Palm Sunday: Handling Adversity
Scriptures: Mark 10:32-34; 11:1-10
Introduction:
We traditionally celebrate the Sunday before Easter as Palm Sunday in recognition of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus entered Jerusalem with the full knowledge that He would not leave in the same manner in which He entered. His walking into a situation that would lead to His death gives us insight into how we can handle adversity. This will be a two part message as I will complete this story next Sunday which will be Easter. But, before we go into this message, I want to share with you a story I received in an email from my uncle. The story is called “Carrots, Eggs and Coffee.”
“A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up as she was tired of fighting and struggling. Her mother, after listening to her, rose and took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots of water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
After about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots and eggs out and placed them in separate bowls. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’ ‘Carrots, eggs and coffee,’ she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother asked her daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, mother?’
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, the inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they changed the water. ‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter. When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, and egg, or a coffee bean?” We will examine the answer to this question as it related to Jesus, His disciples and to each of us.
I. Jesus Foretells His Suffering
As we consider the story that I just shared with you, let’s examine what took place before Jesus entered into Jerusalem. In Mark 10:32-34 we find the following words: “There were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.” In these verses we find that before He entered into Jerusalem, Jesus understood the situation that He was walking into. He knew that He would not leave Jerusalem the same way in which He entered it. He knew that He would be facing adversity and he knew that not only would it change Him, it would change Him for the good of all.
We have been trained to believe that adversity comes so that we can be crushed. Sometimes people are crushed under their adversity, but this is not the way in which it has to be. As Jesus was walking with His disciples headed towards Jerusalem He had plenty of time to reflect on His life and on His upcoming death, but He walked on anyway. How many times have we known adversity was before us and we tried out best to find a way to avoid it, only to hit it head on? The Bible makes it clear that we will face times of adversity, but it also tells us the source for making it through those times. Psalm 46:1 says that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We will face adversity, trials and tribulations, but the question that must be answered by each of us is whether or not we will be changed (negatively) by the adversity or will we change the adversity. Are we the carrot, the egg or the coffee bean? Let’s examine Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
II. Jesus Enters Jerusalem
As Jesus was preparing to enter Jerusalem, He sent two of His disciples ahead of Him to find the colt that He would ride into the city upon. We will take the story up at Mark 11:7. “They brought the colt to Jesus and out their coats on it; and He sat on it. And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest.” (Mark 11:7-10)
I have read this story many times and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem seemed out of character for Him. Remember, throughout His three years of ministry, He never publicly allowed people to praise Him or call attention to Him. Although He taught and preached openly; most of His miracles were done privately when possible. There were some that He healed and He told them not to tell others that it was He who had done it. Now all of a sudden He is entering Jerusalem to die and He enters as if He was a King. Why the change? This act was very deliberate and it was an act of the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy when He entered Jerusalem in the manner in which He did. Zechariah 9:9 records the following: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey.” Also, Matthew and John recorded this prophecy in their documentation of this event (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15). Jesus purposefully offers Himself as the Messiah, knowing that this will provoke Jewish leaders to take action against Him. Unlike anything that He had done before, He allowed Himself to be recognized knowing that this would lead to His death. But examine more closely at what took place and why we call today “Palm Sunday.”
As Jesus was entering the city, His disciples and others marched before and after Him in a parade. His disciples and the crowds were shouting, “Hosanna, to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” As the parade continued, some of the people began to lay their cloaks (coats) on the ground for the donkey to walk on. Those who did not have cloaks took palm branches and laid them out for Jesus. This processional was in recognition of Jesus being the King – the prophet who was the true Messiah. Under normal situations, this type of parade was generally held for someone who had done something special, someone famous, a hero or general returning victorious from battle. In 1 Samuel 18:6-9 we find a similar parade when King Saul and David returned from fighting the Philistines? As they entered the city, the women of the city came out to meet them crying out “Saul had slain thousands while David had slain tens of thousands”. Imagine how Saul felt when he heard David getting more praise than him. Upon hearing this, Saul became very jealous of David and this jealousy lasted until his death. Consider Jesus entering Jerusalem with this type of parade with people singing His praises in front of the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus was in a parade, being worshipped by the crowds crying out that he was their King. Can you see the anger in the eyes of the Pharisees? Their jealousy and hatred of Christ was very similar to Saul’s of David.
Again, we call this day Palm Sunday because those who did not have coats to lay down before Jesus took palm branches (or branches from other trees) and laid them before the donkey to walk on. This was very important in the recognition of Jesus as King. These people were “rolling out the red carpet” as we say, for Jesus with their clothes and palm branches. It was a sign of high honor for He had given the people victory. It was not the victory over a natural army or foe, but a spiritual one. Jesus had conquered sin, sickness and death. He had healed the sick, raised the dead and had performed all types of miracles. As He entered the city everyone’s hope was that He would establish His Kingdom right there in Jerusalem. Jesus was being given the royal treatment. Consider the use of palm branches in the Old Testament.
The use of palms in praise dates back to the Old Testament times and became part of the tradition of the time. Lev. 23:40 says “On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.” The use of palms was encouraged, actually commanded in this celebration of praise to the Lord. They would wave the palms high over their heads back and forth, similar to what we do when we are giving praise with our hand swaying back and forth. David wrote in Psalm 118:27 “The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine upon us, with boughs (palms) in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.” David was encouraging the use of palms (or other tree leaves) in the active praise of God. The waving of the palm branches by a large group of people is a wonderful sight. This was a major part of the praise that went forth. So as Jesus entered the city, He was recognized as their King and Messiah and His triumphant entry into Jerusalem is recognized today as Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday.
III. Response To Adversity
I started this first part off with a story about handling adversity. I told you that each of us would need to answer the question about what we were based on how we handle adversity within our lives. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He understood that He would face the greatest adversity of His life and that this final battle would cost Him His life. He understood the magnitude of what would happen to Him. I do not want you to miss this. Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem on a donkey yelling “I’m the man and I can to die for you – here I am take me now.” No, He came into the city with a heavy heart knowing that His earthly ministry was coming to a close with His death. After Jesus had entered the Jerusalem and the parade was over, He knew what was before Him. He was so stressed that as He prayed in the garden call Gethsemane, He stated that His soul was “deeply grieved to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34) Jesus was stressed as this was not a happy time for Him. As He prayed in the garden, He asked God to remove the cup from Him, but He concluded by saying that He would do what God willed. When Jesus made this statement, I believe that He mentally, maybe not physically, but mentally and spiritually He became ready to face and change His adversity. He could now see this adversity for what it was, a means by which He could fulfill what He had been sent here to do. Remember, our lives are not about staying on this earth as long as possible, but about doing God’s will while we are here so that when we leave here, we will spend eternity with Him.
All of us must one day decide as we face adversity I we are carrots, eggs or coffee. I remember reading the story of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s struggle with his impending death. He knew that he would not live to see old age. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, he reportedly told his wife that he would die the same way. In April of 1968, Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee in support of the striking sanitation workers. Those close to him stated that he had been depressed and concerned about his life for weeks as he lived through the constant fear of being assassinated. On the night before he was killed, he spoke at the Mason Temple in Memphis. What he said in his message told those closest to him that he had found peace and he had a new resolve to face his adversity – the threat of death. Let me read to you an excerpt of what he said in his last speech that night on April 3, 1968.
“You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?" And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that’s punctured, you drown in your own blood—that’s the end of you.
It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I’ve forgotten what those telegrams said. I’d received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I’ve forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I’ll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I’m simply writing you to say that I’m so happy that you didn’t sneeze."
And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn’t sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I’m so happy that I didn’t sneeze.”
Please pay close attention to what he said next:
“And they were telling me, now it doesn’t matter now. It really doesn’t matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we’ve had the plane protected and guarded all night." And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
The next day he was dead, killed by a man with a rifle, a scope and a bullet. He knew for years that this day would possibly come, but those close to him said that the night before, he had found peace. He said that he had been to the mountaintop and had seen the promise land and he knew we would get to the promise land. In his last speech, he acknowledged his adversity - the threat of death, and he chose to change it and not be changed by it. You see, he could have chosen to stay in Atlanta when he heard the threats. He could have chosen to walk away from the movement after he was stabbed and after his house was bombed. He could have chosen to give it all up during one of his frequent stays in jail. He chose to follow what he believed God had called him to do. He chose to face his adversity and let his life change it.
Although we may not be facing death as Dr. King or our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did, we are facing adversity. How will we deal with it? Will we become like the carrots? Will we become like the eggs? Or, will we become like the coffee bean?
I will continue this message next week.
