Palm Sunday
Title: Celebrity Jesus
Text: Matthew 21:1-11
Thesis: Jesus is a celebrity to the fanciful and a life-changer to the faithful.
Lenten Series: Reflecting, Repenting and Returning to God
The Lenten Season is a time for reflection, repenting of our sin and returning to God.
Introduction
When the President of the United States goes somewhere it is no small undertaking.
Months, weeks and days before his departure secret service and other local authorities are on site preparing for the President’s arrival. They attend to every detail, everything from interviewing those who will be close to the President to analyzing and selecting primary and secondary routes. No stone is left unturned and no detail escapes their scrutiny.
Before the President leaves, massive cargo planes will fly from Andrews Air Force Base to the anticipated destination transporting two identical Presidential limousines (a primary and a decoy), a fully stocked ambulance, and all the other vehicles necessary for the motorcade. Sometimes a Marine One helicopter is included in the cargo.
On the day the President leaves, Marine One, the white-topped VH-3D helicopter will land on the White House lawn. The President will be flow to Andrews Air Force Base where he will board one of the Air Force Ones designated for Presidential travel. The Air Force One plane is a Boeing VC-25 which is the military version of the Boeing 747. Sometimes both Air Force One planes are flown… one for back-up.
Air Force One has been refitted to accommodate the President and those who travel with him. The front section is called the flying White House and there are travel accommodations for the 70 – 100 who will accompany the President. There is a fully stocked pharmacy, an x-ray machine, a fold-down operating room table and a full-time surgeon. Two galleys accommodate five chefs who can prepare meals for seatings of 100.
Once when Jesus was going somewhere, he sent two of his disciples ahead, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you and at once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me.” And the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They placed their cloaks on the donkeys and Jesus sat on them.
And that’s how our King landed in Jerusalem on the day we call Palm Sunday… the beginning of Holy Week.
I. Jesus’ Claim to Be King
“Say to the daughters of Zion, ‘See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” Matthew 21:1-7
Jesus had been busy. Leading up to our story today, in the narrative of John 10 and 11 Jesus had raised the ire of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. They had attempted to pin him down as to whether he was the Messiah or not and then he told them that the miracles he had done speak for themselves and if they were not convinced by that… then they were not his. He went on to say, “I and the Father are one.”
So they had picked up stones to stone him, accusing him of the blasphemy of claiming to be God. But when they tried to nab him he escaped and followed the road that went over the Mt. of Olives, through the village of Bethany and on down through Jericho and across the Jordan River.
Jericho is a city on the West Bank of Israel. The Wiki people say that it is a city of around 20,000 people. It is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and the lowest permanently inhabited site on Earth. Jericho is also the site where Jesus reached out to Zacchaeus the tax collector who then repented and become a follower. It was the road between Jerusalem and Jericho that Jesus used in telling the story of the Good Samaritan. And it is that road that Jesus walked when he left Jerusalem to escape to a safe place across the Jordan River.
While Jesus was there across the Jordan River, he received word that his good friend, Lazarus was gravely ill but he stayed there two more days (long enough for Lazarus to die) before going back up the Jericho Road to Bethany where Lazarus lived with his sisters, Mary and Martha.
Keep in mind, Jericho is around 17 miles from Jerusalem. And Bethany is about two miles from Jerusalem. From Bethany you just walk over the Mount of Olives and down into the city of Jerusalem. As Jesus was leaving Jericho on his way to Bethany they were being followed by a large crowd. Two blind men were sitting along the road just outside of town and when they heard Jesus would pass by their way they cried out to Jesus asking him to have mercy on them. He did and they were healed.
Occasionally, when life seems especially hectic and I am wondering if I can manage one more crisis, in a light-hearted moment with someone I know well I might say something like, “I had better not die this week because I don’t have time for a funeral.”
The way Jesus went about caring for people is so not the image we have of present day televangelists and healers who strut about calling out an array of sicknesses that may be in the crowd that night. Then upon identifying someone in need of a good healing he calls them forward where with great demonstration performs a healing ritual that includes a pat on the forehead or a push and the swooning of being slain in the Spirit. It is all so much so, the absolute antithesis of how Jesus healed the sick. Jesus would see or hear a sick person and then Jesus would with a gentle touch or a kindly spoken word relieve their suffering. Despite the urgency of his own calling, the urgency of needing to get to a sick and perhaps already deceased friend, he had time to stop and care for people.
Jesus went on to Bethany where he was told that his friend Lazarus had died.
That is another story but after meeting with Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, Jesus had gone to the grave site, where he had the stone removed from the grave and had called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And he did.
Jesus had been busy and when you are healing blind people and bringing dead people back to life… you tend to draw a lot of attention.
Jesus was a celebrated person. Jesus was a celebrity.
It was the time of year when the Jewish people celebrated the Passover and Jesus’ plan was to go on from Bethany, over the Mt. of Olives and down into the city of Jerusalem where he would celebrate the Passover, but more importantly, begin what we call Holy Week, which would include the Last Supper with his disciples, his betrayal by Judas, his arrest, trial, crucifixion and culminate with his resurrection on Easter morning.
But unbeknown to anyone, other than Jesus, there was a terrible tension in the air. The followers of Christ and the crowds were thinking about crowns and thrones, Jesus was thinking of thorns and a cross. And so it was that Jesus, in keeping with the Old Testament prophecy of how the Messiah would be identified, rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughters of Jerusalem! See, you king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9
In ancient times, when a king rode into the city on a warhorse he came to conquer. When the king rode into the city on a donkey, he came bringing peace.
Jesus was laying it out for everyone to see that he was the coming King of Peace.
Jesus was laying it out for everyone to say, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
II. Jesus’ Coming Celebrated by the Crowd
And the crowds went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Matthew 21:8-9
Our story says that a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road in front of the donkey and her colt and the King who rode them. And the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
A. There was the spreading of garments
B. There was the spreading of branches
C. There was the shouting of praises to God in honor of their coming King.
Their shouts of hosanna were expressions of joyous praise to the King and a humble plea for a Savior.
People are drawn to a crowd.
III. Jesus’ Curious Appeal to the Public
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:10-11
Three things are apparent in verses 10 and 11:
A. There was excitement: The city was stirred
B. There was curiosity: The general public wanted to know who Jesus was
C. There was recognition: The crowds answered, “This is Jesus…”
There is an old story about one of the pope’s visits to America. It seems implausible but if you have ever tried to follow a funeral procession from the church to one of the distant cemeteries you can almost imagine how it could happen… what with all those motorcycle escorts leap-frogging at full throttle from intersection to intersection to keep the procession moving.
At any rate the pope’s limousine driver got confused and they were separated from the procession and became hopelessly lost. The pope had not driven for a long time but decided he would try to figure it out so he had the driver take the passenger seat and he slid in under the wheel. Once on the freeway the pope felt so exhilarated that he let the horses run a bit too fast and a highway patrolmen soon pulled him over for speeding.
The pope sat quietly behind the wheel as the officer made his way from the cruiser to the driver’s side door, stooped a bit and looked into the window. Grinning sheepishly he turned on his heel and returned to his cruiser and got on the radio to his superior. “I’m not sure what I should do.” He said. “I just stopped a limousine that belongs to someone very, very important.”
“Well, who is it?” his superior asked. “I don’t know for sure but I do know but he is big enough to have the pope for his chauffer.”
The city was astir. There was someone who must be really, really big to have drawn such a huge and enthusiastic crowd. And as the onlookers and gawkers lined the streets they wanted to know who was in the middle of it.
It was an interesting and eclectic mass of people that packed the city that day.
There were the devoted followers of Jesus Christ. They were the initial crowd that gathered around Jesus, spreading their garments and branches on the roadway and singing praise to God.
There were the fanciful that are always attracted to what is happening. They had heard about Jesus and they wanted see if they could get a glimpse of him and perhaps even see him pull off another miracle.
There were the curious who were there just to get a glimpse of Lazarus… the guy Jesus had supposedly raised from the dead. John 12:9 says, “A large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only to see him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.”
As is true of every movement where there are rising hopes, there is hostile opposition. There were also the enemies of Jesus. John 12:10-11 says that religious leaders made plans to kill Jesus and Lazarus as well, for “on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.”
I am a fan of Kellie MacMullan and KWGNs News on the Deuce. Kellie is attractive, poised and keeps the action moving on the nightly news. I like Dave Fraser, AP award winning Meteorologist and the way he enthusiastically keeps me on the edge of my chair as he spins the weather. I’m not a techie guy but I enjoy watching gadget geek Nina Sparano’s Internet Café and technology spot. Zubin Mehenti is a knowledgeable sports reporter. But I especially enjoy it when there is something happening and Kellie MacMullan lays a bit of ground work and then the camera switches from the studio to a live on the street reporter in front of the County Jail where the latest bad-person is being held or to the scene of the latest wild fire or on snowy nights to a reporter shivering in the snow on Floyd Hill and after they’ve given their spiel they say, “Back to you Kellie.”
Jesus was newsworthy. If Kellie MacMullan had been in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a reporter from News on the Deuce would have been in that crowd with a camera and a mike to capture the moment when Jesus passed along the parade route.
Jesus was a sensation.
Conclusion:
Parades and Red Carpet appearances and Awards Ceremonies are places where the beautiful and bright and gifted people of the world smile and wave to adoring audiences. They posture and pose for the camera and then the next day we can catch up on the previous nights “fashion hits” and “fashion misses.” Smiling celebrities wearing designer clothes that either reflect impeccable taste or the lack thereof bask in the limelight of their celebrity moments. Cameras flash. Reporters elicit celebrity comments and the curious public crowds the velvet rope to get a better view. Such are festive occasions and those kinds of events are almost always followed by elaborate parties where the very fortunate can actually schmooze with the rich and famous. There is laughter. Every hand holds a cocktail. And every face is smiling.
One of the gospel accounts of the Triumphal Entry (and there are four different perspectives. One in Matthew 21; another in Mark 11; another in Luke 23 and the fourth in John 12.) Only the Apostle John reports that as Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, “He wept over it.” He wept because, despite the presence of many who were faithful followers, most had not a clue that he had come not to be a celebrity, but a Savior.
So in our Lenten moment today, we find ourselves among the crowds who, on this day every year, follow the Jesus parade as he makes his way down from the Mt. of Olives and into Jerusalem.
In this moment of Lenten reflection we are reminded of just what it is that has drawn us to Jesus and we renew our commitment to be devoted followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
