THE LORD HAS NEED OF IT

“And if anyone says to you, why are you doing this? Say, the Lord has need of it, and immediately he will send it here” (Mark 11:3 NKJV).

Throughout His ministry in Israel, the Lord Jesus had walked everywhere else, except for those occasions when He was riding in a boat. Now for the first and only time He rides an animal, a small colt. Matt. 21:7 states, “They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.”

For His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus chose a donkey to serve as His royal transportation. If questioned, the disciples were instructed to say, “The Lord has need of it.” Isn’t it astounding that the Son of God should use such lowly means to accomplish His purposes?

It is incredible that the Lord would need anything since He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things! But even more incredible, is the fact that the Creator of the universe fit us into His eternal design! Though all-powerful and not dependent on any creature, He has chosen to carry out His plans through lowly human instruments. If this were not so, He would have taken us to heaven as soon as He saved us. You may be small in your own eyes, but God has need of you.

(Adapted from Our Daily Bread)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God is looking for ordinary people for extraordinary work!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Hosanna

In Mark 11:9 we read, “Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” (NKJV).

Hosanna is a transliteration not a translation of the Hebrew word hoshi`ah na. The word is composed of two Hebrew words “hoshiya” which means save, and “na” which means now or please. Thus the word means please save; help, I pray; save now, or save now, I pray. In the time of the Lord Jesus, the word hosanna while originally signifying a cry for help, over time became an invocation of blessing, an exclamation of praise, and a shout of celebration. In the context of the Lord Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the shouts of Hosanna that came from the crowd seem to have had all three nuances. Further, the word also had Messianic or eschatological overtones. And with Messianic expectations at a peak, when the people cried, “Hosanna,” as the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem, this was a Messianic proclamation in expectation of the fulfillment of the promises to Israel.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah sudden appearance at the temple (Mal. 3:1).

New Testament Fulfillment – Mark 11:15-16

Did You Know…

The Bible states that the Lord Jesus did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets (Matt. 5:17-19).

Bible Quiz

When Matt. 21:5 records, “Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey,” what Old Testament prophet was he quoting?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to Proverbs, what does a fool make of sin? He makes a mock of sin (Prov. 14:9).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Crown and Diadem of Beauty”

"In that day the LORD of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people” (Isa. 28:5 KJV).

1. Meaning – Crown and Diadem of Beauty speaks of God as the true beauty of His people.

2. Insights – In context, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had become economically strong. And Samaria in particular was prosperous; it was considered a beautiful wreath or crown set on a high hill above a lush valley. As a result they became prideful and the Lord issued a warning of coming judgment - He was going to raise up the Assyrians to destroy the Northern Kingdom. This would cause some to repent and turn to Him, recognizing that He the Lord, and not the mighty city of Samaria, was their crown (pride) and glory

Did You Know...Christian History

Robert Jermain Thomas was born in 1839 in the small town of Rhayader, Wales. He was a Welsh Protestant Christian missionary who served with the London Missionary Society in late Qing Dynasty China and Korea.

Son of a pastor, Thomas was moved from a young age by a desire to be a missionary. Soon after graduation and ordination as a minister, Thomas received a commission by the London Missionary Society (LMS) to be a missionary in Shanghai. He and his wife set sail for China, arriving in Shanghai in December of 1863.

While serving as a missionary to China, Thomas developed a strong desire to work among the people of Korea. At the time, Korea was closed to foreigners because of the government’s fear of foreign influence. Many Koreans had been converted by Catholic priests in the late 1700s, but the government killed 8,000 of those converts in 1866.

In 1865 Thomas met two Korean traders who told him about the need for the gospel in Korea. This was a need that Thomas could not ignore. He heavily disguised himself and went into Korea. He stayed there for four months, preaching the gospel and selling many Chinese Bibles. All the time he knew that he risked death if he was caught.

The following year, Thomas returned to Korea with crates of Bibles. He sailed up the river to Pyongyang on the American trading ship, the General Sherman. The Koreans warned the ship to leave, but the vessel continued on its course until it became stuck on a sandbank. The Koreans sent fire rafts against the ship, which caught on fire. All on board tried to escape the burning ship, but they were killed by the soldiers on the river bank as they tried to make their way to safety.

Thomas stood on the deck of the burning ship, opening the crates of Bibles and tossing them to the people who lined the banks of the river. Finally, with his clothes on fire, Thomas leaped overboard, and as he reached the shore, he offered his last Bible to a soldier, begging him to receive it. Instead the soldier, although he hesitated, killed Thomas with his spear. Robert Thomas was 27 years of age.

A few of the people on the riverbank managed to rescue some of the Bibles, and taking them home, used them as wallpaper. It is believed that God worked in the heart of the man who killed Thomas. He was convinced that he had killed a good man. He kept one of the Bibles, wallpapering his house with. Over time, the people began to read what was written on their walls, and as a result, gradually Koreans started converting to Christianity. A nephew of Thomas’s killer became a pastor. God certainly moves in mysterious ways! Today the church in South Korea numbers in the many millions, and includes some of the largest evangelical churches in the world. And it all started with one young man (literally) on fire with the gospel of Jesus Christ, who laid down his life to share the gospel with the Korean people!

A Little Humor

A man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter who led him down the golden streets. They passed stately homes and beautiful mansions until they came to the end of the street where they stopped in front of a rundown cabin. The man asked St. Peter why he got a hut when there were so many mansions he could live in. St. Peter replied, “I did the best with the money you sent us.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Jesus came to save the lost, the last, and the least!”