Lesson 21 Hosanna

 Lesson 21 

Hosanna 

Reading Portion : Mat. 21 : 1-11 

                                     Mark 11: 1-11

                                     Luke 19 : 28 -44 

                                     John 12: 12 - 19

Memory Verse : Mathew 21: 4

Objective : Lead a holy life and stand for holiness as Jesus Christ the King of Kings                         hates impurity and sin

Jesus came to the earth to save the mankind from their sins. He also came as the King of Israel. He came to Jerusalem on a donkey as a king. That Sunday is known as Hosanna Sunday. 

The Journey to Jerusalem 

Jesus lived in Galilee which was in the north of Cana. From there he started to Jerusalem to die on the cross for us. Jesus stayed at the village of Bethany for few days. Then he came to Bethphage, near Jerusalem. 

Jesus Sends disciples to bring the donkey

From Bethpage, Jesus sent two of his disciples to the village against them, to bring the donkey tied along with her colt on which he was to ride into Jerusalem.

When the disciples were untying the donkey, its owner asked the reason. The disciples answered that the Lord wanted it. They brought the donkey and the colt and put their clothes up on it. Then they set Jesus upon the donkey. Jesus started his journey to Jerusalem with his disciples. In the olden days the kings used to travel on horses and the prophets on donkeys. But the king of Kings, Jesus preferred a donkey and fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, made 500 years before. (Zech. 9:9). When Jesus was in heaven in His glory he travelled in the chariots of angels. But when he came to the earth as a man, he rode on a donkey, and that donkey was not his own.  Jesus is the Lord of anything and everything on earth, but when he came here he lived as a poor man hence He had to ask the permission of another man, to get his donkey. Jesus know about the donkey on which he had to ride. Jesus in His divine knowledge knew even the state of a poor donkey. Similarly Jesus knows our needs and out state and cares even for the most silly problems.

The Reception that Jesus got in His Journey

The multitude spread their clothes on the way, others cut down branches from the trees and strewed them on the way. When Jesus came to the valley of Mount Olive, the disciples cried saying "Hosanna to the son of David, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest". Even though Zachariah had prophesied  about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, none of the elders of Jerusalem came out to receive Jesus. But a multitude came out to sing Hosanna to Jesus. "Hosanna" means "Save us now" (Psalms 118: 25,26)

Jesus in Jerusalem

When Jesus entered the city, some of the Pharisees asked him to rebuke the disciples and Jesus answered and said to them, " I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out". When Jesus came to Jerusalem, some were happy and some others were sad. And when he had come onto Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? and the multitude said, "this is the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee" Even though   Jesus did many miracles among them, the Pharisees couldn't understand him. But some poor people could understand Jesus, which gave them joy and peace. 

Jesus Cries for Jerusalem

When Jesus came near Jerusalem, he looked at it and cried, foreseeing the destruction that is to come upon it. Romans destroyed the Jerusalem City 36 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Those who will reject Jesus in these days will also be punished. He entered into the temple courts. He  looked around at everything. but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. On the next day, Jesus came to temple and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrow the tables of money changers and the seats of them that sold doves. Thus Jesus did a great sanctification in the temple, because he was the Lord of the temple. The temple was the house of the Father but priests had made it a den of thieves. The zeal about his father's temple made Jesus to drive out all of them. In the new testament time, out heart is the temple of God. The holy Spirit will sanctify our heart from all the sins of the flesh. Moreover, God's Church is God's temple. The unholy things in the church should be cleansed by God himself. Let us give him the space to do His cleaning work.