TD Jakes - A Moment Like This (12/02/2022)
Jesus intentionally fulfills Zechariah’s prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a colt during what we now call Palm Sunday, not to establish a ritual but to orchestrate every detail toward Calvary. The preacher emphasizes that God ties up our blessings and moments until we’re ready, reserving them for a defining collision of destiny where past prophecy, present crisis, and future purpose converge—urging us not to miss our God-appointed moment.
The Intentional Entry into Jerusalem
This is the first day of the holy week, what we would call holy week today. They didn’t call it holy week then; they didn’t have that term at the time. This would be normally what we would call Palm Sunday. They didn’t call it Palm Sunday then; that’s something that came much later. Jesus did not do it to create a ritual for us, and instead the Bible is clear that Jesus is on the precipice of the week that would lead him to Calvary, and he starts it off making an entry into Jerusalem where he knew his haters had galvanized a strategy to destroy him.
And as he prepares to enter into Jerusalem, he controls the moment by telling them exactly what is necessary in order for this to be fulfilled. Jesus did not do this so that you could get little palms and make crosses and pin them on your dress. He didn’t do it so we could have a day off from work. He didn’t do it so we could have an international holiday or a spiritual memorial. Jesus did it, the Bible is clear, to fulfill prophecy—that the prophecy had said that the King would come in humbly riding on an ass, entering into Jerusalem.
To fulfill the past in his present, he was intentional. God is intentional. He could have walked into Jerusalem. He could have taken a horse into Jerusalem. But he was intentional about making sure that the word of the prophet did not fall, that it came to pass. He was so intentional about causing this moment to happen that he sent them to the village where they were not at, having left Bethphage and headed towards Jerusalem. He said, I want you to take a detour and go to the village.
God’s Attention to Detail
When we look back at it, we look at it through our religious eyes and through our western eyes, and we get these ideas about it, and we think about it in terms of holidays, but the truth of the matter is, the early church did not celebrate Palm Sunday. It is about the fourth century before Palm Sunday ever got celebrated. The early apostles did not even celebrate it because it wasn’t so much that Jesus was concerned about setting a religious tradition as much as he was fulfilling a prophecy.
When God gets ready to fulfill a prophecy, he is intentional about making it come to pass. It wasn’t like he ran into the donkey; he had to make it happen. There are some things that God has promised you; he is so intentional about them that they are not in your path—he has to go get them. He has to put it together. There has to be a synchronization between the traveling pattern of the Messiah and the colt and the ass that were tied up in another village.
Jesus told two of his disciples, «Go get them.» First of all, before I talk about the command, let me talk about the fact that he knew where the ass was. Here he is on the last week of his life, headed toward Calvary, and he knows where the ass is. He knows exactly. They’re getting ready to crucify him, and Jesus is thinking about a colt.
How many of you facing the most tragic week of your life are thinking about menial things? But the difference between great men and ordinary men is giving attention to detail. Your God is a God of detail. Details make a lot of difference. When God has willed something to happen, he also has made provision for that thing to happen.
He says to the disciples, I have a provision that is not in your path, but I know where it is, and I’ve been holding it for you, and I’m going to show you where to get what you need to fulfill that which has been prophesied unto you. Don’t be bothered by the fact that you don’t see it in your path right now. Don’t be bothered by what you don’t see yet, what’s not around you, and what you don’t have, and what’s not in your pocket, and who’s not in your life.
It’s still yours. It’s not in your bank account, but it’s still yours. It’s not in your purview, but it’s still yours. He hasn’t proposed, but it’s still yours. You haven’t met him yet, but it’s still yours. The deal hasn’t closed, but it’s still yours. The papers haven’t been signed, but it’s still yours. It’s not under contract, but it’s still yours. The tumor hasn’t shrunk, but it’s still yours. Healing is the children’s bread; it’s still yours. God says I know exactly what it takes to bring it to pass. I’ve been saving it for you.
Your Blessing Is Tied Up
I’m not so much right now gonna focus on Jesus as I am the ass and the colt who have spent their life tied to a pole. God will tie up your blessing. You don’t have to be up at night worried about who’s trying to get your blessing and who’s trying to take your blessing. You can let all of that go. God will tie up your blessing. He will leave it tied up 'til you get to the place that you need to be. He will put it on hold.
The colt doesn’t know why he’s tied up. The ass doesn’t know why he’s tied up, but God has reserved it for such a time as this. One, your blessing is tied up and nobody’s gonna get it until you get to the place that you’re ready to receive it. You’re not waiting on your blessing; your blessing is waiting on you—waiting on you to get to the place in your journey that you’re now ready to receive on the level that the blessing is going to take you to.
Number two, if you’ve been feeling a rope around your neck—like your life was tied up, your career was tied up, your finances were tied up, your future was tied up—God has you on reserve, waiting on the right place at the right time. When he gets ready to loose you, nobody can tie you up. When he gets ready to set you free, nobody can shut you down.
God is a conductor, an orchestrator; he’s in control of everything, and he knows where everything is. Now in this moment, this is the moment where God starts pulling everything together—where crazy things start to make sense, where you begin to understand why you had to go through what you had to go through. This is the moment where you understand why you’ve been on hold for years, the colt nobody has chosen.
God said I had you tied up, but I’m getting ready to loose you. Don’t worry about the bands around your neck, the restrictions on your life, where you can’t go and what you can’t do. When I get ready to loose you, no devil in hell can stop you because I’m God all by myself, and when I get ready to make it happen, I will make it happen.
Appreciating Moments in Retrospect
There is a term called «The Pilgrimage of Etheria,» a documentation from about the fourth century when the early church started to commemorate this moment. It is after the resurrection, after the life and death of the apostles, that the early church really started to commemorate this moment in retrospect, in hindsight.
How many times in your life have you had a moment and you didn’t really appreciate the moment 'til in retrospect? Now you start talking about those were the days, but when you were in the days, you didn’t know they were the days. When you look back and have something to compare it with, you have different appreciation in retrospect than you did in real time.
This text is the convergence of the past prophetic content, the present crisis, and the futuristic outcomes—all collide in this one simple text. Jesus isn’t doing this so you can have a religious ceremony; he is illustrating his ability to put his finger on whatever you need and to pull it to you. It’s not going to come to you; you have to go get it.
Collision of Destiny
There is a moment coming to many of you for which you have been waiting all your life. Everything else you did was just how he kept you tied up—how he kept you occupied, moving. But God is about to give you a moment. Nudge your neighbor and say, «All I need is a moment.» I don’t wanna die 'til I’ve had my moment. I was created for such a time as this.
They got the ass untied, the colt untied, and brought him to Jesus. Provision is coming to the prophet. When the provision comes to the prophet, there is a colliding of destiny. If the ass could talk, he would say all of my life I’ve been waiting on this moment, and Jesus is saying all of my life I’ve been waiting on this moment.
When two things collide that have been waiting on this moment and share it together—the problem is you’ve had moments and brought people into moments who didn’t appreciate it, and you got to drag them because they have no appreciation of what it cost you, how long you waited. But the ass is just as happy as the master because Jesus has lived for this moment.
He called Judas his friend; when Peter tried to stop the crucifixion, he said, «Get thee behind me, Satan, for this purpose came I into the world.» I didn’t come to play with fish sandwiches or heal diseases; I came to save the world from sins, to annihilate death. That’s just stuff I was doing while waiting, but for this purpose came I.
There are no competitors at being you. You are in a class all by yourself. Stop being intimidated. Can’t nobody beat you at being you. It couldn’t have been another ass or another Jesus; they were made for each other, waiting for each other. All you need is one moment.
Don’t Miss Your Moment
In Malachi, «Bring ye all the tithes… and prove me… if I will not open the floodgates of heaven» to pour you out a blessing. All you need is one—the one blessing so big you won’t have room enough. That one meeting, connection, decision, door.
When destiny collides, moments are born. Be present in the moment. Some live in the past, others worry about the future; few are present. If you miss your moment, you are not guaranteed a repeat. If Aretha started singing today, no guarantee she’d be queen because the window is different. If Colonel Sanders opened KFC today, different tastes.
This is your moment. Don’t miss your moment. The window is opening. When it was their moment, everybody knew it—the crowd laid garments and branches without instruction. When God is in the moment, no human hand choreographs it; it just works.
Number one, your blessing is tied up for the moment. Number two, you have not seen your greatest moment—in spite of past miracles, you are on the precipice of your greatest. Number three, it has never been chosen in your lifetime. This is for overlooked people—the rejection is an indication of selection.