This Sunday is Palm Sunday. It commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It is the beginning of his last days on earth. Passover is a festival celebrated every year in Israel. It celebrates the night that the angel of death passed over the homes of the Jews, sparing their first born. God commanded that the nation of Israel celebrate this festival by insuring their bread would contain no yeast for one week. On the first and seventh day they were not allowed to work. For seven days the people were to present special gifts to the Lord. Those gifts were to be presented in the temple in Jerusalem. So the city was filled with pilgrims when Jesus entered.
Jesus has been staying at the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. Since it was only a forty minute walk to Jerusalem, this would be a good base area for him and his disciples. After the Sabbath day has ended Jesus instructs two of his disciples to venture into he city and bring him a donkey. Jesus was aware of the prophetic word of Zechariah “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.” (Zechariah 9:9) He knew entering Jerusalem this way would put the spot light on him. He was finally declaring himself as their King.
His disciples begin laying their cloaks in front of him as a carpet to ride on. Others follow. Still others gather palm fronds and wave them in celebration. The people are crying out “Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.” The Pharisees look on with disgust and order Jesus to stop them. He says if they do not praise him, the rocks will. The crowd grows and now palm branches are spread across his path. This is the traditional sign of triumph and glory.
The donkey stops atop the Mount of Olives. As Jesus looks about He sees the tents on the hillside where the poor camp during Passover. He can see Jerusalem and the temple. He sees throngs of pilgrims outside the gate waiting for his arrival. Jesus begins to weep. Perhaps He weeps because Jerusalem would one day be destroyed. Perhaps He weeps at his own impending doom. But He enters into the city of Jerusalem to fulfill his purpose.
Jesus gave us eight purposes for entering our world. He said he came to fulfill more than 400 prophetic statements made concerning him. He came to serve others and give his life as a ransom. He came to preach to all men, Jews and Gentiles. He came to save the lost. He came to be a light in a dark world. He came to testify to the truth. But the most controversial reason he came was to bring fire and division.
Luke 12:49“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!”
The Old Testament is filled with examples of fire reigning from heaven. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone. One of the plaques on Egypt was fire and hail from heaven. Elijah called down fire from heaven to destroy soldiers sent from King Ahaziah. All of these were destructive fires. So was Jesus saying He had come to destroy the world and, in fact, wishes it was already destroyed. This does not line up with all the other reasons He gave for coming.
The fire Jesus spoke of was the fire that John the Baptist prophesied about in Luke 3:16 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” This happened on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the Feast of the Passover, when divided tongues of fire appeared to the disciples and rested on each one of them. It was the dissension of the Holy Spirit onto the earth that would set the world on fire. Three thousand converts in one day was the result of that fire. When Jesus set the world on fire he accomplished three things.
1) It is a fire of cleansing.
Often forest fires are set on purpose to cleanse away the dead brush. It is what is called a control burning. The Holy Spirit works in this same manner. When you allow Jesus to become your savior, the Holy Spirit begins to burn away all the dead things in your life that sin has left behind. Often they are things we do not want to be burned away but it is beneficial. They can even be things that we do not even know needs to be burned away.
The prophet Isaiah had been delivering the word from the Lord to Judah for several years. One day he has a vision of standing in God’s presence. His reaction was to declare “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (Isaiah 6:5)
This was a man who boldly proclaimed the word of God, yet realized his sinfulness when in God’s presence. And his sin was his filthy lips. However this would soon be solved. Isaiah 6:6-7 “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ‘See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’”
2) It is a fire of passion.
Isaiah had been touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel of forgiveness. So now we see his reaction. Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’
I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’”
When the fire of the Holy Spirit consumes you, there should be a passion to serve, there should be a passion to share, and there should be a passion to save.
In Luke 24 we read the story of two travelers who have left Jerusalem after the death of Jesus. They were saddened and confused. Jesus actually joined with them as they walked but they did not recognize him. They talked of what had happened and how they felt. Jesus began explaining the prophetic words spoken about him and how they had been fulfilled. When they reached home they invited him in. When broke bread with them, they realized who He was and Jesus disappeared. They looked at each other and said “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” We need to allow the Holy Spirit through the word of God to ignite a fire within us.
3) It is a fire of division.
Luke 12:51 “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!”
In the Jewish culture there was nothing stronger than the family unit. Families usually remained as a unit through several generations. When a young man married, he would simply add a room onto his father’s house for his family. They would share the kitchen and living quarters. All aspects of the Jewish faith would have been followed.
But Jesus’ arrival on the scene would change that arraignment. To accept him as the Messiah would torn at the very fabric of the family unit. To accept him would be to turn your back on the Jewish faith. No longer would you be accepted within the house hold. Father would turn against son, mother against daughter. The three thousand converts who accepted Jesus on the day of Pentecost without doubt lost the love and support of their families. They would have been forced to decide between the blood of family ties and the blood of Jesus.
I know of people who have been forced to make that decision. Perhaps some of you have had too. Their family calls them religious nuts and talks about how they have changed since they have found Jesus. Family members do not want to be around them anymore. There is a reason for it.
Jeremiah 23:29
“Does not my word burn like fire?”
says the Lord.
“Is it not like a mighty hammer
that smashes a rock to pieces?
God’s word lives within us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we witness to others and they are resistant, they feel a burning sensation. It is the drawing of the Holy Spirit to that individual. The word of God acts like a hammer beating against their stony heart. For some it brings repentance but for others it brings a raging anger toward God and his messenger. We often react back in anger without realizing that perhaps it is an inner struggle that they are fighting against.
Jesus was about to turn the people in Jerusalem against each other. He would storm the temple, over turning the tables of the money changers and sellers. The Temple priest would be upset because it affected their wallet. The people would rejoice to see someone take a stand against such corruption. One of the reasons the Temple rulers decided that Jesus needed to die was to stop this type of uprising. Not everyone wanted him crucified. However, the powerful and mighty did.
He also compared it to a sword. Matthew 10:34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
After Jesus was eight days old He was to be dedicated to God as the Law required. At the temple Mary and Joseph met a man named Simeon. He had been promised that he would see the Messiah before he died. When he saw the baby Jesus, the Holy Spirit revealed to him the identity of the child. He asked to hold him and began praising God for this blessing. Then he prophesied over him. It is in this passage that we see the first purpose of the sword.
1) It cuts to the deepest thoughts
Luke 2:34-35 “Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, ‘This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.’”
Jesus would know the deepest thoughts of man. There are numerous examples in the Bible where Jesus read someone’s thoughts. It was his ability to distinguish between the pure of heart and the corrupt heart that would cause him to be controversial. He brought down the mighty with his revealing words. By exposing them He caused them to fall. To those who were outcasts, He brought great joy. However, many did oppose him.
When we look at Mary, we may do so in awe. The Bible says she was highly favored. But she was still a sinner, needing a Savior. Her heart would be pierced by the death of her son. But her soul would be pierced by the death of the Son.
Jesus cuts into our innermost thoughts. Have you ever gotten angry because someone messed with your stuff and found something you had hidden? The Holy Spirit reveals those hidden things in our heart. We can become angry at God or we can repent and be filled with joy over his forgiveness. But we need to let the word pierce our soul. We need a Savior.
2) It cuts into relationships
Matthew 10:37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
Please note that Jesus did not say if you love them you are not worthy. Jesus expects us to love our parents, children, and spouses. But we cannot love them more than him.
He is speaking to a predominantly Jewish audience who, as we have discussed, held family above everything. The question that is offered here is “What decision would you make?”
If your family asked you to chose your beliefs over them, would you? If they were to ask you to violate a moral code for their happiness, would you? How far away from your convictions would you travel to please them? What if the Holy Spirit lay upon your heart a task, would you turn away because someone was opposed to it? Jesus says you are not worthy if you chose others over him. It sounds harsh but many times people make a choice to keep someone happy than to follow God.
3) It cuts between soul and spirit
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
The word comes out swinging. It cuts going in and it cuts coming out. It’s like a surgical blade that would separate the ligaments that hold our bodies together exposing the inner marrow of our bones.
It separates our souls from our spirit. Often we confuse the two. Our soul is our eternal being. It is our animated self. What we do, say, see, touch, and where we go is all propelled by our soul.
Our spirit is our immaterial being. It is our spiritual self. It is with our spirit that we communicate with God.
Our soul is eternal. It will always live. Our spirit is dead unless we have accepted the new life offered by Jesus. Then our spirit becomes alive. But our spirit and our soul can become intertwined.
For the last three years we have had a vine growing on our mail box producing flowers. This year it died and left a withered branch clinging to the box. I had to cut it off at the ground and cut through dead branches to clear it out. A dead spirit can do the same thing. It will cling to a soul like a dead vine. It produces nothing good.
Jesus came to cut away that dead vine that some may carry. He came to give new life to both soul and spirit. He does through his word and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Are there things in your life that need to be torched? Jesus came to burn them. Are there things in your life that need to be cut away? Jesus came to clear them. Won’t you let him?
