Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Every Thanksgiving, millions of people flock to New York City and on average 44 million more tune in through TV to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

From high school marching bands, large floats, and hundreds of balloons, this parade captivates the eyes of the world as we prepare our stomachs to feast upon our Thanksgiving food to enjoy a few hours later.

Why is this parade such a big deal?

Why do so many gather in person, tune in online, and on TV?

In part it is the history of the parade, but to a deeper part, it has to do with our human desire to be entertained, have fun, and recognize those in the parade itself.

In a parade you often are celebrating something - either a date such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, or a birthday or you are celebrating a person like a king, president, leader, or warrior.

Parades get people to come together and we often look back at them with fond memories - especially if you have ever been involved in a float or band.

In Scripture we read of several such marches and parades through key towns.

We read of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and there being quite a procession following that occasion in 2 Samuel 6.

We read of kings riding into town to be praised by their loyal subjects.

We read in the book of Joshua how Joshua and the Israelites marched around Jericho.

So often, these events involve celebrating a victorious leader and this is what we celebrate on Palm Sunday - the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem… But why exactly is Jesus celebrated as He enters this city?

Has he accomplished a military victory over the Romans?

No. Has He arrived into town with a massive army with swords?

No. Has He come to town to engage in philosophical arguments with the religious elite of the day?

No. Yet, He enters the city to a warm celebration worthy of a victorious king… This is Jesus… The King.

This is Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His life for His sheep.

This is Jesus, the King of creation who dies for His creation.

Not the touchdown Jesus who athletes pray to before a game in order to jump higher and run faster.

Not the Starbucks Jesus who promises everyone happiness and loves deep conversations.

Not the pocket Jesus who you can whip out whenever you need something.

Not the good example Jesus who wants you to become the best version of you so that you can unlock your best life now.

This is Jesus, the donkey riding Savior who has flipped the power structure of the world upside down, not by lifting a sword, but by preaching the Gospel and raising the dead back to life.

The 3 years of ministry are coming to a conclusion and it culminates with this entrance into the city where the kings of Israel ruled from.

Matthew devotes 1/3 of his book to the final week of Jesus’ life… Today, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we look back some 2000 years at this final week before Jesus’ death.

We can’t cover everything that happened in this final week but we see that it included His triumphant entry, teaching His disciples and other Jewish leaders, instituting the Lord’s Supper, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and eventually being betrayed and crucified.

As we look at this final week before His death, we see the close of one chapter.

We see the beginning of the end as the King of glory enters the city of His death to the cheer of the people who in 5 days will cry for His death.

We see the King of glory who lays aside His rights and bore our sin and shame on the cross.

The Entrance of the King (21:1-11)

Following the conclusion of the ancient olympic games, winners would arrive back to their respective towns and villages to the applause of their neighbors and family members.

They would receive their olive wreath crown and they would be praised by their countrymen for their accomplishments.

Some even had statues built in their honor!

Why would people do this?

They would do this to celebrate the person.

Look in Matthew 21 and we find that Jesus is entering Jerusalem to the applause of his fellow Jews as they cry out “Hosanna!” which originally meant “God save us” and is likely used here as a shout of praise to God!

They are rejoicing that Jesus has entered the city but many of them don’t know who exactly their are celebrating.

Jesus quotes from Zechariah 9 and fulfills this prophecy

Some share that Jesus is simply a prophet or a revolutionary of His time.

They think that He is a good leader with wise sayings… But He is so much more.

As Jesus quotes from Zechariah 9, He does so to share exactly who He is… Look at that verse once again, Look your King is coming to you… riding on a donkey.

Whenever kings would return from war and enter their city, they would enter on a war horse.

They would enter with the spoils of their victory and demonstrate their power in the manner in which they entered the city.

Contrast that with Jesus’ triumphal entry.

Here He comes, Not on a mighty horse… But a lowly donkey.

Not a proud stallion but a borrowed beast.

He enters the city to fanfare and shouts of Hosanna - the whole town is in uproar and celebrating the entry of Jesus Christ just like we would welcome a celebrity.

Back in 2005 the St. Louis Cardinals moved their AA minor league team from Tennessee to Springfield, Missouri and named them the Springfield Cardinals.

Growing up in Springfield as a little boy and being a big baseball fan, I thought this was just about the coolest thing in the whole world!

To kick off this new team and this new season, the St. Louis Cardinals sent their team to play against the Springfield team.

Names like Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Christ Carpenter, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds, people that I had watched on TV and in St. Louis for years and years suddenly were in my hometown playing in Springfield for a weekend.

If you were there, you’d never forget the sound that the 13,000 fans made whenever those players entered the stadium.

They were welcomed like kings in the ancient world as people stood to their feet and raised their ball caps and the best part was that cell phones weren’t a big thing back then so you didn’t have 13,000 people trying to capture the best picture and raising their arms left and right.

Wherever these players went, a crowd went as well.

Thousands of people came to Hammons field simply to watch famous people play baseball.

Back in Jerusalem 2000 years ago people heard that Jesus was going to come into the city to celebrate Passover and they were ready to welcome him!

They didn’t all know who exactly they were welcoming, but they wanted to all be there!

Have you ever seen a crowd forming and you’re not exactly sure what’s going on but you naturally follow your friends to see what’s going on?

That’s what some of these people were doing - sure, there were Jesus’ disciples in the crowd but there were also people who had followed Jesus off and on during his 3 years of ministry, and Luke talks about how there were even some of the religious leaders who didn’t like Jesus who were there keeping tabs on what He was doing.

But who did the crowd think this man was?

We find this at the end of our opening text: the consensus was that this man was a prophet from Nazareth.

Many expected Him to be the One to liberate them from Roman rule and set up an earthly kingdom immediately.

The people didn’t understand who Jesus was and what His Kingdom was really like.

Though they initially cried out Hosanna, in 5 days time they would cry out, “Crucify Him.”

In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry we see that Jesus weeps in Luke 19:41 over the city for their unbelief and stiffneckedness as Stephen talks about in Acts 7.

Think this morning about this: Who do you believe that Jesus Christ is?

The Jews believed that He was a prophet, a wise teacher, or a false prophet.

The Romans saw Him as a revolutionary who had the nation on the brink of civil unrest and war.

Historians since have been equally divided on who Jesus is.

He was a nice guy, a smart counselor, a cool teacher, or a power hungry carpenter.

People in the 21st century believe that Jesus has some helpful advice and wise sayings but He’s nothing more.

He’s clearly not a king.

After all, look at what He rode into town - a donkey!

Who do you believe that Jesus Christ was? Better yet, what does the Bible say about who Jesus was? Zechariah 9 shares with us that Jesus is the King.

Jesus Himself claimed this title as well.

This was their King and though they welcomed Him with open arms and celebration, they would quickly sing a different tune whenever He didn’t do what they expected Him to do.

People today do the same thing with Jesus.

They celebrate Jesus when it’s popular and easy, but the moment Jesus does something they don’t understand or like, they want nothing to do with Him.

Friend, understand today that it’s not about gathering and celebrating Jesus, it’s about knowing Him and following Him.

Let’s keep reading from Matthew’s Gospel about the week leading up to Jesus’ death and look at His prayer in Gethsemane on Thursday night

The Prayer of the King (26:36-46)

In Matthew 6, we read about the model prayer from Jesus Christ.

In the Lord’s Prayer we see Jesus implore His followers to to pray that God’s Kingdom come and God’s will be done.

Here, in the Garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus practice what He preaches.

He prays, if possible, for the cup to pass from Him… Not as He desires, but as God wills.

He prays for God’s will to come.

Can you imagine the thoughts racing through Jesus’ brain here?

We have to be careful whenever we try to put ourselves into Jesus’ shoes because He’s the God-man and we’re just man.

But try to think about what’s going on here.

Why did Jesus come to the earth?

We know that He came to die on the cross.

This is why He came!

To be crushed and die for our sins.

Paul addresses this in Romans 3

Jesus knows what is coming - the cross.

What is the big deal about the cross?

Not only physical pain and death but the fact that God is going to place His wrath against sin upon His Son.

Romans 3:25 shares that Jesus is the propitiation for sin.

Our God is a holy God and He is a just God.