Palm Sunday – His Triumphal Entry!

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

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(1. Title Picture) PALM SUNDAY – HIS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY!

TEXT: Luke 19:28-40; Zechariah 9:9

The event that is so much a part of this day, Palm Sunday, is recorded in all 4 of the Gospels, but this morning I’m going to use pictures from FreeBibleImages.com while I‘m reading Luke's account, found in Luke 19:28-40.

(2. Jesus & 3 men) "After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As He approached Bethphage & Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying to them,

(3. Jesus & 2 men) 'Go to the village ahead of you, & as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it & bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.''

(4. 4 men & donkey) "Those who were sent ahead went & found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, 'Why are you untying the colt?' They replied, 'The Lord needs it.'

(5. Jesus on donkey) "They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt & put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

(6. Crowd rejoicing) "When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

(7. People shouting) 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven & glory in the highest!'

(8. Pharisees) "Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' (9. Jesus) 'I tell you,' He replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'

A. I wish somehow we could all go to Jerusalem & relive the events of that tremendous day.

(10. Crowd) How exciting it would be to be part of the crowd, walk down that road from the Mt. of Olives, past the Garden at Gethsemane, across the Kidron Valley, & up through the great Eastern gate into Jerusalem. It would be a parade we would never forget!

ILL. As a nation, we love parades. On Thanksgiving & New Year's we line the streets or turn on TV sets to watch parades. We even honor Super Bowl or World Series teams with parades in their home cities. Parades are often held to celebrate victories & honor returning heroes.

ILL. That reminds me about an elderly missionary returning to the United States to retire. He & his wife had spent over 40 years serving in Africa. But now he was alone. His wife & 2 children had long since found their final resting place in the soil of Africa.

As he got off the plane he saw a great crowd of people waiting at the gate. Some were holding signs, others were waving banners, & he could even hear sounds of music above the shouting voices. For a few seconds he thought, "Can it be? After more than 40 years of service, all of these people have actually come out to welcome me home?"

But no, that was not the case. On his plane was a politician returning from Africa. During his visit the politician had been catered to & waited upon. And now he was being welcomed home with all the ceremony his nation could provide.

As he waited at the airport, the contrast was almost more than the old missionary could bear. For a moment he began feeling sorry for himself, & he started to pray. "Father in Heaven, why? I've served You faithfully for so long, & yet, look. I didn't expect much, but is it wrong to desire that there be some kind of a welcome home?"

Then, almost as if God had spoken out loud, the old missionary heard Him say, "But my son, you're not home yet."

SUM. It’s true. This world is not our home. We’re just passing through. And as children of God, someday we want to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good & faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord."

B. But every once in a while wouldn't it be nice if our colleagues, if our brothers & sisters in the Lord would just pat us on the back? If we could just hear the applause of the crowd?