Hope To His People

The Son of David’s Business Trip

4.2.23 [Matthew 21:1-11] River of Life (Palm Sunday 6th Sunday in Lent)

Palm Sunday can be a confusing celebration for Christians today.

For one, we may feel like fish out of water, culturally speaking. The words of praise: Hosanna! are not a part of our regular conversations. Amen and Alleluia! are Hebrew words we are far more familiar with.

The significance of Jesus’ ride of choice, a donkey, is easily lost on us. We are people who ride in vehicles that would be inconceivable to the disciples of that day. When we ride donkeys, it’s to go down to the Grand Canyon, not to go up to Jerusalem.

The manner of celebration is a little outside our comfort zone, too. The cloaks and palm branches spread before Jesus on the road to Jerusalem is not something we’d ever think up. We’ve never seen anything like it. And the fact that all these things just happened, is a little bit confusing, isn’t it?

Now, if you’re someone who has spent a fair amount of time in church on past Palm Sundays, you likely have explanations for some of those confusing parts of the Palm Sunday celebration. You may remember that the word Hosanna is from Psalm 118:25-26 and it means Save us, Lord! Grant us success! But even if you are very familiar with Palm Sunday, there are some confusing parts about this celebration.

You may remember that Zechariah, the prophet, foretold the donkey. You may recall how riding a donkey, instead of a horse, is symbolic of Jesus coming to the Holy City in peace, not in warfare. If you’re someone who is fairly familiar with Palm Sunday, you likely have questions about how Jesus procured the donkey. Did he make prior arrangements? Is this a miracle?

And if you’re someone who has spent a lot of time in church on many Palm Sundays, you probably didn’t even notice that palm branches aren’t even explicitly included in Matthew’s account of this day. Go ahead. Look again. Look in Mark and Luke, too. They don’t mention palm branches either. Only John does. Yet, palm branches dominate the day, symbolizing Christ’s victory.

If you are very familiar with Palm Sunday, what likely confusing you is what happened after this triumphal procession into the city. Perhaps you are confused about how this celebration could turn into a crucifixion in less than a week.

But Matthew’s Gospel does a marvelous job of clearing up that confusion for us. As Matthew depicts this procession he wants us to see that there are two major groups here. One is the city folk from Jerusalem and the other are the crowds of out-of-towners from Galilee and Jericho. The people from Jerusalem are the ones asking questions about Jesus. The people from Galilee & Jericho, Bethphage & Bethany are the ones with praises, palm branches, and excitement.

But the out-of-towners didn’t start off excited. Everyone was headed to Jerusalem for the Passover. As they were on their way, Mark tells us (Mk. 10:32) the disciples were astonished and the others who were following Jesus were afraid. As they made their way up to Jerusalem, they stopped in Jericho. There Jesus met two blind men. They were trying to get Jesus’ attention but the crowds were rebuking them. So the blind men got louder. (Mt. 20:31) Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us! (Mt. 20:34) Jesus had compassion on them and restored their sight. And the crowd got more excited. They were (Lk. 18:43) praising God.

They start shouting (Mt. 21:9) Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven. When the city folk hear these shouts, they’re stirred. They have questions. Who wouldn’t? These were Messianic words. They were describing him in royal terms as the Son of David.

But when the crowd is asked, they almost seem to downplay it a bit. They don’t say, he’s the Messiah. or the Son of the living God. or even the Son of David. (Mt. 21:11) This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Why? Well, it seems we’re not the only ones who are confused.

Best case scenario, the crowds were saying: Not only is Jesus the royal successor we’ve been waiting for, but he’s the great prophet, too!

But more likely, they’re intimidated. It’s more of a who do you think this guy is? They’re saying, well, he’s a big deal where we come from.

And maybe we can relate to that. We live in a world that often says: Who cares? when we talk about what Jesus has to say. Western culture has ramped up its antipathy and animosity toward followers of Jesus.

This week, we saw how even the youngest of Christians are targeted. Then in the aftermath, we saw how quickly people and powerful corporations rallied around the murderer. Maybe this week’s mayhem makes us clam up a little bit when people speak threateningly to us.

But even in the best of times, we are a lot like these out-of-towners. We see Jesus as a great king, and a great prophet, but if that’s all, we are missing a great deal about what makes Jesus special & significant.

A Christ of our own concoction cannot answer this question correctly. A Christ of our own concoction will not withstand cultural cross-examination, peer pressure, or persecution. A Christ of our own concoction causes us confusion, when we see the Christ of God at work.

Christ Jesus is the great King. He made the heavens and the earth. Jesus rules over everything in them. He is Almighty. Our King will not be intimidated by anyone or anything. But Jesus is more than the great King.

Christ Jesus is the great Prophet. He is the Word made flesh. He speaks and it happens. The lame leap. The blind see. The dead are made alive. The demons run for the hills. Jesus is the great Prophet who speaks the very words of God and does incredible miracles. But Jesus is more than the great Prophet.

Christ Jesus is also our Great High Priest. It is that particular role that seems to have eluded the out-of-towners crowds that came with Jesus to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. But that was Christ’s primary focus as he came into Jerusalem. He came to Jerusalem on a business trip—and he meticulously made sure everything was perfect.

Normally, Jesus tried to maintain a low-profile. Again and again, during his ministry, we see Jesus avoiding crowds. He often tells people that he healed not to tell anyone. He rebukes the demons when they call him the Son of the Most High. Jesus was never one to seek attention.

But on Palm Sunday he doesn’t sneak into the city quietly. He rides in on a donkey. He doesn’t tell the crowds to be quiet. In fact, when the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus to rebuke his disciples, (Lk. 19:40) he replied: I tell you, if they keep quiet the stones will cry out. He doesn’t shy away from them calling him the Son of David, a well-known description of God’s Messiah.

Jesus is deliberately grabbing the attention of the people of Jerusalem. Uncharacteristically Christ is making a big entrance. He wants them to see him. He wants them to discuss him. He wants to be on their minds.

Why? Because he has come to the Holy City to be the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. He has come to shed his blood to free people from their slavery to sin. This was (Lk. 19:44) the time of God’s coming to them and he did not want them to miss it. He is about his Father’s business. He has come to make atonement for their sins. He has come to save!

Jesus was not confused about what was about to happen after his entrance. He knew that Jerusalem was stirred up about him at this moment. Jesus also knows that Jerusalem will be stirred up against him in less than a week.

Jesus knew that the cries of Hosanna! would only be fulfilled by him also submitting himself to the cries of Crucify him! Jesus knew that the only way he could answer the cries of Save us, Lord! was if he (Jn. 6:38) submitted himself to the Father’s will. Not saying, (Jn. 12:23) Father save me from this suffering, but rather, (Jn. 12:28) Father, glorify your name. The victory symbolized by the palm branches that were laid down before him could only be achieved by laying down his own life. He had to be lifted up on a tree and experience the curse of becoming our sins, our shame, and our guilt in order to save us. Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna in the highest!

Being the Messiah meant more than serving as powerful the King of kings. Being the Messiah meant more than speaking as the Lord’s Great Prophet. Being the Messiah meant more than dazzling the crowds with miracles. Being the Messiah meant offering his body as a sacrifice for sins, once and for all. Being the Messiah meant serving as our Great High Priest. Living and dying substitutionally.

That is what Christ came to do. Jesus was not confused about the purpose of this business trip. As he approached Jerusalem he made sure that everything was in order, every prophecy was fulfilled, and everything was perfect for making us perfect forever.

And because Christ accomplished this task, because he suffered and died for us, he became the source of eternal life for all who believe in him. Our Hosanna cries have been heard and answered in ways we didn’t even understand we needed. Our Lord has saved us.

That is why we celebrate. Because Christ, the one who came into this sin-darkened world in the name of the Lord, came to make full atonement for all our sins. (1 Jn. 2:2) And not only for ours—but also for the sins of the whole world. Jesus lived and died for those who loved him and those who hated him on Palm Sunday. He is gentle and humble—not looking to crush sinners but to cleanse them. Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna in the highest!

So when we cry out Hosanna today, we are not crossing our fingers and longing for things to break the right way. Hosanna! Lord save us! is a way of praising him for what he has accomplished on our behalf on the cross. How he has given to us what our hearts and minds and souls long thought was out of reach—real righteousness. (Heb. 10:14) He has made us perfect forever by his sacrifice. Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest! The Lord’s blessed one has come and triumphed. He has saved us and granted us eternal success. Amen.