helplessness that comes from building a house on sand, and not with The Solid Rock (Jesus). This is how we continue to honor Christ, in our daily living.

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