Palm Sunday 2018 - Crowds Blinded By The World

Please stand with me as we say together our newest memory Scripture ...

2 Timothy 2:11-13

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown

Himself.”

And our memory "refresher" Scripture is 1 Corinthians 10:13 ...

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ISV)

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

You may be seated.

Please open your Bibles to John 12:12-19 which we will read in a few minutes.

This, of course, is Palm Sunday; the day we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in preparation for the upcoming Passover Festival.

Jesus has acquired the colt of a donkey which has never been ridden to carry Him into Jerusalem. When He rides into Jerusalem there is a crowd with Him and many in this crowd had seen the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Also, the Jewish religious leaders were on the lookout to see if Jesus would be coming to the festival or not.

With that in mind let’s go ahead and read John 12:12-19

John 12:12-19 (Jesus enters Jerusalem)

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting …”

Not only were people coming into the festival but people were going out to meet Him, to honor Him and to escort Him into Jerusalem.

In Matthew it says that, “… the whole city was stirred …”

The Amplified Bible translates it this way, the whole “… city became agitated and [trembling with excitement] ….”

We know that there were at least two groups of people:

Those who were excited about Jesus coming to the festival feast

Those who were wishing Jesus would just go away, or better yet, die

So, we know that many of those who were excited about Jesus coming to Jerusalem were not only rushing out to greet Him but were shouting praises of great honor for Him.

“Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” Psalm 118:25-26

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

Hosanna (Save us or Save us now)

Blessed is He who comes in the name (in the authority) of the LORD!

Blessed is the King of Israel.

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the authority of God Himself, even the King of Israel!

"Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

Some things Jesus seemed to do in order to fulfill ancient Prophecies.

Other things were clearly beyond the control of someone who was a mere human such as: being born to a virgin, being in the lineage of King David and of the tribe of Judah, being born in Bethlehem, being raised in Nazareth and many others.

"At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him."

In some Bibles this sentence is in parenthesis because it is inserted here for explanation and not part of the ongoing series of events that are unraveling here.

“At first His disciples did not understand all this …”

Aren’t we all prone to this, especially as newer Christians?

Difficult situations and circumstances come into our lives and we wonder where the Lord is in all of it.

However, as we grow in holiness and in Christian maturity and in our personal relationship with the Lord we are more able to “weather the storm” without understanding what the Lord is doing. This give us time to see that the Lord was working in our lives to bring others to grow us in the Lord or perhaps to bring others to faith in Jesus.

There is a very important component to this verse and that is where it says, “Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize ….”

What does “glorified” in this verse mean?

It means that He was raised from the dead with a resurrected, immortal body.

It also speaks of Jesus’ return to glory at the right hand of God the Father.

We will understand very little of Jesus and His working in this world as long as He is not glorified in our hearts.

We will understand more when Jesus is glorified in our hearts.