Happy Palm Sunday! Hosanna!

Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem: Palm Sunday - Passion Sunday - story is found in: Matthew 21 Mark 11 Luke 19 John 12

Many of us know the Palm Sunday story, but do we know the details? Today we will look at some of the most fascinating and intentional details of this story.

1. Did you know that donkeys around the world have a similar dark marking on their backs that runs along the spine and across their shoulders? It is a cross. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a beast with a cross emblazoned on its back. 2. Why haven't I heard this before - meaning why didn't I know about this and other details before? Join us as we talk a look at the Palm Sunday story with a Jewish view of the story to see some amazing and significant pieces of the story.

PASSOVER - Pastor reviews the story of the Passover and the 10th plague. By placing lamb's blood on their door posts, the angel of death would pass over their homes. Passover was celebrated annually. In Exodus we read about God telling Moses how to annually celebrate the Passover event, "This month (Nissan) is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household."

Jewish Passover Schedule: Nissan 10 - the lamb was chosen and set apart and we read in Exodus 12:6 "take care of them (lambs) until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight." Nissan 14 - the lamb was killed as the sun was setting. Nissan 15 - the Passover lamb was eaten.

A closer look using several verses from the Bible, we see: ⁃ Nissan 9 - John 11:1 we read "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead." ⁃ Nissan 10 - Palm Sunday - John 12:12-13 "The next day (the day after Nissan 9) the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"" ⁃ Reminder - Nissan 10 is the day the Passover lambs were herded into Jerusalem and set aside for sacrifice and it is at this very time that Jesus, the Lamb of God sets Himself apart as the sacrifice for all Israel and all the world as He comes into Jerusalem with all the other lambs. ⁃ Nissan 14 - Luke 22:7-8 "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."" The Jewish people had all come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. As many as a quarter-million lambs would be needed and slaughtered. Then at sunset the next day starts - so that evening it is Nissan 15 - the day the Passover meal is eaten.

Our God is a God with a plan! He's sets all pieces of the story in line for the coming of the Messiah. The prophetic pieces all fit together as we look through the scriptures.

Jesus is our Passover Lamb who sets us free. 1 Corinthians 5:7 "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." And because of His sacrifice we willingly surrender our lives over to Him for He alone is worthy. Revelation 5:12 tells us, "In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise."

Every piece fits together - God's plan and purpose AND His deep love for each of us is revealed. His love is a love that caused the Lamb of God to lay down His life for us. It is a love that culminates at the cross where the Son of God was killed by man. God's love knows no limits and His faithfulness knows no bounds.

It's at the cross that he shows us the magnitude of His love. And it's in the empty tomb that He shows us the victory. And that changes everything and is why our lives can no longer be the same. Because He loves us that much - now our lives are never the same once we see the fulfillment of the scriptures in Jesus our Messiah.

John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Palm Sunday isn't Jewish, but when we look at the event of that day with Jewish eyes the significance of God's plan and His love cannot be missed.

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Questions - Week 20: Is Palm Sunday Jewish?