Day 21
Start with Posture of Silence and Solitude (2 minutes)
Read Scripture: Luke 19:28-40 Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Devotional:
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem marked his last week before his death. By this time, Jesus was extremely well known. Everyone coming into the city for the Passover feast had heard of him. For a short time, the crowd was favorable to him. The Jewish leaders thought the crowd’s words were sacrilegious. They didn’t want someone to challenge their power and they didn’t want a revolt in which they would be blamed by the Romans and told Jesus to keep the crowds quiet.
As Jesus entered the city on a colt, the people lined the roads waving palm branches, praising God and celebrating what they thought would be the national leader who would take them out of the oppression of the Romans. But they had the wrong idea about Jesus. When it became apparent that he would not be the one to fulfill their hopes and dreams in the way they expected, they turned away from him.
Questions to ponder:
- In what ways do we turn away from Jesus when our hopes and dreams are not fulfilled the way we want them to be?
- Given this passage, what is the best way for you to pray today?
End with Posture of Silence and Solitude (2 minutes)
