Palm Sunday 2021
Notes
Transcript
The Triumphal approach
The Triumphal approach
Not yet in Jerusalem, but in Bethphage/Bethany
1 When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples
(There is something about the mount of Olives …)
The crowd - Galileans - not Jerusalemites
(following on the story of Bartimaeus
(the starting to see ones vs antagonistic Jerusalem priest and scribes
Setting the mood:
From secrecy to confrontational
Hardly any miracles
Temple offense
Claim to royalty
A most purposeful journey!
(The conquest of sin!)
How?
2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
The village ahead of you - Bethphage
and
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
The donkey!
Why?
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The right of a king to requisition a riding donkey!
Acceptance?
Expectation?
The seeing ones?
(Like the blind man)
46 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The (Galilee)crowd was there,
saw the miracle!
And now, they see Jesus, riding a donkey
(just like the prophets had foretold!)
And what do they do?
They spread their clothes in front of Jesus one the road - a red carpet welcome, so to speak!
13 Each man quickly took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. They blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
And now they proclaim outright what they have more come to believe:
9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: 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 heaven!
Anti-climactic end to the account of Jesus’ initial excursion to Jerusalem, sees Jesus return to Bethany.
23 The glory of the Lord rose up from within the city and stopped on the mountain east of the city.
Why?
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
and
1 He led me to the gate, the one that faces east,
2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice sounded like the roar of a huge torrent, and the earth shone with his glory.
3 The vision I saw was like the one I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like the ones I had seen by the Chebar Canal. I fell facedown.
4 The glory of the Lord entered the temple by way of the gate that faced east.
5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
The travel journal so far, (expanded):
Jesus , born to be the Prince of Peace (King)
… but, born to die!
baptised
tempted
rules over the elements
ruler of life and death
proclaims Himself Son of God, by what He does, what He teaches
Helps the blind to see!
And now, onward, into Jerusalem, where:-
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Did He not tell the disciples, explicitly?
33 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles,
34 and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.”
I wonder what the mood was like, then?
Amen