From Bethany, the Master

From Bethany, the Master
Words by Marion Ham

From Bethany, the Master
Comes down Mt. Olive’s slope,
And all the world is singing,
A glad new song of hope;
Cry out, O stately cedars,
Along the rugged way!
Ye vineyards, shout hosanna,
To greet this happy day!

The King of Love, in triumph
Rides through the city’s gate;
Rejected, scorned—yet Victor,
The Conqueror of hate;
O wave your green palm branches!
Exalt His matchless worth!
This King of Love shall conquer
The nations of the earth.

Not of this world His kingdom;
His power is from above;
His realm is of the spirit,
His scepter—Truth and Love;
He calls us to His service,
His banner is unfurled;
With Thee we march, O Master,
To overcome the world.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to have been in the crowd on that day that Jesus came to Jerusalem, riding the donkey? To realize that THIS is the King, the Messiah, that you’ve waited for? He’s finally here! He has come to save us! The news is so good that this hymn writer calls for the trees and vineyards to cry out. The Hope that had been promised so long ago was now fulfilled – all the world sang a new song of hope. As the following Psalm says, in mortal man there is no salvation, but our hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth and will reign forever!

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
His spirit departs, he returns to the earth
In that very day his thoughts perish.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free.
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous;
The LORD protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD! Psalm 146

Verse two of this hymn provides puts words to the contradiction that seemed to describe Jesus: rejected, scorned – yet Victor! Jesus won the victory through His triumphal resurrection. And because of that, we have victory through Him!

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Cor. 15: 56-57

King of Love – that term has never been applied to earthly kings – only Jesus is worthy of that title. He will conquer the nations and remain the victor!

These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.
Rev 17:14

His kingdom is not of this world. It is everlasting and of the Spirit, and its realm is above.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Ps 145:13

The people in the crowd on that “Palm Sunday” were praising God, with thanksgiving for the coming kingdom.

Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!" Mark 11:9-10

This kingdom had been prophesied in the scriptures, and promised by the angel when he told Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah.

The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Luke 1:30-34

If you know Christ as your personal Savior, you are a part of this kingdom! We have redemption through Christ, and have been rescued from this world, and been transferred to His kingdom.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:13-14

Look at the promise that Peter gives us – that if we remain diligent to walk in the way we are called, as children of Christ, that His kingdom will be abundantly supplied to us!

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, [faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love v.5-7] for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. II Peter 1:10-11

John also reminds us that God, through Jesus, has released us from our sins, BECAUSE HE LOVES US, and has made us to be a kingdom.

Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Rev 1:4-6

Because of this we can do as this hymn says, “March to overcome the world!” Hallelujah!