What Happened between the Parades

What Happened between the Parades Mark 11:1-11 Mark 15:8-32 March 7, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory They say that half the fun of the parade is the getting ready. If you’re an observer, it’s carefully planning to get that great, curbside seat. You simply can’t get there too early. Sitting among the people while the crowd grows from the early-bird few to the swarm of just-in-timers, it’s fun to sense the build of excitement, especially among the kids. Kids just seem to have fun wherever they go, but especially at the parade as they nervously wait for the floats and candy, the motorcycles and candy, the school bands, the antique cars, the festooned clowns, and of course, the candy. If you’re in the parade it’s also true that half the fun is the getting ready. Getting the gang lined up, making sure nothing’s forgotten, doing last minute repairs to the float decorations. The instruments are noisily tuning up, the horses are getting jittery, everyone’s feeling not quite ready, but they can’t wait to get started. Yes, half the fun of the parade is the getting ready. Jesus organized a parade once. From start to finish He made all the special arrangements. He wasn’t nervous a bit about how it would go over, because He knew the most important thing. It was time to enter Jerusalem for the final time, and He would do it right. Do you remember all the times the gospel of Mark records Jesus saying mysterious things? He wouldn’t let demons speak out because they knew who He was--they would fall down before Him and cry out “You are the Son of God”, but Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell who he was (1:34; 3:11-12); after healing the leper he sternly warned him not to tell anyone (but he did anyway, 1:45); He healed the twelve year old girl and He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about it (5:43); the same when he healed the deaf man (7:36) and the blind man (8:26); Then, when Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah, the “Christ,” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him (8:30). Now that would all change--it was time. Parade Number 1 - Read Mark 11:1-11 So, Jesus, the Grand Marshall, the star attraction and the only celebrity, makes arrangements for His own parade. But He had to do it right. The people were hoping He would be a military leader, so He couldn’t enter the city riding on a horse--that was the way political conquerors entered the city. No he would enter as the Prince of Peace, so He would ride on the foal of a donkey, one which had never been ridden before. In His heart He kept recited over and over to Himself the prophetic word of Zechariah 9:9-11 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations, His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Now the shroud of secrecy will be lifted--no more secrets about who Jesus is. He is about to enter His final days. He had spoken about this to His followers, although they didn’t understand or want to hear it. He said He would be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law and they would hand him over to the Gentiles who would mock Him and spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him, and three days later He would rise. But today was His day of recognition, His momentary glory. He will publicly fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy by entering Jerusalem on the Peace donkey. This will draw instant attention to Him., and His statement will be clear--He is the Messiah and Son of David, but his messiahship was to be non-political, a spiritual kingdom. The response of the crowd to this one-float parade was awesome. Some got in the act of decorating by laying their cloaks on the colt. The rest of them, and apparently there were many, laid their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the nearby trees and lined the street with the branches. These branches were known as the LULABIM and were taken from palm, myrtle and willow trees. The people did this at the annual Feast of Tabernacles, during the reading of Psalm 118: O, Lord, save us; O, Lord, grant us success  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  From the house of the Lord we bless you!  The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.  With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. This was the cue for the people to wave and shake their branches and shout aloud “HOSIAHNA” (“Save your people, Lord!”). And so here at the inaugural feast of the triumphal entry of the Lord to Jerusalem, the people spontaneously erupted in praise to the Lord, waving their palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna--blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” WE call it the “Triumphal Entry” -- Wallace Viets calls it a day of Temporary Triumph. When I was a child there was a program on television called “Queen for a Day”. In it one contestant who qualified because she was underprivileged or had a hard life and had a special need, would be selected as the winner and queen for the day. Sponsors showered her with gifts and some money, and then came the climactic moment of the show when the curtain would lift, and there would be the one thing in the whole world she needed (maybe a new washer and dryer, or maybe airline tickets to see her sister whom she hadn’t seen in years because she couldn’t afford to travel. And the crowd would cheer and cry and everybody was happy--for a day. Then, the queen would go home to whatever had been her unfortunate existence before, one trinket richer, but basically, back to the same old grind. Queen for a Day. Jesus was, in the eyes of the beholders that day in Jerusalem, only King for a Day. Parade Number Two There was another parade coming. It would begin just five days from now. Jesus will be the star attraction of this parade, too, but He will not organize it. The devil will be the Grand Marshall of this parade. He will skillfully make all the arrangements, get all of his workers lined up, and put his show on the road. The preparations for this parade begin as Jesus is betrayed and arrested the night before. Very early in the morning he is dragged before the chief priests, elders and scribes along with the whole Sanhedrin. Then it is on to the procurator Pilate with trumped up charges. Pilate reminded the religious antagonists about the custom that one prisoner was released each year at the Passover. Mark 15:9 - “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. The religious leaders had already been hard at work in their preparations, manipulating the crowds against Jesus--at least some of the same people who five days ago were shouting “Hosanna”! It was their great pleasure to see their plan working out. Remember, half the fun of the parade is the getting ready. What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. Right on cue, the crowds responded: “Crucify him!” they shouted. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” They were ready for another parade. Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. And the second parade begins as Jesus is taken to the Praetorium for his costume. Mark 15:16-20 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, the twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. Half the fun of the parade for these soldiers was the getting ready. The parade made a turn down the Via Dolorosa on the way to Golgotha. And the crowd was on hand again, watching Jesus, once King, now convict. They were getting their wish--a crucifixion of the one who had offended their religious leaders, the one who was not living up to their expectations. When the cross was raised with Jesus nailed to it, the crowd was there. Mark 15:29 - Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Christ, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. What this crowd did not know was that the parade wasn’t over. Within three days, Jesus would march all the way through Hell and back into a lifeless body, then out of a cold tomb, into the presence of His disciples, seeing up to 500 of them at a time in his resurrected body, then to Jerusalem for the final instructions to the embryonic church, then up to glory to be seated at the right hand of the Father. And the parade still isn’t over, because he’s coming back someday soon to claim His own! What Happened Between the Parades? Come back with me to Jerusalem, and let’s ask a haunting question: “What happened between parade number one and parade number two? How could the crowd have had such a radical change of heart? How could they so quickly move from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him”. Sunday they are glorifying him and Friday they are hurling insults at him. One day they are laying down their cloaks for him and five days later they are killing him. Maybe as we answer to these questions we can gain a little insight as to why we so quickly turn from him. Why we’re praising Him on Sunday and by Friday we’re failing Him. Here’s what happened between the parades: 1. The crowd’s worship stayed superficial There is nothing more exhilarating than unrestrained praise. To be swallowed up in a crowd of people who love God who are singing and dancing and giving God their all, who are shouting and clapping and glorifying God without any regard for anything else--well, there is nothing quite like it, is there? For those who have never had that experience, you’ve been to a playoff game when the home team pulls off a victory and the crowd goes wild. Nothing’s off limits! People who never hug each other. You look around and some guy who is normally very much in control of himself is howling like a coyote, veins sticking out of his neck, eyes popping out of his skull. Very sane people are jumping up and down, squealing with delight, like the grand prize winner on some game show. When the Lord shows His power and makes His presence known in real special ways, His people, rightfully, get quite expressive. There is everything proper and right about that. In fact, we need to believe God for more of the kind of experience when we get “freed up” and unselfconsciously expressive before the Lord. David got wrapped up in his praise of God one day, and it was all he was wrapped up in--he danced before the Lord in his Bed’s. Let me say loud and clear - it is GOOD and GOD-HONORING WORSHIP when we get worked up and excited in our worship, when we get less self-conscious and totally God-conscious and look like fools for His sake. It’s good for us and it’s right before God. This is what the crowds did when the Lord saddled up the colt--they got excited. They suddenly knew something big was happening in God’s plan and they took off their cloaks and worshipped, and shouted and Hosanna-ed. And it was right for them to appreciate the Lord out loud, to thank Him for His salvation visiting Jerusalem. It was an exciting time. But, when the excitement died down, so did their fervor for Jesus. When it wasn’t fun any more, they didn’t want to praise the Lord. And very soon they wanted to crucify Him. Worship that remains superficial, that never finds God anywhere but in the frenzy, will always die between Sunday’s shout & Friday’s blues. But the danger enters when we REMAIN ADDICTED TO THE EXCITEMENT. Why? Because our worship remains superficial. Again, superficial praise is great, but there is a time for mellow worship, quietness before God and awe in His presence -- times when if you shouted it would be not only out of place, but a dishonor to God. Now listen carefully, some of you who love to be in control all the time, who have never experienced full release before the God of your salvation, are saying to yourself, “That’s right, that hyper praise is all superficial.” And some others who love the shout and dance praise, but get real nervous when it’s quiet between you and God, are saying to yourself, “Amen! Get ‘em, preacher, let’s get this place freed up!” YOU ARE BOTH WRONG, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU ARE BOTH RIGHT! We need every flavor of worship and praise to be in seasonally sensitive relationship with Jesus What the crowd did wrong was they REMAINED in the realm of frothy praise, and then between Sunday and Friday, when their worlds got challenged and they needed to change, they were stuck. They didn’t know how to hear a God who came in peace to suffer and die, and somehow the shouting didn’t seem appropriate any more. The season of worship had changed and they couldn’t. And the devil get inside and turned them against the Lord. 2. Their understanding remained simplistic The crowd was anticipating a Messiah Moment once Jesus took His Zechariah-prophesied donkey ride. They were convinced that this day marked the beginning of the end for Roman domination of Palestine. They fully expected Jesus to lead a garrison of zealot commandos against the Roman presence and free Israel again. What happened? The next day, Jesus gets violent--but he is overturning the tables in the Temple Courts! Did He get it wrong? This stuff belonged to Jews, not Romans! Was he fighting the wrong war? Whose side was He on? One of the most dangerous things a Christian can do is remain simplistic in his understanding of God’s will. When I was a new Christian, I was convinced God was out to make me happy. After all, Jesus saved me, He gave me His Holy Spirit, showered me with all kinds of heavenly blessings--this is God’s way! He makes me feel good! I memorize passages about salvation and blessings and hope and comfort. Nice, cozy, womb-like. Then something happens to me that is uncomfortable. It shocks me. I say, “Hey, God, did you miss one? I think you forgot to fend off a problem that got through.” Then, WHAM, another one! What happened? Am I not saved any more? “God, this is not your way of doing things here! You’re supposed to keep me happy.” I am encountering some new truths I had not chosen to research and recognize about God’s dealings with me. Like: “Whom the Lord loves He disciplines” and “though now you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials so that you faith may be proved genuine...” I used to think that that wonderful passage in Romans 8--where it says “nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus”-- I used to think that meant He was not going to allow trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness danger or sword to get to me. Then I got surprised by how much bigger the plan of God was in my life, and I read it again and, sure enough, it said these things would not separate me from the love of God, but it did NOT say I wouldn’t face any of them. We are always in danger when we remain where we are in our understanding of God’s will and His ways. We are in danger of the kind of simplistic state that can easily refuse to see what god is doing because of our prejudice against His ever doing anything like that. We are unable to think outside the box, to change, to allow God to do a new thing. Brothers and sisters, there is only one way to prevent this spiritual immaturity--stay in the Word of God and grow in understanding of His ways. When you stop growing, your ability to understand when God is engineering the next step in your personal program of becoming like Jesus. And when he starts to change you you will resist and rebel and soon you’ll stand so directly opposed to His plans that you will do anything to stop Him. The crowd was ready to crucify Him. When you are out of step with the Lord the devil is ready to offer a new plan. 3. Their Expectations Remained Selfish As soon as the crowd realized that Jesus was not going to fulfill their wish lists, they resented Him. In that moment, they became vulnerable to the chief priests’ efforts to stir them up (15:11). Once they were angry with God about not appeasing their plans, they could be talked into anything. They could be stirred up to ask for Barabbas instead of Jesus. They could be manipulated into ignoring the injustice of the trials and floggings. They could be led to cry out for Jesus’ crucifixion, even thought he pagan procurator was convinced He had committed no crime. And they could even get to the place where they would stand alongside the chief priests in front of the cross of Jesus and hurl insults at Him. There is terrible spiritual danger in self-centeredness. This is why Jesus warned repeatedly that His disciples must deny themselves; they need to sell out to Him and to serving others in His name; consider others more important than yourselves; love one another; serve one another. The disciple who has not crucified “self” is never really ready to serve Jesus or His people. The same is true for the believer who started out fully committed to the Lord, but decided somewhere along the line that serving self is more to his liking. This is really the sum of all the wrong things that happened between the parades for the crowd. And the sum of everything that causes us to move from “Hosanna” on Sunday to “Crucify Him” on Friday. You’ll know you’re falling victim to a self-serving spirit when you find you like worship a lot because it makes you feel good, or you start making opinionated personal observations about whether Sunday’s worship was satisfying to you or not. Concurrently you find yourself never sharing your faith with anyone but other Christians, and then only when the mood is just right. Self-centeredness will manifest itself by a hypersensitivity to others comments. When you begin to take offense at others comments too easily, you know you are less interested in serving the Lord than yourself. Another symptom is when you find yourself always angry with God about why He did things THAT WAY instead of the way you thought He ought to. This indicates that 1) you are not in touch with His will and His heart as much as you need to be (prescription: time in the “listening room” with Him), and 2) you have not continued to offer yourself and your desires as a living sacrifice. The key to remaining a strong HOSANNA Christian is to CONTINUALLY CRUCIFY YOURSELF. If I am insistent on my own way, my own comfort, my own agenda, then it is clear I am not dead. I am alive to myself but not to God. If I am continually in a struggle with God about what He is or is not doing in my life, that means I have not died to myself. If I am always getting my feelings hurt by other Christians, I am not dead to myself. A man went to the psychiatrist and complained “I’m dead!” The doctor knew he had a weirdo right away, so he told him, “I want you to go home and tell yourself 20 times a day “Dead men don’t bleed”. Then come see me next week. So the man did as prescribed and returned the next week. “Did you do like I told you? Did you say ‘dead men don’t bleed’ twenty times a day every day?” “Yes, but what...” Just then the psychiatrist grabbed the man’s hand and stuck his finger with a needle, squeezed out some blood and pushed the bleeding finger right in front of the man’s face. “Now, what do you say to that?” The man thought for a minute and said, “What do you know, dead men DO bleed!” Christian friends, the next time you find yourself hurting or disappointed with God or His people, it is probably an indication that your self has not died to Christ lately. Dead men don’t bleed, they don’t hurt and they don’t get disappointed. Ironic, isn’t it? The way to stay spiritually healthy between the parades, between Sunday and Friday, is to die. Here is how Paul put it in Romans 12 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s good, pleasing and perfect will is.         [Top]