Palm Sunday
March 24, 2002
Matthew 21:1-11
Palm Sunday
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
larry@larryjameson.com
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Matthew 21:1-11
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a
donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will
send them right away."
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding
on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus
sat on them.
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches
from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to
the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna
in the highest!"
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is
this?"
11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
INTRODUCTION
Palm Sunday shows us
that what we expect
and what God purposes to do
are often very different.
What a day when Jesus came to Jerusalem!
There were tremendous crowds,
and the name of Jesus
was spoken by every person.
What was he going to do?
What was his plan of action?
Who was he?
Was it true that he could heal the sick
with a touch of his hand?
Did he really bring a dead man back to life?
There were so many stories
and they all seemed so fantastic.
The Jewish religion taught that some day,
God would send an anointed leader, a Messiah,
who would restore the kingdom of Israel.
Was Jesus going to use his power
against the Romans?
Palm Sunday was an amazing and important day
because Jesus is the Messiah
and he really does have that kind of power.
But the plan of action that Jesus followed
was so unusual
that nobody was ready for it,
not even his disciples.
But isn't that just like the Lord?
What we expect
and what God purposes to do
are often very different.
P
They expected a politician.
They expected a power broker.
They expected a president.
He is our priest.
Palm Sunday was a political rally.
It was a parade for the new king.
The people thought that Jesus had come to Jerusalem
in order to accept the crown
and to begin his rule.
The clues were all there.
The Romans didn't understand them
but the Jewish people did.
Clue number one: the donkey
In Zechariah 9:9
the Hebrew Scripture predicted that the Messiah
would come to power
riding a donkey.
Clue number two: palm branches
Two hundred years earlier
Simon Maccabees rode into Jerusalem as king,
and they gave him a palm branch parade.
Here in the United States we give a ticker-tape parade
to national heros. It was sort of like that.
Simon Maccabees lead an armed revolution
against the Greeks,
and he won.
For a few brief years, Israel was independent.
(See 1 Maccabees 13:51)
By waving their branches the people were saying:
"do what Simon Maccabees did!"
Clue number three: coats on the road
We read in 2 Kings 9:13 that the friends of Jehu
put their coats on the road
and proclaimed him king of Israel.
It was an act of public support
showing loyalty to the new king.
The donkey,
the palm branches,
coats on the road:
those were ingredients for welcoming a king of Israel.
But the Messiah
was not what the people expected.
He wasn't Simon Maccabees.
He wasn't Jehu.
He is Jesus.
He is our priest.
A priest makes intercession between God and people.
That's why Jesus came to Jerusalem.
He came to help sinners find forgiveness.
This was very difficult for the people to understand.
Not even the disciples comprehended,
and Jesus had explained it to them in advance.
A
They expected an Avenger.
They expected Army.
They expected an Arsenal.
He is our Atonement.
When you look at the history of Israel
and every king that came to power
they all had one thing in common:
military success.
If there were enemies, they were killed.
That's what kings do.
They lead their people, and they win wars.
There was a war,
but it wasn't the kind that the people expected.
Jesus saw the real enemy:
sin, death, and the powers of wickedness.
Jesus was an army of one.
Only one man had never sinned.
Only one man could pay for
all the wrong you and I have ever done.
Jesus is our Atonement.
He rode into Jerusalem
knowing that it would mean
death on a cross,
and he faced that reality
because he loves you that much.
L
They expected a Liberator
They expected a Landslide.
They expected a Lion.
He is our Lamb.
In the Bible,
God declared that a lamb
would be sacrificed
and the angel of death
would pass over the homes of the people.
The Jews were instructed to observe this ritual
and Palm Sunday took place
right before the Passover.
Two and a half million people were in Jerusalem that day.
Jews came from all over the world
because it was their duty to be there.
It was the most important day of the year
for the Jews.
As it turned out,
it became the most important day of all time.
Our calendars reflect that truth.
BC and AD mark the years before the and after
Jesus the lamb was slain.
When you look at a calendar,
you are looking at physical evidence
for the historical fact of Jesus of Nazareth,
the lamb of God
that takes away the sins of the world.
M
They expected an Monarch.
They expected Muscle.
They expected Military victory.
He is God's Mercy.
Isn't it amazing that Jesus,
who is the embodiment of mercy and love
would be treated the way he was?
And make no mistake,
it wasn't "them"
it wasn't "those people"
who did this to the Lord. It was you and me.
On Sunday we followed him
but on Friday we fled from him.
On Sunday we hailed him
but on Friday we hurt him.
On Sunday we blessed him
but on Friday we betrayed him.
On Sunday we threw our coats before him
but on Friday we gambled for his coat.
On Sunday we lauded him
but on Friday we lashed him
On Sunday we praised him
but on Friday we pierced him.
On Sunday we crowned him
but on Friday we killed him.
Praise the Lord
that what we expect
and what God purposes to do
are often very different. Amen.