Palm Sunday
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As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it,
5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
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The King is coming
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”
Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day Let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
This is Palm Sunday. When we have a very familiar story, to receive afresh from the living word today you will have to un-familiarise yourself with it. As a preacher, there is a danger that we can warm up an old sermon and take it easy. What can make this fresh: the living word for you and me, what is the Lord saying to us? I was tempted to phone the Donkey Sanctuary and hire a donkey but it’s been done before - at Carisbrooke.
Context
Mark 1:1 ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God..’
Mark’s Gospel divides into two sections of 8 chapters each [the Person and the Mission of Jesus]. Mark Ch 1-8 news about Jesus the person and his miracles. As soon as Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ Mark 8:29, the focus changes to the mission of Jesus bringing salvation and the kingdom and, for the first time Jesus talks about the cross.
Palm Sunday as recorded in Mark 11 heralds Jesus’ Messiahship as he enters Jerusalem before being arrested a few days later.
Let us explore this familiar story by asking three questions:
What is Jesus Doing
What are the people doing
What should we be doing
What is Jesus Doing?
Starting with his opening request. Jesus needs a Donkey. Go and get one, here is where you will find it. When they challenge you say ‘the Lord needs’ a Donkey.
What is he doing? We do not hear about him riding anything before, we didn’t know he could ride. Not an unbroken colt, for sure.
What is he doing? Jesus has a plan. It seems he prearranged the Donkey hire. He tells them where the Ass will be tied, he tells them it is unbroken.
He gives them the password ‘the Lord needs it.’ Jesus knows what he is doing – he is orchestrating his Triumphal entry.
NB. It is not a war horse nor a white stallion fit for a king but a donkey the beast of a servant. Oh, the humility of our Lord riding into Jerusalem where he would be named king. Five hundred years earlier, Zechariah 9:9 said, ‘See, your king comes to you ….lowly and riding on a donkey.’
Jesus knows what he is doing as he connects with the prophet Zechariah – a king on a donkey.
Then after all was said and done, he goes back to the village to rest, he does not remain in Jerusalem. It is a marvellous glimpse of Jesus being in control. He had made the statement, this is his hour, the King has come. Mark 11:11 ‘since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.’ It is the end of Palm Sunday, a few days before his betrayal (Good Friday) and the Lord Jesus chose to go back to Bethany to rest with his friends. Jesus knows what he is doing, he is in control.
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” John 10:17ff
Jesus knows what he is doing – he is orchestrating his Triumphal entry.
What are the people doing?
In Mark 10:46 as Jesus and the disciples drew near to Jerusalem, Bartimaeus shouted ‘Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me.’ (see Jeremiah 23:5-6, Ezekiel 34:23-24). Son of David was the title of the Messiah. The crowd would have been amazed that Jesus owns the title Messiah, Saviour. As he heads for Jerusalem Jesus accepts the very title that will bring him into conflict with the authorities, religious and Roman. This is not gentle Jesus meek and mild; this is when the going gets tough, the tough get going – Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem and he accepts, in front of all, that he is the Messiah.
What are the people doing?
It is significant that Jesus starts from Bethpage beside Bethany where his friends Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived. These villagers knew him well and loved him dearly (see Mark11:9). The crowd who followed from the villages cheered – they knew him and loved him shouting “Hosanna” save us now. By the way, I do not believe this was the same crowd that jeered crucify him on Good Friday – there were two crowds.
Jesus also knew this would provoke the religious leaders – he is making a statement – riding into Jerusalem – I am the Messiah.
These people knew their Bibles too. When these villagers rolled out a red carpet of coats and palm foliage – they were acknowledging his kingship and Jesus is Ok with that because this was his hour. 2 Kings 9:13 when Jehu was anointed the king of Israel. The people reacted in this way
“They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps… and shouted, ‘Jehu is king!’”
Add to that Zech 9:9, ‘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.” These are people who knew their Bible and their study begs the question - Who is this person that is to come?
Notice how many times the word tie and untie is mentioned in Mark 11:2-5. I wonder is Mark reflecting on Genesis 49:10 Jacob, blessing Judah “The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until…” Until! Until what? Until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tie his donkey to a vine, [Gen 49:10]
The people shouted pilgrims (Hallel) praise Psalm. It was from Psalm 118. “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and then “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” Direct ref to Jer 23:5-6. And here we are on Palm Sunday, like that crowd of friends and supporters, we are the same, we have cheered the words of Ps 118, like them because we know the one their longing led to – Jesus.
These people knew their bibles and it stirred in them a longing and an expectancy for what God would do in their lives, their land and by his kingdom (it puts us to shame). What a challenge to us today, pray ‘that we may read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Word – a challenge we get by looking at what the people were doing.
What should we be doing?
How should we apply this familiar story to ourselves? What should we be doing?
We should learn from the people who rallied around Jesus on Palm Sunday. Look at their joy, their enthusiasm, their longing for the coming King. That s/be enough for us to give ourselves a shake as we worship and adore our risen Saviour.
Learn from their anticipation. They were steeped in the scriptures, finding the Christ in every book of the Bible. We should be in the word anticipating the Lord to speak to us, teaching, guiding us from his word, his living word.
Share the Good News. Mark 1:1 ‘The good news about Jesus the Messiah, son of God.’ How can we share it, how do we express it concisely (small groups will look at this).
Today you will receive a Palm cross, take one for someone else and as you give it what is the message?
The one thing about good news that is always overlooked is that it is NEWS i.e. It is something that has happened. Tell them what happened on Palm Sunday, tell them about Good Friday but don’t forget to tell them about the Sunday – resurrection day.
My wife met someone during the week who though that Easter was about Good Monday! They had no idea what Good Friday was about!
Palm Sunday features in all four Gospels; Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19 & John 12: so we can safely say – this really happened – this is history.
And if Palm Sunday is historic with the crowds cheering Hosanna, so too is Good Friday historic with crowds jeering ‘crucify him.’ Indeed Christianity stands or falls on the historicity of Easter. Cynics would agree with Palm Sunday, and to the details of Good Friday but not the Sunday after when our Lord and Saviour defeated death and opened the door to eternal life for each and every one of us – Easter Sunday – Resurrection day.
What should we be doing? - Believe it, he arose, he is alive, and we can know him - he longs to know you more because loves you. What should you be doing? Do not ignore him, don’t just believe in your head, believe in him, thank him, Praise him, Worship him, Pray - talk to him and, trust in his word – that’s for you. But for others: Share it, take a Palm cross to someone, share the good news that has happened.
Remember Mark 1:1 It is the good news of Jesus the Messiah, the son of God.
1 There is a green hill far away, Outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all.
2 We may not know, we cannot tell What pains He had to bear,
But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.
3 He died that we might be forgiv’n, He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to heav’n, Saved by His precious blood.
4 There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin,
He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n and let us in.
5 Oh, dearly, dearly has He loved! And we must love Him too
And trust in His redeeming blood And try His works to do.
