Triumphant Entry

The Triumphant Entry (Palm Sunday)

Mark 11:1-11

Crossroads Community Church

Rev. Ricky A. Rohrig Sr., Founding Pastor

April 10, 2022

I’d like to welcome our Facebook friends watching today. My name is Pastor Ricky A. Rohrig Sr., founding pastor of Crossroads Community Church at 303 East oak Street in Red Oak, Iowa. Our website is www.crossroadsredoak.com, our phone number is 712-357-1060, and email address is [e-mail] We are a church that is Godly focused, Jesus Christ centered, Holy Spirit led, and Mission minded. We would love for you to come worship with us in person on Sunday’s at 9:23 a.m. Wednesday’s in the Word at 6:30 p.m. A few of quick requests.

1. Will you pray for our church, we preach the Bible and stand on God’s word in the midst of a culture that is politically correct, we desire to be Biblically correct.

2. If these messages are a blessing to you, will you tell your friends and family to like us on Facebook and they can be blessed by God’s word also? 3. Pray for our country. Thank you in advance. Remember God cares about you, loves you, and so do we!

INTRODUCTION

We take a break or press pause from our series in James which we will pick back up in two weeks. As we are in the final weeks and final Sunday in Lent. This week kicks off what is known to Christians as Passion Week (also known as Holy Week) is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Also included within Passion Week are Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Passion Week is so named because of the passion with which Jesus willingly went to the cross in order to pay for the sins of His people. Passion Week is described in Matthew chapters 21-27; Mark chapters 11-15; Luke chapters 19-23; and John chapters 12-19. Passion Week begins with the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday on the back of a colt as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9.

Passion Week contained several memorable events. Jesus cleansed the Temple for the second time (Luke 19:45-46), then disputed with the Pharisees regarding His authority. Then He gave His Olivet Discourse on the end times and taught many things, including the signs of His second coming. Jesus ate His Last Supper with His disciples in the upper room (Luke 22:7-38), then went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray as He waited for His hour to come. It was here that Jesus, having been betrayed by Judas, was arrested and taken to several sham trials before the chief priests, Pontius Pilate, and Herod (Luke 22:54-23:25). Following the trials, Jesus was scourged at the hands of the Roman soldiers, then was forced to carry His own instrument of execution (the Cross) through the streets of Jerusalem along what is known as the Via Dolorosa (way of sorrows). Jesus was then crucified at Golgotha on the day before the Sabbath, was buried and remained in the tomb until Sunday, the day after the Sabbath, and then gloriously resurrected. It is referred to as Passion Week because in that time, Jesus Christ truly revealed His passion for us in the suffering He willingly went through on our behalf. What should our attitude be during Passion Week? We should be passionate in our worship of Jesus and in our proclamation of His Gospel! As He suffered for us, so should we be willing to suffer for the cause of following Him and proclaiming the message of His death and resurrection.

Palm Sunday, here we are! I remember as a kid on Palm Sunday growing up in the Methodist church Palm Sunday was a big deal for our church, community and men. Why you may ask? Because the men of the Grace United Methodist Church in Oelwein Iowa always prepared a great Palm Sunday breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and toast. The drinks were coffee, orange juice (actually Tang), and/or milk. Then many Sunday’s after me helping my dad, grandfather, and other men in the church serve our community before and after church my paternal grandparents, parents, and I would take the 1 hour trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to the Paramount Theatre to hear the Shrine concert band which was opened by one of the Shriners emerging from the ground as he played a pipe organ to wonderful music that young and old would recognize. Then about 20 minutes into or so, you would see the Shriner and the organ disappear underground. That’s how I remember growing up on Palm Sunday. Many of us have traditions during the Easter season and on Resurrection Day

Palm Sunday is a very important, reverent occasion for every child of God to remember. However, sometimes children remind us of how genuine they are even in the most serious moment of worship. For example, It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Annie stayed home from church with her mother. When the rest of the family returned home, they were carrying palm branches. Annie asked them what they were for.

“People held them over Jesus’ head as he rode by on a colt,” her father explained.

“Wouldn’t you know it,” Annie fussed, “the one Sunday I’m sick and Jesus shows up and offers pony rides!” [1]

Today we are going to be in

STAND

Mark 11:1-11 KJV

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage

BEHTH – FYE-_ GAY)and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

PRAY

Palm Sunday, so let’s talk about Palm Sunday a little more in depth…

· The day we remember the "triumphal entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem

· First of two entries into Jerusalem

o Exactly one week before Jesus’ resurrection

o This account is found in all four gospels, but Mark gives the most detailed account in the passages we just read and heard.

· We refer to it as “Palm Sunday” because of the palm branches that were laid on the road as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem.Not waved in the air like Annie’s dad said earlier in our Palm Sunday funny

· Since it was Passover, there were probably about 2 million people in and around Jerusalem. This was the only time in His ministry that Jesus actually planned and promoted a public demonstration. Up to this time, He had cautioned people not to tell who He was, and He had deliberately avoided public scenes.

Mark 11:1-11

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage (BEHTH-fuh-dzhee)

· *(Bethphage (BEHTH – FYE-_ GAY ) (in Aramaic) ‘place of young figs.’)

· A village on the Mount of Olives, on or near the road from Jericho to Jerusalem and near Bethany)*

· Jesus is telling them very specifically where to go

and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

· These two places were about a mile apart

2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

· Jesus says once you get to where I have instructed this is what you do…

3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

· Jesus says people may question you

o They were going to need this animal, but they would bring it back when Jesus was finished using it.

o As a Christian when you are questioned are you ready, willing, and able, to answer?

4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

· They listened AND obeyed Jesus

· Jesus is still talking, the real question is not if you’re listen’ (that’s the easy part

o The real question is are you obeyin’ what the man is sayin’?

5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

· Just as Jesus predicted

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

· They remembered and replied according to what Jesus taught them

Palm Sunday is a fulfillment of prophecy

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

So why did Jesus plan this demonstration? For one thing, He was obeying the Word and fulfilling the prophecy… 450-500 years prior

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

• Zechariah 9:9 - predicted that the Messiah would be king of the Jews, or Israel

• 4 facts about Israel’s King:

1. He is just, righteous

2. He has salvation

3. He is lowly

4. He will appear to Israel riding on an ass

· Jesus specifically wanted a donkey. What might seem to us like a “plan B” practical solution to the immediate situation, was a specific fulfillment of thousands of years of promise.

Riding a donkey –

· What do you think of when you see a donkey? Stubborn, right? That’s what they are known for. And when we think of Jesus making a triumphant entry into the Jewish holy city, it’s a logical question to ask: “Why a donkey?” It’s probably not what you or I would have chosen.

· The meaning of Jesus riding on the donkey went above and beyond the immediate or the practical. Even this detail—and this lowly animal—was part of God’s bigger plan.

· The top Roman soldiers of Jesus’s day rode on fancy, majestic horses—now those were a show of power and position. Those said power, strength, authority. The donkey? Not so much.

· But while the donkey can represent the humility of Jesus, the ironic twist of the story is that by riding on this donkey, Jesus was also proclaiming that He was the Messiah, the King! The dedicated Jews gathering in Jerusalem at this time for the celebration of the Passover feast would have known this Old Testament prophecy. So this simple act demonstrated a connection to the past by fulfilling the prophecy. And it also pointed to the future of Jesus as king—not an earthly king as some imagined, but as the true King who would reign forever in God’s story of love, forgiveness, grace, and redemption. The Messiah, whom the Jews had been waiting for throughout the centuries.

· Here He came, riding on a donkey, this is important and easy to overlook,,.

· Riding a donkey - In the ancient world when a king rode a horse, it symbolized war. When he rode a donkey, it symbolized peace.

· Jesus once again does the unexpected by riding a donkey to prove a point; He is the Prince of Peace.

· In the ancient world when a king rode a horse, it symbolized war. When he rode a donkey, it symbolized peace.

· Jesus once again does the unexpected by riding a donkey to prove a point, that He is the Prince of Peace

· The people missed the symbolism. They expected Him to lead a rebellion against Rome, and when He did not, the shouts of “Hosanna” quickly became the cry of “Crucify Him.”

8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

Now let’s talk about that palm branch.

[Hold up or show a picture of a palm branch.]

· None of the four Gospels say the people "waved" branches but that they spread garments and branches in Jesus’ path. Only John mentions palm branches, a tree not native to Jerusalem. This is where we get the name Palm Sunday. The people spread their cloaks on the road for their new king. They could almost taste the sweet goodness of freedom. Finally—finally!—their Messiah, their rescuer, had come. Finally, He was going to kick some Roman tail and overthrow their oppressors and set up the perfect kingdom for the Jews. Right?

· Um, no. The crowd would soon discover that this king wasn’t what they expected. He wasn’t here to set up an earthly, political kingdom. Instead, He went above and beyond what the people imagined. He was a spiritual king, not an earthly one. And His victory—the ultimate victory over sin and death—would be more than freedom from their current oppression. It would be the victory that restored all of creation and made way for every person to have a right relationship with God. He would throw off and defeat the oppression of their souls.

9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

• Jesus is told, alluded to, and prophesized many times in the OT. Let’s look at

Psalms 118:26 KJV

26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

· This is the 91stprophecy in the book of Psalms that is quoted and fulfilled here in verse 9, one of six different places in the gospels.

· Now, there obviously were many people who approved of Jesus when He rode into Jerusalem. They were the ones cheering. And there were many who did not approve of Jesus, including the Pharisees and other religious leaders who were threatened by Jesus’s popularity. But none of them understood the magnitude of what Jesus was preparing to do.

· Even Jesus’s disciples didn’t get it. John told us so:

John 12:16 KJV

16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him,and that they had done these things unto him.

· At first,his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been writtenabout him and that these things had been doneto him.

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

· Hebrew for "save" or "help now," developed into a liturgical expression of praise.

· It is a Syriac word, and was a form of acclamation used among the Jews. It was probably used in the celebration of their great festivals.

· This was said once daily for seven days at the feast of tabernacles as they marched with palm and other branches around the altar. On the eighth day, they marched seven times which was the great hosanna. They expected Jesus to save them from their enemies, but five days later they were crying for His life to crucify Him (which means in part: metaphorically to crucify the flesh, destroy its power utterly (the nature of the figure implying that the destruction is attended with intense pain)

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Now I want to go to a parallel passage in Matthew’s gospel

Matthew 21:10-11

10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved*, saying, Who is this?

MOVED

• *to shake, agitate, cause to tremble

• If they would have known the answer to this question they would have realized what was about to place in a few days

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the **prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

• **the prophet Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15

Deuteronomy 18:15

15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

What about you? What do you expect from Jesus this Resurrection Day? Are you prepared for His power and victory in your life to go above and beyond those expectations?

Rocks

[Hold up or show a picture of some rocks.]

Palm Sunday is a snapshot that represents all of Jesus’s life: His love, sacrifice, and commitment to a greater story, to God’s ultimatework.When He rode into Jerusalem, He didn’t arrive toraise more support or gain more approval. Thiswas not a campaign rally where He was trying to make sure enough people liked Him to get elected. That wasn’t His goal, and He knew what was coming. He knew in the coming days He would die on a cross.

Only days later the same crowd that was shouting “Hosanna” would shout “Crucify Him.” And yet it didn’t change Jesus’s purpose or His actions. Jesus’s purpose was not dependent on human approval or praise. Jesus made this clear as recorded in the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 19:37-40 KJV

37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

· Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen painted rocks, people have and collect rocks, some have pet rocks (I have never understood that!)

· I’ve never heard stones cry out. It seems impossible. But that was just His point—the importance of the day wasn’t about who sang praises and who kept quiet.

· It was about all of creation, which was in need of redemption; all of creation, which was held under the curse of sin and death; all of creation, which would praise God when its Creator was at work in such a significant way to lift the curse and make a way of restoration for all the ultimate good He originally created.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

· Jesus’s purpose was not to be liked by a majority of people.It was to offer the ultimate sacrifice—His own life—so that everyone and all of creation could worship God in new freedom and truth. Whether the people approved or disapproved, recognized or had no idea what was going on, Jesus’s purpose never changed. It was above and beyond earthly understanding.

· Today we have the privilege of hindsight. We see what the disciples did not. We know the end of the story. And so as we watch the events of Holy Week begin to unfold, we come alive to His life, which was dedicated to God’s ways—ways that are above and beyond our own. They were when Jesus entered Jerusalem that Palm Sunday and they still are today.

· Good news is what we all like to receive. Sometimes we are going through a season of waiting and possibly expecting good news, while other times it comes in an unexpected way, form or fashion. That is what happened on Palm Sunday, good news arrived on the scene but not in the manner that most people expected. Just like when Jesus was born He took the unlikely route:

• Born to a virgin, who was impregnated by the Holy Spirit

• Born into a family that the earthly father was not his biological one

• Born in a place that was barely fit for animals

• Born without the pomp and circumstance

• Born into this world without the glitz and glamour

• Born into a place that was not really known for anything

So we fast forward to the time that Jesus decides to publicly introduce himself to the world:

· Remember Jesus has been on the scene for a while performing many miracles, but was telling others not to tell people who He was

But now was the time and in story tale fashion we would expect this to be a no holds barred event, but look how Jesus came to and for His people:

· How many times have you heard people say

o God let me down

o Why didn’t He do that

o Why did He do that

Some people then, just like some people now, want Jesus on their terms and conditions and if He is not they will turn their back on Him.

· God doesn’t work on our terms and timetable

· We can’t demand and tell God what to do, when to do it, or how to do it

What we can and need to do is pray, seek God’s , have faith in Jesus, and trust the Holy Spirit with our lives EVERYDAY, and know and believe that everything will work out according to His will, His timing, and His purpose for our lives.

But you need to know Jesus loves you today, yesterday, and forevermore not conditionally, but unconditionally.

Moments of Decision

So how has this past weeks been going for you? Have you had some mountain top experiences this week, and praise God if you did! Maybe you had some valley experiences that you weren’t proud of. Let’s forget about the past week, continue to focus on today and moving forward in Him! The Pilgrim Jubilees sang a song called Getting Better. In part it says, I’m not what I ought to be, I’m better than I used to be, and thank God I’m getting better all the time. Is that your testimony? Your life was bought with a high price long ago…

Titus 2:14a

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity

1 Peter 1:18,19

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

So as we continue on in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Day where are you at in your faith journey:

• Do you trust God completely, no matter what?

• Is Jesus Christ the most important relationship in your life?

• Do you seek the Holy Spirit in all you do?

• Do you feel in your heart today 100% that if you died today you would go to heaven?

If you answered no to any of these questions we want to pray for you and with you.

Finally:

• Is there unresolved sin in your life?

• Are there relationships that have been broken and need reconciled?

• Are you doing all you can, while you can, to be the best Christian to yourself, your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and enemies?

• Are you purposely living out the gospel by pointing others to Christ or encouraging others to get closer to Christ?

Today is a new day, a new beginning, a do over, a chance to start over, for you Monopoly fans, “to pass go. I am asking you as the Holy Spirit continues to minister to you what do you need to commit to, recommit to, or do differently in your life?

As we enter into passion week, what/who are you passionate about?

God has called us into a passionate pursuit of missions in history and that of calling men out of darkness into His marvelous light. Now, you can’t not talk about something about which you are passionate. If you are passionate about sports, it’s going to come up. You don’t have to be asked to talk about the your favorite NFL or college team; you don’t have to be asked to talk about the World Series; you don’t have to be asked to talk about the your NBA or college basketball team, especially during March Madness. If you are passionate about sports, it’s going to come up. If you’re passionate about sports, you read the front page last. You flip open to the sports section first ’cause you feel it. Paul says knowing the fear of God, we persuade men. He says the love of Christ controls us. This is a passionate thing. Therefore, we must only conclude that if we go day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year without representing our Candidate, we don’t really believe in Him. We must conclude that we’re not passionate about Him because things you are passionate about, you talk about.669[2]

So if you are passionate about Christ, people should not have to ask you about Him, you should tell them about Him. Let’s let our passion for Jesus Christ resonate within in us and reverberate out of us.

PRAY

Will you come so we can pray for you and with you, and a quick side note, you don’t have to go into detail if you don’t want to.

Let’s continue to worship and praise God and ask you to come during this last song and remember Hosanna our battle cry, God help us, Jesus save us! Holy Spirit lead us!!!

Mighty to Save

[1] funny-jokes.com [2] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 220.