Scripture: John 12:12-16; Mark 11:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Theme: Palm Sunday
Title: Two Parades – One True Victor
In this sermon we look at Jesus’ Triumphant Entry. We see that in coming into Jerusalem that Jesus 1. Shows His Courage 2. He Proclaims that He is the Messiah and 3. Continues to Fulfill His Plan of Full Salvation
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I want to talk to you briefly about two vastly different parades that happened around the same time and then share more in depth about the One that led to the biggest victory of all time.
Many of us are familiar with what has been called Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem. It happened that day when Jesus road the back of a nursing donkey with its colt walking beside it as the people sang, waved palm branches and laid their cloaks down on the ground before Jesus.
What we may not understand is that it was not the only Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem during that time. While Jesus was coming into Jerusalem from the east, Pilate and his expanding army was coming in from the west.
Passover was a huge event on the Israelite calendar. It was that time of the year that the city of Jerusalem’s population swelled from its normal 50,000 to 60,000 inhabitants to becoming a city of filled with at least 250,000 some years and other years as many as 500,000 inhabitants. You can only imagine what that would do to a city to have an influx of some 90,000 to 440,000 extra mouths to feed and to shelter for a week or two.
+Passover was that time in which all Jews were invited to come home and celebrate how the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY had rescued and redeemed them from the tyranny of Egyptian slavery back in the time of Moses and Aaron.
+It was that time they were invited to celebrate God’s Sovereignty and God’s Saving Presence.
+It was that time of the year to reflect and remind themselves and any that opposed them that at any given time the LORD could raise up another leader that would put down oppression and violence and allow the nation of Israel to once again rule itself.
Many of those coming to Passover during Jesus’ time longed for the day that Israel would once again be independent and sovereign nation. They longed for example for the days of the Maccabees just 200 years earlier.
You may remember that around 168 BC the Jews were under the tyrannical rule of the Seleucid Empire and its leader Antiochus Epiphanies IV. Antiochus IV had a passionate dream of making his entire empire look like, smell like and feel like the land of ancient Greece. He wanted everyone under his rule to adopt the Hellenistic culture and lifestyle.
Antiochus IV couldn’t understand why the Jews didn’t want to adopt his culture and standard of living. Everything he tried to do to transform the Jewish culture was met with opposition. As a result Antiochus IV grew to despise the Jews. He hated their religion and he detested their way of life. He made it one of his life goals to force them to become more like the Greeks.
Antiochus IV outlawed the Sabbath. He demanded that the worship of Zeus be permitted alongside that of Yahweh in the Holy Temple. And finally he insisted that the priests allow the sacrifice of pigs inside the Holy Temple.
All of this was too much for a family of Levites that were serving as High Priest. Led by a man named Mattathias and then later by his son, Judas this Aaronic family led a revolt against the Antiochus IV and the entire Seleucid Empire.
It took around twenty years but by 148/147 BC the nation of Israel found themselves for the first time in over 400 years an independent and sovereign nation. Their independence, however, would only last for around 80 years until the Romans came in 66 BC and began conquered the whole Middle East including the nation of Israel.
All of this meant that by the time of Jesus the people had been in bondage to the Romans for just a little over 100 years. During this time the people of Israel longed for a new leader to rise up and defeat the Romans as Moses had defeated the Egyptians and the Maccabees had defeated the Seleucids.
To counter such aspirations and to put down any thoughts of a rebellion the Roman government would display an overwhelming show of force during the Passover Season. As the Jewish pilgrims would make their way back towards the city they would be greeted by an awe-inspiring show of Rome’s military might.
Pilate would triumphantly ride into the city with Rome’s renowned cavalry followed by thousands of heavily armed foot soldiers. The people would watch as thousands of soldiers wearing leather armor, helmets and carrying swords, spears and shields made their way into the city. High above their heads banners would be flying with the Roman golden eagles mounted on poles. They would hear the thunderous marching of feet, the creaking of leather and the clinking of the horses’ bridles. They would hear the deafening sound of the drums and struggle to breathe as the swirling of soldiers dust would fill the air.
It was all an exaggerated display of superior military might and power. And it was to send both a warning and a message:
+It was true that Israel had defeated the Egyptians some 1500 years ago
+It was true that Israel had defeated the Seleucids some 200 years ago
But Rome wanted the people of Israel to fully understand that they were not the Seleucids, nor ancient Egypt. Rome was more vicious and more potent. Rome was Lord and Master over the known world. Rome was the Super Power of its age with no other power able to meet either its superior technology, leadership and fire power.
Plus Rome’s leader – Caesar - was in his own right Divine. Caesar was more than a mere mortal man. Caesar, according to the Romans was in fact, the Son of God.
So, as Rome’s army came marching in from the west it was to be seen as a potent military threat to Israel. It was to be viewed as the embodiment of a rival theology. And it was to say that this god – Caesar was more powerful than any desert god like Yahweh.
That is the background of what was going on at the time of our passages this morning. Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem was not by accident. Jesus’ came with His own message, His own plan and His own purpose. Jesus entered the city with Courage, with a Proclamation and with a Plan of Ultimate Victory.
Let’s look at those things this morning:
I. Jesus’ Courage
It is imperative for us to understand that Jesus’ riding into Jerusalem at the time that He did and in the manner that He did was not by accident. Jesus knew what He was doing. This was not a late minute decision. Jesus had planned this ride into Jerusalem for some time.
Jesus knew what was going on at the other side of town. He knew that at this same time for the past 30 years that Rome’s army led by its appointed governor (perfect) would be riding into Jerusalem with his army on the back of a horse. He knew that Rome would be sending its message of imperialism and military might. He knew that Rome would be sending it message of no tolerance.
Jesus knew what it would look to have a counter parade coming in from the other direction. He knew how it would be viewed by the Romans, the Jewish authorities and the Sanhedrin.
He knew that they would not be welcoming either Him or His followers. He knew that they had already given their sole allegiance to Rome and that they would be hostile to both His claim and His message.
The present Jewish government had gotten cozy with Roman Rule. In fact, they had come into covenant with Roman Rule. The current Roman government had allowed a certain group of people to stay powerful and rich. The Romans were very good at knowing how to grease the right palms and allow a certain amount of golden coins to fall into the right hands.
Even the Sanhedrin had decided that it was better to work with the Romans than to be against them. While they didn’t totally agree with Cesar being God’s Son at the same time they were not going to go to arms against Rome. They had decided that it was better to just wink towards Rome and keep their cushy jobs, their well oiled bank accounts and their nice homes.
After all, Rome had been able to bring a measure of peace into the Middle East. Rome’s army had defeated all of Israel’s old foes. The Assyrians were under control. The Babylonians were under control. Even the ancient enemies of Syria, Moab and Edom were no longer a threat. And while Egypt every now and then tried to show its power it didn’t take long for Rome to put them back into their place.
There were advantages to having Rome around. Israel’s government could concentrate on rebuilding the city and the cities around Jerusalem. Rome was a bully who greatly robbed them at times but at the same time allowed them to have a measure of self-control. And while they had to name a number of buildings and programs after the Romans the fact remained that the city was being rebuilt back to the level of King Solomon’s time.
I mean if you get a stimulus package and your city gets some much needed funds for schools, roads and social programs does it really matter who is in office? At least that is one train of thought.
Jesus knew what His little parade would be saying. He knew the hostility He would face. He knew the danger of it all. But as we read in our passage all of this was all planned. He had the colt and its mother waiting. Jesus knew what he was doing and He was unafraid of Rome or the Sanhedrin.
II. Jesus’ Proclamation – I Am the Messiah!
By sitting on that donkey, Jesus was making a very powerful Messianic statement.
By sitting on that donkey, Jesus was using a little bit of theatre to get across a powerful message. That message was that Jesus was proclaiming His Identity as Israel’s Messiah. Jesus was telling the world that He was the One who Israel had been looking for; the Anointed One.
Jesus was leaning on the passage that we find in the book of Zechariah. In Zechariah 9:9 we read these words:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud , O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on the coat, the foal of a donkey.
And here is Jesus riding on the back of a nursing donkey entering into the city of Jerusalem from the east proclaiming to everyone who would see Him that He is the coming Messiah, the coming King.
This method of using a bit of theatre was not unheard of in Israel’s history. Many of the prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel and Jeremiah and others had used this method in the past. There is nothing like a little bit of good theatre to get across your message.
You may remember how the Prophet Elijah staged quite a scene at the foot of Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:16-45). Elijah picked a place where thousands of people could gather and watch an epic battle between the God of Israel; God most High and the gods of Ashtoreth and Baal.
Elijah could have picked a deserted place but he wanted as many people as possible to see what God was getting ready to do. He wanted people to see firsthand how that Israel’s God was the Only God; the Only True God.
All morning and afternoon, Elijah allowed his competition to have center stage. He allowed them to sacrifice, to sing out to their gods and even to sacrifice their own skin as they cut themselves in hopes that Baal and Ashtoreth would respond.
But as you read the story, Elijah did not keep quiet. Over and over again he taunted the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth. He wondered if their gods were just too tired to show up or that perhaps they had gone on a journey or even that they were busy in the bathroom and couldn’t show up. Elijah was a master at using a little bit of theatre.
Finally, the Bible tells us that Elijah decided that his competition wasn’t going to get anywhere. He dismissed them and took center stage. He carefully rebuilt the altar that had once been a place where God had connected with His people. He then took up 12 stones to represent each of the 12 Israelite tribes. He then caused a stir by soaking the wood on the altar, the ground around the altar and the bull on the altar with hundreds of gallons of water.
Just a bit of theatre mixed in don’t you think?
Elijah doesn’t have any fuel; there was no kerosene or any gasoline anywhere around.
So, how is he going to light the sacrifice?
This is where it really gets good because God Himself likes a little theatre. God joins in with His Prophet and provides the fire for the sacrifice. But more than that, God brought down enough fire to burn the bull, burn the stones, the dust and all the water.
It was all a bit of good theatre to help proclaim the message loud and strong that Yahweh is the Most High God and that he (Elijah) was God’s true spokesperson. It was to provide an opportunity for Israel to repent and cast away the false gods of Baal and Ashtoreth. It was an opportunity for Israel to get back right with God.
When Jesus rode that donkey into the city of Jerusalem, He was inviting Israel to accept Him as the Messiah. He was inviting the nation of Israel to accept Him as the One who God had sent as the Anointed One. He was inviting Israel to welcome His plan of salvation.
This was not the first time that Jesus proclaimed His messiahship. If you take the time to look at all of Jesus’ signs, His miracles, His exorcisms, His teachings and revelations then you begin to see over and over again just how many times Jesus revealed to the people His identity.
For example, in Mark 1:40-45 we read the story of Jesus healing the leper. What is vital for us to see in that story is Jesus’ words to the leper. When the leper asks Jesus to heal him both his words and Jesus words are very important. The Leper has faith that Jesus is the Messiah – that is why He asks Jesus to heal him – not just as a representative of Yahweh – but as Yahweh Himself.
Jesus responds not by saying, My Father or the God of Israel heals you – but these are Jesus’ words -
“I will; be clean” (verse 40)
I will heal you – now Be clean
Those are not the words of an ordinary human being. Only God can heal and only God can create new flesh and tissue. Jesus was revealing Himself to this leper, to His disciples and to all who would read these words.
And now, in this passage, Jesus is displaying once and for all that He is the Coming Messiah. He is the true King of Israel. He is the Anointed One. He is the One that they have been waiting for since the time of the Great Fall.
III. Jesus’ Mission for Salvation
As much as Jesus declared that He is the Messiah, He also declared that He is a different type of Messiah. He would not be the type of Messiah that would free Israel from Egypt as in Moses day but as the One who will take care of Israel’s most hideous enemy – Satan.
That is what we have to remember about Palm Sunday all the way through to Resurrection Sunday.
When the crowds shouted out the words – Hosanna and laid their clothes in the road for Jesus they were:
+Calling out for Jesus to bring rescue; salvation – much in line with the words we find in Psalm 118:19-29
+Proclaiming Jesus as a King – much in the same vein that those did for Jehu recorded back in 2 Kings 9:13
But the salvation that they were looking for was from the Roman government. Much like their forefathers had asked for when it came to the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Assyrians and the Babylonians.
But as Messiah, Jesus came to this earth to defeat the greatest enemy humanity had ever faced. An enemy that had tricked humanity into giving up:
+ Their innocence
+ Their land of Paradise
+Their intimate relationship with God
+Everlasting life with God
+Their absolute authority over the Earth.
When these disciples prayed for salvation they should have understood from everything Jesus taught, how He healed and cast out demons that He would not be fighting mankind but He would be defeating the Devil, evil, hell and the grave. They should have understood that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8).
This is why Jesus rode a donkey of humility and love. This is why He was whipped, cursed and put on the cross for all mankind’s sin. Jesus was not interested in destroying mankind. He was not even in destroying the Roman Govt. He came to rescue and redeem mankind. He came to restore mankind into the image of God.
Palm Sunday is a part of the week called Passion Week. It begins today and ends next Sunday with Resurrection Sunday.
Sometimes we focus so much on Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday individually that we tend to lose sight of what happened in between.
Jesus answered these disciples call for Salvation – for Hosanna.
Jesus’ fought the battle to become Earth’s True King – to take back the keys of the Kingdom and enable men, women, boys and girls to once again have a personal relationship with God free of the penalty of sin and the power of sin. Jesus’ battle was far larger than one against a human enemy. Jesus’ battle was a supernatural battle against the powers of All Evil, Destruction and Death.
If Jesus had wanted to he could have raised a human army and put down Rome. He could have started that week when there were over 250,000 to 500,000 people in Jerusalem. It would not have taken much to overtake the 20,000 to 30,000 thousand of Rome soldiers that were stationed there that week.
When asked later by Pilate, Jesus even told him that if He wanted to He could call down twelve legions of angels. While we don’t know exactly what number that could be it has been estimated to between 50,000 to 144,000 angels. Given that one angel took care of 185,000 soldiers (2 Kings 19:35) you could say that Jesus was telling Pilate – I can call on enough angels to take care of 9.25 billion to 26.6 billion people.
In other words, I can at my command call on enough angels to obliterate the earth.
He wanted Pilate to understand that His battle was not against humankind. It was a battle far bigger with far more implications. It was a battle for the soul of humankind and the soul of all creation.
Jesus knew the only way to get rid of evil kingdoms like the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and even the Romans was not to destroy them but to transform the people’s hearts who created them.
Israel was suppose to build a everlasting kingdom in the Promise Land. It would be ruled by God’s People living according to God’s ways. It would be a land that would be a light to all the nations of the world. It would be a land that would bring peace, joy and prosperity to all the nations of the world.
That is why God called His people out of Egypt. It was not to destroy the earth but to plant His People accomplishing His mission and sharing His message with the rest of the world. It was to be a way for God to transform the earth.
We know that is not what happened. Those Ancient Israelites committed the very sin that Adam and Eve and all mankind have done. They chose sin and rebellion over obedience and commitment.
Mankind very much needed to be rescued and redeemed. Mankind very much needed more than a new government. Mankind needed a total recreation; heart, mind and soul. Sin had de-transformed the very core of humanity.
And so, we see Jesus coming into Jerusalem ready to do battle with Satan; a battle that He would win on the Cross. Jesus would fight a battle that would result in His resurrection and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon the earth. Jesus would fight a battle in which He would pay the penalty for all sin and He would break the power of sin over all mankind.
So, we see Jesus coming into Jerusalem
+Full of courage – the Bible says that He set His face like flint towards Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). He knew what He had to do to rescue and redeem mankind.
+Proclaiming that He is the Messiah – inviting everyone to receive Him as the Messiah, as the Son of God and as the LORD of LORDS and King of Kings.
+Sharing the Message of Full Salvation – Evil has been defeated. Mankind can be restored into the image of God; infilled with God’s Holy Spirit.
So, what does all of this have to say to us 2,000 years later?
Quite a great deal:
1. If we want to follow Jesus it will take the same type of courage that Jesus displayed here in our passage. It will take a courage that can only come through prayer and the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). It will take a courage that will enable us to stand against sin and against the world.
2. If we want to follow Jesus it will take us proclaiming to the world that He is the Messiah, the Savior of the World (Philippians 2:9-11). It will take us making that our life mission; to share the Good News of Jesus.
3. If we will want to follow Jesus it will take us making Jesus Lord of our Lives and allowing His Holy Spirit to infill us, lead us and guide us (Romans 10:9). It will take us picking up our own cross and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through and in us to enable us to live an Abundant Life and be a witness for Our LORD.
You see, this morning, Jesus is inviting us to go with Him. Not as the one who is walking into Jerusalem to die for that walk has already been done. No, He is inviting us to walk with Him as the Risen Lord and Savior and to live the Life that He died for us to live. He wants us to join Him in living the greatest life here on this earth. He wants us to share His Message of Rescue and Redemption. He wants us to an Influencer of Holiness in our world today.
Invitation to Receive Jesus as Savior and LORD
Sharing of the Lord Supper/Holy Communion
Blessing
