Palm Sunday other notes

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And though there is this great multitude He still has time to stop and show concern for two men whom society had cast off and which the crowd had sought to silence and He heals them and restores their sight and they join the populous in following Jesus.

We should never be jealous of those who seem more gifted than us, who may have ten talents when we barely have one…there is greater responsibility on those who are multi-talented to use all that they have been given and they will answer to God for them. But what is required from everyone is obedience to what Jesus says. And we do not have an excuse for not knowing what is required for we have the Word of God, the Bible and His Holy Spirit to help and direct us.

If this does not help there is a default position to take which is to continue what we have been doing until God says otherwise or circumstances force the issue as is God’s way sometimes. But further to this Scripture tells us what to do:

Micah 6:8NKJV

8He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Can’t you hear the Roman soldiers garrisoned in Jerusalem snickering as they saw Jesus ride in on a donkey? When a Roman leader came cruising into a city, it wasn’t on a donkey, no! Roman rulers rode black stallions followed by chariots and thousands of soldiers marching in step with shields gleaming and probably trailing slaves behind them.

Preaching the Word: Mark—Jesus, Servant and Savior The King’s Deliberate Preparation (vv. 1-6)

In all of this we observe Jesus’ painstaking premeditation. He had carefully ordered everything. The day and hour were selected from eternity with countdown perfection. This Triumphal Entry on the first day of the week would precipitate his terrible death on Good Friday, his “rest” in the grave on the Sabbath, and his triumphant resurrection on the following first day

Preaching the Word: Mark—Jesus, Servant and Savior The King’s Deliberate Preparation (vv. 1-6)

He was purposely going public. Never before had he done anything to promote a public demonstration. In fact, he had repeatedly withdrawn from the crowds if there was any hint of this. But now he invited it. He courted danger and did it with calculated purpose.

Preaching the Word: Mark—Jesus, Servant and Savior The King’s Triumphal Entry (vv. 7-10)

The palm branches represented their nationalistic desire to be delivered, for when Simon Maccabaeus delivered Jerusalem 150 years earlier, it was celebrated with praise, palm branches, and musical instruments (1 Maccabees 13:51). The palm frond was the symbol of the Second Maccabean Revolt.

With their Hosannas and with clothing and palm branches laid down before Him, in other words He was getting the red carpet treatment. Hosanna in the Highest! What does hosanna mean? It means Help! Save us!

Preaching the Word: Mark—Jesus, Servant and Savior The King’s Triumphal Entry (vv. 7-10)

The people were prophetically repeating over and over and over that Jesus was their deliverer: “Save us! … Save us! … Save us!”

Of course, they did not realise what kind of salvation Jesus was bringing.

But now is the culmination of a 9-month journey on the road - a road that led to and will end in Jerusalem. Along with the crowds there would have been newly raised Lazarus along with Mary and Martha and two newly seeing disciples as well as the scathing Pharisees.

But between this Sunday’s Hosannas and next Sunday Jesus is betrayed and crucified and buried. Hope becomes despair. All will seem loss. Until the victory of Jesus’ resurrection. And what we see is that this Sunday is a foreshadow of the following Sunday. Jesus victory was always assured and the beginning of it started on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt.

If we follow Christ solely because we think He'll shield us from life's hardships, heal all our sicknesses and guarantee prosperity, we're headed for disillusionment. But if we renounce sin, take up our cross, and live for Him because He is our Lord, our Creator and Redeemer, we will never be disappointed in Him.

He still sheds tears over the unrepentant to God and who lack faith towards Jesus.

The Messiah appears again as a conqueror flying down on a white stallion of heaven followed by ten thousands of His saints (Jude 14). You see, the first time Jesus came, He came as the suffering Servant. But the next time He comes, it will be as the conquering King. For He truly is not just a man but the Son of God, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Notes

In the midst of all this noise and hullabaloo did it suddenly die down as they saw that Jesus was not happy but crying. They were within sight of the gates of Jerusalem and yet we read in:

Luke 19:41–44 NKJV

41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The King not only comes on a donkey but He breaks down crying when He sees Jerusalem. This is not the typical picture of One who is a King. But He has compassion for Jerusalem for He knows they will reject Him for they did not realise who Jesus really truly was.

Preaching the Word: Mark—Jesus, Servant and Savior The King’s Tears (Luke 19:41-44)

By prophetic vision, the Lord saw the proud, unrepentant Holy City reduced to a pile of rubble wet with the blood of his people. Forty years later this all came true under Titus’ Roman legions. The Jews’ resistance was so fierce that Titus finally ordered his besieging legions to encircle the walls of Jerusalem with a barricade and starve them out. The resulting famine made Jerusalem a graveyard, and finally when the Jews lacked the strength to bury their dead they cast them over the walls into the surrounding ravines