Behold Your King

INTRO: I gave a big part of this message on March 23, 1997. Some of you will remember some of it but I give it in part that we are reminded that the history of the Bible is in line with that secular history that is accurate. For those of us who were public schooled, we were not given any connection between biblical and secular history. Also our young people and school children will be able to see that true secular and biblical history are one and the same.

So, let me ask you, on the Church calendar, what day are we commemorating today? It is what we call Palm Sunday. Let me give you a little of what happened before Palm Sunday while you turn to Matthew 21. The events I give now are according to my calculations. On Wednesday, a week before Jesus was crucified, He had come from the Galilee area on the far side of the Jordon River. He came to Jericho and stayed with Zacchaeus that night. He was traveling with His disciples. Since it is just before Passover, Jews from all over Israel were traveling to Jerusalem for this feast. The pathways would often have been crowded with groups traveling together.

The next day He went up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is some 2,500 feet above sea level. Jericho is about 850 feet below sea level, so He had a climb of about 3,350 feet. He arrived at Bethany some time that evening and stayed with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Not long before this He had raised Lazarus who had died. We are now at Thursday. The next day is Friday and a community Sabbath meal was held at Simon the leper's house. Now this Simon was no doubt not a leper any more. He had been Simon the leper and I expect that Jesus had healed him and likely out of gratitude he put on this