Information about this sermon:
Preacher: Pastor David Ball
Scripture: Luke 19:29-40 and Mark 14:32-15:39
Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Just like the great Kings of Israel, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in humility on a donkey. But unlike the great kings of old, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords made his entry knowing that nothing but suffering, abandonment, and death awaiting Him there. Jesus is not just any King. He is the Son of God who willingly entered into suffering and death to win for us eternal life.
Transcript
You know in many ways uh I I hate to even say anything because of what we just read and what we read in the triumphal entry really do stand alone but there’s a few things that I think are helpful to to bring to our attention you know Palm Sunday as a celebration and as a special Sunday uh really goes back as a church tradition to the fourth Century at first happened when pilgrims who were visiting Jerusalem began on the Mount of Olives with the triumphal entry and began uh to to cry out hosanna in the highest blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord and they process themselves into the City and ultimately to Golgotha to Calvary where they read the passion narrative together and Palm Sunday is the ushering end of Holy Week a pilgrims as pilgrims we are walking with Jesus as he gets closer and closer to his own cross and his own death and crucifixion today it begins with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem Thursday we’ll come together and celebrate the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated with uh with his disciples before uh and his he washed their feet before he was betrayed and handed over
Friday we will remember at noon the the crucifixion is our Our Savior died on the cross for us but on Sunday we’ll celebrate that the tomb was empty we’ll celebrate Jesus’s resurrection from the dead I encourage you to walk into this time as a pilgrim walking with Christ as he walks ever closer to the cross but a couple things to consider about these readings first on the triumphal entry you know Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey uh and Luke’s reading he spent a lot of time telling us the details about the donkey and the detailed instructions about what uh the disciples were supposed to do we don’t even know what disciples they were we don’t even know exactly where they got the donkey uh what town at that point they got him from but we’re told a lot about this donkey and there’s a reason for it because it’s a fulfillment of Zechariah Chapter 9 verse 9 which says this referring to the coming of the king the anointed one God’s chosen one who will come to save his people this is what it says Rejoice greatly o Daughter of Zion shout aloud o daughter of Jerusalem behold your king is coming to you righteous and having salvation as he humble and mounted on a donkey on a cult the full of a donkey so this is the Fulfillment of what God had promised in Jesus that his King the true king was coming the anointed one to save his people and he’s coming in humility you know it’s also true that Kings of Israel rode to their coronations they would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey in that sign of of humility to their rightful throne but this one’s a little different it’s a little different uh there’s the donkey yes just his other kings rode into Jerusalem on one uh the Praises of the people blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord that that’s similar to what they would have done for Kings who came uh it’s a royal procession and all of its uh Pomp and Circumstance but what king rides into a city when they know that suffering and betrayal and death is what awaits them there Jesus is the only one that I know of other kings when there’s a victory they wait till all’s clear and they all know everything will be safe they know that they can come and they can take their rightful place on the throne and that they will establish themselves so they wait and then they make their entry but Jesus knew full well would have waited him there he knew that yes this would be a royal entry but he knew that it was an entry to his own suffering his own betrayal his own abandonment and ultimately to his own death
only Jesus the son of God would do this and why would he do it something that no other king would ever dare to do it in obedience to his father to glorify his father’s plan for the Salvation of the world and he did it because of his great love for you and for me and as we turn to the passionate narrative how quickly things changed how quickly things change shouts of blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord turn quickly to shouts of crucify him the same crowds it wasn’t just the disciples who were joining in in this Proclamation there were others that were there and the crowds that had joined them that were crying out how quickly things changed why why did things change so quickly you know but I think in many ways it’s a it’s a picture of the Christian Life it’s a picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus as our Lord and savior one minute we’re praising him we’re adoring His holy name receiving his kingship and lordship into our lives welcoming him in the next moment we’re rejecting him we’re abandoning him that’s the sinful nature in all of us that’s what sin really is when we enter into the sin of our own hearts we’re rejecting Jesus we’re abandoning him we’re saying yeah Jesus you’re a king but you’re not really Lord over this
I want controlled over this maybe we would lose our temper with someone maybe when we we lie maybe it’s not a big one maybe we just mislead someone to think something different about ourselves or we don’t correct them when they say something because we kind of like the image that it portrays and those moments Jesus is no longer Lord and King Of Our Lives not in our own minds we are
this Palm Sunday is a reflection it’s a difficult Sunday to go from praising him to crucify him but it’s what the Christian life is like it’s what our hearts are like we’re so prone to wander as the great hymn tells us
to
reject the god that we love and to walk away from him this is why Jesus made his triumphal entry this is why Jesus the King of Kings and the Lord of lords was willing knowing that this entry the place where he would take his Throne once and for all was a cross but it was one that he was willing to bear for you and for me because he loves us
friends today is still a time to celebrate it’s a day to celebrate that Jesus was willing to submit himself to his father and he was willing to move forward and enter Jerusalem ever closer to the cross for you and for me so let us celebrate but as we move into the weak let us continue with Jesus to Walk ever closer to the Cross of Christ
in Jesus name amen
