Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! John 12:13 (NKJV)
Blessed Is He – The Holy Week Series – Part 1
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Palm Sunday, roughly 2000 years ago, Jesus sent two of his disciples out to find a donkey.
Time was short. All the years and prayers and miracles and conversations and journeys had led him to this moment, this day. I imagine him taking a deep breathe in and out, making a loud sigh, as he watched his friends hurry off to find the donkey that would carry him into the city.
Just a few days before, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead while a crowd watched on first in horror, then in awe. Lazarus had been dead for days; all hope was gone. Mary confronted Jesus, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus asked that the stone to Lazarus tomb be rolled away, he yelled out to Lazarus:
“COME OUT!”
And he did.
Still wrapped in grave clothes carrying no scent of decay. Yeshua, the one who opened blind eyes, could also raise the dead. A tinge of hope at the start of what would be become a week of darkness. A prophetic encounter of what was to come.
That night, Jesus, his disciples, Lazarus and his sisters, and many others gathered to share a meal; it was a celebration feast! What a NIGHT! The stories were traveling fast about Lazarus, and the atmosphere had a dynamic feel to it.
While they ate, a woman scandalously anointed Jesus feet with an expensive perfumed oil. She poured it ALL out, sparing none, upon his skin, ankles, and toes; her tears mixed in. She massaged it into his flesh with her hair; wiping his feet dry.
Being anointed with oil held great significance in the ancient Near East. A priest or prophet would anoint someone for a special task or role, consecrating (setting them apart) them for it. This rich and strong oil was thick and melted into the skin, staining with a fragrance that would last for days, if not weeks. Kings were anointed with this oil, and you could literally smell them coming.
The woman and her actions were rebuked by Judas, but Jesus held him back, giving them another hint of what was coming, of what could be felt but not articulated (something was in the works):
“Let her alone. She’s anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You won’t always have me.” (John 12).
She was anointing her King. And he smelt like it for days. When on trial and charged; when stripped and tortured; paraded him through the streets; nailed him to a cross, his blood marking the wood and earth; the sweet scent of kingly fragrance accompanied it all.
So, by the time Sunday came around, people were flocking to Jerusalem to prepare for Passover. Lazarus rising, Jesus's anointing: the stories traveled with the people, creating a palpable fervor. Some were plotting to kill him; others planned on following him: every kind of possibility was on the table while Jesus sat waiting for his donkey.
King David wanted to build the Temple, but God wouldn’t allow it. He had been a warrior king, ruling with violence and power. God said that the one to build his temple would be a man of peace and that it would be his son Solomon. When Solomon was anointed king, he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. God had promised his father, David, that his blood would always sit on the throne.
Now, Jesus, of the tribe of Benjamin, a direct descendant of David by his mother, rode into Jerusalem astride a donkey. The smell of royalty was flowing from him and stories of his might, not to kill but to resurrect, were circulating. He was headed to the temple, the one built on the same site as Solomon's. But he had a new kind of temple in mind…
All around him the people cried,
“Hosanna,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the king of Israel!”
This is our Holy Week Series from 2017 – Join us in our App for a fresh look at the week leading up to Easter.
Go to The Temple – The Holy Week Series – Part 2 »
Written by Liz Milani
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