A Palm Sunday Reflection
Matthew 21:1-11;Mark 11:1-10;Luke 19:28-40; John12:12-19
How many gospels are there? There is only one gospel. This one gospel is written from 4 different perspectives by different authors. Matthew presents the Jesus from the Jewish perspective. He presents Jesus as the Messiah who has been prophesied in the Old Testament. Mark presents Jesus as God’s loyal servant who was untiringly involved in doing God’s mission. Luke presents Jesus as Son of Man who was born and must die for sinners. John presents Jesus in a philosophical language as the Son of God, the Word who became flesh and lived among us.
You will notice that each of the four gospel writers did not include everything about Jesus’ earthly life. The writers through the guidance of the Holy Spirit carefully selected important events and teachings in their presentation. John made it very clear that not everything what Jesus did was written down. He wrote in John 21:25. “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” Interestingly, there are also some events in the life of Jesus that can be found in all four. One of these is the event about the first Palm Sunday.
Year after year we come together on Palm Sunday with palm leaves in our hand. It is important to understand why we do it. What is the significance of Palm Sunday? What is it about Palm Sunday that we are commemorating?
The Palm Sunday is the final week of Jesus’ 3-year earthly ministry prior to his death on the cross. It is about Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem few days before He was arrested, tried and crucified. It is a part of the culminating events in the earthly ministry of Jesus. The last lap before the finish, if you will.
If we are going to survey the earthly ministry timeline of Jesus, we would normally begin with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Shortly after that, the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove and the voice from the Father was heard affirming Jesus as the beloved Son of God.
After Jesus’ 40-day fasting in the wilderness, Satan tempted him. Satan utilized the same methods which he has been effectively using since the beginning of history. These are 1. lust of the flesh, 2. lust of the eye and 3. the pride of life.
The purpose of the temptation is simple and very obvious. It is to prevent Jesus from getting to the cross. If there was one who was not willing to see Jesus die on the cross, it was Satan. So he devised a plan keep Jesus from the cross. Satan knew that if and when Jesus would fall into his trap, it would be the end of God’s only way for our salvation. Had Satan succeeded, it would be called God’s Greatest Frustration. The temptation was real and so serious that Jesus had to face it with extreme determination. Nonetheless He came out of the testing unscathed. His weapon: The Word of God.
Jesus was fully aware that his purpose was to seek and save the lost at all cost.
All throughout his life, Jesus obeyed God. His obedience was primarily to please the Father and also to obtain righteousness for us sinners. The apostle Paul explained it in Romans 5:19 “As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience we are made righteous”.
There had been several threats against Him. In many instances, the religious leaders wanted him killed. They laid out plans to arrest him and silence him. Jesus was aware that it was dangerous for him to be within their reach. He knew that the time has come for Him to go to Jerusalem. Mark 10:33-34 33″We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
Then on the first Palm Sunday, Jesus and his disciples entered the city of Jerusalem. What are the meanings of the events of the first Palm Sunday?
1. He Signaled The Establishment Of His Kingdom
We see in Zechariah 9:9: 9, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king [b] comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
In the early days, the donkey was a fitting animal for a King to ride. When a King went to War he rode a horse. When that same King returned in Peace he would ride a donkey to show that he returned in Peace. I did not know until now that ownership of donkey in the days of Jesus was a sign of divine blessing. Donkeys indicate the wealth of a person.
Before Jesus entered the city, he asked 2 of his disciples to get him a donkey for his ride. The command was a test of faith and obedience both for the disciples and the owner of the donkey. The only thing the disciples must say when there are questions is this: “The Lord has a need for it.”
When he entered the city the multitudes welcomed him with great excitement. Everyone was anticipating that He would grab power from the secular rulers and establish a kingdom through aggression and physical force. The crowds wanted Jesus to establish a political Kingdom for the Jews in Jerusalem. Instead, Jesus raised His Banner over the whole world… every continent, every ethnic group, every language and culture on earth.
A few days later, the same people who warmly welcomed him were shouting bitterly “crucify him, crucify him”. Why? Because they were disappointed to know that Jesus did not come to follow their demands but to follow the will of His Father. They were not ready for the Kingdom of God.
a. Entrance to God’s kingdom begins with having peace with God.
b. God’s kingdom implies “God is in charge”.
c. God’s kingdom assumes absolute ownership of God
“There is not an inch of any sphere of life of which Jesus Christ the Lord does not say, ‘Mine.’” – Abraham Kuyper
d. Obedience to God is an evidence of being a member of His Kingdom. Obedience is participation in God’s will
e. God’s kingdom requires unwavering loyalty
2. He Purged the Temple
The temple in Jerusalem was the central place of worship. Jews and proselytes from all over gather at the temple at least once a year to offer something to God. Of all places, the temple was filled with people who were selfish, unkind, materialistic, proud and hypocrites. The place of worship had become, according to Jesus, “a den of robbers.” Those people did not go to the temple to worship God. They were moneymakers who use the name of God to enrich themselves but in reality they had nothing to do with God Himself. They did not know Him.
To others, worship had become more of an activity rather than an experience. People had become more interested with the form rather than the substance of worship. In the eyes of Jesus, the way some people were “worshipping” was actually an affront to the holiness of God. Imagine the reaction of Jesus when He saw them. He was filled with indignation. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers. He was really angry.
What he said is very important: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”.
We learn from this incident that.
- The cleanliness of the temple is determined by the purity of the heart of the worshipers.
- A pure heart has full access to God’s holy throne.
Psalm 24: 3-4 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. [a]
3. He Demonstrated the Consequence of Fruitless Faith (Faith without results)
The cursing of the fig tree is a symbolic act of Jesus to explain how the dead faith of Israel became a turning point in opening the way to the Gentiles. Israel was rejected because it could not bear fruit. The nation of Israel was characterized in the Old Testament by two symbols, a grape vine and a fig tree. In both situations, Israel proved herself to be deficient as to living up to God’s original intent for her. Isaiah 5 reveals Israel to be a wild grape vine producing no proper fruit and in Hosea 9:10 both word pictures are seen in the same verse. “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing early fruit on the fig tree.”
1. Faith without fruit will eventually die
2. Faith without fruit is counterfeit faith and therefore a disappointment to God
3. Faith without fruit will be ultimately rejected
As we celebrate Palm Sunday today,
1. I want us to ask ourselves. Who is in charge of my life? Who is in charge of my future? Who is in charge of my heart? Who is in charge of my body? Health? Emotion? Family? Church? Is Jesus welcome here? Is Jesus our
King?
2. Let us allow our Lord to cleanse our hearts. The apostle Paul speaks of our body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
3. Check to see if our faith bears fruit. Jesus said, “18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt 7:18-20). Do we see a growing righteousness in us? Do we have peace with God? With ourselves? With others? Do we have the joy of the Lord regardless of the circumstances in our lives? Are we cheerful and pleasant to get along with?
