Sermon Central
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Four Trees Of Easter
Contributed by Charles Goza on Jan 19, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: The four significant events in the last week of Jesus' life involved trees and can be likened to spiritual development in our life.
Four Trees of Easter
. TREES PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE SCRIPTURE.
MANY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS TOOK PLACE UNDER TREES.
1. Sin originated from eating fruit from the Forbidden Tree.
2. The first clothes were leaves from a fig tree.
3. Gen. 18. Under a grove of oak trees God told Abraham he would be given a son.
4. I Kings 19. Elijah sat under a juniper tree when he was emotionally drained to the point of experiencing depression.
5. Numbers 17:8 Aaron’s rod, which was made from an almond tree budded, leafed out, and produced almonds overnight.
6.Many other trees are mentioned throughout the Bible: Ash, Bay, Box, Elm, Fir, Pomegranate, Mulberry, Oak, Olive, Palm, Pine, Popular, Sycamore, The Tree of Life,etc.
Isaiah 55. "All the trees of the field will clap their hands." Speaks of a time when the Lord will reign on
the earth.
IN THE LIFE OF JESUS THERE ARE FOUR SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THE LAST WEEK OF JESUS’ LIFE HERE ON EARTH THAT INVOLVED TREES. As I studied these events, I believe that you could also make an analogy of these events being like four stages in a person’s spiritual development.
1. The first event is Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and involved palm trees.
(Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44;
On Palm Sunday—Jesus made His public entry as Messiah into Jerusalem.. Throngs accompanied Him, going before and after; these, spreading their garments, and strewing branches in the way, hailed Him with hosannas as the Son of David, the King of Israel, who came in the name of the Lord.
Jesus’ opponents understood the strong messianic implications of the manner of His entry into Jerusalem. The riding upon the colt, the garments and palm branches in the road, and the shouts of the multitude—all pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. When He was urged to quiet the people, Jesus replied, “If these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40 NASB).
On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles the Hebrews were commanded to take branches of palms, with other trees, and rejoice before God Lev 23:40;
Later it was connected with the idea of triumph and victory. Simon Maccabeus entered Jerusalem after its capture, “with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs: because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel” (1 Macc 13:51
The multitude welcomed Jesus into the city with cries of HOSANNA from Psalm 118:25-26. “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word that is best translated as a prayer: “Save now,” or “Save, we beseech Thee.” When the people carrying palm branches met Jesus and hailed Him as the One who comes in the name of the Lord, they included in their acclamation a plea for salvation.
A. So the Palm spoke of Celebration and Salvation
B. This first event of Jesus’ last week on earth seems to be like a person’s initial response to the gospel. The cries of Hosanna are like the cries of a sinner for salvation and then after the initial experience, there will logically follow a time of worship and praise. I would liken this to a baby being born into the world. I Peter2: 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow. The first stage in a person’s spiritual growth is worshipping and growing in their knowledge of who they are in Christ and developing a deeper understanding of who God is. A baby is totally dependent upon its parents to get all of its needs met. One of the primary lessons a Christian needs to learn is his total dependence upon the Lord. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing. Many times we think we can do things on our own and we continually fail miserably.
Many people never learn to surrender completely and let the Lord live His life through them, or else they are too frightened to let go of control or are too proud. Dying to self should be one of our first lessons in our Christian life following the example set by Jesus on Palm Sunday of humility and servanthood.
Jesus quotes His own example to enforce His teaching; stimulating His disciples to seek distinction in a path of lowly love by demonstrating to them that the Son of man has come not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
The new feature in the lesson Jesus gives His disciples at this season is the contrast between His kingdom and the kingdoms of earth in respect to the mode of acquiring greatness.. “You know,” He said, “that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you.” The idea is this: earthly kingdoms are ruled by a class of persons who possess hereditary rank—the aristocracy, nobles, or princes. The governing class are those whose birthright it is to rule, and whose boast it is never to have been in a servile position, but always to have been served. In Jesus’ kingdom, on the other hand, a man becomes a great one, and a ruler, by being first the servant of those over whom he is to bear rule. In other kingdoms, they rule whose privilege it is to be ministered unto; in the divine kingdom, they rule who account it a privilege to minister.
