Palm Sunday: Scenes of Discipleship

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 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. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 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, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Geography Lesson

Set the Geography

Setting the Scene:

The disciples obey Jesus to get a colt for him to ride into Jerusalem.

Threw cloaks on donkey

Threw cloaks on the road

Whole multitude was there by the Mount of Olives- outside yet of Jerusalem!

Rejoicing!

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

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

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

“Blessed is the King...

: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

What is Luke doing? Emphasizing the King!

Only Luke: HIM=KING

What is Luke doing? Emphasizing the King!

Luke omits rest of verse 26: “We bless you from the house of the Lord”

These are disciples who recognize Jesus.

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!

What does Luke include?

Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest

This scene is the heart of what Palm Sunday is all about:

But Luke is very careful to record what the people are confessing! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!

Public Recognition of the King!

Only Luke:

“Stones would cry out!”

R.T. France point out: ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest”

Confession: Christ the King!

Call back to the Angels announcing the birth of the King to the Shepherds.

Christmas: Angels, “Host”= Army= Announcement that their Commander and Chief has arrived!

King has come

Born in a barn.

Placed in a feeding trough.

So jarring that beautiful beings would announce the arrival of such a stinky scene.

The words of the Angels parallel the people:

What kind of king?

One who rides on a beast of burden rather than a thoroughbred horse!

The Humble King

Scene of discipleship:

Scene of discipleship: Confess Jesus is the Crucified King!

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

This is our our King:

He chose to reveal himself to the World this way:

To borrow language from James Edwards, our understanding of Messiahship gives shape to our discipleship

The Kingdom:

But to see this crowd and to hear this confession

Creational Confession: Rocks will cry out!

But to see this crowd and to hear this confession

“A wrong view of Messiahship leads to a wrong view of discipleship.” If one’s identity of Jesus is messed up, then the way you follow him will be messed up.

Stones: “

v. 37: “The whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God...”

Jesus doesn’t reach Jerusalem until v. 45.

: 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

My hope: People will see who Jesus is.

: 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

: Who has believed what he has heard from us?

: 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

John 12:17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 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. 43 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 44 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.”

Remarkable seen:

Still on donkey, not yet in Jerusalem, overseeing the city:

World Class City

Worldly standards: It’s arrived!

BUT rather than celebrate how far Jerusalem has come, HE WEEPS!

Tension in the text: Crowd is celebrating the arrival of the King

The King is wailing! Lots of conflicting sounds: Voices of Celebration along with one lone voice of sorrow.

Weeps because:

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Jesus weeps because the City of Peace, Jerusalem, is blind to what causes peace.

Blindness to Peace:

See, Jesus has walked with Jerusalem for many centuries. Consider these words from :34:

Blindness to Peace:

Crowd #1: Disciples celebrating Jesus as the King

Crowd #2: Jerusalem: Rejection of the Messiah.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Jesus doesn’t know know about Jerusalem’s history by reading history text books. Jesus was there.

Amazing that Jesus felt grief over Israel

He has walked with Israel for thousands of years.

He has watched them from the Holy Place

These were his people!

After all these centuries together, Jerusalem will reject Jesus.

“They were turn to commerce over the Christ, chose sides with Rome rather than the Redeemer”

They were turn to commerce over the Christ, chose sides with Rome rather than the Redeemer

“Fight for the past rather than Prince of Peace.”

And so Jesus prophesies the trajectory of Jerusalem’s allegiance: It’s going to lead to a great fall, an event that came true in 70AD. Rome sacked Jerusalem, the Temple was destroyed.

And so Jesus is grieving the rejection from a dear friend:

“You should have known! You are without excuse! We have spent so much time together and yet you still do not recognize me! I sent you messenger after messenger to open your eyes to this moment! You are missing your moment, nay, you have missed it. I’m being led as a sheep to the slaughter, and you will mistaken me as your enemy. I am the “Prince of Peace”, but you are taking me in as a trader. I am the King, but you are receiving me as a criminal.”

And so Jesus weeps!

What can we learn from Jesus weeping?

Do you grieve for people like Jesus did?

“The things… are hidden from your eyes.”

What are ‘these things’?

What makes for peace?

v.43: “In 13:35 Jesus has already predicted the destruction of the temple, and he will do so again more forcibly in 21:6, but here he goes further and predicts the Roman siege of the city as a whole, as well as its devastation that was to follow in AD 70;” R.T. France: Excerpt From: R. T. France. “Luke (Teach the Text Commentary Series).” Apple Books.

Excerpt From: R. T. France. “Luke (Teach the Text Commentary Series).” Apple Books.

Amazing that Jesus felt grief over Israel

How is this a second scene of discipleship?

He has walked with Israel for thousands of years.

We learn that

Two Things:

Information and Participation is not the same as Transformation

You can have all the history, title, pedigree, and position, but if you have not encountered the Prince of Peace, then you are blind.

He has watched them from the Holy Place

You can have all the history, title, pedigree, and position, but if you have not encountered the Prince of Peace, then you are blind.

You can have all the theology line up, you can have perfect church attendance, you can lead Bible studies, teach Sunday School- but all that information and participation may not have translated into transformation!

You gotta be the disciple outside of Jerusalem Blessing the King...

Weep like the King

Not primarily a lesson for evangelism, but I do think there’s something to learn about the heart of Jesus in this moment for those who are blind to him and reject him.

You may know people who think they’re ok, who think they have it all together or assume that because they have a good job, healthy marriage, decent kid, that they’ll make the heaven cut.

But Jesus weeps over his dear friend, and that passion for the lost (even the lost who feel like their already found!), should swirl within us as well.

Who do you weep for? Who do you wail for? Is that even a question you’ve thought of before?

These were his people!

Do you grieve for people like Jesus did?

“The things… are hidden from your eyes.”

What are ‘these things’?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

What makes for peace?

Jesus

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

No time for peace as Jesus sees the Temple!

He goes in and cleans it out.

Discipling Times

Destroying sin

Jesus finally enters Jerusalem. Again up to this point, Jesus had not entered Jerusalem yet. In fact, I learned something new this past week that I’m sort of ashamed to admit:

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

The Triumphal Entry existed all outside of the walls of Jerusalem.

Discipling the People

R.T. France makes special note of this in his commentary in Luke, and he challenge to the reader to take a look at the Gospels to make sure he was right.

: 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

Jesus doesn’t reach Jerusalem until v. 45.

: 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple...

: 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

: 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

In John’s Gospel, there’s not even a record of Jesus entering Jerusalem at all.

11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

And this all makes sense because if Jesus trotted into Jerusalem through this route, he would have gone directly into the temple and arrived right into the Court of the Gentiles.

He

First thing he sees is commerce. Not worship, not sacrifice, but just stalls filled with commercial enterprise!

6 times the normal sized group

R.T. France “Traders in sacrificial animals and supplies were allowed by the temple authorities to set up their stalls in the court of the Gentiles. For Jesus, this indicates that the whole institution has lost its way as a center for the worship of God (“my Father’s house” [2:49]) and has become a human commercial enterprise. But now his own teaching of “the way of God” (20:21) in the temple courts (19:47) will supplant commerce; God will triumph over mammon.” Excerpt From: R. T. France. “Luke (Teach the Text Commentary Series).” Apple Books.

And so Luke’s Gospel simply says: He began to drive out those who sold...

Animals, wine, oil, salt, doves

“Roman currency required Hebrew shekels, with a built-in surcharge...”

Why is this a Discipleship Scene?

First of all, it’s yet another reminder of the type of King we follow on this Palm Sunday:

A Kingdom of the Christ, not of Commerce

A Kingdom of the Christ, not of comfort

A Kingdom of the Messiah, not of Money.

If only we can go around and flip all the churches over which preach the health and wealth Gospel like Jesus did!

And to a certain extend, we can! Perhaps not by flipping over their tables, but we can continue to preach a Gospel and the Kingdom in ways that reflect the heart of Jesus:

Especially right now! Christianity has the only hope in this world right now.

Tithe your Return!

That may not be possible for everyone, I understand. In fact, I know some of you have already taken a financial hit because of all this- some of you are not able to even work.

For others of you who can afford it, this is a time when we can use our resources to show the world how generous the church can really be during this time!

We have a link to give

A Kingdom that gives, rather than swindles, a Kingdom that generates generosity rather than generate our own comfortability- if that was a word???

We have a link to give

#stimulustithe

Raleigh Rescue Mission

Second lesson of Discipleship:

Jesus cleanses the TEMPLE!

The Church has fulfilled the role of the Temple. The Church is that building of people who make up the stone and mortar, the rebar and rafters. We are the Temple of God. The Holy Spirit resides in our hearts and continues the work of Christ restoration work!

And the Lord is

And so while we are giving up things for Lent in ways we never ever imagined, we also have to ask the question:

In what ways is the Lord shaping us right now?

By not being able to go anywhere, where is the Lord leading you?

By not being able to eat out, what are you feeding your soul right now?

By not being able to hang out in crowds, how is the Lord shaping you in isolation?

In what way is he cleaning us out?

If you’re bored? Lazy, lonely or uninspired, anxious, afraid, depressed,

What area in your heart needs to be flipped?

We are that Temple!

Fast from restaurants

Fast from face-to-face relationships

Fast from

Hope

Excerpt From: R. T. France. “Luke (Teach the Text Commentary Series).” Apple Books.

Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess:

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 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. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 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, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

5 “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.’ ”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Palm Sunday: Scenes of Discipleship

Introduction:

A Celebratory Scene

A Sorrowful Scene

A Sterilizing Scene