Make Jesus KnownSample

Next up in our story are the leafy branches that the people cut from the trees. The leafy branches most probably were palm branches. You must understand that palm branches had a lot of uses in Biblical times. They were used for covering against the blazing sun, they were used as added layers of protection on roofs, and they were used as decorations during festivals. But they also carried a symbolic meaning of victory over the enemy. In the context of the Mark 11 story, the people were expecting Jesus to be the King who delivers them from Roman oppression, so when He entered the city of Jerusalem, they were celebrating His arrival as a declaration of peace and victory.

But for us as witnesses of Jesus, we can learn something else from the palm branches. Psalm 92:12 speaks of the righteous who will flourish like the palm tree. So, the growth of the tree is a symbol for our growth in Christ. When we live in a Christlike way, we bring honour to God the Father. When we use our actions to mirror God's righteousness, we grow into maturity, and we become more effective in our witnessing for Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 that we should shine our lights before men so that they can see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Witnessing is not just when we use words; we can witness with our actions as well. Actions sometimes speak louder than words, but actions are NOT an excuse not to use our words. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing, not by seeing. Which means we can get the attention of other people with our actions, but for them to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour, they must hear the Good News verbally.

In Mark 11, we see that the people threw the leaves in the streets. The roads at that time were not made of tar like today; they did not have paving bricks to cover the road, and they definitely did not have the golden streets that we will walk on one day in heaven. The roads at the time had a lot of dust and loose sand. Can you imagine the amount of dust clouds there would have been with the amount of movement in the street that day? So, we can see the branches on the streets had a very important role; they covered the dust so that the image of Jesus could be clearly seen. We need a clear image of Jesus, not a blurred or dusty image.

My friend, when you witness, you should make Jesus known, not yourself, not your story, not your knowledge. Only Jesus. So, as the branches helped the people to clearly see Jesus, my prayer for you, reading this plan, is that you live a life that testifies to Jesus and only Jesus. May your witnessing bring about a clear image of who Jesus is.