Palm Sunday - Expectations vs. Reality
Notes
Transcript
Palm Sunday - When Expectations Collide with Reality
Palm Sunday - When Expectations Collide with Reality
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Introduction
Imagine the scene in Jerusalem, over two thousand years ago, full of excitement for the Passover festival.
Suddenly, a murmur runs through the crowd, growing in excitement. The long-awaited Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, is entering the city.
Now, imagine, for a moment, you're awaiting the arrival of someone who's going to change everything.
But instead, what you get is completely different.
He shows up on a donkey, no entourage, no pomp, just...a donkey.
This is exactly what happened on the first Palm Sunday.
Jesus, the King of Kings, enters Jerusalem, not on a chariot or white stallion, but on a donkey.
Today, we're going to talk about what happens when our expectations of Jesus collide with the reality of His mission.
The King Who Comes in Peace
Our scripture begins in Matthew 21, verses 1 through 5
Matthew 21:1–4 (NKJV)
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
Why did Jesus ride a donkey?
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Let's get this straight—Jesus riding on a donkey wasn't just Him being modest or humble.
It was a deliberate fulfillment of prophecy. Zechariah 9:9 spells it out:
Your king is coming to you
righteous and having salvation
humble
riding on a donkey.
This was God's way of highlighting His plan, not ours, or theirs.
This is a moment of divine disruption of ones expectations.
It's God's way of saying:
Not your way, but my way
Not your kingdom, but My kingdom
His kingdom doesn't operate according to worldly standards or ours.
Here's the thing.
While everyone was looking for a warrior to overthrow their Roman oppressors, God sent a peacemaker.
It's a classic case of expecting a blockbuster movie and getting a second rate indie film instead.
The message God is sending?
Salvation doesn't always look like we expect.
Life doesn’t always look like we expect.
Ministry does not always look like we expect.
Write this down..
Our expectations don’t change God’s plans and purpose, His expectations change ours.
How many among us today have faced moments when our expectations fell short or simply didn't materialize as we hoped?
Is it possible that what we anticipated wasn't aligned with God's plans for us?
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
As we move through Matthew 21:6-11, we witness the crowd's enthusiastic welcome of Jesus.
Yet, we know that many of these same voices will soon turn against Him, shouting for His crucifixion.
This serves as a mirror of our own hearts, it reflects the inconsistency of human loyalty compared to God's steadfast faithfulness.
How often do we raise our voices in praise, caught up in the moment, only to have our memories fade or our backs turn on Him as soon as hardship and trials strike?
One thing we often over look is that in the heat of these trials that we're being sculpted and strengthened.
Hosanna: A Cry for Salvation
Matthew 21:9 (NKJV)
Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
Hosanna!
They shouted it, but is was not just as a cheer, but as a desperate cry for rescue.
The word Hosanna in the Greek literally means “save us please or save us we pray.
The word Hosanna occurs six times in the NT, all in the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
But here's the thing—they were looking for a savior to rescue them from their political situation, the Roman oppression, not their spiritual condition.
They had not idea the danger they were in, they were ignorant of their spiritual condition.
How often do we do the same?
We want Jesus to fix our circumstances but overlook His true purpose, transformation of our hearts.
We're looking at surface solutions when Jesus is talking about deep, transformative change.
It's like using a Band-Aid for a heart surgery.
We want a microwave fix, our way, but that is not how the Kingdom of God works.
We look at the now, and He looks at eternity.
"Hosanna" is more than a shout; it was a surrender.
It's a stark reminder to each of us about true worship.
True worship isn't just about the highs of Palm Sunday; it's about sticking through the Good Fridays of life.
Worship is NOT about what Jesus can do for us but what we can lay down for Him.
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The palm leaves symbolize victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life.
In the ancient world, including the Greco-Roman and Jewish cultures, palm branches were symbols of triumph and victory.
When the people of Jerusalem laid palm branches before Jesus as He entered the city, they were acknowledging Him as a victorious king and messiah.
The cloaks thrown on the road before Jesus by the crowd are symbolic of honor and respect.
In ancient times, spreading garments on the ground before someone was a gesture of submission and recognition of royalty or high status.
Even as the palm branches are waved and the cloaks laid down, the shadow of the cross looms over the celebration.
Jesus knew exactly what awaited Him, but He still entered Jerusalem.
What about our palms and cloaks?
They're symbols of our own expectations and agendas we need to lay down at His feet.
We have a choice
His will over ours
His plans over ours.
His expectations or ours
His agenda or ours
So, what's our takeaway as we stand at the threshold of Holy Week?
It's about checking our expectations at the door.
We often have expectations of what God is going to do for us, but those are often false expectations.
How many times do we expect God to do something for us, and find out later it was never His plan for our life.
Jesus didn't come to be the king and savior we wanted; He came to be the King and savior we needed.
Its about surrendering our palms and cloaks, our agendas and laying them at His feet.
That means following Him into the unexpected, into a kingdom where the last are first, and the humble are exalted.
Conclusion
Remember the scenario we started with?
Jesus entering Jerusalem not in a chariot, but on a donkey.
He was not the Savior they wanted, but the Savior they needed.
The savior we need!
He invites us into a story much bigger than our expectations—a story of redemption, of a Kingdom not of this world.
Call to Action
This week, let's live in that reality.
Let's lay down our expectations and pick up our cross.
What about our palms and cloaks?
Let’s make a heart a commitment to lay them at His feet this morning.
If you are here and you have some palms (expectations) and cloaks (Agendas) to lay at His feet raise your hand as we pray.
Have a blessed week!
Have a blessed week!