June 29, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9)

"Baruch haba b'shem Adonai!" is Hebrew for "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The crowd was chanting this as Jesus entered Jerusalem. How does one come in the name of the Lord? The name of the Lord is simply the way of the Lord.

Jesus intentionally chose to ride a donkey into the nation's capital. It was a radical proclamation of the peaceful way of God in an otherwise violent culture of the time. It was so tempting for the Israelites to use armed force against their Roman oppressors. And they had been anxiously longing for a Messiah, a deliverer and crying out "Hosanna" (save us). Jesus showed them that the way to conquer evil is with good; that was their salvation. That way is never outdated and is what we are instructed to walk even today.