Text: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the LORD!” (Luke 19:38)
Praise is a wonderful thing. All of us like to receive praise because it uplifts us, making us feel worthy, important, respected and appreciated. It is also interesting to note that words of praise can come from the same mouth as words of criticism making us feel unworthy, unimportant, disrespected, and unloved.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of the final week of Jesus’ incarnate life upon the earth. He knew what lay ahead, but it appeared the people shouting joyful praises of “Long live the King” did not understand His mission and what He would face as the week progressed.
We are like the people shouting and waving to Jesus in that all we know is what is going on at the moment. We cannot see into the future. We live by the moment. At times, we don’t understand why events are occurring in our life causing hurt and discomfort.
Since we don’t understand and since we can’t seem to help ourselves, we follow the words of the Psalmist who said, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22).
Our Lord is always ready to bear what we cannot bear. He does not want to see us suffer or feel as though we cannot proceed in life. He gives us the strength to continue and carry on when we place our faith and trust in Him.
At the beginning of the final week of His earthly life, Jesus was on His final journey to Jerusalem. He would celebrate the great Passover festival with His disciples. Since it was Passover time, many Jews came from all areas of the Roman world to celebrate this festival.
The Passover feast is a celebration in remembrance of the exodus recorded in Exodus 12:37-51. The Exodus presumably took place some 1400 years before Jesus appeared incarnate upon the earth.
Passover is a special day set aside to celebrate the movement of the Israelites or the Jewish people from Egyptian captivity to freedom. It is also to celebrate the founding of Israel as a nation brought about by the redemptive action of Almighty God.
The people of Israel waited many years for the Messiah. They visualized their king to be an earthly king like kings of the past. A military type king was more in their line of thinking, but God did not send His Son to be an earthly king. The Father’s intention was that Jesus would be a heavenly king encompassing a kingdom far greater than David or any other king.
Jesus’ kingdom would never end because it would be a heavenly kingdom. Some considered Jesus king even at His birth while others gave him very little recognition. Some people soon realized that Jesus was different.
For example, when Jesus was twelve years of age and went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with His parents, He failed to join His parents and the caravan on the return trip home.
“After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking He was in their company, they traveled for a day. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends.
“After three days, they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you’” (Luke 2:44-48).
At twelve years of age, the Jewish boys are almost adults. They, like Jesus, did not hang on to the hand of their parents at these festivals. This very thing happens today. Once children reach a certain age, probably around 12 to 14, they want to hang-out with their friends.
They don’t want to be hugged or kissed by mom and dad when their friends are present. Their friends will think they are odd or strange and the young people will become embarrassed. This is probably the same thing that happened in Jesus’ day.
Jesus was a little different. He was found sitting among the teachers in the temple, asking and answering question that had a great deal of depth. He knew the answers to their questions and He also asked question that made them think. In other words, Jesus was not your normal average twelve-year-old.
Jesus became aware He was God’s Son when He said to His parents: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). Jesus knew His real father. Yes, He had an earthly father, but He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Although He knew His real Father, Jesus did not show disrespect for earthly parents.
There are many people today, young and middle age, who do not respect and appreciate their earthly parents because they do not know their heavenly Father. God’s own Son showed the utmost respect for His earthly parents. People of all ages this very day need to follow Jesus’ example and show the same respect for their earthly parents.
Jesus not only respected His earthly parents, but He respected and spoke well of all those with which He made contact. He taught us how to love our enemies, just as he loves those who unjustly disliked Him.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:27-31).
The Romans tried to oppress the Jews and the Jews did not like it, but Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” There will always be someone who wants to oppress you, take advantage of you, or do something to make you look bad, but do as Jesus says, “Love your enemies.”
The kind of love Jesus was talking about was that of acting in their behalf. He did not mean an affectionate type of love, but a love that would ultimately help them. In other word, we should pray for them and try to find various ways to help them.
Some people will understand what we are trying to do and they will accept our love while others will totally think we are nuts. That is okay! We can set a good example and if we maintain that level of love and goodness, we might gain their respect and God will get the glory. If we treat people the way we want them to treat us, we will be putting into action the words expressed by Jesus.
Jesus is the teacher above all teachers. He taught us how to live the good life. He told us not to judge other people or condemn other people (Luke 6:37). We are to forgive because the time will come when we will want to be forgiven.
He performed many miracles. He met a funeral procession as He traveled to Nain. A young boy whose mother was a widow died leaving the mother lonely, sad and depressed. His compassion led him to do something that would change the mother’s life. As He touched the coffin, Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, get up! (Luke 7:14) and the young man sat up and made conversation.
Many people thought Jesus to be a prophet and did not realize that He was much more than a prophet. You see, Elijah and Elisha were prophets who also raised people from the dead, so some people placed Jesus in the same category. Jesus was a prophet, but He is truly God.
One day He calmed the storm that was tossing the little boat back and forth upon the Sea of Galilee. The disciples in the boat were expert fisherman, but nevertheless, they became frightened. Jesus was able to demonstrate His power over the storm.
This tells us that there is no storm in life that we cannot overcome because of our faith and trust in the One who calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Our circumstances or trials in life may seem like we will be blown away by the winds of adversity, but remembering to call upon Jesus in our time of need will assure us safety through the storm. We can be assured that we are never alone in life because Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
How many of us could feed about five thousand men plus women and children with five loaves of bread and two fish? I know I couldn’t do it and I am pretty certain none of you could pull this off. For Jesus it was not a problem. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks, and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over” (Luke 9:16-17).
Jesus did not have to feed these people. He could have let them find food for themselves, but He was not that kind of person. He was concerned about their hunger. In fact, Jesus was concerned about every thing in the life of each of these people. He is just as concerned about each one of us.
He wants to take care of our physical needs as well as our spiritual needs. He doesn’t want us to be without food, clothing or shelter, but neither does He want us to be without spiritual food and welfare. He does not ignore us, but there are times we forget that He is still on the throne. We forget to consult him in our decision making and in our time of need and when we do this; we find out that things don’t work out positively for us.
Our wants and needs are not always good for us, but when we talk to Him and pour out our heart, we ultimately get something better than we thought possible. That is because He loves each one of us.
Here is a man, God incarnate, who walked upon the face of the earth full of love, compassion, mercy, understanding, joy and happiness. He was willing to give or to share with those who would listen, believe and obey. Some did listen, trust, obey and follow His words, but there were many who did not.
This was no surprise to Him, because He knew human beings to the very core. He knew His mission and He knew how people would respond to His teachings. People liked all the miracles He did. They like everything He said and did providing it was what they wanted or they expected.
He taught through parables or stories the meaning of life and how happiness could be attained if His words were followed. The Parable of the Lost Sheep was to instill in people how important, how valuable and how precious they were to Almighty God. He emphasized that no one need be lost because the Shepherd was always looking for them.
The Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Lost Son further emphasized the joy of finding that which was lost. When a lost soul sees the light and repents of their sins and invites Jesus to come and live in the most inner chambers of there heart, “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God” (Luke 15:10).
Jesus earthly ministry of about three years was now coming to a close as He and His disciples walked toward Jerusalem. As they approached Bethphage, which is on the Mount of Olives, Jesus and His disciples stopped to rest.
Jesus knew that His earthly mission was coming to a close and it weighted heavily upon His heart. As they rested, He said to two of His disciples, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away” (Matthew 21:2-3).
The words Jesus spoke to His disciples about the donkey and the colt were the same words spoken by the prophet Zechariah. He prophesied saying, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
It is interesting to note that this prophesy occurred 500 years before it became reality. Jesus was fulfilling this very prophesy. By fulfilling this prophesy, Jesus was confirming the fact He was the Messiah.
Jesus sent two disciples for a donkey and her foal. The donkey was used mainly for travel and would usually be carrying supplies, goods, or possibly a rider. The Messiah, the King of Kings did not send for a horse, but for a donkey. Horses were kept for great men and for war.
Jesus was the King. He was the greatest of the great, but He was so humble that He sent for two donkeys. To go one step further, the animals did not even belong to Him, but they were owned by someone else. All that had to be told to the owner were the words, “…the Lord needs them…” (v 3). There were no questions from the owner. He relinquished the two donkeys to the two disciples and they brought the donkeys to Jesus.
When the disciples returned with the two donkeys, Jesus chose to ride upon the foal of the other donkey. Neither donkey had a saddle on, so the disciples took some of their own clothes off and placed the clothes upon the foal. They did not give consideration that after the ride their clothes would probably smell and not be wearable. The disciples gave the very best they had. Jesus did not have to ask them because they already knew “the Lord had need of them.”
There is a hidden thought in these words. The disciples gave their clothes for Christ without out even thinking and Christ, out of love, stripped Himself for all of us. Jesus gave not only His clothes, but He gave His very life for each one of us.
Jesus was honored by the multitude of common people and not the multitude of magnificent people. These people honored Jesus by giving Him what they had. He was interested in not what earthly possessions the people had, but He was interested in their soul.
People who take Jesus as their King are called to give up everything and invite Him to come and reside in their heart. Nothing is more important than having Jesus living in one’s heart. The invitation shows honor, respect, trust and a willingness to be obedient to the One who gave His all for each of us.
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:8). When Jesus declared Himself King before this crowd on the first day of the week, the people gladly accepted Him and demonstrated by the laying down of clothes and palm branches along the road Jesus was traveling.
The crowd shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). The people did not know what lay ahead as the days of the week passed, but Jesus knew.
The people were happy and excited now, but soon they would fall due to the political pressure which would result in them deserting Jesus. It would be no surprise to Jesus because He could see the big picture.
The people welcomed Jesus and blessed Him. It is good for us to bless Jesus because He returns that blessing to us on a daily basis. His earthly kingdom is within the heart of His children, but His heavenly kingdom is where He has gone to prepare a place for each of His children. He is King above every king, His name is above every name and His throne is above every throne.
As He entered Jerusalem, many of the people were excited and showed enthusiasm and emotion while some just laughed and made fun. Joy emanated from some of the people while envy and resentment boiled within others.
Some of the people said, “Who is this?” (Mathew21:10) to which the excited crowd shouted, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee” (v. 11). It appeared that some of the people did not know Jesus.
It appears this very day that many people do not know Jesus. How can this be possible? It might be that the world seems to have more to offer in the form of material possessions. Perhaps these possessions take priority over everything because faith is not involved.
Conclusion:
Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem was a very eventful ride. People were calling Him blessed. Many were giving what they had to show respect for Him. Palm branches were laid along the road and shouts of joy, happiness and excitement were heavy in the air.
Here was a prophet who ministered to the people for about three years. Many people saw the work He was doing. Parables were His means of teaching. Miracles were performed out of love, compassion and mercy. Health was restored to those with various diseases. Thousands of people were fed using minute quantities of food, yet no one went hungry and fragments were left over.
His power was demonstrated when He stilled the storm and caused the waves to become calm. God’s house was cleared of those who used it for business purposes. He taught right from wrong, ultimately giving the recipe for a fruitful and fulfilling life.
He talked about eternal life and how one could spend eternity with Him in His kingdom. Jesus told of His mission and He talked about His death on three different occasions.
He never traveled very far. He had no earthly possessions. He had no place to lay His head. He never had a formal education, but He knew everything. Jesus gave all honor and glory to the Father. He was in constant contact with His Father. His love for us is greater than we can ever imagine. He had a mission and this last ride would complete that mission.
He had many followers, but He also had many enemies. On this first day of the last week of His earthly life, Jesus was proclaimed King, blessed by a cheering crowd, given honor and respect by the people along the road as He humbled Himself to ride upon the foal of a donkey instead of the back of a prancing horse.
How could shouts of joy come from a crowd of people who would soon fall to political pressure and desert Him in His time of need? I don’t know.
One thing I do know and that is Jesus made this final entry into Jerusalem out of love for each of us. He loves all of us regardless if we love Him. He shed His blood so that believing we might spend eternity with Him in His kingdom. He wants all to be saved and none to be lost, but that choice is left up to each of us.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Amen.
