LUKE 19:37; 40

It is reported by the gospel writer Luke “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for the mighty works they had seen” (Luke 19:37). John said in describing the same scene “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:12 & 13). It really must have been an amazing parade! The crowd was wild with excitement. The entire multitude began to rejoice and praise God as they recognized Jesus as the true King, coming in the name of the Lord. Even though it was short- lived, it was electric, explosive, and necessary! When we truly recognize who He is, what He has done, and the miracles we have seen, we have no alternative but to loudly, reverentially, and radically praise Him, not just some of us, but all of us! The entire multitude, the whole church ought to erupt in praise and to disrupt the atmosphere with spontaneous, enthusiastic praise. Our modern-day church is way too silent!

On this day, which is solemnly observed as the beginning of Holy Week, the week when He entered into His passion, culminating in His sacrificial death for us upon the cruel cross, the whole multitude of his disciples saw the urgent need to jubilantly celebrate and exalt Him, not just for his mighty words, but for the performance of every miracle done before their very eyes. “They began to rejoice and praise God . . . (37). Today, I believe that the church needs to seriously continue in that tradition. Sometimes in all the maddening developments of these last days and amidst all the demonic devices sent to distract us, we so often forget to rejoice and praise God. I pray that today we will do a reset. Let us take the day back. Let us seize the opportunity to truly recognize and celebrate our Jesus as the true King, the Messiah, and only Lord of all.

We deliberately praise Him today, on this another Palm Sunday. We rejoice and praise not just for food and shelter and material things, but for the many mighty works He has done in our lives and the lives of others all around us. For many of us, it is really a miracle that we are yet alive, saved and sanctified. It is not mere empty words. Because He has been so exceptionally, uncommonly good to us, we are still here, in the land of the living, not just to take up space but to serve as living witnesses and testimonies of His amazing grace. We, the post-COVID church, refuse to be dry, dead, formal, and ordinary. We spontaneously joyfully praise!

We stand up like a mighty army, making sure that He is enthroned in our lives and in our praises. We declare again triumphantly and defiantly, “Blessed is the King that cometh, in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven and glory in the highest (v.38). The Pharisees hated it but they couldn’t stop it. Nothing angers the demons more than a church alive with praise, refusing to be stopped or silenced. We will never forget that Jesus’ entrance into the holy city did not end in defeat or disaster. It is called the triumphal entry because there He ultimately triumphed over every foe and demon. There, He triumphed over death! Therefore, we deliberately choose to rejoice and praise God on this another glorious Palm Sunday. Should we not praise Him, Jesus declared “…The stones would immediately cry out.” (v.40) Don’t let the stones cry out!