Introduction
Many preachers are often faced with familiar Bible stories and a familiar audience or congregation. Familiar stories often appear on what many would call special Sundays like Christmas and Easter. I believe Palm Sunday could be seen as a special Sunday by many. On those so called special Sundays, we do have Scripture readings that we have heard over and over again. On a Sunday like this most of you knew that our reading would be Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem. Faced with this kind of situation, a preacher would often ask himself/herself- what else can I preach on this day? This is true when you often have a familiar congregation- people who had been around year in and year out and definitely would have heard the same stories.
You may have heard the same story about the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. I however believe that God still has something special for you this special Sunday from this same old story. Perhaps something he may just want to remind you of. Or it could be something new he just wants to tell you about. Let us therefore have an open mind as we allow God’s Holy Spirit to minister to us in whatever way he deems necessary for us on the theme- The Characters in the Palm Sunday Narrative.
Prayer
Jesus Christ, you entered into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. We pray that you will enter into our minds and hearts as we listen to the message. Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord- hosanna in the highest!
The Text: Matthew Chapter 21 verses 1 to 11
As mentioned earlier, this is a familiar text. In understanding the text, I would first of all want us to identify the major characters therein namely- Jesus, the two disciples he sent, the fellow who was keeping the animals that Jesus needed and the crowd. Each of them played different roles.
These characters featured in two major scenes- the two disciples Jesus sent played a major role in scene I, i.e. Jesus giving instruction and they obeying it. In the other scene, we see the animals the two disciples brought, being dressed up for Jesus and him making a triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a carpeted road of palm branches; with a crowd behind and ahead of him.
To bring the text into a modern day context, I would spend some time in demonstrating scene I using a monologue.
Scene I in a Modern Day Context
Imagine Jesus has given his instruction to Joe Fode and I and the instruction was to go down Jolly Good Garden and at door number 36 there are two silver colour Range Rovers packed on the drive way.
As soon as we started going, I began questioning Joe Fode whether Jesus’ instruction was sensible and the repercussions if anything goes wrong when one enters into somebody’s drive way and we begin to open the door of a vehicle that does not belong to us. Now listen to this monologue.
Egerton: did you get Jesus’ instruction?
Joe Fode: What do you mean?
Egerton: You know this instruction that Jesus has given us doesn’t make sense to me O. How can we go into somebody’s private property, get into his vehicle... If anything goes wrong, do you know it will cost us our CRB?
Joe Fode: What do you think will go wrong?
Egerton: I mean if somebody misunderstands what we are doing do you know that he/she will ring 999 and the police will get onto us and perhaps arrest us for trespassing.
Ah, Joe Fode- look somebody is watching at us as we are approaching the drive way.
Joe Fode: I didn’t see anybody let’s get into the drive way.
Egerton: OK you go ahead; I will be just behind you. Hello! Is anybody in this house? Jesus of Nazareth (the miracle worker- who raised the dead, healed the blind) sent us. We are here in your house because Jesus sent us.
The man in the House: hello, can I help you?
Egerton: My name is Egerton and my colleague is Joe Fode, he is the team leader for this errand. I just accompanied him. Ehhhh... Jesus of Nazareth (do you know him? The one that is doing all the miracles around town) sent us to you for these two jeeps.
The man in the house: you can have them. Bye and extend my kind regards to your boss.
Egerton & Joe Fode: thank you sir. We shall extend your regards to him
Egerton: you see Joe Fode; you thought I was a coward. I only wanted us to strategize how we can carry out Jesus’ assignment hitch-free.
Joe Fode: Egerton get into that jeep and let us go to Jesus.
A Further Insight into the Text
Before we move onto to scene II, let us try to delve more into the text by looking at two key words (‘master’ and ‘need’) as understood in the original language of the New Testament i.e. ancient Greek.
The word ‘master’ or ‘lord’ may not convey any serious or emphatic message to our generation. The two disciples Jesus sent understood what Jesus was saying. In ancient Greek, the word- ‘master’ or ‘lord’ in this text is ‘êýñéïò, ïõ, ὁ’. When transliterated, it is spelt KURIO and pronounced- KOO'-REE-OS. It meant someone who had absolute ownership of right over something or someone.
Furthermore, the instruction Jesus gave these two guys was, tell anyone who may ask that I need these animals. The word ‘need’ in the text is ‘÷ñåßá, áò, ἡ’ (when transliterated it is CHREIA
and pronounced KHRI'-AH). It connotes the meaning ‘necessity’.
Understanding the meaning of ‘master’ (KOO'-REE-OS) as seen at that time and the word ‘need’ (KHRI'-AH), I believe will make us capture what Jesus told the two disciples. In other words, Jesus told them- go and do what I have said. Any problem, bear in mind that the one who has absolute ownership of right over the resources that are necessary for his work is with you.
The Application
We don’t know exactly the conversations the two guys had on their way to get the animals Jesus needed. I deliberately brought in a character and a role which could be true of me; if I was one of the guys that Jesus gave such an assignment.
I don’t know about you; but often times when we receive Jesus’ words (it could be an instruction, a command or a promise) they may often not make sense to our finite minds and our so called modern way of doing things. We may not fully comprehend how it will work. We must every now and then remember that Jesus is KOO'-REE-OS- he has absolute ownership of right over everything he has created. We may not understand the entire ‘how’ and the ‘when’ of his words- instructions, promises, etc; because as Prophet Isaiah has reminded us that God says:
8“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’’(Isaiah 55, Living Bible).
Though we may not fully grasp his words- instructions, promises or command and though they may not make sense in light of modern day way of thinking and doing things, all we have to do is be like these two disciples to obey Jesus. We are told in verse 6 of our text- they did exactly as Jesus commanded them.
The fellow who was keeping these animals, understood that he was just a care-taker of these resources. Neighbours and others may have believed that the animals are his. But to him he was just a temporary custodian of them. When the one who had absolute right of ownership (KOO'-REE-OS) over the animals expressed a necessity (KHRI'-AH) for them, he was quick to give the animals to him.
Do we behave like this character? Do we see the resources we have as not belonging to us but to Jesus? Take for example our time. If Jesus demands a bit of our time- just to spend with him in prayer and bible study; are we ready to give him this particular resource? I believe every day, we must remind ourselves (as we look at what we have) and say to Jesus- all of these things I have now, even the breath of life, belong to you; you are the KOO'-REE-OS (the absolute rightful owner). If we constantly have such thoughts (through the power of the Holy Spirit), we would become very much heavenly minded rather than very earthly conscious; i.e. thinking of material benefits.
This therefore takes us to the last character in the narrative- the crowd. They indeed extended very kind gestures to Jesus- putting their resources (clothes, energies- cutting palm branches, shouting and singing the praises of Jesus). But what was their intention? What motivated some of them to do all these things for Jesus?
Some saw Jesus as their political leader who was going to get rid of their Roman oppressors- oppressing them with taxes for Caesar, etc. Therefore they believed that by doing all these for Jesus, he would be motivated to do exactly what they wanted. They thought Jesus would change their situation. When Jesus didn’t fulfil their wishes, what did they do to him on Good Friday? They changed their hymns of praises to shouts of condemnation- crucify him.
Are we not behaving like some of these characters in the crowd? We believe that by giving our resources to Jesus, then Jesus will bless us. If we believe that, I am sorry to say that is not what the Bible is teaching. We can never buy God’s favours by our so called acts of righteousness. It is not our length of prayers that will move God, nor our giving that will motivate him, nor our ‘doing church’ that will make him do things for us. God gives us what we have because he is gracious. We get what we have now as a result of grace i.e. his unmerited favour. In other words we don’t deserve to get what we have now but because of his grace, we do have them. We should be having something else; but because of his mercies, we are not getting what we deserve.
Let us not fool ourselves that if we give this resource to God, God is bound to change our situation. We are not in a business transaction with God. Whatever we receive from God is as a result of his grace. If we have this at the back of our minds, we shall ever use our tongues to sing his praises- hosanna in the highest.
Like the guy who was keeping those animals, let us give to God because it is necessary for him to have the resource and to believe that the very resource we have belongs exclusively to him (as he is the absolute rightful owner). Our intention must not be- give to God or do this for Jesus and he will be motivated to bless us. We should not focus on the gift but on the gift giver. The gifts may come in terms of material benefits but what is more important is the treasures that have been laid up for us in heaven and not the earthly material benefits.
Conclusion
In concluding, which character are you? Are you like the two disciples who believed Jesus’ words and took the step of faith to obey his words?
Are you like the guy who was keeping the two animals and was ready to give back the rightful owner when he demanded for them?
Are you like some members in the crowd, who gave their resources to Jesus and thinking that by extending such gestures to him, he would be motivated to change their situation?
My Christian brothers and sisters, Jesus is KOO'-REE-OS (the absolute rightful owner of whatever we have). We have them because of his grace. He would always require us to give back what he has given us to keep; he needs them (KHRI'-AH) for his work here on earth.
Let us pray: Lord all that we have, even the breath of life, belongs to you. You are the absolute owner. May we be willing to give them back to you. Let us give to you and see it as our bounding duty and not as buying your favour. We ask this prayer in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
