Sermon Tone Analysis

Tell your disciples to be quiet!

Tell your disciples to be quiet!

Wave your palm branches and repeat after me, God’s favor is determined by my faithfulness and His grace.

, And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’

you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!

But now they are hidden from your eyes.

For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you.

And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Today we celebrate the day called “Palm Sunday,” the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem one week prior to his crucifixion and death.

In case some of you are wondering why this is called “Palm Sunday”, it’s because according to the Gospel of John the crowds in Jerusalem came out to greet Jesus carrying palm branches, which they either waved or strewed in his path.

We have two independent accounts of Jesus’ triumphal entry, one in the Gospel of Mark and the other in the Gospel of John.

Historically speaking, this is very important, since one of the most important proofs of the historicity of some event is the existence of independent accounts of the same event.

Now, of course, as Christians we believe in the inspiration of the New Testament by God and so we know, apart from any historical evidence, that these accounts were not made up.

But, still, it’s nice to know that even when you consider the Gospels as just ordinary historical documents, they pass the tests of reliability, which secular historians use.

This can only aid us as we commend their truth to our non-Christian friends who have not yet come to believe in the inspiration of the Bible.

Although Mark and John’s accounts differ in various circumstantial details, they fully agree on the core of the story: that at the beginning of the final week of his life Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem seated on a donkey and was hailed by the crowds who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual Passover feast with shouts of “Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Now before we look at our passage in detail, let’s set the scene geographically and chronologically.

It is the spring of the year, the time of the great Passover feast in Jerusalem, during the Jewish month of Nisan, which is in early April on our calendar.

Passover always began on the 14th of Nisan, which that year fell on Friday.

Now Jesus and his disciples are on their way up to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, like thousands of other pilgrims coming to the feast.

They have just passed through the ancient town of Jericho, where, Jesus healed the blind man Bartimaeus on the way out of town.

Jericho is located about 17 miles east of Jerusalem.

The Roman road ascends from Jericho over the Mount of Olives, which with an elevation of about 2600 feet stands directly opposite the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley

Jesus enters Jerusalem as King and Messiah.

Luke here passes over the events, which happened after visit at the house of Zacchæus at Jericho and the speaking of the great parable of (Mine/Na) “the minas.”

This parable was probably shared in the course of the walking from Jericho to Bethany, a distance of some twelve miles.

Tell your disciples to be quiet as they cry out to Hosanna.

28And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Now the last glimpse, we have of Moses, shows him travelling up the slope of Mount Nebo, travelling there to give himself one last fond gaze of the land that he will not enter, and after, having so done, then to lay himself down and die.

Many have imaged what was going through the mind of the great lawgiver.

Many have wondered what was going on in the emotions of his heart.

Many have considered what thoughts must have crowded in on him as he took that last solitary journey to his burial plot, where no one would know, in which God alone was to bury him.

Now we see Jesus Christ, by who grace and truth came, is also traveling towards yet another mountain.

Jesus was beginning His climb to Mount Calvary, not alone and yet at the same time He was all alone.

Yes, there are people in the crowd behind Him, but in that crowd of people there were none who truly understood what He was going through or the trial that He was facing.

Only God the Father knows the Son.

So as Jesus neared the Capital and his apostles make their way towards Bethany.

It was Friday evening and Jesus spends the last Sabbath on earth in the quiet of the rural village.

We can only suppose what that Sabbath meant—not so much to Him, for now Jesus is moving in a sphere beyond our vision, but to those who were with Him during the Sabbath.

Those with which, he passed the hallowed hours before His great sacrifice on the cross.

Now as the sun set and the Sabbath is over, there is a family feast served in the house of Simon, a former leper.

Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead, is at the party, Martha is there, resuming her old ways, and Mary also is there, filling her heart with His love.

Until her heart overflows and she is compelled by an irresistible impulse to serve Him in a special way.

All of a sudden she pours on Him the contents of an alabaster box of ointment, which becomes the preparation for His approaching burial.

, And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that?

For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”

And they scolded her.

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone.

Why do you trouble her?

She has done a beautiful thing to me.

For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them.

But you will not always have me.

She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.

And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

The next morning (Palm Sunday) the Lord started for Jerusalem, which is just 12 miles away and entered the holy city in the triumphant way as King and Messiah.

Ver. 29, When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two disciples…

Bethphage is never mentioned in the Old Testament, but it was evidently an outlying suburb of Jerusalem.

Bethphage was between Jerusalem and Bethany, the rabbis legally counted it as part of Jerusalem.

Bethphage, means the “House of Green Figs,” it was called that from its fig-orchards.

Bethany’s name means the “House of Dates,” because of its palm trees.

Modern-day Bethany is known as El-Azarieh or Lazarieh, because of its history with Lazarus.

Here we see Jesus the King and the Messiah coming into Jerusalem, “meek and lowly.”

His state, his pageant, at best is very humble.

Yet, its simplicity is its royalty; because its exclusion of the temporary glitter and trappings of earthly greatness is the sign of the kingdom which is in the world, yet not of this world.

The procession sweeps onward, along the southern shoulders of Mt.

Olivet, until the road, come to summit of the hill, and turns northward and begins its descent.

And there we see a stream of people pouring out from Jerusalem because it was said that the Prophet was on His way to the city.

This news was met with enthusiasm by disciples and others caught up and prolonged procession.

This was truly, a soul-stirring entry!

The whole city is moved as Jesus of Nazareth rides through its gate, and passes towards Mount Zion and the holy and beautiful house, which glitters, on its heights.

Before we ponder more about Jesus here, let’s pause and look at two characteristic signs of His Kingship given in his journey on that day.

Ver. 30, Saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

Now, the account of this transaction is less circumstantial in Luke than in the other evangelists.

This is because of the reference to the prophecy of is here left out.

This prophecy is, however, necessary for the full understanding of the mystic act of riding upon a donkey’s colt.

Well why did Luke leave it out Pastor?

Because Luke, is writing especially to Gentile readers, and felt that such a reference to the old Hebrew story would scarcely interest a foreigner, he felt it would serve to distraction.

But for us, however, the meaning of the scene, must be viewed in light of the what Zechariah said, , 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.”

This campaign over Israel’s enemies would conclude in the triumphal entry of its king to Jerusalem.

The people are summoned to praise their coming king.

Their King is described as “righteous,” like the ideal ruler of

May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!

Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness!