Bible Discourse 64 The triumphant entry into Jesrusalem The relative priority of fulfilling one’s spiritual duties to God and to humanity.

Discourse 64

The triumphant entry into Jerusalem

The relative priority of fulfilling one’s spiritual duties to God and to humanity.

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, “Why was this waste of the ointment made?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor.”  And they murmured against her.

And Jesus said, “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me not have always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.  Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.  And when they heard of it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

                                                                       Mark 14:3—11

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, “Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: lose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, ‘The Lord hath need of them’; and straightway he will send them.”

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, ‘Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.’”

And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.  And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way.  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”  And the multitude said, “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called the house of prayer’; but ye have made it ‘a den of thieves.’”

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David”; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, “Hearest thou what these say?”

And Jesus saith unto them, “Yea; have ye never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise’?” And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.”  And presently the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How soon is the fig tree withered away!”

Jesus answered and said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, “Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea’; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

                                                                    Matthew 21:1—22

  

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, “Why was this waste of the ointment made?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor.”  And they murmured against her.

And Jesus said, “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me not have always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.  Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.  And when they heard of it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.  Mark 14:3—11

Parallel reference:

Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?”  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Then said Jesus, “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.  For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”

Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

                                                                                      John 12:1—11

When Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper, a woman anointed him with ointment. Jesus bestowed his recognition of the woman’s perpetual honor.   Good works for the poor, compassion for the suffering, can only complement, but never supplant, man’s need for dependence on his Creator. Jesus was non-attached to his body.

The woman who anointed Jesus was Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus.

Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”   Luke 10:42

Jesus gave her his praise as a discerning devotee whom the ages would finally acclaim.  Judas and other materialistic people criticised Mary by suggesting that it is best utilized if she would have sold the ointment and distributed the proceeds to the poor. Jesus chided them and said that they get another opportunity to serve poor, but she may not have another chance serve God’s presence in bodily form. 

Jesus wanted that first and foremost thing is serving God and all other things second to God. Jesus’ crucifixion was very near, he declared to Mary, “She is aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.” Jesus said further and confirmed his crucifixion by saying, “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world.” 

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, “Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: lose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, ‘The Lord hath need of them’; and straightway he will send them.”

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, ‘Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.’”

And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.  And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way.  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”  And the multitude said, “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

Parallel reference:

And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples saying, “Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, ‘Why do you loose him?’ thus shall ye say unto him, “Because the Lord hath need of him.’”

And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, “Why ye loose the colt?”  And they said, “The Lord hath need of him.”

And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast thir garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of the Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, “Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, “Master, rebuke thy disciples.”

And he answered and said unto them, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones should immediately cry out.”

And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, “If thou hadst known, even thou, at last in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on everyside, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest  not the time of thy visitation.”                                      Luke 19:29—44

The symbolism:  The city of Jerusalem—Man’s consciousness, his thoughts and feelings—the inhabitants, Jesus’ coming into Jerusalem—opening of the gates of man’s devotion to receive Christ Consciousness into the bodily kingdom, with a all its citizens rejoicing.

“Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

The drama is to fulfil the Old Testament prophecy.           (Zechariah 9:9—10)

“And Jesus, when had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.  These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.”                             John 12:14—16

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. 

When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, he meant that scriptures must be fulfilled this day, that Zachariah’s words, which required the multitudes to “rejoice greatly” and “about” should come to pass. If men were forced to “hold their peace” would be empowered to hold faith with the scriptures. Divine men, like Jesus and John the Baptist, know that God alone upholds the structure of the universe.  To a materialistic man a stone appears inert and spiritless. The story concerning John is as follows:

Then he said to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bringforth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to  say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”    Luke 3:7—8

In reference to the stones, Jesus said to Pharisees: “How think you to silence men of peace? You wanted to throttle the voice of God? The very stones  sing His glory and His omnipresence. Will you demand that men not celebrate peace, but war only?

Jesus Christ spoke “peace to heathen” meaning no cruelty but goodwill arms the universal sinews. Zechariah had long ago foreseen this. He who “is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass” will know the endless fruits of victory.  “O Jerusalem, I weep for you! All the political, social, and divine peace is being enjoyed due to Christ Consciousness only. O Jerusalem, you will suffer due to ignorance. Jesus prophesied that Jersalem in future will be preoccupied by war, famine, and increasing spiritual darkness.

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called the house of prayer’; but ye have made it ‘a den of thieves.’”

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David”; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, “Hearest thou what these say?”

And Jesus saith unto them, “Yea; have ye never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise’?” And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.                                   Matthew 21:12—17

“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightiest still the enemy and the avenger.”  (Psalms 8:1—2)

In citing the Psalm of king David, Jesus chided the priests, who took offense at the innocent children, in the temple glorifying Jesus , hailing him as the son of David, the prophesied savior. (Hosanna in Hebrew pray save).

Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.”  And presently the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How soon is the fig tree withered away!”

Jesus answered and said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, “Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea’; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

                                                                    Matthew 21:18—22

“Regarding this incident, the Gospel According to St. Mark relates that Jesus cursed the fig tree in the morning  on his way into Jerusalem, where he has cast the money changers out of the temple; and that leaving the city in the evening he and the disciples passed the tree again and saw that it had withered.                    Mark 11:12—14 and  11:20—25

In the incident of hapless fig tree, we have a provocative contrast between human and divine manifesting simultaneously in one man. The will and life force present in the body of Jesus is in tune with Will and Cosmic Life.  He simply withdrew will and life had sustained the fig tree. Man owns the omnipotence of God, if he forsakes delusion and, by meditation.

Jesus told his disciple that because of God-realization one can have perfect conviction.  He will have the power to move mountains and grant any prayer.