Palm Sunday Bombs & Easter Hope
Palm Sunday is a day of celebration, recognizing the beginning of the greatest week in history as Jesus entered Jerusalem, humbly on a donkey, and triumphantly as the King bringing salvation.
The significance of this week, however, stretches far beyond Jerusalem and reaches hearts and homes of families in every nation. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, Jesus brought salvation to more than just Jerusalem. He brought salvation to the world.
And this is good news because our world needs to be saved.
We see this need as we see the heart-breaking sin and darkness of our world. This past week was yet another example. Just a quick look at eight events that took place in seven different countries reveals the world’s need for a Savior:
- Houston police officer, Clint Greenwood, was ambushed and killed as he arrived to work.
- Stockholm, Sweden suffered a deadly truck attack that killed four and wounded at least 15.
- A shopping mall shooting in Florida left another dead, while a gunman outside a bar in Tel Aviv, Israel, killed two and wounded three others.
- Thousands of protesters opposed security forces for five straight days in Caracas, Venezuela.
- A U.S. soldier was killed in Afghanistan in the midst of operations against ISIS.
- At least 87 civilians were killed in a chemical attack in Syria. This included 31 children and 20 women.
- And today, on Palm Sunday, ISIS claimed responsibility for bombs at two churches in Egypt, which took the lives of 49 men and women, injuring more than 100.
Everywhere we look, this world is crying out for redemption, for deliverance, and for salvation. Everywhere we look, this world is crying out, “We need a Savior!”
From Houston, Sweden, Israel and Florida to Venezuela, Afghanistan, Syria and Egypt, there isn’t an inch of this world that is not in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. There isn’t an inch of this world that is immune to sin, and there isn’t a heart in the world that isn’t desperate for forgiveness.
The whole world is in need of a Savior. And that is why Jesus’ entry on Palm Sunday was more than just a Savior riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. It was the beginning of the greatest week in history, setting the stage for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus had come to Jerusalem, has come for the nations, and continues to come to families today.
“The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).
Jonathan Williams is the founder of Gospel Family Ministries. He is also the author of Gospel Family. Jonathan enjoys this ministry alongside his wife, Jessica, and their three children, Gracie, Silas & Elijah. With a heart for families and the church, Jonathan also serves as the pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.