Sermon Tone Analysis

In celebrating Palm Sunday, we who are Christians observe the entrance of a conqueror into a city that was under occupation of foreign military troops.

Jerusalem was celebrating the Triumphal Entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into the city.

Jesus came riding into the city on a donkey early on the first day of the week.

As he rode down the path to the city gates, passing under the massive stone gate and walls of the city, and into the street, multitudes came out to greet him and to make him welcome to their city.

Their cry to him was Hosanna to the son of David!

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest.

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The earthly ministry of Christ was at an end.

The plan of God for the salvation of mankind was nearing its completion.

We all know that Jesus would soon be going to the cross to die but it’s hard for us to imagine how that the same crowds who praised and looked to Jesus as their Messiah on Palm Sunday would so quickly turn into the mob that demanded his crucifixion less than 5 days later.

What brought about such a huge change in their attitudes?

What was it that caused them to change their minds so dramatically?

Entry - Before the Jerusalem Entry

Let us begin by remembering just a few events that had happened in the short period of Jesus’ public ministry prior to his riding into Jerusalem on the donkey.

Jesus had performed many miracles of healing and deliverance during his ministry.

He had turned the water into wine, cast out the demons of the man of the Gadarenes, raised the widow of Nain’s son from the dead, and just a few days before he came riding into town he had raised Lazarus’ from the grave.

Of course there were many more great miracles that were performed, too numerous for us to count right now, but suffice it so say that he had gained a large following of people who began to believe that he was their promised Messiah, the one who would come to deliver them from bondage.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt that day, he entered the city as a King, but he rode in as one who would enter to signify that his was a peaceful entry.

When Kings entered as conquerors, they would enter riding upon a prancing stallion at the head of their military entourage.

But when they entered in peace they would ride upon a colt.

No matter how the king entered the people were obliged to turn out to praise them as they rode through the gates.

Jesus, being the very Son of God, could have chosen to enter Jerusalem that day on a prancing stallion, but this was not God’s plan so Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem as a conqueror.

He came in on the colt to signify that his reign would usher in a time of peace.

His kingdom was not to be a kingdom that would be taken by might of man, to cast out those who reigned over Israel.

His kingdom would be a kingdom of peace that would be established in the hearts of those who believed upon him.

Along with Jesus came the 12 disciples, walking behind him.

Then followed the crowds who had gone out to meet him as he approached the city.

His disciples had thrown their coats over the colt like a blanket or a saddle and the crowds were casting their coats upon the ground and throwing palm branches along the path for him to ride upon.

Placing their coats and the palm branches upon the ground was a symbol of honoring the King with their own support.

It was as though they were saying, “We will help you, support you, fight for you, serve you and you may reign over us as our King.”

Then they would cry out those words over and over again, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

What were they saying by shouting these words?

I have always thought that they were shouting praises to Jesus for being a prophet of God and because they believed him to be the Messiah and that is true but that’s not all they were saying by shouting Hosanna!

Evaluate - You see, there is a double meaning to the shout of Hosanna!

Firstly, it was a shout of praise, of glorifying the Son of God.

There were many present who believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

All of his miracles had convinced them that he was who he claimed to be.

These were shouting an exclamation of praise when they screamed “Hosanna to the Son of David”.

This was their way of saying that we know that you are the Messiah and so we praise you.

Can you imagine what this scene must have looked like?

As he came nearer and nearer to the city the shouts of the people who followed him and those who lined the streets would grow ever louder.

When he entered the gate, the crowds waiting inside joined with those who followed and together their shouts began to build into a deafening roar.

The sound of their praise carried through a large part of the city and even those who did not know what was going on began to run to see who this was that was causing such an uproar.

When things are happening and crowds begin to gather, people will often run to see what’s going on.

We are all naturally curious.

While the crowds and the disciples shouted the praises of their Messiah, the religious leaders were greatly troubled and offended.

Who does this Jesus think that he is to enter Jerusalem as a King?

Their authority was threatened and so they demanded the crowds to stop shouting.

That’s when Jesus said that if the people didn’t praise him that the very rocks would cry out!

This was his moment of recognition for who he was.

Jesus was the Son of God.

He was the Messiah of Israel.

He was their King.

But, they would never understand the fullness of just who he was because he was not coming to establish his kingdom upon the earth.

Yes, they cried Hosanna – Praise Jesus, the Son of David, praise Jesus, the Messiah, Praise Jesus, our deliverer, but they really didn’t fully know who Jesus was.

Now there is a second meaning to this word Hosanna.

It also means “save now, or save I pray!”

As the crowd shouted Hosanna, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest”, and “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest,” they were actually crying out to Jesus to begin the revolution that would free them from Roman rule.

Now we can begin to understand why their attitude would change so quickly in the coming days.

They fully believed that Jesus was their Messiah who would come to usher in a day of freedom, peace and prosperity for the nation of Israel and that they would be free from slavery and oppression of the Romans and that they would finally know the peace that God had promised.

Eternal Reward

That’s the kind of Messiah that mankind is still looking for right now!

People don’t want to serve a God who will establish his kingdom of peace in their hearts with a promise of an eternal reward to come.

They want a Messiah that will give them a perfect life on this earth and give them a kingdom here and now.

We forget that Jesus says in

Jesus didn’t ride in Jerusalem on the colt that day to signify that he would establish an earthly kingdom of peace and prosperity.

He was riding in as the Messiah but he would bring more of a division than deliverance.

His provision for the deliverance of Israel would not be acceptable to them.

The Jews didn’t want a sacrifice for sin; they wanted a King.

They didn’t want a spiritual deliverer; they wanted an earthly deliverer.

They didn’t want a Messiah that would be a lamb led to the slaughter who would die on the cross for them; they wanted a Messiah that would lead them in battle and live for them as a conquering hero.

That is ever man’s trouble.

We keep our focus only on what is visible to the eye, or that can be touched by our hand.

Our vision is earthly and physical, not eternal and spiritual.

Most people, even those who call themselves Christians, are just as blind to what God is doing in our day as those Jews were on that day.

We must remember that this life is only a preparation time and that our Messiah is a deliverer of the heart, the soul and the spirit – not of this earthly existence.

Jesus cares for us, provides for this earthly body and meets our every need but this earthly body is not what he died for.

It’s only temporary.

In another passage of scripture we can see that this body of flesh that we live in like a tent right now, cannot enter Heaven because of the corruption that is upon it.

This body of flesh is under the curse of sin, but thank God I won’t have to carry it around forever! I’m going to get a new body, without the power of sin upon it.

It will be a body that doesn’t need blood to survive, for it will be given live by the power of the Spirit.

Conclusion:

This is why Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day.

It was a Triumphal Entry in the greatest sense of the word.

He rode in as the King who was coming to conquer death, hell and the grave.

He was coming in as the conqueror of Satan and every power of darkness and evil.

He was coming in to establish his victory over sin once and for all, but he was not coming in as a liberating King to set Jerusalem free from Roman rule!

A conquering king was what Jerusalem wanted, but Jesus was not be that king that they desired and so we can see that the same crowd who waved the palm branches and threw them and their clothes in the street for Jesus to ride upon would be the crowd who would turn against him so very quickly.

Their shouts of praise would turn into shouts of anger!

Their palm branches would become torches, signifying the hatred that began to burn within them because they felt betrayed and misled.

This man who claimed to be their Messiah was nothing more than a liar as far as they were concerned.

The only remedy to his treasonous behavior was death and that’s what they shouted for.

It didn’t take much encouragement from the religious leaders to stir up the people.

So that we won’t think that the Jews are the only ones to blame for rejecting Jesus and then screaming for his crucifixion, I want to remind you how we react to him in our day and time.

There are many today who will confess their belief in Jesus as their Savior.

It’s not hard to find people who claim to be Christian.

But it is hard to find people who live as a Christian should live!

Talk about showing we have decided to follow Christ in following His example through water baptism.

New life is given through Him and this act signifies it.

Why is this so?