Palm Sunday
Luke 19:28-40
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Lk 19:28–40). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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John 12:9-19
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 12:9–19). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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Today we kick off what we call Passion week.
This is the week that leads up to the crucifixion of Christ
Jesus gets intense this week!
He curses trees
He flips tables in the temple
He calls out the disciple who would betray him
He prays so violently that his sweat becomes like blood
The intensity of the passion Week was to pay for a mundane life.
Jesus sends the disciples on a mission that didn’t make sense
The Bible teaches that the disciples didn’t understand the significance of their assignment until after Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
Many times we are hesitant or even procrastinate obedience in our lives
Not because we’re being rebellious
We feel like we need to understand it
Crucify the desire to have to understand the outcome before you'll begin the process!
Bring the donkey!
Be radical in your obedience!
They brought a donkey that they'd never seen
They brought a donkey that'd never been ridden
They brought a donkey and didn't even know what the donkey was for!
When you "Bring the Donkey" you
DO the thing that God said DO
SAY the thing that God said SAY
"UN-TIE" the thing that God said UNTIE
WHEN YOU BRING THE DONKEY, THE JOB ISN'T FINISHED
The disciples covered the colt with their coats
The people of the city covered the street with their coat
They laid palm branches in the streets
There is some symbolism here:
Both leaves and coats serve as a covering, they are the outermost layer
One of a tree (nobody travels to the northeast in Autumn to see the beautiful twigs!)
One of a person
The highest praise we can give Jesus is to lay our facades and outermost "coverings" at the feet of Jesus!
You need to drop your jacket!
Lay the leaf!
WE NEED TO DROP THE JACKET!
There is no higher praise than to be vulnerable before God!
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
That is why we have moments of prayer at the end of our services here - we are dropping the jacket!
We hurt together
We pray together
We lay things down at the feet of Jesus together!
This whole day of "Palm Sunday" is centered around the idea of welcoming the King to the city
Palm Sunday is about Praise
Palm Sunday is about Worship
BUT don't stop there!
Lift your voice!
The central theme of the praise of the disciples was: "Hosanna!"
Originally, that was a cry for help or salvation
It was a shout of rejoicing "Salvation has come!"
The Word teaches that we have power in our words.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue
I love the statement that was made by the super religious crowd that day: "Look, the world has gone after him!"
The very reason that the whole city was crying out to Jesus was that they had seen the difference in the life of Lazarus!
Literally, Lazarus was dead, for four days, and Jesus had brought him back to life
I believe that there will be a response in our city, when the word gets out that Jesus has brought you from the things that he has brought you from!
Back to radical! A city comes alive when something radical happens in the lives of REAL people
