Jesus BROKE HISTORY on Palm Sunday!

How do we really know that Jesus is the Messiah, the one that God had promised in the Old Testament to save not only the Jewish people, but the whole world?

Well, Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies from the Old Testament through His life and ministry here on earth!

Throughout this Easter, we’ll be exploring some of these prophecies, where they are in the Old Testament, and how Jesus made them come true in the New Testament.

Here are a few Fast Facts about Easter just for today, Palm Sunday!

Why did Jesus ride a donkey and not a horse?

In ancient times, when a king came into a city on a horse, it symbolized that he had conquered the city in war and he was taking it over by force. But if he came into a city on a donkey, he was coming in peace.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, it showed that He is the Prince of Peace. Five hundred years before this, the prophet Zechariah talked about Jesus in Zechariah 9:9, which says “your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Prophecy…*drum roll*…fulfilled!

Why did people lay down palm branches for Jesus’ donkey?

Ever wondered why Palm Sunday is called ‘Palm Sunday’?

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people waved palm branches to show honor for Him. In the past, the Jewish people waved palm branches during the Feast of Tabernacles to show thanks for all the good things God had given them and to show they were waiting for a special person called the Messiah.

The Messiah was going to save them and make everything right again. So, when people waved palm branches as Jesus entered the city, they were saying that they believed He was the promised Messiah who was going to help them. 

“Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord”

Jesus showed that He is the Savior that God promised by fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament, like Psalm 118:22-26.

This psalm speaks of a rejected stone becoming the cornerstone, and the crowds shouting “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, like you can read in Mark 11:9-10.

What does Passover have to do with Easter?

What is Passover?  And why do we talk about it at Easter?  Good questions!

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and God rescued them by sending plagues on the Egyptian people.  Pharaoh’s heart remained hard so God sent one last plague.  He told his people to kill a perfect lamb and cover the doorposts of their houses with its blood. 

When the angel of death came that night, he “passed over” and didn’t kill the first born in the house with blood.  The Egyptians finally let them go and the Jewish people still celebrate Passover with a meal to remember God’s rescue plan. 

The cool thing is we also have a rescue plan too. We are slaves, slaves to sin and deserve death.  But God sent His perfect lamb, Jesus, who died in our place. By Christ’s death and resurrection, we have a way to be free through the blood of Jesus! And just like the Jews we remember Jesus’ saving power in a meal we call communion. See the connections?

What does “Messiah” mean?

Messiah comes from a Hebrew word that means “anointed” or “chosen” one. The prophets often mention the promised deliverer or chosen one throughout the Old Testament. 

By the time Jesus was born, the Jewish people were looking for a deliverer, someone to free them from the Roman rulers in their lives.  But Jesus wasn’t a deliverer from the Romans like they expected.  His plan was much larger!

Jesus delivered us from the bondage of sin by dying on the cross in our place and defeating death three days later. And He didn’t die just for the Jews, but for the whole world!

In our Bibles you often see Jesus named as “Jesus Christ” which is what He came to be known. “Christ” wasn’t Jesus’ last name but literally means “Messiah” translated into Greek. “Jesus Christ” means “Jesus Messiah”. He is our Messiah, our chosen deliverer, which is just as true now as it was over 2000 years ago.

Are you ready for more? Keep an eye on the What’s Up blog for more Fast Facts about Easter and keep listening to Keys for Kids Radio to see how else Jesus showed He is the real Messiah!