Palm Sunday: The Triumphant Entry
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
This Sunday is known throughout the world as Palm Sunday. It is traditionally the day that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to suffer and die a criminal’s death on an old rugged cross. It is a day where the crowds praised Him and saw Him as their King, yet they would turn viciously against Him in just a few days.
It called Palm Sunday because as Jesus came into Jerusalem, the people waved palm branches saying “Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”
All four Gospels tell of this triumphant entry. Matthew and John tell us of the palm branches being waved. Mark tells us that branches were spread on the path along with the cloaks of those in the crowd. Luke makes no mention of the palms at all. Each Gospel is unique in how they share the story of their respective encounters with Christ. Just like you and I, there are different things that have happened to us and there are different ways in which we have encountered Christ. However, the Gospel message is clear and unchanging as we see in each one how Jesus loves us and came to this world to save us. This morning, we are going to look at Luke’s interpretation of this triumphant entry of Jesus and how we can learn from it even today.
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
I want to show you this morning how Jesus was triumphant in determination, triumphant in direction, triumphant in disgruntlement, and triumphant in death.
Triumphant in Determination (vs. 28-29)
Triumphant in Determination (vs. 28-29)
Jesus was the Master Teacher. He always taught something and it seems He would find a way to demonstrate it. Luke 19 11-27 Jesus tells the parable of the ten minas. It is about a king that gave his servants ten minas. A mina was about three months wages. The king gives out these wages and commands for the money to be put to work. When the king returns, he calls for an accounting of his money. Two of his servants made money, one did not. The two that did good were blessed with more, the one that did nothing was punished. Jesus goes on to punish those that had a hard time with Him being king. After He told this parable, He left and went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. There is a sense of determination we see in Jesus.
Can you picture this? Jesus had just shared a story about a king giving specific instructions and desires for his kingdom. Jesus knew what was to come. The Bible says He went ahead. The implication I see is that Jesus is going with His followers eagerly following behind. They were going to Jerusalem where He would receive honor yet also where He would be betrayed into the hands of cruel men and then put to a shameful death. Yet, Jesus goes on ahead on them, triumphant in His determination. As the shepherd leads his sheep, not driving them. As the captain goes before his soldiers taking the post of danger, So our Lord goes before them and He continues to go before us.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
Jesus is our righteousness and He goes on before of us and has prepared the way.
Jesus also goes behind us.
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
What a promise that our Lord is in front of us and behind us, yet all the while He is right beside us. His journey brought Him to the side of two of His disciples with further instructions. If we walk with Jesus we will learn much. I cannot help but wonder if those disciples knew what it met standing at the Mount of Olives. I am told if one were to stand their, you would be facing the temple in Jerusalem. There is an important prophecy that you don’t need to miss.
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
Jesus stood with His disciple facing the Holy City at His feet. Jesus, even in the worst of times to come, stands beside of us!
8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Jesus is beside of us. Matthew 28:20 reminds that He is with us always!
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Notice that Jesus was also triumphant in His direction.
Triumphant in Direction (vs. 30-38)
Triumphant in Direction (vs. 30-38)
His direction included instructions about what needed to be done and the specific way that He needed to go. Jesus gives divine arrangement in telling these two disciples that there was a colt waiting for them just ahead. He not only told them where it would be, but what exactly to say when someone asked them about what they were doing when they untied that colt. I cannot help but wonder if one of these disciples Jesus was sending was Nathanael. Jesus had already proven to him that He had the power to see things that the human eye could not see. John 1:48
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
We do not know who those two disciples were, but obviously by now all of them had been amazed at what Jesus could do and how He made for divine arrangement.
This led to them experiencing some divine accolades. The Bible tells us that the colt was brought to Jesus just as He requested.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus knew what needed to be done according to prophecy.
The disciples put their cloaks on the colt and placed Jesus on it. The other gospels as previously mentioned, portrays the people laying down their cloaks and branches as well as waving branches.
33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.
13 They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”
The people celebrated Jesus as a King. The colt or actually donkey was the mount of a man of peace, a merchant, or a priest. A king would most likely be on a warhorse, yet we have already seen in Zechariah that this was the mount of the Prince of Peace. Nevertheless, John’s Gospel tells us in John 12:13 that the people waved palm branches. We also see in Leviticus 23:40 that this was used for rejoicing. The people joyfully praised God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
One writer puts it this way:
He was more than the babe of Nazareth.
He was more the Galilean Rabbi.
He was more than the miracle worker.
He was a royal figure entering a royal city down a royal road.
Triumphant in Disgruntlement (vs. 39-40)
Triumphant in Disgruntlement (vs. 39-40)
However, not everyone was praising Him that way. There were some that had disfigured faces. Have you ever seen someone get bent out of shape because the religion is being challenged by the relationship? Their faces get all disfigured and they become judgmental.
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“ ‘From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise’?”
These religious leaders did not like the children saying these praises at the temple and they certainly did not like the fanfare taking place in this triumphant entry. Disfigured faces come from displeased findings and displaced flattery. Yet, God knew what He was doing! Imagine that! Jesus knowing the Father’s heart also knew what needed to happen!
11 The stones of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
God had ordained the praise. If it didn’t come from the people, then the stones would cry out.
“The Pharisees had only seen a false teacher on a donkey. But for those who do see the King, praise is the language of the day!” -Trent Butler
Triumphant in Death
Triumphant in Death
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew He would die. Jesus in all of His encounters was looking beyond. He was always about the living beyond that which was immediate. He was about the better plan and loving beyond that which was to come. Jesus made a triumphal entry and He could do so because He knew He would be triumphant in death.
Jesus was loving us beyond that triumphant entry. Jesus was preparing to show us the greatest triumphant entry of all time. He was preparing the way to triumphantly enter into our hearts and He did by loving us from the cross.