Palm Sunday: The Call Of A Donkey

Palm Sunday

John 12:12-19

March 24, 2024

If you’re a sports fan, especially basketball, this weekend is the best weekend of the year. On Thursday and Friday, there were 32 games and yesterday and today there’s another 16. Now, when I look at my favorite sports teams, I tend to be somewhat fickle.

I want my professional teams to play well. I want them to win, but if they’re not winning, then at least play well, but lose and get a better draft pick. Being from Chicago, I’m used to it.

My question to start you off this morning is this - - - - - ARE YOU FICKLE?

To be fickle means - - - you’re likely to change your mind. You are NOT constant or loyal in your affections. That happens to me with my sports teams.

Interestingly, fickle is an old English word, from before 1000 AD. The original meaning of fickle was - - - - deceitful, deceptive, treachery. That’s far harsher than where we are today. Another phrase that’s probable a little tamer ---- being a fair weathered fan.

Deep down I’m always going to root for my Bears and Cubs and Black Hawks. But if they do something that really aggravates me, I just may not root for them.

Have you ever done that with your favorite sports teams?

Or worse yet, maybe you’ve done it with family or friends.

They didn’t invite you to their party and you got mad.

Someone didn’t like your post, and you unfriended them.

Your favorite restaurant didn’t live up to your expectations and you leave a nasty review on YELP and you’re never going back.

A coworker, who’s a friend didn’t agree with your idea, and now you avoid them.

I can go on, but my point is how quickly we can turn on one another. We can be pretty fickle and fair weathered fans towards one another.

On that first Palm Sunday, there didn’t appear to be any fickle, fair weathered fans of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem. Let’s look at the story from the gospel of John. Beginning in John 12:12, John tells us - - - - -

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out,

“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified,

then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.

17 The crowd that had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised Him from the dead continued to bear witness.

18 The reason why the crowd went to meet Him was that they heard He had done this sign.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him.”

Everything sounded so good. The crowds came out, they were treating Jesus like a king, even though he only rode a donkey. Most kings came into town on chariots. Jesus was on a donkey.

The people continued to bear witness about Lazarus coming back to life again. The people were following Jesus, listening and hoping and waiting.

It’s hard to imagine that 5 days later Jesus would be dead. What happened? How do people turn that quickly? Did you know it happened to Woodrow Wilson. The 28th president of the US was being celebrated as a world hero, after helping the US and the allies to be victorious in World War 1. He was possibly the most popular man in the world.

On his first visit to Paris after the war, Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs. Wherever he want there were thousands of people calling him a hero.

The cheering lasted about a year. Wilson ran into opposition in the United States Senate and his League of Nations was not ratified. He suffered a stroke and in the next election his party was defeated. He went from hero to a distant memory when he died.

It happened that way to Jesus. Jesus was an overnight sensation. Like a new rock star on the Voice. He would try to go off to be alone and the people would follow Him. People lined the streets and were mesmerized by His teaching. He healed 100's and when He rode into town on that last week, people were spreading and waving palm branches and shouting HOSANNA! Calling Him a KING.