April 5, 2020 –Palm Sunday Sermon by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Celebrating Jesus
Introduction
The days are beginning to blur one into the other. For some of us, it may be hard to remember what day it is. However, even though it may seem like time has stopped, and we are stuck in groundhog’s day, time is continuing to move forward. We have flipped the calendar to April, and this morning, the bright sun rose on Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday is a day of celebration. Now, I know that some of you may not feel like celebrating. But on that day that Jesus rode into town riding that donkey, those Jews wanted to celebrate. They had waited lifetimes for a Messiah, a Savior to come and rescue them. In their minds, they thought he was coming as a victorious king, and they were ready to be freed from…the Roman oppression.
You see, they were still thinking in Old Testament ways. The Israelites (or Jews) would do bad and wander from God. God would allow another nation to take them over. After living under oppression for a while, they would return to God, and God would rescue and free them. They would once again become a great nation under God. Then, the Israelites would falter, and the cycle would continue.
Jesus as a Leader
When the New Testament opens, the Jews are living under Roman occupation and oppression, which tells us they had once again fallen and wandered away from God at some point. With the Pharisees and Sadducees having a strong temple culture and leadership, they probably thought they would once again be rescued by God and soon. In fact, the prophets and foretold of a Messiah, hadn’t they? The Jews had been waiting around for one. Only, the Jews were still thinking in earthly ways.
Despite having listened to the teachings of Jesus for 3 years, they still did not quite get it. They were still waiting for that earthly, victorious king that would come and overthrow the Romans to rescue them. And considering all that Jesus had done and said, they believed that Jesus was that conqueror. After all, Jesus was not afraid to challenge the Pharisees and Sadducees. He was not afraid when they challenged him. If he could stand up to the strict religious leaders of the day, and if he could turn some of the cultural traditions on their heads, then is it really so crazy to think he would be brash enough to go up against the Romans? Jesus didn’t seem to have any fear, and He certainly seemed to have God on His side. Jesus also had authority, not just with His knowledge of the Scriptures or His followers. Jesus commanded the natural world by healing the sick and calming storms. Jesus commanded the supernatural world by casting out demons, and those demons feared Him. Who wouldn’t want Jesus commanding their army? He was a natural born leader.
Matthew 21:1-11 The Triumphal Entry
If you would, please turn to Matthew 21:1-11. Read along with me as I read Matthew 21:1-11 ESV.
The Triumphal Entry
1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
In his gospel, Matthew is writing to Jews, and he often makes connections back to the Old Testament. So, in verses 4-5, where he references the prophet, he is connecting what Jesus did back to Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11. Zechariah 9:9 ESV states:
The Coming King of Zion
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This whole event is about the king of Zion coming to bring salvation. The Jews recognized that the prophecies were coming true and that Jesus was the Messiah. However, Jesus did not do what they expected or even wanted Him to do. Even some of the Twelve disciples were nationalists and Zealots when Jesus met them. Zealots were fanatical nationalists who hated the Romans. Peter was impulsive and brash. John had an explosive temper. Judas Iscariot, who had not yet betrayed Jesus at this time, was a violent Jewish nationalist. Thaddeus was a Zealot and violent Jewish nationalist. Matthew was a tax collector, which was akin to a criminal in the minds of the Jews. Simon was a Zealot and fanatical nationalist. The 12 Apostles that followed Jesus were not calm, gentle men. And it may be the reason why Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus later. He may have felt let down that Jesus wasn’t going to overthrow the Romans as he had hoped.
The Jews honored Jesus as He entered the city. They laid down their cloaks and branches from trees, so that even the hooves of the donkey and colt did not have to touch the ground. The Jews had done once before for Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13. It was an act of honor bestowed upon a king.
Public Demonstration
This is the only public demonstration that Jesus intentionally planned. Most of the time, He tried to minister quietly. Jesus would even tell people not to tell about what they had seen Him do or who He was. But this time was different. The colt that Jesus rode was a donkey, which was the royal animal of the Jewish monarchy. The colt had never been ridden before, and this was another example of the authority that Jesus had over the natural world. This public display of Jesus’s authority plus the people’s enthrallment with Jesus incited the Jewish leaders to act against Him. This public display also wasn’t on just any normal day in Jerusalem either. It was during Passover, which meant that there were more people than usual there. It was estimated that there were about 2 million people in Jerusalem during this time for Passover. So, we are not talking about small crowds. The crowds’ response to Jesus was to quote from Psalm 118, hailing Jesus as the Son of David, a messianic title.
Authority of Jesus
Jesus had deliberately been antagonistic in His discussions with the Jewish religious leaders before. But this was public, and this was going too far. They either had to accept Him as the Messiah, which they were blinded to that truth, or they had to get rid of Him. However, Jesus did not stop there. You know on Palm Sunday, we typically hear about His triumphal entry into the Jerusalem, and the crowds rejoicing His presence. But I am sure that things really escalated as the day went on and the local authorities were a bit nervous, if not downright angry. So, let’s see what Jesus does after He enters the city. Read along with me as I read Matthew 21:12-17 ESV.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus once again is overturning tables and clearing out the Temple in Jerusalem. These money-changers and pigeon sellers would have probably been making a ton of money with all of the people there for Passover. This is not a meek and mild Jesus. This is a strong, confident Jesus asserting His authority. He has no fear of setting things right. Again, the Jewish nationalists and Zealots would have seen this and been excited. Here at last, they would have had a leader they could follow into battle…a revolt or rebellion. Jesus didn’t just clear out the Temple though.
He claimed it as His house. In verse 13, Jesus says, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’”. The Temple is God’s house, and with those words, Jesus is equating Himself to God, saying the Temple is His. The Jewish leaders would have been aghast at this bold claim.
Then Jesus began healing people. There were many children in the Temple hailing Jesus as the Son of David, a term only used for the Messiah. The Jewish religious leaders, unable to take it anymore, asked Jesus, “Aren’t you going to do anything about this?” Basically, they thought He should put such blasphemy to a stop. It is interesting to me that they wanted to prevent the children from referring to Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not try to stop Jesus from doing what He was doing. They were more outraged by the people’s reactions to Jesus rather than Jesus actually healing people or clearing out the Temple. The religious leaders are watching Jesus healing people in the Temple and doing all of these wonderful things, but they still are blind to who He really is. Jesus merely responded, “Out of the mouths of babes…” as we have come to paraphrase that verse. “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.” In other words, these children are speaking the truth, so why should Jesus stop them? Could you imagine the looks on the religious leaders faces when Jesus said that?
The entire day must have been just a shock for the Pharisees and Sadducees. They had known all about Jesus for 3 years. They had been keeping tabs on Jesus, heard Him preach and teach, and some had seen Him perform miracles. However, on that first Palm Sunday, as blinded as they were, they must have been shocked speechless. In three years, Jesus had never acted quite so publicly and intentionally in their faces as He did that day. Things were certainly intensifying, and it set into motion most of what would come in the week that followed, leading up to Jesus’s arrest and execution on the Cross.
Rejoicing over the Savior
For us, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we can get to truly celebrate, because we have the benefit of knowing that Jesus really was and is the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for on that day. We know that ending of that chapter in the story. We know that despite being arrested and executed that Jesus rose from the dead. We know that Jesus is the one true Messiah that came to the save the Jews then and to save all people of all time. Salvation is only found in Jesus. There truly is reason to celebrate. Let me close with Psalm 118:19-24 ESV:
19Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Let us rejoice and celebrate this Palm Sunday our hope in Jesus and the salvation found in Him.
Closing Blessing
May almighty God bless you in His kindness and pour out saving wisdom upon you. May God nourish you always with the teachings of the faith and make you persevere in holy deeds. May God turn your steps towards Himself and show you the path of charity and peace. And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever.
Celebrating Jesus
Introduction
The days are beginning to blur one into the other. For some of us, it may be hard to remember what day it is. However, even though it may seem like time has stopped, and we are stuck in groundhog’s day, time is continuing to move forward. We have flipped the calendar to April, and this morning, the bright sun rose on Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday is a day of celebration. Now, I know that some of you may not feel like celebrating. But on that day that Jesus rode into town riding that donkey, those Jews wanted to celebrate. They had waited lifetimes for a Messiah, a Savior to come and rescue them. In their minds, they thought he was coming as a victorious king, and they were ready to be freed from…the Roman oppression.
You see, they were still thinking in Old Testament ways. The Israelites (or Jews) would do bad and wander from God. God would allow another nation to take them over. After living under oppression for a while, they would return to God, and God would rescue and free them. They would once again become a great nation under God. Then, the Israelites would falter, and the cycle would continue.
Jesus as a Leader
When the New Testament opens, the Jews are living under Roman occupation and oppression, which tells us they had once again fallen and wandered away from God at some point. With the Pharisees and Sadducees having a strong temple culture and leadership, they probably thought they would once again be rescued by God and soon. In fact, the prophets and foretold of a Messiah, hadn’t they? The Jews had been waiting around for one. Only, the Jews were still thinking in earthly ways.
Despite having listened to the teachings of Jesus for 3 years, they still did not quite get it. They were still waiting for that earthly, victorious king that would come and overthrow the Romans to rescue them. And considering all that Jesus had done and said, they believed that Jesus was that conqueror. After all, Jesus was not afraid to challenge the Pharisees and Sadducees. He was not afraid when they challenged him. If he could stand up to the strict religious leaders of the day, and if he could turn some of the cultural traditions on their heads, then is it really so crazy to think he would be brash enough to go up against the Romans? Jesus didn’t seem to have any fear, and He certainly seemed to have God on His side. Jesus also had authority, not just with His knowledge of the Scriptures or His followers. Jesus commanded the natural world by healing the sick and calming storms. Jesus commanded the supernatural world by casting out demons, and those demons feared Him. Who wouldn’t want Jesus commanding their army? He was a natural born leader.
Matthew 21:1-11 The Triumphal Entry
If you would, please turn to Matthew 21:1-11. Read along with me as I read Matthew 21:1-11 ESV.
The Triumphal Entry
1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
In his gospel, Matthew is writing to Jews, and he often makes connections back to the Old Testament. So, in verses 4-5, where he references the prophet, he is connecting what Jesus did back to Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11. Zechariah 9:9 ESV states:
The Coming King of Zion
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This whole event is about the king of Zion coming to bring salvation. The Jews recognized that the prophecies were coming true and that Jesus was the Messiah. However, Jesus did not do what they expected or even wanted Him to do. Even some of the Twelve disciples were nationalists and Zealots when Jesus met them. Zealots were fanatical nationalists who hated the Romans. Peter was impulsive and brash. John had an explosive temper. Judas Iscariot, who had not yet betrayed Jesus at this time, was a violent Jewish nationalist. Thaddeus was a Zealot and violent Jewish nationalist. Matthew was a tax collector, which was akin to a criminal in the minds of the Jews. Simon was a Zealot and fanatical nationalist. The 12 Apostles that followed Jesus were not calm, gentle men. And it may be the reason why Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus later. He may have felt let down that Jesus wasn’t going to overthrow the Romans as he had hoped.
The Jews honored Jesus as He entered the city. They laid down their cloaks and branches from trees, so that even the hooves of the donkey and colt did not have to touch the ground. The Jews had done once before for Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13. It was an act of honor bestowed upon a king.
Public Demonstration
This is the only public demonstration that Jesus intentionally planned. Most of the time, He tried to minister quietly. Jesus would even tell people not to tell about what they had seen Him do or who He was. But this time was different. The colt that Jesus rode was a donkey, which was the royal animal of the Jewish monarchy. The colt had never been ridden before, and this was another example of the authority that Jesus had over the natural world. This public display of Jesus’s authority plus the people’s enthrallment with Jesus incited the Jewish leaders to act against Him. This public display also wasn’t on just any normal day in Jerusalem either. It was during Passover, which meant that there were more people than usual there. It was estimated that there were about 2 million people in Jerusalem during this time for Passover. So, we are not talking about small crowds. The crowds’ response to Jesus was to quote from Psalm 118, hailing Jesus as the Son of David, a messianic title.
Authority of Jesus
Jesus had deliberately been antagonistic in His discussions with the Jewish religious leaders before. But this was public, and this was going too far. They either had to accept Him as the Messiah, which they were blinded to that truth, or they had to get rid of Him. However, Jesus did not stop there. You know on Palm Sunday, we typically hear about His triumphal entry into the Jerusalem, and the crowds rejoicing His presence. But I am sure that things really escalated as the day went on and the local authorities were a bit nervous, if not downright angry. So, let’s see what Jesus does after He enters the city. Read along with me as I read Matthew 21:12-17 ESV.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus once again is overturning tables and clearing out the Temple in Jerusalem. These money-changers and pigeon sellers would have probably been making a ton of money with all of the people there for Passover. This is not a meek and mild Jesus. This is a strong, confident Jesus asserting His authority. He has no fear of setting things right. Again, the Jewish nationalists and Zealots would have seen this and been excited. Here at last, they would have had a leader they could follow into battle…a revolt or rebellion. Jesus didn’t just clear out the Temple though.
He claimed it as His house. In verse 13, Jesus says, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’”. The Temple is God’s house, and with those words, Jesus is equating Himself to God, saying the Temple is His. The Jewish leaders would have been aghast at this bold claim.
Then Jesus began healing people. There were many children in the Temple hailing Jesus as the Son of David, a term only used for the Messiah. The Jewish religious leaders, unable to take it anymore, asked Jesus, “Aren’t you going to do anything about this?” Basically, they thought He should put such blasphemy to a stop. It is interesting to me that they wanted to prevent the children from referring to Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not try to stop Jesus from doing what He was doing. They were more outraged by the people’s reactions to Jesus rather than Jesus actually healing people or clearing out the Temple. The religious leaders are watching Jesus healing people in the Temple and doing all of these wonderful things, but they still are blind to who He really is. Jesus merely responded, “Out of the mouths of babes…” as we have come to paraphrase that verse. “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.” In other words, these children are speaking the truth, so why should Jesus stop them? Could you imagine the looks on the religious leaders faces when Jesus said that?
The entire day must have been just a shock for the Pharisees and Sadducees. They had known all about Jesus for 3 years. They had been keeping tabs on Jesus, heard Him preach and teach, and some had seen Him perform miracles. However, on that first Palm Sunday, as blinded as they were, they must have been shocked speechless. In three years, Jesus had never acted quite so publicly and intentionally in their faces as He did that day. Things were certainly intensifying, and it set into motion most of what would come in the week that followed, leading up to Jesus’s arrest and execution on the Cross.
Rejoicing over the Savior
For us, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we can get to truly celebrate, because we have the benefit of knowing that Jesus really was and is the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for on that day. We know that ending of that chapter in the story. We know that despite being arrested and executed that Jesus rose from the dead. We know that Jesus is the one true Messiah that came to the save the Jews then and to save all people of all time. Salvation is only found in Jesus. There truly is reason to celebrate. Let me close with Psalm 118:19-24 ESV:
19Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Let us rejoice and celebrate this Palm Sunday our hope in Jesus and the salvation found in Him.
Closing Blessing
May almighty God bless you in His kindness and pour out saving wisdom upon you. May God nourish you always with the teachings of the faith and make you persevere in holy deeds. May God turn your steps towards Himself and show you the path of charity and peace. And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever.
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