Easter Devotion: Praise Him (Day 11)

As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" 

"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  Luke 19:36-40

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.  John 12:12-16

Questions:

Why is it called Palm Sunday?  (the palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in the Jewish tradition)

Why did Jesus ride on a donkey?

What does it mean to fulfill prophecy?

Why were the people so excited to see Jesus?

What were the people expecting Jesus to do...die for them or rule over them as a Jewish king by conquering Rome?

Why do you think the Pharisees told Jesus to make everyone stop praising Him?

What did Jesus mean by his reply that "the stones will cry out?"

Final Thought: 

Jesus deserves our praise and our joy, but not for what he can do for us (like the Jews who praised Him for His miracles and for their hope in His conquering Rome) but for who He is. We can praise Him every day throughout the day, through singing, prayer, talking about who He is and what He has done, reading our Bibles and doing our best to obey Him. We can look forward with excitement to His return to earth some day!

Prayer:

We praise You Lord Jesus for who You are! You are mighty and powerful yet humble and gentle. Thank you for entering our hearts as our Savior. May we love You for who You are!

Songs:  All Glory, Laud and Honor 

All glory, laud, and honor,

to thee, Redeemer, King,

to whom the lips of children

made sweet hosannas ring.

1. Thou art the King of Israel,

thou David's royal Son,

who in the Lord's name comest,

the King and Blessed One.

(Refrain)

Here is a website for the music: All Glory

Praise Him 

Praise Him, praise Him,

praise Him in the morning,

praise Him in the noontime.

Praise Him, praise Him,

praise Him when the sun goes down.

For Further Study: 

There are many children throughout the world who are very bold in their faith in Christ, especially in nations where it is hard to be a Christian. Sharing their stories can encourage a bolder faith in your children. A wonderful resource is Kids of Courage

* Some of the content of this blog is based on the book Family Celebrations at Easter by Ann Hibbard.*