INTRODUCTION
Palm Sunday tends to paint a very specific picture in our minds. Children waving palm branches. A gentle Jesus seated on a humble donkey, smiling, receiving cheers like a beloved hometown hero. We imagine sunshine, hope in the air, families lining the streets. It feels like the triumph before the tragedy.
And it is beautiful.
But it’s not the whole picture.
Because that same Jesus, during that same week, walks into the temple courts—the largest and most impressive religious space in Israel—and suddenly He does something that does not look polite, gentle, or quiet.
He flips tables.
He drives out merchants.
He declares war on religious systems that forget why worship exists.
He surprises everyone. Not just the crowds. Not just the leaders.
He surprises us.
Palm Sunday reveals two sides of the same Savior:
• The humble King riding into Jerusalem
• The passionate defender of worship turning over furniture
Both tell us something essential about God’s heart.
So today, in this first part of our “Unexpected Jesus” series, we will look at this moment not just as an incident of righteous anger… but as a lesson in worship. A correction. An invitation.
Jesus shows us what matters most when we gather to seek God.
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>> READING THE TEXT
Mark 11:1–11, 15–18 (selected verses summarized)
Jesus enters Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” Cloaks and branches line His path. The people believe the long-awaited King has arrived.
He goes straight to the Temple. He looks around. He leaves for the night.
The next day He returns. And what He sees leads to a dramatic and very unexpected scene:
He drives out the buyers and sellers.
He flips the money changers’ tables.
He stops merchandise from moving through the courts.
He shouts Scripture:
“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
But you have made it a den of robbers.”
The religious leaders decide right then—they must find a way to kill Him.
The crowd is stunned.
The disciples are speechless.
And Jesus keeps moving forward with calm conviction.
Why?
Because this matters.
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>> THE JESUS WE DON’T EXPECT
Many of us grew up with a picture of Jesus like this:
• Always serene
• Always smiling
• Never raising His voice
• Never making a scene
We imagined Him as the quiet one who didn’t want to cause trouble.
Yet here He is… causing trouble.
He is emotionally invested.
He is loud.
He is physical.
He is interrupting business.
He is challenging the powerful.
He is demanding change.
Not because He lost His temper…
but because His heart is fully aligned with the Father’s passion for worship.
If anything, this Jesus makes perfect sense once we understand what was at stake.
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>> THE SETTING: WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON?
Picture the Temple.
Massive stone walls.
Multi-layered courtyards.
Priests. Pilgrims. Animals for sacrifice.
People praying. People learning. People seeking God.
And right in the middle of it all…
a marketplace.
Tables. Money-changing booths. Price-gouging on sacrifices. Merchants shouting deals. Animals bleating. Negotiations buzzing.
You cannot pray in that environment.
You cannot reflect.
You cannot hear from God.
Worship space had become noise and transaction.
And it gets worse.
All of this was happening in the Court of the Gentiles—the only place where non-Jewish seekers were allowed to approach God.
The place meant for outsiders to find God…
was crowded by insiders making a profit.
The spiritual message was clear:
“You don’t belong here.”
“God is not for you.”
“We care about money more than your soul.”
No wonder Jesus flipped tables.
He was clearing space for people who had been pushed aside.
He wasn’t just cleaning a room.
He was reclaiming worship.
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>> WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH US?
Everything.
Because religious life always faces the same temptation:
Worship drifts away from God
and toward our own preferences.
We start asking:
• “Do I like the songs?”
• “Was the sermon entertaining?”
• “Did I feel something today?”
• “Why did they change that?”
Meanwhile the question Jesus is asking is:
“Did this honor My Father?”
It is possible to attend worship
• on time
• every week
• in the right building
• singing the right words
• with the right people
…and still miss the heart of God entirely.
Jesus flips tables when religion protects comfort but ignores compassion.
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**WORSHIP REMINDER #1
Worship is about God, not about us**
I once heard someone say:
“If I didn’t get anything out of worship today, what was the point?”
I understand the feeling.
We all want to feel connected.
We all hope the message hits home.
We want songs that lift our hearts.
But the purpose of worship is not:
• to stroke our emotions
• to validate our taste
• to match our mood
Worship is our response to who God is.
It exists because He is worthy.
Even if:
• the music is unfamiliar
• the sermon challenges us uncomfortably
• we feel tired or distracted
God has not changed.
He is still deserving of praise.
When we gather here, our first goal is not that we connect with God…
but that God is honored by us.
And when that happens, something beautiful follows:
He draws near to us as well.
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**WORSHIP REMINDER #2
Worship must make room for others**
Jesus wasn’t only angry about greed.
He was angry about exclusion.
The outsiders were prevented from coming near God.
Jesus cleared the court because He wasn’t simply defending reverence…
He was defending access.
Today, our Court of the Gentiles might look like:
• attitudes that make visitors feel unwelcome
• expecting people to already know “how it works”
• drawing invisible lines around race, class, clothing, lifestyle
• creating a culture where the new feel like intruders
But Jesus made it unmistakable:
Worship is a house with an open door.
If Jesus were physically here today,
He would be watching closely:
• Do newcomers feel loved or judged?
• Do seekers feel confused or guided?
• Do the lonely find connection?
• Do those far from God see a path close to Him?
His heart cries,
“Let them in. Make room. Clear the obstacles.”
Because worship is not exclusive.
It is expansive.
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>> AN HONEST CONFESSION
Most pastors won’t admit this out loud, but here it is:
There are days I show up to worship and my mind is scattered.
There are days the songs don’t land right for me.
There are days my worries chase me into the sanctuary.
And sometimes worship feels more like trying than overflowing.
But those are the days I need reminding:
I’m not the point.
Worship is not built around my preferences.
It’s built upon God’s presence.
And when I shift my focus from how I feel to who He is,
my soul begins to rise.
Even if slowly.
Even if imperfectly.
>>PAUSE
We’ve walked through:
• What Jesus saw
• Why He reacted
• What worship is not
• How worship can exclude instead of embrace
• The heart of God behind flipping tables
In Part Two, we will dig into:
• The Palm Sunday celebration (joyful worship!)
• The physical, emotional, and spontaneous nature of true worship
• Jesus’ passion for whole-hearted commitment
• What it means for us to worship “in spirit and truth”
• A hopeful invitation for those who feel distracted or distant
And we will finish with a strong landing and your requested Closing Package.
For now… let’s hold this truth gently:
Jesus values worship so deeply
that He will overturn anything that gets in the way.
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>> BACK TO THE PARADE
Let’s rewind for a moment.
Before the table flipping…
before the confrontation…
there was the parade.
The Triumphal Entry reveals what worship can look like when hearts recognize Jesus for who He truly is.
These people did not gather because they liked the music.
They gathered because their King had finally arrived.
And they couldn’t hold back.
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>> WORSHIP REMINDER #3
Worship is free and spontaneous
Notice how many rules the Palm Sunday crowd breaks:
• No one handed them palm branches
• No one told them exactly when to shout
• No one assigned their seats
They simply responded to Jesus.
They let the moment lead.
They let their hearts decide.
No one waited for permission to worship.
Worship that is real is also:
• Unscripted
• Unpredictable
• Overflowing
And yes… sometimes messy.
Jesus didn’t correct their enthusiasm.
He received it.
When joy wakes up, worship follows.
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>> WORSHIP REMINDER #4
Worship includes our physical selves
Sometimes we think worship is mostly internal:
• Thoughts
• Beliefs
• Quiet appreciation
But true worship eventually comes out:
• Hands lifted
• Knees bent
• Feet moving
• Voices raised
These worshipers waved branches!
They laid coats on the ground like red carpet!
They walked with Jesus into the city!
Their bodies joined their hearts.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do
is clap your hands or let a tear fall.
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>> WORSHIP REMINDER #5
Worship includes emotion
The crowd didn’t mutter their praise politely.
They shouted:
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Praise God in the highest!”
It wasn’t performance.
It wasn’t forced.
It was joy that had been waiting for years…
and finally erupted.
God created our emotions.
He welcomes them in His presence.
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>> WORSHIP REMINDER #6
Worship is whole-hearted commitment
They loved Him with abandon.
They didn’t care if anyone thought they looked strange.
They weren’t worried whether their robe got dusty.
They didn’t wait to see what the crowd thought first.
There was no half-heartedness in this moment.
Worship is an all-in activity because God is an all-in God.
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>> THE TENSION IN THE TEXT
Palm Sunday shows us freedom.
Monday shows us focus.
There are moments for dancing…
and there are moments for clearing space.
But both moments share the same goal:
to honor God correctly.
When worship is pure and passionate—Jesus delights in it.
When worship becomes corrupted or exclusionary—Jesus confronts it.
This is not contradiction.
This is consistency.
The gentle Savior who receives praise with joy…
is the same Savior who fights fiercely for true worship.
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>> BRINGING THIS HOME
What might Jesus want to flip over in our lives?
Maybe tables of distraction:
• A calendar too full for prayer
• A phone that interrupts every sacred moment
• A mind that drifts everywhere but toward God
Maybe tables of comparison:
• “They raise their hands… I don’t.”
• “They cry in worship… I feel nothing.”
Maybe tables of personal preference:
• “I didn’t like that song.”
• “Why do we have to change anything?”
Maybe tables of exclusion:
• When a new person looks lost and we do nothing
• When someone sits alone while we talk with friends
• When we assume people should already “know the rules”
Jesus still flips tables.
He still protects the outsider.
He still loves the seeker.
He still rearranges the Church whenever we forget the point.
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>> AN INVITATION TO SURRENDER
So here is a simple heartfelt question:
Is there anything in me that is getting in the way of worship?
Anything I have:
• Prioritized too highly
• Turned into a burden
• Used as a barrier
• Loved more than God
• Clung to instead of surrendering
If the answer is yes,
Jesus doesn’t want to condemn you.
He wants to free you.
He wants to clear space for transformation.
Maybe that means:
• Offering God your distraction
• Offering God your frustration
• Offering God your preferences
• Offering God your pride
• Offering God your fears
He wants your heart…
fully engaged…
fully present…
fully His.
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>> THE GOOD NEWS
Here’s the surprising truth:
Every table Jesus flips
is a table that was hurting us.
Every barrier He knocks down
is a doorway He opens.
Every correction He gives
is an invitation to intimacy.
Jesus doesn’t flip tables to make a scene.
He flips tables to make space.
Space for prayer.
Space for truth.
Space for grace.
Space for the lost to be found.
Space for community to flourish.
Space for you to encounter the Father.
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>> THE FINAL WORD
Palm Sunday reminds us:
Jesus is King.
The Temple-clearing reminds us:
God is holy.
Together they remind us:
Worship is sacred.
It is God’s gift.
It is God’s delight.
It is God’s space.
May Jesus boldly clear whatever needs clearing in us
so worship can become everything the Father desires.
Let us honor Him here.
Let us honor Him with our lives.
Let us honor Him with all we are.
Because He is worthy.
Always worthy.
Forever worthy.
Amen.
