PALM SUNDAY, 2009
“CASUAL ADMIRER OR FAITHFUL FOLLOWER?”
LUKE 19:29-44; MATTHEW 21:10-11
OPEN
How many of you like parades? I love to watch parades – especially when someone I know is in the parade. I could tell you some horror stories about being in parades. One involves being in the marching band when we were put behind the horses in the parade. Not a fun day.
On October 29, 1927, there was a huge ticker-tape parade in New York City in honor of Charles Lindbergh and his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. There was over 750,000 pounds of ticker-tape that poured out onto the streets. One of the biggest ticker-tape parades was on March 1, 1962. It honored John Glenn after he became the first American to orbit the earth in a spacecraft. The sanitation department cleaned up 3,474 tons of ticker-tape along a 7-mile parade route.
It was no different about 2,000 years ago. Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem in parade-like fashion. Jesus made His way with His followers from the Mount of Olives. Jesus already had a crowd of people following Him. The people in Jerusalem came out to meet Him. The two crowds merged together much like two huge tides of the ocean. They laid their cloaks out before Him as well as palm fronds. The crowd was recognizing Jesus as their king.
Lk. 19:29-40 – As he [Jesus] approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he
sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt
tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying
it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” Those who were sent ahead went and 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.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people
spread their cloaks on the road. 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:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep
quiet, the stones will cry out.”
There were different kinds of people who greeted Jesus. Warren Wiersbe put it this way: ““If Jesus had of entered into one of our modern cities, leading the parade, He would have been arrested immediately. He would be a wanted man. The FDA would want Him for turning water into wine without a license; the EPA for killing fig trees; the AMA for practicing medicine without a license; the Dept. of Health for asking people to open graves, for raising the dead and for feeding 5000 people in the wilderness without a food permit; the NEA for teaching without a certificate; OSHA for walking on water without a lifejacket; the SPCA for driving hogs into the sea; the NATIONAL BOARD OF PSYCHIATRISTS for giving advice on how to live a guilt free life; the N.O.W. for not choosing a woman disciple; the ABORTION RIGHTS LEAGUE for saying that whoever harms children, it is better that they had never been born; the INTERFAITH MOVEMENT for condemning all other religions, and by the ZONING DEPT. for building mansions without a permit.”
There were the critics – the religious leaders – who never ran out of complaints and wanted to kill Him. There were the curious – those who just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. There was the crowd – those who would follow Jesus as long as everything went the way they thought it should go. And then there were the committed – imperfect people who loved Jesus and wanted to do what would please Him.
The message today is “Casual Admirer or Faithful Follower?” Which one of those are you? It’s time for us to examine ourselves. Are we part of the crowd or are we part of the committed Christ followers? What is it that marks us as committed Christ followers? I want to share with you three things that demonstrate that you’re a committed Christ follower.
DO WHAT JESUS SAYS
Jesus sent two of His disciples on a strange little mission. He said, “Go to this little village up the road, untie the colt that you’ll find there, and bring it to me.” The Bible doesn’t tell us which two of the twelve went on this mission. If you guess Peter and Andrew, you could be right. If you guess James and John, you could be right. Your guess would be as good as mine.
The Bible also doesn’t tell us what these two disciples talked about on the way to this village. I wonder if if it went something like this:
Disciple 1: “Do you really think we should just untie the colt and take it?”
Disciple 2: I don’t know. Do you think the Master knows the owner?
Disciple 1: You got me. Do you think this might be a test of some kind?
Disciple 2: I’m as much in the dark as you are. But I’m concerned. Do you think they’ll just let us walk off
with their colt?
Disciple 1: I don’t know. All I know is that Jesus said to go get this young donkey and bring it to Him. He
said all we have to say is “The Lord has need of him.”
Disciple 2: I don’t know. What if they get mad at us? What they put up a fight?
Disciple 1: I guess all we can do is just what Jesus said.
Disciple 2: It’s all I know to do.
We tend to read the Bible like a play – as if all the characters knew the script before they faced each situation. But the fact of the matter is that they didn’t know anymore than you or I do about how things will turn out. However, take note: these two disciples simply did what Jesus said.
In a parallel passage about the Triumphal Entry, Jn. 12:16, we find this statement: 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 they had done these things to him.
In another parallel passage, Mk. 11:4-7, we see the willingness to do just as Jesus said highlighted: They
went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let
them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.
These disciples of Jesus didn’t know how things were going to turn out. They simply did what Jesus said to do. Look at the result – their simple obedience brought glory to God. The owners of the donkey were also willing to do what Jesus said. When they heard that Jesus wanted it, they let the two disciples have it.
All in all, their example is a great model for you and me. You couldn’t do any better than to follow the example of these two disciples who – though they had no way to know what the future would hold and what their actions would bring about – they simply obeyed. Also, you couldn’t do any better than to follow the example of the owners of the donkey who gave what they had in the service of Christ.
Consider this question: If Jesus said today, “I have need of what you have,” would you let Him have it? Would you be willing to surrender it like the owners of this donkey? Would you be willing to let Him take it and use it for however long He needed it or would you hold onto it because you might need it?
I can’t guarantee you that your obedience to do what Christ is asking from you won’t involve a donkey. Only Christ and you know what it will involve. Is He calling you into relationship with Him – to make a decision to make Jesus your Lord and Savior? Is He calling you to forgive someone? To help someone? To take up some responsibility? To get rid of something in your life? To say, “Yes,” to something? To say, “No” to something?
I can’t tell you the answer. But I can say to you what His mother told the servants at the wedding in Cana recorded in John 2:5 – “Do whatever he tells you.” If you’ll be obedient like these disciples were on a Sunday almost 2,000 years ago, you’ll be amazed at how your simple act of obedience will bring glory to God. Peter Bulkely said, “If God be God over us, we must yield him universal obedience in all things. He must not be over us in one thing, and under us in another, but he must be over us in everything.”
FEEL WHAT JESUS FEELS
Lk. 19:41-44 – As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you,
had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will
come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on
every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one
stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
There was something that happened on the ride into Jerusalem that we don’t talk about too often. If fact, I’ll have to admit that I glossed over this event for years. I really failed to notice that it was even part of what happened during the Triumphal Entry. I got caught up in the crowds, the cheering, the emotion, and the excitement. I let this important event slip right past my recognition.
But I want to point out that I am not alone. From every indication, the crowds didn’t notice it either. Matthew and mark fail to record it. Luke is the only gospel writer who takes note of this particular event. Don’t let it slip past you this morning. Lk. 19:43 – As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it…
The word in the original language translated here in the NIV as “wept” signifies more than just tears. It points to the kind of soul-wracking, gut-wrenching, teeth-gritting sobbing that a person does at the death of a close family member or friend. It’s the same word used to describe Mary’s sobs at the tomb of her brother Lazarus. It’s the same word used to picture Mary Magdalene’s tears at Jesus’ tomb. It’s the same word used to depict Peter’s bitter weeping after he denied Jesus and heard the rooster crow.
Jesus wept violently. But He didn’t cry for Himself. His tears were not because of the suffering that lay ahead of Him. His concern was not for the cross. Jesus wept bitter, soul-wracking tears for the fate that was coming to the people of Jerusalem.
Jesus wasn’t wrapped up in the adulation of the crowd. After all, these same people who cried, “Hail, Jesus!” would later in the week shout, “Nail Jesus!” In the midst of the cheers and the shouts of the crowd, Jesus heard the screams, the cries, the shrieks and groans of the men, women, and children who would die in Jerusalem about 35 years following His final week of earthly life.
Later in the week, Jesus would prophesy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. In typical biblical style, Jesus would tie together events that would occur in the near future with things that would happen in the distant future. Jesus was looking ahead to the year AD 70 when the Roman general Titus would literally demolish the city, destroy its glorious temple, and brutalize its rebellious people. Jesus says here in Lk: “The days will
come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on
every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one
stone on another…”
What was it that put these people in such a treacherous situation? Jesus says in vs. 44b – “…because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” John 1:11 says, He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. The Prince of Peace was in their midst and they missed Him! The God of love, mercy, and grace was in their midst offering them salvation and they missed Him! They were looking for something else.
Everyone was having a party but Jesus was filled with compassion for the lost sheep of Israel. Just as the example of the two disciples and the owners of the donkey model obedience for us, the heart of Jesus sets the standard by which we should live if we claim to follow Him.
You should feel what Jesus feels. You need to allow your heart to be broken for those who are hurting, those who are wandering, those who are searching, those who are lost – and like the people in Jesus day – those who don’t even know their own true condition.
Let me ask you a personal question this morning. When was the last time you wept for the lost? When was the last time you looked at them with the eyes and the heart of Jesus? When have you shed tears of grief, sorrow, and compassion for their condition?
The apostle Paul exemplified Jesus’ feelings. Rom. 9:2-4a – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in
my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those
of my own race, the people of Israel.
I can’t tell you specifically to whom God is asking you to open your heart. God knows and I bet that you do, too. Maybe it’s your neighbor, a co-worker, a brother or sister, a mother or father, a close friend. Maybe it’s just a casual acquaintance. Whoever it is, it’s someone who hasn’t yet experienced the forgiveness, the deliverance, the peace and the freedom that comes when you receive new life through faith in Jesus Christ.
What I can tell you is what will happen if you let yourself feel what Jesus feels. It will bring a flood of compassion into your heart and you will do what Jesus said he came to do – seek and save the lost.
TELL WHO JESUS IS
Listen to the conclusion of the Palm Sunday story in Mt. 21:10-11 – When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the
whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from
Nazareth in Galilee.”
When Matthew reports that the city was “stirred,” he uses the Greek word seio from which we get our word “seismic.” It’s a word that describes a shaking or vibration of the earth. It’s the same word Matthew uses later in his gospel at the point were Jesus dies on the cross. Mt. 27:51 – The earth shook and the rocks split. The city of Jerusalem was stirred in the same way an earthquake stirs the ground.
That’s what will happen if you and I – this room full of people; the congregation here at First Christian in Martinsville, IL – began doing what Jesus says and began feeling what Jesus feels. Our community will be stirred! And that’s what the people are waiting for.
They’re waiting to see if there really is a God. And if there is a God, they’re waiting to see if he really does care. They’re waiting to see if the people who come to this building, who sing the praises of Jesus Christ, who cry out to Him and claim to know Him will actually live out what they claim to believe.
Our community will be stirred if we show ourselves to declare what we believe and then live it out in our every day lives. The people want to see if our people are any different than the people of the world. The people want to see if our God can really be trusted. The people want to see if our faith can really accomplish anything.
The people are watching you and me. If they see us doing what Jesus says, and feeling what Jesus feels for them, they will ask, “What’s going on?” They will ask, “What’s this all about?” They’ll ask, “Who is this Jesus that makes such a difference in your life?”
Again, sharing about Jesus is a great example for us. We need to find ways to expose our friends, neighbors, family members, c-workers, and classmates the news that we proclaim next Sunday when we tell each other, in the ages-old confession of the church: “He is risen.” “He is risen indeed!”
Do you know that surveys say that the majority of people who do not attend church or have never experienced new life in Christ give the same reason when they’re asked why they haven’t done so? The say, “No one ever asked.” Paul Little, in his book How to Give Away Your Faith, says, “Witnessing is that deep-seated conviction that the greatest favor that I can do for others is to introduce them to Jesus Christ.”
CLOSE
I want us to switch gears very briefly. I want us to look at something described in Rev. 7:9-17 – After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from? I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Compare this group of people to the crowd of people that greeted Jesus in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday so long ago. There is a great multitude here in heaven also. But this group is made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. Jesus is not on a donkey but on a throne. People are not just calling Him Messiah and King. Jesus is exalted and worshipped on His heavenly throne.
The heavenly multitude is dressed in white robes and holding palm branches. They are described as having been through the tribulation. They have experienced hard and difficult times. They have not yielded to trouble and have remained faithful in following Christ. They prayed for strength and endured.
Their white robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Neither Clorox™ nor Oxyclean ™ could wash them so thoroughly from the stains of sin. They serve Him day and night. This is service without end. It is a devotion that does not quite. A faith that is not fickle. A behavior not based on what others are doing but based on what Christ has done for you.
They are not judged but are rewarded. There is no hunger, no thirst. There is no scorching heat. The Lamb is their Shepherd. They are led to living water and their tears are wiped away.
Who are these people? “These are they” are those who committed their lives to Jesus Christ and did what Jesus said, felt what Jesus felt, and told who Jesus was.
