Two Parades

Matt 21:1-11 NLT - 21 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” 4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, 5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.’” 6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. 8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!” 10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. 11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

9 KJV And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Today, I’m going to tell you about, “The Two Parades”.

You can find the account of one of these parades in all four Gospels. The story tells of what went on at the time that began Holy Week. We know it today as Palm Sunday.

It is clear, there was a parade in which Jesus was the main attraction, but, there was also another parade on the other side of town you may not have heard about.

Many people were in town celebrating the Passover Feast. The time the Israelites were freed from their 400 years of Egyptian slavery. On the night before they left Egypt, they were given instructions to

pack their belongings

make a meal with unleavened bread

laughter a lamb or a goat. If the family was small, they could join together.

smear the blood on the doorpost of their home.

Roast the animal, eat what they could and what they couldn’t finish, burn it. There were to be no leftovers.

God was about to do something, and things had to be put in place, they had to be put in order. The people needed to be ready to go. Sometimes God will tell you to do something that doesn’t make sense to you. It doesn’t have to, just do it.

In this instance, the death angel was coming through town and the blood on the door post was his sign to pass over that house.

In the morning, the Egyptians would wake to find all of their firstborn males dead. Children and animals.

But the Children of Israel’s families were untouched. There was power in what the blood represented and so began Passover.

Ex 12:14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.”

So Jerusalem was packed with Jews in town to celebrate and commemorate the Passover.

In case you didn’t know, there are those who are opportunist. Even those in high places will take the opportunity to assert their status.

Caesar saw this as an opportunity to flex. To show the people his authority, power, and military might. So there was a parade honoring him.

In his parade

Governor Pontius Pilate rides into town on a majestic horse in full regalia. He is one of Caesar’s representatives.

He’s at the head of the Roman cavalry and soldiers riding on their horses.

He enters the city displaying the power of the full capability of the Roman empire. An empire of imperial power and theology.

You see, the emperor was not just looked at as the ruler of Rome. It all started with Augustus who ruled from 31 BC to 14 AD. His father was said to be the god, Apollo, and Augustus was declared the son of god. As such, he also had inscriptions which referred to him as son of god, lord, savior, and one who had brought peace on earth. And so, each successor continued to take on those divine titles. Like a monarchy.

The Roman Empire represented an earthly kingdom, brought about with much bloodshed, with tyranny and with threats. His representative and Governor of the region, Pontius Pilate entered town to shouts of Hail Caesar!

They were coming in town, not to celebrate with their Jewish citizens, they were coming to handle business if things got out of hand. They were there in case there was trouble.

That was one parade.

But wait! There was another parade on the other side of town.

The other parade was drastically different. The other parade begins with Jesus who was usually walking, but this day he gave instructions to two of his disciples as they approached the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives.

He told them to go into the village, “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

When the Lord sends you on a mission, go and do exactly what he told you to do, say exactly what he told you to say. No more, no less. Because here’s the thing, he has prepared the way before you were sent.

He has prepared the hearts and minds of the people to receive you, before you get there.

Some of what I thought were going to be the hardest assignments I’ve been given, turned out to be the easiest, simply because I prayed, God told me what to say, he opened the door and I was obedient.

Jesus knew the prophecy and he was the fulfillment of the prophecy that had been spoken of hundreds of years before. The prophecy stated, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

The prophecy the text referred to is found in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

In another Old Testament prophecy found in Isaiah 9:6-7 he said, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise, and if you don’t know or learn anything else about God, the Father, know this; He keeps his promises.

But did that prophecy sound familiar? Augustus made some of the same claims. Be careful of the imposters, they come as wolves in sheep’s clothing, ready to devour you as soon as you let your guard down. Watch and pray.

The two disciples were obedient, they did just as Jesus had told them to do. They went to the village, found the donkey and her colt, they were challenged, they spoke the words Jesus told them to speak, the people let them go, and now they’ve met back up with Jesus.

They’re prepping for the parade. If you’ve ever been in a parade, you know there are final touches to make before the parade begins.

In this case, the disciples put their garments over the colt and Jesus sat on it. That was their prep. Simple. Right? Jesus was a simple man and he was God.

Jesus had no regal horses, no regalia, no robes, no banners, no flags, no horns. Just him on the donkey and his disciples walking with him.

His parade begins and the crowd spreads their garments on the road ahead of him, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The branches were palm branches which is why this is called Palm Sunday.

This parade didn’t appear to represent power or might, but it did represent a kingdom, one that would never end. It represented the Kingdom of God.

Like the other parade, people were shouting. But in this parade, they were shouting…

“Hosanna to the Son of David? Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. In fact, they shouted so much and so loud, the entire city was in an uproar wondering what was going on.

Let me ask you, when’s the last time you made such an uproar for Christ that people wondered what was going on?

When you see a brother or sister in the store, in the mall, or in the street, are you happy to see them? Do you have a testimony to share? Is your conversation such that people around you are asking who you are and wondering what you’re talking about. Have you ever been somewhere and you exuded such joy others around you who didn’t even know you joined your conversation?

I have, it’s a really great time. I’ve had people join in with me and I’ve been the one to join in with them.

When’s the last time you got that excited about Jesus? When’s the last time you shouted about the goodness of the Lord? Maybe you’re overdue. Here in Jerusalem, they had so many people making so much noise, the whole city was asking, “Who is this?” And Jesus was at the center of it all.

That would be like having a parade on Church Street in Douglasville, and all the people in that area and on the other side of the tracks coming out of the houses asking what was going on?

Could you imagine if we made enough of an uproar here that the people in Brooke Valley Apartments wondered what was going on? If they came over to see what all the uproar was about, and we were able to tell them about Jesus?

I’m sure some did ask when we first started the food pantry, but they didn’t then and many still don’t know now that we’re a church. We’re not just some place passing out food.

It’s not for lack of trying, because we have put notecards with the church’s information on it in their bags. Co-pastor Ed has invited people, I started having people come inside to register so they could see the church firsthand, and I could talk with them and invite them to come back and visit with us.

Perhaps this summer we’ll do something on a Saturday and cause an uproar. How about we cause a little uproar and get some people here next Sunday for Resurrection Service?

Let’s create an uproar. Our answer won’t quite be the same as theirs. Their answer was, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Now, that was sort of the answer, but it wasn’t the full answer. They were closer when they were praising him with, Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

But if we’re asked the question, what are y’all doing over there, can we answer, we’re celebrating Jesus! Come on and join us?

Now, I want you to notice something.

They didn’t offer them hot dogs.

They didn’t offer them drinks.

They didn’t offer them chips.

They didn’t offer them pens.

They didn’t offer them t-shirts.

They didn’t offer them games.

They didn’t throw candy to them.

They offered them Jesus, riding in on a donkey. Just Jesus.

You may feel, whether you say it or not people aren’t going to come if we don’t offer them something. Is Jesus not enough?

For some, enough is never enough. They always want more.

Can we get our members to support the ministries we do currently have? Why add more if we don’t have participation in the ones we do have?

I’d love to have more, but we need people to attend them and eventually to lead them. What would we look like having something every night of the week and no one is here to participate, or it was just co-pastor Ed and myself here? The goal is to raise up leaders in God’s Kingdom, and to train them. Remember, Christ told us to go ye therefore and make disciples and teach them all things whatsoever I have commanded you. We can’t train or teach you if you don’t come. And… to be a good leader, you must first be a good follower.

To learn, to grow, to truly experience God; you have to show up, ready and willing to learn.

Some of you got comfortable at home when COVID happened, and you still haven’t made it back to the church house. You think sending your tithes is enough. It’s time.

Some of you had an experience you didn’t like. You experienced some church hurt or you got in your feelings about some situation in particular and you left, not to go to a different church, you left church.

Some of you ask us to pray for a job for you, you got it, and you stopped coming to church even though God blessed you to not have to work on Sundays. But instead of coming to church and praising God for your blessing, you stay home.

Some of you say I’ll get on zoom, but you forget, you have computer trouble, or you just don’t feel like it, so you don’t. Instead, you turn over, or you’re in the kitchen cooking, or you’re washing the car, or you’re washing your clothes getting ready go to the job we prayed for the Lord to give you, tomorrow.

Can I encourage you to do something? Can I invite you to come back to church? Can I ask you to try again, forgive your brother or sister, and put God first. The people in the church are not perfect. But guess what? Neither are you.

And here’s the thing.

God didn’t throw you away when you disappointed, disrespected, and disregarded him.

God didn’t stop showing up, when you turned your back on him.

God didn’t ignore you, when you left his work undone. Oh...you didn’t know? Well let me be the first to tell you, you have an assignment. You have a talent. You have a gift that God gave you for the edification of the saints. What are you doing with it?

And even though you didn’t or don’t do what you were supposed to do…

Jesus still left heaven, for you.

He still came through 42 generations, for you.

He was still born of a virgin, for you.

He still walked this earth for 33 years, being the perfect example, for you.

He still endured hunger, sorrow, and grief, for you.

He still dealt with haters, for you.

He still went through a phony trial, for you.

He still took the scourging, for you.

He still hung on that old rugged cross, for you.

He still died, for you.

He still rose, for you.

He still ascended back to heaven, where he even now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you.

Jesus has done so much for you, what are you doing for him? It’s not enough to just stay home and do your own thing.

In Romans 10:13we find this admonishment. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

There is an order to everything in God’s Kingdom. We all have an assignment. We all have a responsibility and don’t think because I’m saying, responsibility, there will be no fun.

I guarantee you, God has a sense of humor. In fact, you want to make God laugh; just tell him your plan; especially when you’ve made it outside him.

But in the meantime, in between time, you have a decision to make. Does today start a new day? Do you give your life to Jesus and let him be Lord? Leading and guiding you. Is today the day you let him fight your battles, instead of trying to do it yourself?

Is today the day you stop complaining about your troubles and allow Jesus to fix it for you.

Is today the day you give up, give in, and give yourself to Jesus?

It’s a good day to tell him, Lord I love you, I confess I’m a sinner, in need of forgiveness. I believe you are the Son of God and I give you my life. Please come into my heart, in Your name I pray. Amen.

It’s just that simple, and if you prayed that prayer for the first time, welcome to the family of God. Now find yourself a Bible believing, Bible teaching church where you can begin to learn what it means to belong to Christ.

And, if you live in the Douglasville, GA area come on and visit with us next Sunday at 3500 Hwy 5. We will have Sonrise service at 7 a.m., Sunday School at 8:45 and our Easter Sunday Service at 10:00 a.m.

Let this Easter Sunday be your new beginning. Perhaps you don’t live in this area, but you would like to support this ministry. I thank those of you who have supported us. For those who have not yet had the opportunity, I encourage now to go to the online giving page of our website and give. Any donation you give will help our food pantry ministry tremendously.

There were two parades that day. Which one will you be a part of? Yes those parades took place over 2,000 years ago, but you choose to attend a parade every day. The one where you do what you want to do, ignore God and what he told you to and live a live contrary to what God has planned for you.

Or will you join the parade that praises Jesus and what he did for us on that cross. Will you celebrate his love by joining your brothers and sisters on the battlefield for the Lord?

Come on back, there’s work to do, there are souls to save, there are lives to change and they’re waiting for you to ask the question, do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. No? Can I introduce you?

If you say you are a Christian, if you claim to be a disciple, a follower of Christ, then it’s time to get busy. It’s time to create an uproar for Jesus.

God bless you and I’ll see you next Sunday.

If you’re here in the sanctuary…