From our vantage point in history we know that Jesus is God and that He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies which foretold of the Messiah. But in the days that Jesus walked this earth there was a certain blindness and very few people understood who He was.

Even the twelve disciples had a hard time understanding exactly who He was and on the final journey to , Jesus tried to help these men understand. Jesus knew that He was soon to be crucified and the disciples needed to understand.

“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again” (Matthew 20:18-19.

This seems to be very clear, but the disciples didn’t really understand. These words would soon be crystal clear, but for now they continued their trip to Jerusalem. Passover was coming and everyone who was able to make the journey to Jerusalem was required to be there. Jesus led His group of followers to Jerusalem where instead of offering a sacrificial lamb He would offer Himself as the once for all sacrifice for our sin.

Events that had been foretold by the prophets of old were about to be fulfilled. The time had come for Jesus to present Himself as the Messiah. As often happened, many people were following Jesus on this final trip and He even took time to stop and restore the sight to two blind men. When they came to the small village of Bethphage, Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead:

“Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them” (Matthew 21:2-3).

This was done in fulfillment of prophecy found in the book of Zechariah.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9).

Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem on an unbroken colt and the people would hail Him as Messiah. Excitement filled the air and multitudes gathered along the way to see Jesus as He rode by.

“And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:8-9).

Can you feel the excitement? There were multitudes of people gathering in Jerusalem for the coming Passover. They came from far and near to celebrate their release from bondage in Egypt. Was this the same multitude who had come with Him and had seen the blind men healed? Were the two blind men there giving their testimony of what Jesus had done for them?

Jesus had been ministering for three years and had healed many people of leprosy, blindness, deafness, and many other infirmities. How many of those people were in the crowd? At long last the people hailed Jesus as the King!

The King of kings had come, humbly riding into Jerusalem on a donkey colt. One day He will come riding on a white horse and will destroy all enemies, but on this He humbly allowed the people to declare His majesty. They shouted and cried out hailing Him as the Messiah as they sang the Messianic Psalm of David.

“Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD” (Psalm 118:26).

The people sang this, but the Pharisees were not happy. They knew that by singing this particular psalm the people were hailing Jesus as the Messiah.

“And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples” (Luke 19:39).

The Pharisees are always a good indication of what is really going on. When we read these passages we might miss the fact the crowd was proclaiming Him as their Messiah, but the Pharisees didn’t miss the point. Because of their protest we can be sure that the people were embracing their King. Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!

This happened in the Jewish month of Nisan which was the month ordained by God for the Passover. Because of this the sacrificial lambs were being inspected for perfection and then would sacrificed before God. Jesus was the true Lamb of God who would soon be sacrificed for the sins of the world. When Jesus first began His ministry on earth, John the Baptist had proclaimed this truth:

“John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus is our perfect Sacrificial Lamb. He and He alone is the once for all sacrifice. After three years of not allowing anyone to call Him by the title He is so worthy of, He finally allowed the multitude to call Him the King…Messiah. But the story doesn’t end there.

The people accepted Him, but the Jewish leaders rejected Him. They rejected Him and conspired to have Him killed. They got help from an unexpected source. One of the twelve men who had followed Jesus went to the Pharisees and betrayed Him.

“And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him”(Mark 14:10-11).

Judas had followed Him for years, heard His teaching, and witnessed the miracles but he was never truly a part of the disciples. He had the same opportunity of salvation as anyone, but he chose to reject and betray Christ.

It’s easy to be fooled by someone professing faith in Jesus, but their actions will show his or her heart. Many people claim to follow Christ but don’t truly know Him and will reject Him by their actions.

The events that followed that Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem are well known. Jesus ran the money changers out of the Temple, He healed people who were blind and lame, He had disputes with the religious leaders, and He taught many lessons. Then came what we refer to as the Last Supper.

During that final meal Jesus told Judas to go and do what he had to do. Jesus knew each of His followers well, and knew Judas would betray Him. He knows each of us today and knows who among us truly follow Him or if we will betray Him.

After Judas left on his mission of betrayal, Jesus didn’t hide. He openly went to Gethsemane where He prayed. He knew that this was where Judas would lead a band of men to arrest Him.

“Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons” (John 18:3).

And so Jesus was arrested. He was first taken to Annas.

“Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year” (John 18:12-13).

The long night of illegal trials began. Annas sent Him to Caiaphas who sent Him to Pilate. In the hours that followed, Jesus was interrogated, beaten, scourged, and mocked. Then He was returned to Pilate with a crown of thorns and a purple robe mocking Him as the King of the Jews.

There was a custom that a Jewish Prisoner would be released at Passover. Pilate presented Jesus to the people along with a robber named Barabbas. The people would choose which one was to be released.

“But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus…Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified” (Matthew 27:20, 22).

Was this the same multitude who had praised Him singing Hosanna to their King? Had any of the people in this crowd heard Jesus teach or been touched by His healing power? Now the crowd was easily influenced by the chief priests and the elders and called for Him to be crucified.

Barabbas was guilty of crimes and would have be justly punished, but they called for him to be set free. As for Jesus, God who humbly entered His creation who was without sin, what was their desire? “ Let him be crucified.”

We can look back and judge them for hailing Him as King then a few days later crying, “Crucify Him.”

But take a good look into your own actions.

Do you hail Him as King when you are caught up in a frenzy of emotion? When you walk down that aisle and confess Him as Lord of your life you proclaim, “Hosanna to the King!” What do you do when temptation comes? That’s when you need to take up your cross, die to self, and follow Him.

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25)

“Hosanna” or “Crucify Him.”

Which crowd are you in?

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

Passover is the time of year that the Jewish people remember their miraculous release from slavery in Egypt. It was instituted by God and the details are very specific as recorded in the book of Exodus.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:1-2).

This should get our attention. The first month on the Jewish calendar is Nissan and on the 10th day of Nissan a lamb was to be chosen.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats” Exodus 12:5.

The lamb was to be perfect and was to be cared for. On the fourteenth day of Nissan the chosen lamb was to be killed and his blood put on the side posts and the upper door post of each household where the lamb was to be eaten. That night the Lord would move through the land of Egypt and the firstborn of both man and beast would die. The blood of the lamb was the only protection for the household. Only obedience to God would allow the firstborn of a household to be protected.

“And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever” (Exodus 12:14).

It all happened just as God said and the Israelites were freed from bondage. God wanted them to remember what He did for them. Passover is celebrated to this day but there is a much deeper meaning to Passover. It was fulfilled by Jesus.

The Passover story is familiar to us and it is prophetic. Like all of the Jewish feasts, Passover is about Jesus. This important feast celebrates the Israelites being set free from Egyptian bondage, but by allowing Himself to be sacrificed, Jesus set us free from the bondage of sin and death. When He rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey He fulfilled many prophecies, including one in Daniel which foretold the exact day He would be hailed as the Messiah.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25).

Calculations based upon this prophecy reveal that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the exact day foretold in Daniel. When He traveled to Jerusalem on that final journey He knew that the time was right and He would be hailed as the Messiah, but then He would be sacrificed…crucified. Years before this John the Baptist had recognized Him as the Lamb of God, and Jesus truly is our perfect Lamb.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus truly was the once for all sacrifice to take our sin away. There is no more monumental event in history than Jesus’ crucifixion, except for His resurrection.

Jesus rode on a donkey colt into Jerusalem and the people hailed Him as Messiah…the people had chosen Him. Unlike the Passover lamb that was treated gently from the time of selection until its quick sacrifice, Jesus would not be treated kindly. In those final few days He would have disputes with the Jewish leaders and ultimately be betrayed by one of the twelve men who followed Him. After His arrest He endured beatings, scourging, mocking, and pure brutality.

They spit on Him, pushed a crown of thorns onto His head, and put a purple robe on Him to mock His claim to be King. Pilate stood Him before a crowd of angry people and asked them if he should set Jesus free or a robber named Barabbas. The crowd called for the release of Barabbas, but gave the frenzied cry “Crucify Him!” when Pilate asked them what he should do with Jesus. Then, the Lamb of God was sent to the slaughter.

“And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst” (John 19:17-18).

The Passover lamb was slaughtered quickly, but “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” was beaten unmercifully and then nails were pounded into His hands and His feet. He hung on the cross for hours, dying slowly.

He looked down at His mother and gave the responsibility for her care to John and He watched as the Roman soldiers gambled for His garments. In spite of all that was done to Him, His love and forgiveness was not shattered.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

His forgiveness is still available to us today.

Jesus had gone to Jerusalem knowing full well what He faced there, but He went willingly. At the last meal He shared with His disciples, He told Judas to go and do what he had to do…to go and betray Him. He kept silence during the illegal trial and the beatings. He carried His cross to His own crucifixion.

Jesus, God the Son, had never been separated from God the Father because He was sinless and perfect, even in His human form. But as He hung on that cross He took our sins upon Himself and for the first time ever the perfect Lamb of God felt separation from God the Father because sin separates us from God.

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is being interpreted, My god, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).

The sin that you and I should be condemned for was fully paid for on the cross. Jesus’ blood was shed for each and every person who has ever lived and who ever will live. It’s up to each of us individually to accept or reject that gift of salvation. That gift is free for the asking, but cost Jesus dearly. Jesus fulfilled prophecy with precise timing, and after all things were accomplished, He chose the timing of His death.

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” (John 19:28-30).

It was finished. The blood of the Lamb was shed for you and me. We can look back and see the fulfilled prophecies and know that only His blood can redeem us. Those who followed Him were not so sure. They had followed Him and believed He was the Messiah, but now He had died. They feared that they would be the next ones crucified because they had followed Him.

For many reasons the burial was swift and they were unable to tend to His body the way they should have. At the first hint of light on the first day of the week a handful of women went to care for the body. Their grief was heavy as they walked to the tomb.

A large stone had been placed at the entrance and they weren’t sure how they would be able to move it, but on they went. When they reached the tomb they were met with an astonishing sight. The stone had been rolled away!

“And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:5-6).

Can you imagine their joy? Jesus was risen from the dead! He’s alive!

From Exodus to Daniel to the Resurrection, the date is clear. God has gone to great lengths to establish when the Passover is to be celebrated and therefore when Christ was hailed as the Messiah, offered as the perfect sacrifice, and resurrected. In spite of that most Christians choose to celebrate Christ’s victory over the grave on a different day called Easter.

That day is not related to the Jewish Passover. It occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox. That day is based upon a pagan celebration and the traditions surrounding it have nothing to do with Christianity. Is it wrong to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection on this pagan holiday? Each person needs to decide individually.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).

We belong to Christ and therefore we have freedom. Jesus fulfilled the Law and we need to be careful that we don’t return to the Law because that is not where salvation is found, but the date of His final entry in to Jerusalem, the day of the crucifixion, and the day of the Resurrection all seem important to God. We need to pay attention.

Salvation is through Christ, but we need to honor Him in all our ways. Does coloring eggs and eating chocolate bunnies make you a pagan? No, but you need to be sure that you are identifying with Christ. We know that His sacrifice was during the Passover celebration which foreshadowed Him. It seems important to God that we know when Christ’s victory over death occurred.

This year, 2016, Passover begins at sundown on April 22. Take time to read through Exodus chapter 12 and then read the gospel accounts of Jesus’ final week and also read through the Resurrection. Christ took our sins upon Himself and won the victory over death. Never forget that or take it lightly.

The blood on the door posts of the Jewish households so long ago protected them from death on that night of the first Passover. The blood of “…the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” applied to your heart is the only means by which you can be protected from eternal death. Celebrate our true Passover Lamb.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham