Palm Sunday Devotional
Main Text: Matthew 21:1-11
Think about a time you had to wait for an exciting event to occur. Did the weeks or months seem to endlessly drag on? Was there a special date circled on the calendar, or a countdown reminder on your phone? At some point in our lives, we have all experienced what it feels like to long for the arrival of a special moment. This was also the case for many first century citizens within the Roman Empire.
For centuries, prophets testified to God’s people that an anointed one would come to rule over them as king (Micah 5:1-4; Matthew 2:6), and redeem them from their sin (Isaiah. 53; Luke 18:31-33). This anointed one (Messiah) would be unlike any person God had raised up in the past, because He would be truly God and truly man (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 2:11). This Godman would teach the masses with unmatched wisdom (Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Luke 2:25-52), and He would bless countless people by performing miracles (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:17-21). According to the New Testament, we see each of these qualities perfectly fulfilled through Jesus of Nazareth.
As the long-awaited Christ (Messiah), there was never a time in which Jesus failed to complete what God the Father sent Him to do (John 17:4). One of the most powerful illustrations of this reality is seen in the week leading up to His death. With the Jewish celebration of Passover on the horizon, Jesus committed Himself to fulfill Scripture by entering Jerusalem on a young donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-6). While riding through the Holy City, thousands of people welcomed Jesus with great excitement (Matthew 21:7-11). At long last, God’s promised king and redeemer had arrived!
Unfortunately, the majority of those who declared “hosanna in the highest” on Palm Sunday would later shout “crucify Him” on Good Friday (Matthew 27:11-26). But in God’s perfect wisdom, the salvation of believing sinners would be accomplished through the slaying of the blessed Savior (Romans 5:6-11). As we remember the final week of Jesus’ earthly life, may we rejoice in His triumph over sin, death, and Satan (Colossians 2:11-15). Praise be to God that our King has not only arrived, but our King is victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)!
Dewey is a licensed and ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is happily married to Beall, and is a proud father of Isabelle Ruth. Dewey played college baseball at Western Texas College, receiving the Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. Following his time at Western Texas College, Dewey would continue as a student-athlete at The Master’s University, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, Dewey went on to acquire the Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University, as well as the Master of Theology degree in Historical Theology from Campbellsville University. Dewey is currently a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Christian Worldview and Apologetics. Over the last decade, Dewey has served local churches in a variety of ways, focusing on next generation ministries. He has experience teaching children in AWANA, serving as youth pastor, as well as leading college students and young adults. He is also passionate about personal evangelism, and has led groups in gospel outreaches in cities around the country. To strengthen his service to the church, and in conjunction with his seminary studies, Dewey has participated in several academic fellowships and cohorts. He specializes in the disciplines of apologetics, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. Dewey is also actively involved with Covenant Confessions—a ministry of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Today, Dewey serves as the Associate Pastor of Next Generation and Outreach at Metro East Baptist Church (Wichita, Kansas).
You can follow Dewey on Twitter @SlaveofChrist17
