Advent Devotion for December 2, 2019 from Apostles By-the-Sea - Episode 2

Monday, December 2, 2019

 

Matthew 21:1-11

¹When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
        and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷ they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” ¹¹ The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Reflection:

It might seem strange to have a Palm Sunday reading appear here in Advent, yet there is a definite connection between the two. On Palm Sunday the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled as Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey. “Look, your king is coming to you” is surely an Advent theme, and the account of the crowds welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts of “hosanna!” (which, in Hebrew, means “save us!”) is indeed appropriate for Advent.

Our King is coming! That’s not just old news, but continues to be good news. Christ our Advent king will come again, on the Last Day, to raise us up, to take us home, and to give us eternal life.