Matthew 21:9 Hosanna in the highest heaven!

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“Come on SATTAR! Let’s go!” A.J. and Milo were excited to take a trip back in time. Today was the day that they would make their first stop on a journey that would take them to the time when Jesus died on the cross and rose again three days later!

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“Patience, my friends,” SATTAR replied. “We don’t want to end up in the wrong time frame and totally miss the reason we celebrate Easter. I am almost finished setting the coordinates.”

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SATTAR was setting the Time Machine coordinates for just over 2,000 years ago, a little outside of the city of Jerusalem. The first stop for the time-traveling trio would bring them to a private meeting between Jesus and his disciples.

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Jesus knew about the journey to the cross that lay before him. It was all a part of God’s plan. It was important that the disciples understand this too, because hard times were coming. Jesus wanted his friends to be strong in their faith.

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A.J., Milo & SATTAR landed close by. They quietly slipped into the bushes to hear what Jesus was saying to his disciples. Everyone looked so serious.

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“We are going up to Jerusalem,” Jesus said. “The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles. The people will make fun of him and whip him. They will nail him to a cross. On the third day, he will rise from the dead!”

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A.J. and Milo were puzzled. “SATTAR, who is this Son of Man that Jesus is talking about?”

SATTAR explained that Jesus was talking about himself! He sometimes would call himself the Son of Man, because he was God’s Son and he was human at the same time. This was part of God’s plan. Jesus suffered temptation to sin but never did sin. This is what qualified him to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins!

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Jesus and his disciples continued their journey to the city of Jerusalem.

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As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to a town called Bethphage. It was on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two disciples. He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a donkey tied up. Her colt will be with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them. The owner will send them right away.”

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Again, A.J. and Milo were confused. Why would Jesus ride a donkey into Jerusalem?

Shouldn’t he have ridden a more majestic animal like a horse? After all, Jesus was the Son of God as well as the Son of Man!

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SATTAR explained that Jesus was fulfilling what the prophet Zechariah had said would happen 500 years before Jesus was even born. Zechariah said,

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‘See, your king comes to you.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey.
    He is riding on a donkey’s colt.’ (Zechariah 9:9)

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God’s plan was that the death of Jesus on the cross would bring peace to the world. A donkey was a gentle animal representing the peace that Jesus would bring between man and God.

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The disciples went and did what Jesus told them to do. They brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their coats on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their coats on the road. Others cut palm branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Some of the people went ahead of him, and some followed. They all shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

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“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

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When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. The people asked, “Who is this?”

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The crowds answered, “This is Jesus. He is the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

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“Wow! The people sure love Jesus!” Milo was amazed at how excited the people were to see Jesus.

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“Why wouldn’t they be excited?” A.J. replied. “These people have been following Jesus and have seen all the amazing miracles he has performed over the last few years.”

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“It is true,” SATTAR added, “Yet no one fully understood yet what was about to happen to Jesus. Many just thought he was a prophet, a good man who stood up for the truth about God. But we know he is so much more! He is God’s Son and a part of God’s plan to save us all from sin.”

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“Where are we going next SATTAR?”

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“Sorry, you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!”

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Today’s Easter Message for You!

Jesus is worthy of our worship!