Does Jesus Weep For You?

Once again, good morning from SEBC. I hope this message finds you all doing well. I want to encourage you all to hang in there. I can’t wait until we turn on the news and hear, “The Corona virus has been beat.” But today finds us all still being urged to stay at home and, would you believe it, Palm Sunday has creeped up on us.

This day is the day leading into Holy Week just before Easter. It’s sad that we can’t be together on this special day but in our hearts, we are together. So, let’s worship together now on this Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday reminds me of the little boy who was sick on Palm Sunday and had to stay home from church with his mom. His father went on to church and when he got home, he was holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?”

His dad said, “You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor Him, so we got Palm Branches today.”

The little boy said, “Oh, man! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”

As I said, today is Palm Sunday—the day where the Bible tells us that a whole city threw a parade for Jesus. How many of you have ever been to a parade where you stand and watch the bands, the floats, and the drill teams and more? Parades are one of those things that some people love while others can take them or leave them.

So, here’s a word of advice. If you are one who loves parades and wish they would last longer, just walk along with them and they will last twice as long. If, on the other hand, you are one who wishes that the parade would just get done, then walk in the other direction.

In a parade, you never know what’s going to come up next. Life is a lot like a parade. You never quite know what’s coming next. Am I right? This morning I want you to walk along with me as we relive that exciting day in Jesus’ life. Our Scripture passage comes from Luke 19:28-44.

This day that we celebrate is bittersweet. That’s because even though we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we know that Friday is coming. We know that with Friday comes the cross. We know that many of the ones in this crowd today will be exchanging their shouts of “Hosanna to the King” for the words “Crucify Him.” What we might not realize or remember is that Jesus knew what this week would bring as well.

Come with me now as we walk with Jesus on this special day. Let’s take a closer look at what took place on Palm Sunday. We begin our journey with Jesus in Luke 19:28. READ.

Jesus had just told some parables so that the people could realize in a clearer way the message that He was conveying. At this point in Scripture, Jesus had come from Jericho (about 19 miles away), where he healed blind Bartimeus, He had spoken with Zaccheus. He had just spoken the parable of the 10 talents, and now was on His way to Jerusalem.

READ v. 29-31. We’re not sure but it’s likely that Jesus had spent the night in Bethany, at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, where Mary anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair. Remember how upset Judas Iscariot got over that? He had a fit at the waste of expensive perfume.

If you are reading through the Gospel of John with us in your daily Bible reading, you just read a week or so ago in John 12: 5-7 where Judas asks, “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? (but then the Bible tells us), He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money bag and would steal part of what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial.”

“Bethphage” was the adjacent village to Bethany. It was here that Jesus sends 2 of His disciples on a mission to get a donkey. Now, this was unusual for Jesus. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we always find Him walking—never riding an animal. WHY A DONKEY? Many of you already know the answer to that.

Well, there weren’t many horses in that area. Only nobility rode horses. But I don’t think that is why Jesus chose a donkey to ride. Horses were always associated with WAR. When the conquering king came into a city after a conquest, he would ride on a horse. BUT…when the king came into a city riding on a donkey, it was a symbol of PEACE.