Palm Sunday - The Triumphal Entry
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
Matthew 21 :1-11
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 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.”
Question: Have you ever celebrated the misfortune of someone else? Have you ever reveled in the downfall of an enemy or someone in your mind that needed to be taken down a few notches? Have you ever celebrated the death of someone or something?
[Story] An ABS Event -One evening our BoB group was meeting for a study and only four of us made the evening, so we decided to have some fun and play cards - Gang of Four, a Chinese trump game, similiar to Wizard and Wist.
After five hands the guys were starting to gun for pastor as he had won all five hands and had a score of zero. The sixth hand plays out and pastor does not win. The celebration begins! The king is dead! We have conquered!
The next couple of hands, pastor score keeps climbing and everyone is in great spirits! Pastor is not so smart! Not so good! Let the good times roll! Yeah well that did not last either! Pastor won, because Tom did not or was not, willing to sacrifice his cards to stop pastor!
I told the guys my wife has a motto she lives by when playing cards with me. It's called ABS - anybody but Shannon!!! What a cruel and heartless world I live in! My wife celebrates my misfortune and makes it her card player goal ABS - anybody but Shannon!
Of course this is only good natured ribbing, but it does illustrate a point: we do revel in the downfall of another.
How much is one willing to sacrifice in order to have or provide victory, life and/or save lives? We have police officers who serve and protect our communities, sometimes putting their lives on the line, to keep us safe. We have military men and women who put their lives in danger on foreign soil, to protect the freedoms we have a citizens of Canada. We have pastors who listen and obey the calling of God on their lives to live for the well being of others, guiding, directing, teaching, loving and sacrificing their time, lives and families, for the souls of others. We have every day people sacrificing their lives for the opportunity to share the love of Christ with lost, tormented, troubled people; hooked on drugs, alcohol, deadly addictions and habits that lead to destruction; not of only themselves, but spouses, children and families.
Is this the general norm though? I am afraid not. We hear of and see of on the news, on the internet, in the papers of police corruption, military power and government authority abused, "church" kingdoms and me-ministries promoted and propagated to pillage God's faithful scorned and revealed; giving a bad name to Jesus' disciples.
Scripture prophecies that, "Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12). This is part of the response Jesus gives to recognizing the time when He will return, "...what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" (Mt. 24:3).
The Apostle Paul reveals the true condition of the heart of man when He says, "For rarely will someone die for a just person - through for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die." (Romans 5:7). That being one who conforms to the rules of law, society or God. But the particular here is one who conducts his/her life by God's standards, not their own. They walk with God as disciples justified by faith in Christ and show their faith by what one does (James 2:14-26; 1 John 3:12).
One who walks with God, on the rare occasion, may put down what they are doing for another’s benefit; rarely their life. But for someone we consider good, in the ways of the world, possibly one may give up themselves for them, even die.
Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment" love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35). Jesus is saying the world does not love one another. Only those who know Me, know love and can truly love another. This love is sacrificial, giving of one's self.
This kind of love will grow exceedingly rare and uncommon as our world continues down the road to Christ's return. Which means man will grow in their celebration of the downfall of another. If their screwup benefits me, me is all for it. Do as you like and I will reap the benefits.
Jesus also said "love your enemy" (Matthew 5:43). Why? Because to love, sacrifice and serve someone who dislikes or even hates you is very uncommon, difficult even unthinkable. But this is part of Jesus' economy of being His disciple. To love well, you have to love your enemy well - sacrificing yourself. This is uncommon. This is death.
Why love? Because as Jesus showed, "Love conquers all." Love conquered evil did it not? John 3:16-17 says, "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." Revelation 1:17,18 reveals,"Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, I was dead but look-I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades."
Easter is the celebration of Jesus love and sacrifice for you and me. It is the remembrance of the love of Christ, to die for your sin and mine. It is the account of the One and only God, who choose to lay down His life so that we could have eternal life. It is the re-account of sacrificial love, crucifixion celebrated by enemies, but glorified to God the Father.
It is the expressed worship, gratitude and thankfulness of the "Church", for the sacrifice of the One and Only Son of God, for the sins of mankind, that deserve death. It is celebration of redemption and the victory of Jesus over Satan, sin and death.
Easter is the celebration of the greatest giving of life for the greatest of the not deserving. It is the avoidance of the greatest holocaust their could possibly ever be, because of man's choosing by freewill to engage in the worship of ourselves; idolatry, a foreign authority structure.
Easter is Jesus dying for the unjust, the unrighteous - the good, the bad and the ugly. Easter is about victory of death. And a victory only achieved by the death of someone of the greatest worth, value and significance - God himself.
Point: Sometimes victory in life is only achieved with the death of someone or something that we value and hold of great worth. Sometimes that victory is only achieved by the death and sacrifice of oneself.
Important question: How is it that people are waiting at the gate, when Jesus enters Jerusalem? They wave palm branches, lay down their clothing and welcome Him. Did they know he was coming? Did Jesus, or someone announce his coming arrival?
Why is Palm Sunday called Palm Sunday?
• Palm Sunday represents the beginning of that celebration. It is the beginning of what is called The Passion Week: Jesus' final week of life.
• It is the coronation and celebration of "the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world".
• It is the arrival of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem. Why celebrate Palm Sunday? It does not seem that important. No one throws a party when I arrive at home.
• The significance is seen in the details.
• Let's read Matthew 21:1-11.
The Triumphal Entry
First question one should ask: How is it that at the exact time and date there is a crowd gathered to meet Jesus as He rides through the Eastern gate of Jerusalem?Did Jesus pre-announce His arrival plans? Did the disciples arrange a welcoming committee to make Jesus feel like a King? Or were the people there for some other reason? It does say in John 12:12-13 that,
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 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!”
So some people had heard of Jesus' impending arrival and were indeed preparing to welcome Him. Is there anything else going on here that we need to be aware of? What time is it? Why is Jesus traveling to Jerusalem, when we know He was avoiding traveling there for a time? John 7:8 records Jesus saying, "Go up to the festival yourselves. I'm not going up to the festival yet, because My time has not yet fully come. After He had said these things, He stayed in Galilee."
In John 12:12 makes reference that the people had come to the festival. What festival? In John 13:1 we learn that the people are preparing to celebrate the Passover Festival or the Feast of Passover, or Unleavened Bread.
Passover is the feast in remembrance and celebration of the first born lives spared from the plague of the angel of death, in Egypt; that eventually lead to the releasing of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.
• The Israelites were instructed to put the blood of an unblemished lamb on the door frames of their homes. The lamb's blood represented an "atonement covering" for the first born of the household. The angel of death would then "pass over" the house because the applied blood of the sacrifice covered the child.
• Interestingly, the shape of the doorframe and applied blood would form the Hebrew letter 'chet' which means "life". The Israelites by their obedience to apply the blood to the doorframes of their homes were choosing "life". The letter has been referenced to in Israel as the "Letter of Blood".
• The Feast of Passover is the first of the seven feasts of the Lord and began Israel's religious season. Four days before Passover, the High Priest would go down from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to find the perfect lamb for the sacrifice.
• Bethlehem was where all the lambs came from for the Passover sacrifice of the Temple. After the lamb was selected, without blemish or defect, the High Priest would return to Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate. As He entered Jerusalem and even before, on the outskirts, people gathered, waving palm branches and sing praises to the Lord. They would shout, "Hosanna to the lamb of God who has come to take our sins away!"
John 12:13 records, that as Jesus began to enter Jerusalem the people shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"
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!”
• The word "Hosanna" is significant because it means "Save now!" (Psalm 118:25).
• Luke 19:38 records the people shouting, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
• The word 'Blessed' means 'worthy of praise' or 'to be well spoken of'. In all instances it is ascribed to God.
• So our phrase recorded in Luke means, "Worthy of praise is the King who comes in the name of the LORD".
• Matthew 21:9 records the people shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
• The phrase "Son of David" was the most common title used for the Messiah in Jesus' day (Mt. 9:27, 1:1, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30, 31, 21:9, 15, Mk. 10:47, 48, 12:35, Lk 18:38, 39, 20:41).
• Do you think the people see Jesus as the Messiah? Their long awaited and promised coming King? Yes. Why else would you praise Him and declare Him to save now!
• An interesting phrase adds to our understanding further, that the people now saw Jesus as their Messiah and King is found in John 12:18. It says, "For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign."
The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.
Question #2 - What was the sign Jesus performed?
In those days, just as scripture declares and Jesus declared of the future, their were many false prophets and men claiming to be the Messiah. In order for one to be deemed the Messiah, one would have had to meet and fulfill the prophecies spoke of in the Torah and perform all the required Messianic miracles. There was equirements to be declared the Messiah? Yes.
Joe Amaral writes in his book, Understanding Jesus: Cultural Insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ, that some time prior to Jesus coming, the rabbis divided miracles into two seperate catagories. Those any man could perform if empowered by God to do so and those reserved only for the Messiah.
How were these determined? People would approach the rabbis and Pharisees and ask why they could not perform certain miracles. The rabbis and Pharisees would simply state that the particular miracle was one that only the Messiah could perform when he arrived on the scene. So every time someone declared to be the promised Messiah, the standard procedure was to investigate the man by interviewing him - birthplace, family, theology, Torah knowledge, etc... and check out his 'miracles'; and this was done by the Pharisees.
The Pharisees then either declared Him the Messiah or rejected hIm. And in most cases, the individual was put to death to prevent people from following him and throwing off the established religious way of life.
There were four necessary miracles that had to be performed in order to be declared the Messiah. Up to this point no one could perform all four. What were the four "Messiah Miracles"?
• Healing a leper - the Jews considered leprosy a curse from God because of sin in your life or sin in the lives of your parents. The Jews believed that only God could forgive sin, therefore they believed only God could heal a person with leprosy. Jesus performed this miracle in Mark 1:40-45.
• Casting out a mute demon - Rabbis in Israel had a method for casting out demons from people. The rabbis would ask the name of the demon and then cast it out using its name. The problem with casting out a mute demon is that the demon could not speak, therefore the rabbis method could not work. Thus this miracle was defined as a Messianic miracle because only a person with the authority and power of God would be able to cast the mute demon out. Jesus performed this miracle recorded in Matthew 12:22-23.
• Healing a man born blind - Blindness was considered a curse from God. As a result, the only one who could remove the curse was God himself. Jesus performed this miracle recorded in John 9:1-12.
• Raising someone from the dead - According to the Pharisees resurrection from the dead was only possible within the first three days proceeding a persons death. The rabbis taught that the spirit of a person would hover over the body for the first three days following a persons death. During that time, if someone was empowered by God to do so, resurrection was possible. But, only the Messiah could raise someone from the dead on or after the forth day. Lazarus is raised on the forth day by Jesus.
Why did Jesus wait until the forth day to raise Lazarus? He was proclaiming the fact that He was indeed the Messiah!
Martha, Lazarus' brother, believes that Jesus is of God, but maybe not the Messiah stating,
"Lord, ... if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come in to the world." (John 11:21-27)
The purpose of Lazarus’ death? Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." (John 11:4). This miracle is recorded in John 11:1-44.
Jesus performed all four miracles and it was the last one that confirmed and cemented His claim - the raising of his friend Lazarus from the dead in Bethany; done just before Jesus enters Jerusalem for the passover festival. This is the final miracle or sign that the people heard and saw Jesus perform and hence their celebration! The Messiah had come; Jesus was he!
The people were gathered at the Eastern Gate because they were participating in the Festival of Passover (or Feast of Unleaved Bread) and praising the sacrificial lamb as it came into Jerusalem, led by the High Priest. People were also gathered to praise and bless Jesus, their King, the Messiah, who entered Jerusalem intentionally on that very day.
Question #3 Why the need of a donkey and her colt?
The Bible records that Jesus, upon approaching Jerusalem, at the Mount of Olives, Bethphage, to be exact, He instructs two of His disciples to go into the village, of Bethphage, to assume, and acquire a donkey and her colt, that had never been ridden (Mt.21:2; Luke 19:30).
Bethphage was near Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. The two disciples do as Jesus directed them. They bring a donkey and colt back, and they put their robes upon them, and then Jesus rides them into Jerusalem.
Why the need of a donkey and her colt?
• Scripture says to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 9:9,
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.
Jesus is declaring who He is very clearly and loudly. He is making a proclamation! He is entering Jerusalem as their King, their savior, and their salvation. The time for Jesus to reveal who He is has come. Unlike the times he has told his disciples to say nothing, the man cured of blindness, even His mother; the time for Jesus to announce Himself publicly has come.
But why on a donkey and her foal? How better to come humbly? What better animal to choose to reveal Jesus’ humility. What did the prophet Isaiah say of the coming Messiah? "He had no form or splendor that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men .... He was despised, and we didn't value Him." (Isaiah 53:2b, 3a, 3c).
Would people pay attention to a man riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? A donkey was the animal and transportation of a poor person. If you were important, rich, a king, a person of influence, power and authority you would ride a horse. A horse represented power, royalty and war. In those ancient times if a king came to a country riding on a horse it meant war. If he came riding on a donkey, it meant peace.
What is Jesus declaring as He comes into Jerusalem? Peace. Salvation. Saving. Redemption. Rescue.
In Revelation 19:11 what is Jesus declaring? War. Revelation 19:11 says,
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
When Jesus comes back the second time, He is coming to make war against those who follow Satan and reclaim His kingdom. Jesus is coming to exact justice. When Jesus rides into Jerusalem He is not coming to exact justice, but to enact a rescue; a mission of mercy and grace symbolized by the donkey and her colt.
What is the appropriate response to being rescued? A thank you. How about great rejoicing and thankfulness! Recognition. This is the praise of the people on Palm Sunday. Their God will rescue them. Jesus, the Messiah is going to rescue them. He finally has come to Jerusalem the capital of power and the kingdom.
What happens after the high priest brings the passover lamb to the temple? The people inspect and examine it to make sure that it is without blemish and is perfect, without defect. When Jesus comes into Jerusalem what happens? Jesus is examined and inspected by the religious authorities over the four days before passover.
• He is brought before the Pharisees and Sanhedrin.
• Brought before Pontius Pilate and King Herod and then back to Pilate.
• They all find no fault in him as the Jewish religious authorities proclaimed.
Jesus after the four days of examination is declared by Pilate innocent, without defect and blemish; he has done nothing wrong deserving of death. Pilate declares upon the shouts of "Crucify, crucify him! ... Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him." (Luke 23:21c, 22).
What will be, or should be our response, as we see the great day of Jesus return approaching? Great rejoicing. On the day? Delirious rejoicing and celebration! We will recognize Him and give Him the honor and recognition He is due. Actually the whole world will bow down to Him and recognize Him as the Messiah.
Question #4 - Is their significance to the fact that Jesus came through the Eastern Gate into Jerusalem?
There were many gates into Jerusalem, but why did Jesus come specifically through the Eastern Gate?
• One, the Eastern Gate is on the road from Bethany into Jerusalem, from which Jesus was coming, after raising Lazarus from the dead - the forth Messianic miracle.
• Secondly, consider what the prophet Ezekiel says in Ezekiel 44:1-2:
Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut.
Ezekiel is sharing a vision from God about the future, for Israel, the temple and particularly the Eastern Gate. The Eastern Gate is where the Messiah will enter Jerusalem and afterwards will be shut permanently.
• Ezekiel 43:1-2 states,
Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.
As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
Which gate does Jesus enter Jerusalem by? The Eastern Gate. [Picture]
Here is a picture of the Eastern Gate today. Anything interesting. It is still completely sealed up today. In fact, there is a Muslim graveyard blocking the entrance. Why? The Muslims heard a prophecy, when they had occupied Jerusalem, that stated that a Jewish Messiah was one day going to return to free the Jews from oppression. They naturally thought it was in reference to them so they set up a Jewish graveyard and sealed the gate. Why a graveyard? Jews are prohibited from defiling themselves by touching a dead body. The Muslims by doing so fulfilled prophecy Ezekiel 43:1-2.
So, if the gate is sealed up as the Bible says, then that means …God Himself must have entered through the gate already! When? When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey! (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19) Jesus is God the Messiah!
The Eastern Gate will remain sealed until the day that the Messiah returns!
Conclusion
Palm Sunday is the celebration of the coronation of our Lord Jesus as King, Savior and Sacrificial Lamb. It is the proclamation that Jesus is Messiah. He is the 'Save Now' today as He was back then and will be in the future. It is the remembrance of the sacrifice of the One Holy for the many unholy. It is the thankful worship of the One who would take away the sins of the world, when we could not do so.
How many mocked and laughed at the misfortune of the One who did not sin. Who performed every Messianic Miracle required, but yet was rejected and scorned because of envy and jeolousy and the seduction of power and control.
Palm Sunday is the celebration of the victory of Jesus over evil, death and sin to come at the cross. It is the King of Peace coming to establish peace by being the perfect sacrifice for man's sins. The death of a righteous man and God for the unrighteous good, bad and ugly of the world. It is the final losing of one's life for the life eternal of the world. It is the beginning of life, through death. This is your Jesus, the King of Glory. Hosanna in the highest! The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. Praise and glory to Jesus our Lord. Here is a new motto for all of us to live by: ABL - All Because of Love. Because Jesus loved we love. Amen.
