If Jesus’ Entry Into Jerusalem Was Triumphal On Palm Sunday, What Went Wrong That The Crowd Who Adored Him On Sunday Would Turn On Him By Friday? We See This Behavior Daily, Political Arena, Entertainment Arena, & The Church. People Will Turn On You!

 If Jesus’ Entry Into Jerusalem Was Triumphal On Palm Sunday, What Went Wrong Less Than A Week Later? Why Did The Crowds Who Adored Jesus On Sunday, Turn On Him By Friday Of That Week? We See This Behavior Daily, Especially In The Political Arena, The Entertainment Arena, The Church. People Will Turn On You In A Minute. Will sing praises to you one week and cry crucify you the next week just as they did with Jesus, the same way. Everybody hopping on the bandwagon with everyone else and do not know why. Did something go wrong or is this just human nature, and what choice did Palm Sunday present to us?  

It all began on Palm Sunday, a day of applause. Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time. I believe, and many scholars believe, that he planned His own parade. He had studiously, up until that moment, avoided public acclaim and publicity. Now, he reached out for it. It was Passover time.

The city was jammed with pilgrims from all over the world. He entered Jerusalem in a way that would focus the whole city on his arrival.

Yesterday, Christians around the world were celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which we usually call “Palm Sunday,” because the crowd welcomed Him by spreading palm branches in His path). Those who greeted Him were convinced He was the Messiah (or “anointed one”), sent by God to establish His Kingdom on earth.

Why did the crowds turn against Jesus so quickly? One week they welcomed Him, and the next week they demanded He be crucified. “No events in human history were more important than Jesus’ death and resurrection, and yet many people (even Christians) never take time to study them.

It must have been a dramatic sight as Jesus approached Jerusalem on a donkey (which was a sign of His humility). The Bible says that “the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices … ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luke 19:37-38). Even those who were not part of that welcoming crowd listened eagerly to His teaching during the next few days.

But not everyone in Jerusalem welcomed Him; the very next verse says that “the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this? But soon many turned against Jesus and demanded His death: “‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!

(Matthew 27:22).

It has been shared throughout history that some of these people were the same people who had welcomed Him joining others who did not—but the reversal is still striking. Were they disappointed because He refused to establish an earthly political kingdom? Probably. But Jesus did not come to set up a new political system. He came instead to change our hearts and save us from our sins by His death and resurrection. He declared during that last week, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight. … My kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36). This deeply disappointed those who hoped He would throw out the hated Roman occupiers. They may also have disliked His demand that they repent.

Where would you have been on that first Palm Sunday? Among the disciples who welcomed Him—or among the skeptical crowds? It is easy to condemn those who condemned Jesus—but would we have acted any differently? We too are sinners, and we too have rebelled against God.

But the central message of Jesus Resurrection is that God still loves us, and because of Christ we can be forgiven. He came for one reason: “Christ died for sins once for all … to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). We pray that those who are lost will welcome Him into their life during this holy season.”

Matthew 21:1-11. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The Problem of Palm Sunday: Palm Sunday, the day on which Jesus’ rode into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey.  This day has been described by Christians for generations as the “triumphal entry into Jerusalem.”  But have you ever asked yourself, “If this was a triumphal entry, then why did they crucify Jesus at the end of the week?”

Even the compilers of the revised common lectionary realize that this Sunday is a problem for us because they give us two readings from the Gospels.  One reading is from this passage, and it is called the “palms reading.”  Not “palm reading,” but “palms” because of the palm fronds that those who greet Jesus’ line his way with.  The other reading is called the “passion reading” because the suffering of Christ at the end of this week is called “the passion of Christ.”  Mel Gibson made a movie with that title a few years ago, and it depicted his view of the last hours of Jesus.

So, we have a problem today that we need to address.  If this is such a glorious Sunday for all Christians, what goes wrong by Friday that Jesus will find himself betrayed by one of his own disciples, arrested by the high priest’s guard, accused by a coalition of religious leaders, tried by the Roman governor, and sentenced to die the death of a common criminal—death by crucifixion.

A Day of Two Processions

You might not know that Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem was not the only procession the city saw that day.  In the year 30 AD, Roman historians record that the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, led a procession of Roman cavalry and centurions into the city of Jerusalem.

 (The Last Week,

Imagine the spectacle of that entry.  From the western side of the city, the opposite side from which Jesus enters, Pontius Pilate leads Roman soldiers on horseback and on foot. Each soldier was clad in leather armor polished to a high gloss.  On each centurion’s head, hammered helmets gleamed in the bright sunlight.  At their sides, sheathed in their scabbards, were swords crafted from the hardest steel; and, in their hands, each centurion carried a spear; or if he was an archer, a bow with a sling of arrows across his back. Drummers beat out the cadence of march for this was no ordinary entry into Jerusalem.  Pilate, as governor of the region which included not only Judea, but Samaria, and Idumea, knew it was standard practice for the Roman governor of a foreign territory to be in its capital for religious celebrations.  It was the beginning of Passover, a strange Jewish festival that the Romans allowed.  However, the Romans must have been aware that this festival celebrated the liberation of the Jews from another empire, the empire of Egypt.

So, Pilate had to be in Jerusalem.  Since the Romans had occupied this land by defeating the Jews and deposing their king about 80 years before, uprisings were always in the air.  The last major uprising, long before Pilate’s time, had been after the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC.

The uprising started in Sepphoris, about 5 miles from Jesus’ boyhood home of Nazareth.  Before it was over the city of Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee, and the town of Emmaus had been destroyed by the Roman army. After putting down the rebellion there, the Romans marched on Jerusalem.  After pacifying the city, they crucified over 2,000 Jews who were accused of being part of the rebellion.  The Romans had made their intolerance for rebellion well-known.  And so, on this occasion, Pilate had traveled with a contingent of Rome’s finest from his preferred headquarters in Caesarea-by-the-Sea, to the stuffy, crowded, provincial capital of the Jews, Jerusalem.

The Temple would be the center of Passover activity.  Antonia’s Fortress, the Roman garrison built adjacent to the Temple compound, would serve as a good vantage point from which to keep an eye on the Jews.  Pilate’s entry into Jerusalem was meant to send a message to the Jews, and to those who might be plotting against the empire of Rome.  The spectacle was meant to remind the Jews of what had happened the last time of a wide-scale uprising.  And it was meant to intimidate the citizens of

Jerusalem themselves, who might think twice about joining such a rebellion if it was slated to fail.

But I said this was a day of two processions, so let us get back to Jesus and his entry into Jerusalem.  If Pilate’s procession was meant as a show of military might and strength, Jesus’ procession was meant to show the opposite. 

Both Matthew and Mark record Jesus’s own words, as he instructs his disciples to go into the city and find a donkey tied up.  They are to ask the owner if they may use the donkey, and they are to say that “the Lord needs them.”

Then, Jesus quotes from Zechariah, the 9th chapter –Say to the Daughter of Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

But there is more to this passage than just a description of Jesus’ means of transportation for that day.  The prophet Zechariah is speaking to the nation.  In Zechariah 9, the prophet reassures the people of Judah, called Judea on the New Testament, that God has not forgotten them:

In other words, Jesus’ quote from the prophet Zechariah reminded those who heard him of the entire passage.  The message they heard was, “God will deliver the nation from the oppressor”—in this case, Rome!

But the king they seek will come to them humbly, not on a steed of war, but on a slow-moving donkey, the symbol of a king who comes in peace, according to Zechariah.

The two processions could not be more different in the messages they convey.  Pilate, leading Roman centurions, asserts the power and might of the empire of Rome which crushes all who oppose it.

Jesus, riding on a young donkey, embodies the peace and tranquility that the shalom that God brings to His people. Those who watch that day will make a choice.  They will either serve the god of this world, might and power; or they will choose to serve the king of a very different kind of kingdom, the kingdom of God.

The Problem of Leadership

But there is another problem.  Leadership is about disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb. So, Jesus has another problem.  Of course, his followers and others who get caught up in his entry into Jerusalem think they are choosing to follow Jesus.  But by the end of the week, Jesus will have disappointed the crowd at a rate faster than they can stand.  They will turn on him.

Even those closest to Jesus, the 12 disciples, will either betray him outright, or abandon him in confusion and fear. It is interesting to note that the crowd on that Sunday, proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  In other words, they were placing their faith in Jesus that he would restore the glory of the nation to its splendor when David and his son, Solomon, ruled a United Kingdom.

That is what the Jews wanted, after all.  To be ruled by a man like David, a man so committed to God that the Old Testament prophets had proclaimed that the coming Messiah would sit on the throne of his father, David.  The Messiah would bring back the glory of Israel, would rid the nation of oppressors, would rule benevolently, and would be kind to the common people.

Jesus had challenged the rulers of Judea already.  Not the Roman rulers, but the local rulers.  He had said to them that the Temple was not the only way to find God’s forgiveness; and further, that the Temple would be destroyed, with not one stone left on another.

Of course, those who made their living from the Temple like the scribes; the chief priest and his priests; the ruling council of the Sanhedrin; and, the religious parties, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, would all lose their power and prestige if there was no Temple.  Or, even if the Temple were no longer the only place where one could be forgiven by God.

So, when Jesus miraculously saves the lame man by first saying, “Your sins are forgiven” and then healing him, he challenged the authority of the Temple system. And when Jesus drove the moneychangers from the Temple, proclaiming that the Temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations, but that the religious leaders had made it a den of thieves, Jesus exposed the corruption of the Temple tax, the scandalous monetary exchange rate, and the dishonesty of those who sold animals for sacrifice.

Jesus had disappointed and alienated powerful people.  He did so because the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priest, the scribes, most of the Levitical priests, and others who ruled on Rome’s behalf, were part of the same system of oppression and domination that Pilate was part of.

A Contrast of Kingdoms

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem may or may not have been planned to occur on the same day as Pilate’s procession through the western gate of the city.  Whether it was planned or not, the two processions provided a contrast that was unmistakable.

For, you see, Pilate served the Son of God, too.  The late emperor Augustus, who ruled from 31 BC to 14 ADS, was said to have been fathered by the god, Apollo, and conceived by his mother, Atia.  Inscriptions referred to him as “son of God,” “lord,” and even, “savior.” 

After his death, the legend had it that he was seen ascending into heaven, to take his place among the gods. Augustus’ successors—Tiberias during Jesus’ life and ministry—also bore divine titles, until later in the first century the emperors would demand to not only be addressed as “God,” but to be worshipped as God also.

A contrast between kings and kingdoms was on display that day in Rome.  And, although many of the common people thought they sided with Jesus, they did so for the same reasons the Pharisees and others sided with Rome.  They thought Jesus could do for them what Rome had done for their rulers—make their lives better, deliver them from the oppressive system under which they lived and worked, and turn the tables on the Romans.

That is why the crowd turns on Jesus by the end of the week.  They do not think He is going to do any of those things.  And, in addition, Jesus is going to make life worse for them, not better.  Their religious leaders, all of them, who never agree on anything, agree that Jesus is going to attract the attention of the Roman empire, especially during Passover, and Rome will come down fast and hard on the entire nation. (see Caiaphas’ speech in John 11:45-50)

So, when Jesus is accused, when He is brought by Pilate before the angry mobs, they want to be rid of him.  Jesus, in their minds, never did what they wanted him to do.  He never defeated the Romans, he never dissolved the unfair tax system, he never put common people in charge of the government, and furthermore, he never would.

To appease the crowds that swelled the city of Jerusalem, Pilate had the custom of releasing prisoners, many of whom were political prisoners. 

But on this last week in the life of Jesus, Pilate offers the crowd a choice between Barabbas, a known robber, and Jesus, a failed Messiah.  Fearing that if Jesus were released, he would start all over again, the crowd begged for Barabbas to be released, and for Jesus to be executed.  And not just by any means, “Crucify him” was the cry.  Because crucifixion was the one form of capital punishment that would show Rome the Jews were completely loyal, and would humiliate Jesus, even in death.

But I am getting ahead of the story of this week, a story which will conclude next Sunday.  But for one moment, ask yourself, “If I had been in Jerusalem that day, and had seen both processions passing by, which would I have chosen to follow?”

Because that is the choice, we make each day.  To choose power and might over love.  To choose “the way things are done” over “the way God intends them to be.”   Two processions.  Two theologies. Two choices.  Which would you choose?  What kind of king do you expect?

Blessings

J.P. Olson

https://www.thewordwithjpolson.com

When You Belong To Jesus, Grace Belongs To You! It Is Always In Your Possession. He Has Assigned His Grace the Charge to Keep Us! God Is Saying His Grace & Mercy Belongs To You, Because You Belong To Him! Knowing This; I Just Want To Praise Him!

 

Hebrews 4:16, “Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [HIS AMAZING] GRACE to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” (AMP)    

When You Belong To Jesus, Grace Belongs To You! It Is Always In Your Possession. You Cannot Forget It, You Cannot Leave It At Home, You Cannot Replace It, You Cannot Lose It, You Cannot Throw It Away, And You Most Certainly Cannot Run Out Of It! He has assigned His Grace the Charge to Keep Us! God Is Saying His Grace & Mercy Belongs To You, Because You Belong To Him! Knowing This; I Just Want To Praise Him!

Grace reminds us of an ambulance coming to treat someone with a medical emergency. The paramedics aided the victim on the spot. They dispense immediate grace to the most serious symptoms. Then they slide them into the ambulance, which is equipped with more grace—by means of more medical equipment—to deal with the problem. And as the paramedics are administering more grace to the patient, the ambulance races to the hospital where even more grace awaits, in the form of a host of medical professionals with varying years of experience, specialties and learning, extensive medications, and available rooms and even larger and more proficient equipment to save and sustain life. And once the patient is admitted, the hospital keeps dispensing grace to meet the need until the problem has been addressed and the patient can go home again.  

As the beloved hymn goes: “Twas Grace that brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.” 

Are you grateful for grace? No matter how bad your disease of sin may be, grace is there with her scrubs on ready to go to work on your behalf. Whether your hurt is physical, mental, emotional, financial, spiritual, grace is there Saving, Healing, Delivering, Stabilizing, and Restoring Your Entire Being Back to Good Health! 

Well, one day Jesus heard our emergency call for help, it sounded like this: “I am a sinner and I need a Savior.” Or better yet, in the Words of Scripture:  

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalm 51:10-13).  

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10).  

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12).  

Aren’t you grateful for the grace that heard our emergency calls and answered every one of them?! 

Jesus Himself came to earth, found us dying in sin and reached down to save us. And as our High Priest, He also transported us from where we were, to a place that has all the grace we will ever need as long as we live, until we are finally and fully restored at the resurrection and go home with Him. How amazing is the love of God towards us? How amazing is His undeserved and yet abundant grace that is bestowed on our behalf?! 

Please know this with blessed assurance, today, if you draw near to Him, He will meet you where you are, and continuously dispense sufficient grace! “But He said to me, my grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!” (2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP). Can you imagine being so covered in sufficient grace that you can even rejoice in your weaknesses and infirmities, because Grace has you covered?! Do you realize that His Grace is so Glorious, that it is Strong enough to Handle Our Every Weakness?! Grace is Amazing because it gives weak infirm individuals like us, Power and Strength and Mercy and Favor and Sufficiency! All of that simply by the Lord’s Grace! I always love hearing the song “Amazing Grace” but experiencing it and living under it cannot compare! And Grace covers a lot of Ground too! Do you realize that you cannot hide from Grace? It follows you, it walks with you, it talks to you, it covers you, it surrounds you, it shields you, it supplies you! God’s Grace Sticks Closer Than Your Own Shadow! 

Listen to this: A London bus driver was assigned to shuttle passengers to special crusade services with Billy Graham at Wembley Stadium. When one of them invited him in to listen he declined. The following year he moved to New York, and when Billy Graham was speaking at Madison Square Garden the man’s job again was shuttling people to the meetings. As he got off the bus a lady asked if he would like to join them. Once more he politely declined. Then he married an Australian lady and eventually ended up working in Sydney, where surprisingly enough, he was again assigned to drive people to the stadium where Billy Graham was preaching. This time when he was invited, he figured there was no escape, so he gave in. Looking back, he says, “No matter where I went, I was confronted with Billy Graham, so I went to hear him and committed my life to Christ. It was the best decision I ever made.”              

Grace is just like that! It is already on every street, road, path, valley, hill, mountain, alley, cliff, dead-end, wrong turn, that you will ever find yourself on! The Father loves His children so, that no matter where we go or what we do, He has assigned His Grace the Charge to Keep Us! If we have never been grateful before, today is a good day to be grateful that God’s Grace towards us is still Amazing, Abundant and Available!  

How can Grace accompany us everywhere we go as a person does? Easy: The Bible reads, “AND THE WORD (CHRIST) BECAME FLESH (HUMAN, INCARNATE) AND TABERNACLED (FIXED HIS TENT OF FLESH, LIVED AWHILE) AMONG US; AND WE [ACTUALLY] SAW HIS GLORY (HIS HONOR, HIS MAJESTY), SUCH GLORY AS AN ONLY SON RECEIVES FROM HIS FATHER, FULL OF GRACE (FAVOR, LOVING-KINDNESS) AND TRUTH.” (John 1:14 AMP) Thank God For His Amazing Grace! 

The Psalmist said, “You hem me in... you have laid your hand upon me...Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there...in the depths, you are there...on the far side of the sea...your hand will...hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:5-10 NIV). Isn’t Grace simply amazing? You cannot get away from God, you cannot get away from His Spirit, you cannot get away from His Son, you cannot get away from His Grace! 

Peter said, “God is patient...he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.” (2 Peter 3:9 CEV). This is why Outreach is so important and vital for the church. Even God Himself is patiently waiting for the lost to seek and to find Him. He desires their salvation. Now if the truth be told, far too many of the unsaved sit next to us on the bus, on the train, walk pass us in the grocery store and laundromat, get their hair and nails done in the same salons, and we have yet to share the Good News with them about an Amazing God dispensing Amazing Grace! And to take it a step further, some of the unbelievers have heard about Him, have sat next to you in the church pews, but have yet to confess and accept Him! That is where we must become more fervent in reaching them. Why? Because too many are too close not to make it in!  

Matthew 9:35-38, “Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!” (MSG) 

John 4:34-35, “Jesus said, “The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I am telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!” (MSG) 

Luke 10:2, “He was saying to them, “The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the good news about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (AMP) 

There are many unbelievers right at our fingertips that are in need to God’s Grace and all the blessings and benefits that come attached to it. Will you honestly keep looking out at a harvest field that is ripe for the reaping, and yet you sit on your harvest hands instead of extending them to the work?! 

The Beauty of Grace is sitting by awaiting to fulfill the Scripture, “...He will beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalm 149:4). Someway, somehow, you pass someone unsaved...Everyday! And do you know that even though cosmetics are a multi-million-dollar empire, it still cannot compare to the beauty of salvation? And yet we selfishly keep such a fountain of youth beauty secret to ourselves! 

Listen: Grace can be simply defined as ‘’the free and unearned favor of God.’ In other words, it does not cost you a thing! So why not share the Free Grace of God with someone today?  Truth is, you received it and certainly you did not earn it, and neither can any of the rest of us. However, we can each lead a thirsty soul to the living water that overflows with abundant grace! Why not take a moment today to lead someone to the refreshing wells of grace?  

In a nutshell: Let someone else encounter and experience what it is like to be so low to the ground and have grace come in like a crane-operator and pull them up!  

One of my favorite tools is the Crane. You know why? Well, it is “a tall machine used for moving heavy objects by suspending them from a projecting arm”. That is the noun definition, the verb description is “to stretch out (as one’s neck) to see something.” And that is exactly how God’s Amazing Grace feel! When you are down, depressed, in despair, lonely, hurting, confused, angry, bitter, resentful, weighed down with burdens, and loads of sin and struggles, GRACE will come like a CRANE and lift that heaviness off of you, and simultaneously lift you up too! Reminds me a lot of Psalm 18:33, “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.” (AMP).  

Cranes like God’s Grace is an out-stretched arm that sustains and supports what it carries! Reminds me of Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).” (AMP). Just imagine all the stuff that people are carrying that has them so weighted down in life. They are carrying unemployment, sickness, fear, marital distress, family discord, church division, peer-pressured children, bad habits, decisions and addictions, anxiety, depression, loneliness, hurt, and sins of every sort. And now imagine you telling them about your Jesus who is always wrapped up in Grace, that desires to extend itself to them and carry them and that which they are carrying. Don’t you think someone near you would love to have that experience, just as you did? 

The Crane is also described much as a neck that stretches itself to see! And much like Hagar, I am so glad that I can see Him, but more importantly, even in my lowest of states He can see me! “So, she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, you are a God of Seeing, for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the Wilderness] looked upon Him Who Sees Me [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him Who Sees Me?” (Genesis 16:33 AMP). Like I said, His Grace is Amazing, and so is Crane’s as an Analogy! 

Today it is my prayer that you will determine to find a brother or sister and share with them the Amazing Grace of your Amazing God! Today, you are God’s Crane! Look around you and see who needs God’s Grace extended towards them. Where should you look? In your own home, in your own family, among your own friends, in your own neighborhood and community, at your job, in your church, at the laundromat, in the supermarket, standing at the bus stop, waiting on the train, the person you share the Uber or Lyft with, the people in the nail and hair salons, at the barbershop, on the basketball court, in the deli, at the mall, at the schools, in line at the bank, pumping gas, at the gym, or the hundreds/thousands you can pass while walking or driving from place to place. There are so many in need of God’s Grace, and all they need to do to get connected with it is to have someone just like you, who will take the time and make the effort to Crane Their Neck and look out and see who they can help get to God! 

Will you do that today? Crane Your Neck and See Who in the Neighborhood Needs a Grace They Do Not Even Know They are Searching For! 

Remember: God’s Grace is Amazing to Experience for Yourself, But That Was Never Where It Was Supposed to End! Do not Be Selfish with God’s Grace, Share it With Someone Else! 

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not because of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].” (AMP) 

2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him] and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.” (AMP) 

Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it may be defiled.” (AMP) 

John 1:14-16, “And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (free of deception). John testified [repeatedly] about Him and has cried out [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’” For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” (AMP) 

Romans 11:6, “But if it is by grace [God’s unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer [it would not be a gift but a reward for works].” (AMP) 

“God’s Grace is Immeasurable, His Mercy is Inexhaustible, His Peace is Inexpressible.”

‘I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I hope to be. But by the Grace of God, I am not what I was.” (John Newton)

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Some Of You Have Had The Floodgates Of Problems In One Thing After Another, And When You Recuperate From One Thing, It Hits You With Another. But In This Season: We Are Stepping Into This Thing Called The Latter Rain.

Zechariah 10:1 says, “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain” It may be the season, but God still wants you to ask Him for the rain. Do not have this attitude that whatever will be will be. No, come in line with God’s word for you this year by asking Him. Prayer positions you to receive what He already wants to give you. Prayer allows Him to intervene and make possible every impossible situation (see Luke 18:27)! God loves it when you ask Him because you look up to Him, not man.

We Are Stepping Into This Thing Called The Latter Rain. The Latter Rain Is Always Going To Be Greater Than The Former. You’re Talking About The Floodgates, Some Of You Have Had The Floodgates Of Problems In One Thing After Another, And When You Recuperate From One Thing, It Hits You With Another, But In This Season, God is getting ready to overwhelm you with His goodness. Can you imagine the blessings of God coming on the left and right hands when they are pushing you in your back, just pushing you into your destiny? I’m telling you, God has great things in store for His children. He’s a great Father. He wants to overwhelm you from left to right. He’s got Angels just holding sickles on your behalf in the north, south, east, and west. He is getting ready to release things on the earth that will overwhelm you from the east to the west with blessings that will come in signs of deliverance, miracles and prayers, miracles and gifts, a season of them in signs of wonders, a season of them, and suddenly God will shift your season, where you have had a hard time. Still, suddenly things will change in your favor. If you believe it, you will receive it.

You will see God move, and the naysayers will sit back and see God’s children being blessed, people getting healed, people getting delivered, people getting encouraged, people getting goodness and mercy extended to them, property liens given into your hands, degrees are being provided in finishing school and universities. This is a new season; He is expanding your territory on the left and right. God is giving you wisdom; you can hold on to it now. Justice will roll in like mighty waters, and righteousness will come down like powerful streams. May God turn your affliction; may your pain never rise again. Let it rain, let it rain. He’s cutting off things that need to be cut off but adding blessings in your life that you have been desperate for, a season now, cause God’s getting ready to feed you on a new level of where you are going but not where you are coming from, and this is the Lord’s doing.

God will give some of you your divine testimonies of what He is doing this season. God said your suddenly is breaking through now. You did not know what God was doing, but He was working on you. Suddenly the check comes, and it is shifting in your favor. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. The miracle is in the process right now. This year is a blessing, breakthrough, and abundance for you and those you love most. When you have a setback, do not take a step back. This year is your year of COMEBACK, and you will soon see that the setbacks of 2022 were a SET-UP for your best days which begin NOW! This is your season of blessings; you are being made in the likeness of Elohim. I pray that God will anoint you and give you new ideas. Have expectations like never before. Tell God to use everything in you for His purpose. We shouldn’t have to be pumped to praise God. Praise Him anyhow,

LOOK UP AND ASK THE LORD FOR RAIN

Zechariah 10:1 says, “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain” It may be the season, but God still wants you to ask Him for the rain. Do not have this attitude that whatever will be will be. No, come in line with God’s word for you this year by asking Him. Prayer positions you to receive what He already wants to give you. Prayer allows Him to intervene and make possible every impossible situation (see Luke 18:27)!

God loves it when you ask Him because you look up to Him, not man.

THE LATTER RAIN BRINGS GREATER HEALING

Spiritually speaking, the early rain can represent the blessings and miracles the early church experienced. Acts 5:14–16 tells us that the sick brought to church “were all healed.” Every sick person that came was healed! If that could happen with the early rain, how much more the latter rain? Believe God this year that you will experience supernatural healing!

THE LATTER RAIN BRINGS INCREASED ANOINTING

What about the oil, which represents the anointing of the Spirit? Oil lubricates creaking hinges and tight gears, so they work smoothly and efficiently. So, spiritually speaking when God’s anointing is on you, things go smoothly for you.

There is a refreshing and ease to doing what you need to do. When you pray, exceptional results and yokes are destroyed (see Isa. 10:27). When you speak, people listen—divine wisdom flows, and problems get solved. In your relationships, the oil of the Lord prevents friction and strife. Wherever you go, things work with ease in your favor because God’s anointing is on you!

THE LATTER RAIN BRINGS FAMILY BLESSINGS. Has the enemy stolen from you in your family? Are there broken relationships within your family? This year, expect many good days for you and your family. See Him restoring every strained relationship. The latter rain also brings about a blessed family life.

THE LATTER RAIN BRINGS RESTORATION

Maybe you have wasted many years because of bad decisions or a destructive lifestyle. You have lost much to sickness or physical condition. But, friend, God can restore your lost years and health. He is more powerful than all the principalities and powers that tried to rob you. It is not over. It is not hopeless. I believe your best days and years are right before you!

Remember, When You Can’t Alter Your Circumstances, That Means They Are a Perfect Fit For Where You Are and Where You’re Going. They are only for a Season, and when it’s time to Change, the One who birthed all the Seasons will change it!  The stone in your hand might be small, but the God with you is bigger than the giant in front of you. It is not about your stone but about your God.

Far too often, we quickly get upset over the Bad, not realizing that it usually leads to something Good! Most of us have lived long enough to see something Good coming out of something terrible or even difficult and unpleasant. Therefore, if you’re in a season in your life that’s cold right now, and you’re feeling the chill of crisis; the breeze of bitterness; the winds of worry; the damp of depression; the ice of irritation; the blizzard of backbiters; the storms of struggle; and the rains of restlessness: Know That Even When The Conditions Of The Season Restrict You, They Can Never Constrict Your God!

But Bear In Mind, Even When We’re ‘Restricted,’ God Is Never ‘Constricted’! The Word ‘Constricted’ Means: “To Make Or Become Narrower, Especially By Encircling Pressure Or Attempting To Tighten Around.” Means To ‘Bind Tightly Together.’ You See, Your God Is Too Big To Be Made Narrow, And He’s Too Powerful For Pressure To Place Him In A Tight Grip! So even In Seasons Where You’re ‘Restricted,’ Take Comfort In Knowing Your God Is Never ‘Constricted’! Even When Your Hands Are Tied, His Will Never Be! Regardless To The Condition, He Can Still Bless You In The Midst Of Your Most Brittle, Bitter, And Brutal Blizzard! Your God Is Too Powerful To Be Pressured! Even When You Grow Weak, Never Forget The Strength Of Your God!

EVEN WHEN IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE IT’S IN YOUR FAVOR, BECAUSE HE’S YOUR GOD…IT IS!

 “To everything, there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  So, no matter how hard you pray, You Can’t Pray Your Life’s Seasons Away! There are some situations you aren’t meant to Change—You’re Just Meant to Endure! 2 Timothy 2:3, “Take [with me] YOUR SHARE of the hardships and suffering [Which You Are CALLED TO ENDURE] as a good (first-class) soldier of Christ Jesus.” (AMP) In other words, what you’re currently dealing with, Heavily Weighing You Down in the Natural, is considered by the Spirit “…Our Light, Momentary Affliction….” Therefore, you won’t always deal with it, but you have to deal with it right now! So, remember, When You Can’t Alter Your Circumstances, That Means They Are a Perfect Fit For Where You Are and Where You’re Going. So, Stop Trying to Change Your Circumstantial Clothing! They are only for a Season, and when it’s time to Change, the One who birthed all the Seasons will change it! “Don’t try to get out of anything Prematurely.”

In Winter, trees take advantage of the season to rebuild their strength and prepare to be fruitful next season. Their sap and substance go underground. Then in the Spring, it pushes its way back up again in the form of New Growth. Looking back over your life, you’ll find that your achievements are Seasonal. Growth comes, then struggle, and vice versa. Each Season Has Its Purpose. God has a reason for not always allowing you to be productive. When He permits Winter winds to blow through your life, He is preparing you for the coming Spring. That’s why James wrote, “Consider it a …gift…when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…under pressure, your faith…is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So Don’t Try to Get Out of Anything Prematurely. Let It Do Its Work, So You Become Mature and Well-Developed, Not Deficient In Any Way” (MSG). One of the issues you’ll struggle with in a waiting period is the urge to Hurry Because Your Flesh Always Wants to Make Permanent Decisions Based On Temporary Circumstances. Do not Do It! Every Situation Doesn’t Call For Immediate Action! The Only Biblical Way For You to Become Mature, Well-Developed, and Lacking Nothing Is To Endure Hardship! So, if you try to find a shortcut to getting out of your trials, You’ll Have to Take a Longer Journey to Get to Your Destiny!

Somebody has said patience is what you admire in the driver behind, but not the guy in front! But God Is a God of Order; He Ordains Specific Times For Bringing Specific Purposes to Pass! 

Habakkuk 2:3, “This vision message is a witness pointing to what is coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it does not lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It Will Come Right On Time.” (MSG) It doesn’t pay to try and get ahead of God, so “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 AMP). The word “stout” is defined as “to be rather fat or heavily built; sturdy and thick; to be brave; courageous; strong and determined.” This needs to describe your heart condition (as well as your faith) as you wait on God! It needs to be unshaken; heavily built; sturdy; brave; courageous; strong, and determined, despite what you must endure while waiting! Remember, this is not about Your timing but God’s! So let nothing move you but God! Ultimately, certain things can’t be accomplished “by might, nor by power.” So how are they achieved? “By MY Spirit, saith the LORD.”

David understood this, and that’s why he said, “My times are in YOUR hands…” (Psalm 31:15). Once you understand that, you’ll stop fretting and worrying knowing with certainty that people and problems can’t short-circuit God’s plan for your life.  If you can acknowledge that, you’ll find peace—and stop trying to “make things happen, out of season!” Do Your Part: WAIT! God Already Has His Part PLANNED!

When God drops a seed into your life, it needs time to take root and grow. Maybe some people are still struggling because they haven’t planted a seed or watered it. And you don’t have to be concerned with the outcome because when it’s planted in a fertile, faith-filled heart, the results are guaranteed. The hard part is knowing that you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, then having God tell you to Wait. But it’s times like these when you think He’s forgotten about you and the promises He made to you that your patience gets a workout. In moments like these, your heart begins to faint, and your faith begins to waver. But take some advice from David; he said: “I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my own goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confidence in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3 AMPC). When you honor God’s timing, you always land on solid ground, with a new reason to praise Him! In other words, waiting is not enough; you must wait for the right way…Patiently and In Praise! Just ask JOSEPH!

The Book of Genesis tells us about a very long winter season in the life of this Old Testament hero. In a nutshell, his brothers hated him because he was his father’s favorite. They threw him into a pit and nearly let him die there. At the last minute, they changed their minds and lightened up a little – they settled for selling him into Egyptian slavery instead. Joseph got a great job in the house of a powerful man and then lost it when he refused the advances of the boss’s wife, and she falsely accused him of assaulting her. Then, two long years in the king’s prison as a result. Ultimately, Joseph came to Pharaoh's attention, who eventually promoted him to second in command in the mighty Egyptian empire. That’s when a famine drove Joseph’s brothers to Egypt in search of food – FOOD ONLY THE BROTHER THEY HAD BETRAYED COULD GIVE THEM, BY THE WAY! (SIDEBAR: NEVER HATE YOUR HATERS!)  And when they finally realize who he is and experience the forgiveness and mercy that they DON’T DESERVE, Joseph says, “You Planned Evil Against Me; God Planned It For Good To Bring About The Present Result—The Survival Of Many People.” (Genesis 50:20 HCSB).

What The Weather (And Your Haters) Have Planned For You Can’t Compare To What The Will Of God Has For You! From The Pit To The Prison To The Palace, Joseph Prospered; he Was Sustained By One Thing He Knew Had Not Changed—God Was Working On A Bigger Plan! If you belong to Jesus, Joseph’s God is your God, too. And He is a God who uses even the wickedness of man to do great things. For Joseph, vengeful brothers, false accusations, and terrible injustices Became Tools That God Used To Take Him To Places And Positions He Could Never Have Gone Otherwise!

If it’s dark right now, don’t let discouragement win. Don’t let bitterness or resentment, or resignation ruin the greater plan God is working on. Romans 8:28, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a PLAN] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (AMP). 

In some ways, Jesus’ disciples expected their Winter to begin with His announced departure to heaven. The One who had called them to be with Him was now leaving them and entrusting them with the work He had started. In Luke 24, Jesus tells them to tell the world about Him, and then, “…while He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.” In a way, their Winter had begun, as it often does when you lose someone you love. But they knew what to do with their Winter! In the book of Acts, chapters 1 and 2 teach us what they did to Work Their Winter Season, “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” Then they got their team of 12 back to full strength by replacing Judas with another disciple. And “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place…and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” At that point, they exploded on the city of Jerusalem with the Gospel that would, that day, start spreading around the world! But they had to use their Winter to get together, regroup, get stronger, and get closer to God. It would help if you handled your Winter the same way. Don’t just sit there worrying, feeling sorry for yourself, or wallowing in your emotions. Instead, take action to get strong. Spend extra time with God right now. Strengthen your relationship with your family, friends, coworkers, and church family. Think through what you need to stop doing and what you need to start doing to focus on what really matters. And prayerfully plan for a future, right there in the middle of your valley, even when the future looks very uncertain.               

In other words, don’t get caught up in your Winter woes, instead use this season that will be ending soon as a time to sharpen your weaponry for the spiritual warfare ahead! And how do you do that?

1...Get Into the WORD of God: (even as everything in heaven and earth shall pass away, His Word Never Will)! (Mark 13:31, “Heaven and earth will perish and pass away, But My Words Will Not Perish Or Pass Away.” AMPC); (Isaiah 55:11, “So Shall My Word Be That Goes Forth Out Of My Mouth: It Shall Not Return To Me Void [Without Producing Any Effect, Useless], But It Shall Accomplish That Which I Please And Purpose, And It Shall Prosper In The Thing For Which I Sent It.” AMPC).

2...Get Into WORSHIP: (the posture where you don’t go seeking God, but He comes seeking you)! (John 4:23, “A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); For The Father Is Seeking Just Such People As These As His Worshipers.” (AMPC).

3...Get the WISDOM of God: (it is essential to making wise decisions)! (James 1:5, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, Let Him Ask The Giving God [Who Gives] To Everyone Liberally And Ungrudgingly, Without Reproaching Or Faultfinding, And It Will Be Given Him.” AMPC).

4...Get Into the WILL of God: (this is the place attached to your promise)! (Hebrews 10:36, “For you need steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish The Will Of God, And Thus Receive And Carry Away [And Enjoy To The Full] What Is Promised.” AMPC).

5...Get Into the Right WARDROBE: (no soldier fights without his fatigues)! And what are fatigues? (The phrase “military fatigues” was coined by the United States Armed Forces in the mid-1800s and was used about the clothes worn by soldiers detailed to menial or hard labor. Over time, the definition of military fatigues has changed to mean any uniform worn by a soldier on work detail, duty, or while on the field of battle!) And what are your “fatigues”? (READ: Ephesians 6:11-18).

Discouragement, fear, and drifting from God are your greatest enemies, not what faces you on your battlefields! This season is not the dead time or despair time. It’s the get-ready time! What you do with your Winter will decide whether you win or lose the war! Therefore, Get into the Word of God; Get into Worship; Get the Wisdom of God; Get into the Will of God; and Get into the right Wardrobe! Then Work Your Season!               

Be Encouraged: He’s Still Watching Over His Word to Perform it in Your Life…Even in Late Winter! You wouldn’t think to see almond trees blossoming in late Winter. Shouldn’t that happen in Spring? The wonderful thing about God is that He’s not bound by the Seasons, unlike us! He can bless you at any given time He deems fit! Your job is to be like Jeremiah AND SEE IT BLOSSOMING! Some of us are still in Winter, although Spring is just a few days away; geographically, we are in regions/states where there is snow and frigid weather. However, before your winter is over, you will see the evidence of blessings Springing! Keep your eyes open, and see more than just the winds, snow, blizzard, and hazardous conditions. But walk by faith and see the flowers preparing to bloom ALREADY! Please wait for it; Watch for it; It Will Come! “Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late WINTER]. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, FOR I AM ALERT AND ACTIVE, WATCHING OVER MY WORD TO PERFORM IT” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 AMP). DON’T BOW OUT JUST YET; GOD’S PERFORMANCE IN YOUR LIFE IS NOT OVER!

Note: An almond branch was evidently chosen because it is the first tree to bud in Spring! So, Celebrate! Because After Enduring Your Harsh Winter, You Will Be Among the First to Blossom in Spring! 

Job 5:9, “His miracles are marvelous, more than we can count.” (CEV);

In Romans 4:19-25, “Abraham did not focus on his impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.”(MSG)

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com