Palm Sunday 2025

Text: John 12:13 “13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!””

There is a joke that I heard a number of years ago that seems relevant today.

A boy went with his family to church every Sunday without fail. But one Sunday, he was feeling sick and couldn’t make it. It just so happened that that particular Sunday was Palm Sunday, so their church had palm branches and did a whole procession to celebrate the day. Well, when his family got home from church, they told him all about the Palm Sunday procession and how everyone waved palm branches to welcome Jesus.

After hearing the whole thing, the boy seemed really frustrated. When they got to the part about everyone waving palm branches to welcome Jesus, he groaned and said, "Just great! The one Sunday I’m not there, and He shows up!"

He rode into Jerusalem, that day, as a conquering King. The point of the donkey was not to emphasize His humility. It was to send a signal: the true Son of David is here.

When King David was about to die, one of his sons, Adonijah, tried to set himself up as king. When David heard of it, he sent the prophet Nathan and the High Priest to take Solomon out of the city and anoint him as the new king, then Solomon rode David’s donkey into the city to the shouts and celebration of the crowds.

So, on Palm Sunday, the true King, the True Son of David, rode into Jerusalem. He rode into the city to begin His reign.

When He was led to the palace, however, it was in chains. The soldiers who surrounded Him held Him captive rather than standing guard on His behalf. When He was crowned, it was with thorns. When they bowed to Him, it was an act of mockery.

But, there on the cross, He began His reign. Because, there on the cross, His Kingdom was established in this world.

As I said last Wednesday, it is very natural to look at this world and to get very angry. The most vocal atheists in our day try to stoke the fires of that anger. They point to the injustice; they point to the evil. And not just the evil things that one person does to another. They also point to the seemingly random evils of this world. Seemingly innocent children struck by horrible diseases. People who are just trying to live their lives who end up starving or dying of thirst during a drought. “Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice?” one atheist demanded.

And they’re not wrong. This world is exactly what you and I have made it. You and I and others just like us are directly responsible for the evils in this world and you are responsible for the corruption of sin that created cancers and droughts and natural disasters and every other form of evil that have plagued humanity ever since Adam and Eve gave this world over to the ancient serpent in the Garden of Eden.

That was what Jesus came to address. He came to make the Kingdom of this world back into the Kingdom of God. He came to establish His Kingdom in this dying world. He established His Kingdom here by paying for the sin that made it so much less.

You think you are angry about the evil that is all around you in this world. Your anger, my anger, the anger of the most militant atheist on account of the suffering in this world does not compare to the righteous wrath of your Heavenly Father at what is done within His creation. And, on that cross, with His hands held securely by the nails, Jesus bore every last measure of that righteous wrath until He was finally able to declare, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46, quoting Psalm 31:5).

He brings an everlasting kingdom of righteousness. As Isaiah promised, “7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7).

He is worthy to rule over a kingdom like that because, even though He was, by nature, God, He emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant, and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name. He begins His reign from the cross.

That is why He comes to you, right here, every single Sunday. He comes here to you for the same purpose— bringing you His Kingdom.

At this font, He gathered you into His Kingdom. From this font, He continues to proclaim His forgiveness and grace to you, week after week, through your called pastor. By that forgiveness, He strengthens and renews the promise that He made to you at your baptism, affirming and strengthening your identity as a child of God.

This world is dying. So He gave you new birth by water and the Spirit.

This world is barren. So, from this altar, He feeds you with the bread of life that you may eat of it and live forever.

The palm branches only come out once a year, but Christ is here every single Sunday. He is here, continuing to serve you. To strengthen you. To live through you as you leave here and endure all the evil of daily life.

“1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:1–5). You are, after all, part of the Kingdom of God. And your King is reigning even now.