For centuries, the Jewish people had looked for their Messiah. They knew, based on a host of Scripture passages, from the Psalms, the prophets – even as far back as the Torah, that the Messiah would come. They didn’t know when, but the prophecies were so specific, it would be hard to miss Him when He arrived. Then, “when the fullness of  the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law…” (Gal. 4:4). The long-awaited Messiah arrived, and on a spring Sunday morning, He presented Himself to the people of Israel as their King. They had a fleeting chance to join with God in the realization of a centuries-old promise…and they missed it. The Messiah, the King of Israel, the long-awaited Son of David rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to shouts of “Hosanna!” He fulfilled all of the prophecies, met all of the requirements but in their blindness, the leaders of the people rejected their birthright for a mess of Roman pottage. Less than a week later, they participated in the greatest travesty of all time – the crucifixion of the Son of God. But, their loss was our gain. Jesus died – as He came to – so that we: Jew and Gentile, bond and free, rich and poor, red and yellow, black and white, could live.