Palm Sunday -- Welcome the Prince of Peace

Reading

Luke 19:28–44 NLT

28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” 41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

Introduction

Palm Sunday is supposed to be a time of joy, right? We wave around these palm branches to celebrate the arrival of the King of Kings into the holy city of Jerusalem. But is that all it is? Just a simple moment of triumph before a shocking tragedy? Didn’t Jesus know what was coming? Why would he let people go crazy like this?

Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is, of course, very carefully staged, by Jesus himself, and he builds on messages that God has been sending his people for centuries. But despite all that communication, the underlying reality is still exactly the opposite of what the people expect. In fact, Palm Sunday is full of contradictions.

Contradictions

Contradiction 1

For a start, we see the King of Kings riding on the colt of a donkey. The donkey is the most humble of the beasts of burden, and a colt of a donkey is more humble still. But this contradiction has been prophesied, in

Zechariah 9:9 NLT

9 Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.

In fact, over the centuries this contradiction had been built into Jewish culture. The spreading of robes and palms on the road and the riding of a donkey was a part of recognising the coming of a Jewish king.

Luke 19:38 ESV

38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Not only that, the Psalm that Jesus’ followers sing from, Psalm 118, was sung when the king came up to his throne in Jerusalem. The pharisees recognise this, and ask Jesus to rebuke his followers for their presumption, but Jesus refuses.

Contradiction 2

A second contradiction is the joy of the Jesus followers and the weeping of Jesus. The expectations of these two groups for the next week could not be more different. The disciples expected Jesus to usher in the Kingdom in all its fullness right away (see verse 11), but Jesus had a more important mission. In fact, in Psalm 118, it says,

Psalm 118:22 NLT

22 The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.

While his disciples happily quoted from the joyous parts of the Psalm, Jesus knew that this part had yet to be fulfilled. He was walking into rejection.

Contradiction 3

A third contradiction is that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, its name means “city of peace,” and it was God’s meeting place with the people of Israel. And yet, as Jesus says,

Luke 19:42–44 NLT

42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

The city that was supposed to be the home of God, and so the centre of shalom, peace, instead rejects God and violently pins him to a cross!

What do we do with this?

The question then, is why? Why is this account so full of contradictions? Is Palm Sunday a triumph or a tragedy? Is it the beginning of the kingdom or not? Did Jesus come to bring peace or conflict?

And how do we fit into this? Do we live triumphant lives, having conquered everything in Jesus name? Or are we still waiting for Jesus’ triumphant coming?

Well, the answer is yes. Yes to all of that.

How does that make sense?

New Testament scholars and theologians talk about the “now and not yet” nature of the last days, the time that we live in. The New Testament talks about us having and being the “first fruits” of the Spirit. But the parable that Jesus tells just before our Bible passage is perhaps one of the best explanations of the situation that we find ourselves in, in the present age.

The parable of the ten servants

Let’s read that:

Luke 19:11–27 NLT

11 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’ 15 “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. 16 The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ 17 “ ‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ 18 “The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ 19 “ ‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’ 20 “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ 22 “ ‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, 23 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 24 “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ 25 “ ‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’ 26 “ ‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’ ”

What does this parable mean?

First: Jesus is not going to be crowned king straight away, but rather he is going to disappear for a long time. But when he returns, he will return in full power and will exercise that power in judgement, to both reward and punish people.

Second: Jesus’ servants will all be given a gift with which to serve him while he is gone, the “pound of silver,” which was worth maybe $15,000 in our money. The parable makes clear that this is “a little.” It’s a test. The time of this testing, the time while the king is away, the in-between time, that is the time we’re living in now. It’s our everyday lives. The New Testament often talks about this life as a preparation for the next. What we do now has eternal significance.

Third: The king rewards his servants according to what they do with his gift. Those who use it fruitfully are given a proportionate, and vastly greater, responsibility. Those who hide his gift, who refuse to use it at all for fear of failure, they lose it all. You can’t pretend to be Jesus servant, his disciple, and have nothing to do with the Holy Spirit, his gift. Paul explains it this way:

Romans 8:5 ESV

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Application

So what can we do with all this?

First, I think we need to recognise that triumphalism doesn’t belong in Christianity. Yes, we are more than conquerors in Christ, as Paul says, but what is the context of that famous promise?

Romans 8:35–39 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You see, Paul is recognising that all these tribulations will come on us, but “in all these things,” in the midst of suffering and persecution, we are more than conquerors. Just as Jesus was the King of Kings though he was riding on the colt of a donkey. Just as Jesus was the Prince of Peace though he was about to be brutally executed. So we too work on a deeper level than the world. The external realities of suffering and persecution are working out a deeper reality of purification and victory in eternity.

You see, triumphalism celebrates the moment itself, but joy celebrates the future fruit. As Christians our joy is in Christ’s work, which is in the transformation of hearts and the homes he is building us in the New Heavens and New Earth. We may weep over this world, but look forward with hope to its redemption. That’s true peace.

Second, we need to recognise that we are living in that period between when our king has gone off to be crowned, and when he returns in power. In that period, his enemies are free to rebel against him. But he has given us a gift and a task, and that is what we must apply ourselves to. When he returns in power, will we have been fruitful, or will we have wasted his gift?

That’s the challenge. What, specifically is his gift for you? What is the Holy Spirit calling you toward today? How can you invest it that gift?

Let’s all dig into that this week. Jesus knew this time was coming. He has prepared us for it, gifted us to serve him today. Let’s listen to his calling, and then get stuck in.

Let’s pray.