#DailyDevotion Jesus Fulfills Psalm 118 As He Enters Jerusalem
Matt. 21:6-9
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their garments on them; and Jesus sat on them, 8Most of the people spread their garments on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The people who went ahead of Him and followed Him were shouting: “Our Savior, the Son of David! Blessed is He Who is coming in the LORD’s name! Our Savior – in the highest heavens!”
As Jesus comes into Jerusalem the crowd that greets him with a part of Psalm 118 which they would have been singing along with all the other pilgrim on their way up to Jerusalem with these verses, “25O LORD, please save. Lord, please give us success. 26Blessed is He Who comes in the LORD’s name. We bless You in the LORD’s temple.” Now besides being one of the praise Psalms it is one of the more explicit Messianic Psalms. The crowds adapt it to apply to Jesus as they shout, “the Son of David!” Jesus is the Son of David. They are looking to him to be their Savior. He comes in the name of the LORD.
But there are some other things they would be invoking as they quote Psalm 118 that they may not be aware Jesus would be fulfilling that week. Just a couple of verses before these they would have sung, “22The Stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. 23The LORD has done this, and we think it is wonderful.” Jesus himself would tell quotes these verses in the days to come and his apostles would quote it when showing Jesus is the Messiah. The Pharisees, the Scribes and the Sadducees would all reject him as the Messiah. They would hand him over to be crucified by the Romans. It would do them no good. Jesus would become the capstone of the Temple of God, all those believing in him being the living stones which make make up the Temple.
At the foot of the cross the Psalmist writes, “10All the nations surrounded me. in the LORD’s name I have defeated them;…” The nations indeed surrounded the LORD Jesus Christ upon the cross. They taunt him saying, “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD help him!” The Psalmist writes, “5In my trouble I called on the LORD. The LORD answered me and set me free. 6 The LORD is for me, I’m not afraid. What can man do to me? 7The LORD is for me; He helps me. I will gloat over those who hate me.” Jesus hangs upon the cross believing these words. He put his trust in his Father in heaven. Indeed, on the third day the Father raises Jesus up from the dead never to die again. He raises Jesus to his right hand. He does this because Jesus trusted in Him. Jesus was not afraid. What could man do to him. Only that which the Father had planned. Jesus believed the Father would raise him from the dead and He did.
Now with faith in Jesus, we need live in Jesus’ faith and make these words our own as well. We need to trust in God and not in princes. The LORD is for us—we see that on the cross of Jesus. Even as Jesus died and rose again, if the wicked of the world kill us, no big deal. God the Father will raise us up also to eternal life. With Jesus we will gloat over those who hated us. Jesus is the “gate of righteousness” through which we enter the heavenly realms.
Heavenly Father, grant that we may join the crowds singing Hosanna, save us, putting our trust in Jesus to save us from sin, death and the devil and raising us from the dead to eternal life when he returns for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.