Palm Sunday - Seeing The Future Joy

Paslm Sunday - Seeing the Future Joy

Pastor Dan Little - adfontes.djl@gmail.com

The Landmark Church

Binghamton, NY 13903

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 21:1-13

The Triumphal Entry

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 "Say to the daughter of Zion,

'Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" 11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." ESV

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This entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was not an accident. He was presenting Himself to the Jewish people as their king׫—not an earthly king which is why He didn’t ride to the governor’s palace, the seat of political power. He came to rule as a loving Lord and King over the hearts of men who would have Him—a heavenly king which is why His ride culminated at the temple.

The meaning of the ride was not lost on Pilate. It so affected him that when Christ was crucified he insisted on nailing a sign on the cross above Jesus’ head that read 'The King of the Jews. John 19:21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews ,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews .'" 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

Jesus, so far as the religious establishment was concerned, has been keeping company with all the wrong people. He had not risen up through the acceptable corridors of religious and political power. He was a ragamuffin king with a horde of ragamuffin followers.

In fact He has just recently been in a little backwater town hardly more than 2 miles southeast of Jerusalem, where He stood outside of a tomb of Lazarus, man dead now for four days. Jesus stood facing the tomb and (against everyone’s advice) ordered the stone to be taken away. When it was opened Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the grave. And that is what Lazarus did. At the command of Jesus voice, life filled his decaying body, death was reversed, and Lazarus walked out of his tomb.

So for these people Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was a time of great joy and celebration. They loved Him. These ragamuffins were shouting and waving branches and laying down their coats to make for Him a royal path. It was one of those rare moments when poor people let down their guard and celebrated.

The religious people watched and found it disgusting.

You can feel the tension between Jesus and the religious kingmakers who want it this scene stopped immediately.

At one point they demand saying; Luke 19:39 "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."

Jesus answers their demand saying 40 "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

As Jesus looked upon the celebrating multitude He thoroughly enjoyed them enjoying Him.

You wouldn’t know it by the nightly news but joy and a sense that life is to be celebrated is the natural state of man. It was man’s original state, as God made him—his first nature.

The misery of sickness and death and the pain of sorrow and brokenness and lives filled with worry, that is not our natural estate. That state of affairs is exactly what the Bible means when it talks about Acts 2:40 "Save yourselves from this warped and bent generation."