Cry Out to Jesus to Save You from All Oppression

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,  2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.  3 "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  5 "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.' "  6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"  10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  (Matthew 21:1-11)

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, it was a public, kingly procession received earnestly by multitudes who longed for the Messiah to save them.

What would it be like if our country was occupied by a foreign nation?  This was the experience of Jerusalem for hundreds of years leading in to the time of Christ.  First, by Babylon.  Then, the Medes and Persians.  Next, ruled by the Grecian Great, and finally the Roman Empire. 

While Rome was kinder to the Jews than earlier nations, it was not without a price.  Taxes varied from about three weeks’ earnings per year to 30 percent of all one’s income (Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels, p. 61).  This, with temple taxes, often led to loans that led to slavery or prison.  And so, tax collectors, especially Jewish ones, were detested.

Ultimately, they had no sovereignty.  They were no longer the great kingdom of Solomon, and God seemed to have abandoned them because of their great sin against Him. 

In some ways, does this not feel or sound like being a Christian in the United States compared to more golden years? 

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, they cried out for Him to be their King and save Jerusalem. 

Today, as you await the final consummation of Christ's spiritual Kingdom, may you also Cry out to Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, to save you from all oppression.
-gvl