THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY, "FACES IN THE CROWD"
It’s six days before the passover, in less then a week Jesus would be hanging on a cross. But right now Jesus is in Bethany a small village about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. He is at the home of Simon the leper having a meal. At the dinner are: Mary, Martha and Lazarus (who Jesus had just raised from the dead a few days earlier). and the 12 disciples, they were giving a dinner in honor of Jesus.
And they were reclining at the table eating and talking amongst themselves... I am sure some were asking Lazarus probing questions, questions like: Lazarus what was it like to be dead? Lazarus do you remember anything? Did you see anything? Did you hear Jesus shout from outside the tomb? Others were probably talking to Jesus asking him questions.... And still others were saying things such as, "pass the gravy -- and hey Pete how come you always take the biggest lamb chop.. Just a bunch of friends who had shared so much having a meal together, enjoying each others company --laughing telling jokes and having a good time.
And while they were eating they heard a jar break and thought that Ol’ Martha must have dropped a glass -- and maybe they even applauded in jest like we do sometimes... But then they noticed an aroma that filled the entire room ... it was the aroma of expensive perfume....
And they looked over at Jesus, and saw Mary kneeling at the master’s feet, pouring perfume on them and drying his feet with her hair...
Mary did this, because she loved Jesus -- and she wanted to do something for Jesus -- and something inside her told her to do it now... "Mary don’t wait, you need to do it now, you might not have another chance, so do it while you still can." So she did...
Now the practical disciples and Judas the thief, rebuked Mary for what they thought was a waste, saying that they could have sold the perfume and used the money to help the poor, but they were quickly stopped by Jesus who rebuked them saying, "LEAVE HER ALONE, IT WAS INTENDED THAT SHE SHOULD SAVE THIS FOR MY BURIAL...YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR AMONG YOU, BUT YOU WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE ME.."
"My Burial", The disciples didn’t like to here Jesus talk like this; about his death and burial, it always made them feel uncomfortable to think about Jesus dying and no longer being with them, they didn’t understand it at all, it didn’t make sense...
Meanwhile back in Jerusalem, the Holy City was swelling as thousands of pilgrims flooded the city of David to participate in the passover feast -- the numbers often reached as high nearly 2 to 3 million.
But this year as the faithful pilgrims arrived, they had more than the passover on their minds.... Jesus was on the lips and in the thoughts and minds of nearly everyone in Jerusalem. Word of his miracles had spread like a brush fire: the feeding of the 5,000, the healing of leprosy, the restoring of sight -- the lame made to walk, the forgiving of sins and the rasing from the dead of lazarus and others.... The multitudes in Jerusalem were with great intensity looking for Jesus... they went to the market place and they looked in the temple and they asked one another,
"WHAT TO YOU THINK? IS HE COMING? IS JESUS COMING TO THE FEAST?... DO YOU THINK HE WILL COME? O I HOPE HE DOES, YOU NOW WE COULD BE WITNESSING SOMETHING GREAT THIS PASSOVER -- MAYBE THE MESSIAH’S KINGDOM WILL COME NOW... . O’ WE BEST BE QUITE HERE COMES SOME TEMPLE GUARDS, THEY ARE LOOKING FOR JESUS TOO... THE PHARISEES AND PRIESTS HAVE PUT A PRICE ON HIS HEAD... MAYBE HE WON’T COME, BUT MAYBE HE MIGHT... DO YOU REALLY THINK HE IS THE MESSIAH."
It wasn’t long before word of Jesus being in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper (along with Lazarus) reached Jerusalem....
And thousands of people quickly left the city in an excited state. To not only see Jesus, but to also see Lazarus who had been raised from the dead.
And when the well adorned Jewish leaders in their long robes saw crowds leaving they inquired as to where and why the multitudes were leaving the city... And when they heard where the people were going, they said to themselves, "WELL, MY FRIENDS IT LOOKS LIKE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO KILL LAZARUS AS WELL....
So Jesus sets out from Bethany heading towards God’s holy City, and when he arrived in Bethphage on the Mount of Olives he called 2 of his disciples to Him ....
"GO TO THE VILLAGE AHEAD OF YOU AND JUST AS YOU ENTER THE CITY YOU WILL COME TO A HOUSE WITH A DONKEY AND HER COLT TIED TO IT -- THE COLT HAS NEVER BE SAT ON.... UNTIE THEM BOTH AND BRING THEM TO ME. AND IF ANYONE ASKS YOU WHAT YOU ARE DOING TELL THEM THE LORD NEEDS THEM, AND HE WILL SEND THEM RIGHT AWAY..."
So the 2 left the large group and headed for the village just up the dirt road. I wonder which two went? Peter? James? Andrew? Nathanael? What do you think they talked about on the way? Do you think they wondered that with such a large crowd everywhere, that it would be impossible to find a donkey and a colt tied up? Do you think they were asking each other, "do you really think we should just untie the colt and take it?"
But as they were talking they looked up ahead and saw the colt and her mother tied up, just as Jesus had said. So they untied it, and as they were leaving the owner came out (probably a little on edge with the passover taking place... the noise the cowed walking by his house-- day and night. Much like people who live right next to a stadium during a big game...He was probably keeping a close vidual to make sure his property was safe), the owner said to them, "hey what are you 2 guys doing with my colt and donkey" -- And the disciples replied as Jesus had told them, "THE LORD HAS NEED OF THEM.." And they left with the colt and her mother.
Upon arriving back to where Jesus was they took off their coats and put them on the colt and Jesus sat down.
Now Jesus, could have walked into Jerusalem on that Sunday morning nearly 2,000 years ago, but he rode on the colt of a donkey (was a resepected animal back then and it was what a king road on when he wnated peopel to know he cam ehe epace)..
This was a graphic and symbolic claim that He was the Messiah, For the prophet Zechariah hundreds of years earlier, wrote in Zechariah 9:9, "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..."
Earlier thousands (after the feeding of the 5,000) wanted to make Jesus "King" but Jesus withdrew from them because it was not the right time.
Many times Jesus had told people not to tell of the miracles he had performed -- For nearly 33 years Jesus had purposely stayed out the lime light (as much as possible) because it was not time yet. But now the time has come (the tree is ripe) and Jesus announces that He is indeed the King, but not according to the plan of man, but rather according to the plan of God, as revealed by his prophets in His Holy Word.
Jesus enters Jerusalem royally. Jesus enters Jerusalem freely, He is not a victim -- he is not a prisoner. Jesus did not hide and He did not hurry. Jesus did it His way and on His time schedule.. And Jesus was not afraid. He did not try to secretly slip into the city. Jesus acted deliberately and with purpose as he rode into the city.
He knew his enemies would be watching when he roade into towen and he wnated them to see Him being treated lkike a king. It was as if he was saying to them, "Look, I knw you’re going to drag me into court and terat m elike a criminal, but befoire you do, I wnat you to take one more look at the ral me. I wnat you to have oine more chance to step out and jion the parade..."
You see, the time had come for the great struggle to begin and end -- it was high noon time.. The hour had arrived for the world/mankind to make the ultimate decision, (to either acknowledge her ruler or to renounce Him). The time had come for Jesus to fight the great battle with, satan, sin and death...
The moment was at hand for Jesus to finish the work that the father had sent him to do (the work of redemption). The time had come for the King to claim His rightful throne.
But not only was Jesus announcing His Kingship, he was also announcing the character of His Kingdom... You see, Jesus did not claim his kingdom in the way that the world would expect.... He did not ride in on a white stallion arrayed in fine attire, surrounded by a mighty army. Rather he rode in on a beast of burden...
And His army was an unorganized mob of: fishermen, farmers and shepherds... You see the Kingdom Jesus was establishing, as he told Pilate, was a Kingdom not of this world... It was not a physical Kingdom, but a spiritual Kingdom, not a temporary Kingdom but an eternal Kingdom.
Jesus is riding towards the Holy city, surround by thousands of people. With every step the excitement and energy reached higher epic proportions... It was like a volcano that had suddenly erupted with tremendous power after weeks and months of shaking and smoking....
The people after waiting months for Jesus to make his claim... Now they see him making it. And their joy and emotion erupted and it’s fall out was flowing down the winding road from Bethany to Jerusalem.
Matthew says that the whole city was stirred... The word Matthew uses here that is translated stirred is "seismos", which means quaking, trembling... where we derive our word seismograph. A city swelled to nearly 3 million was exploding with excitement, it was an emotional earthquake. Jesus was surround by thousands were following him... And thousands more as he neared the city, came rushing out to meet him...
The one everyone was talking about, The one that had performed mighty miracles, The one everyone was hoping would show up was here... They were literally in a state of frenzied euphoria.
This crowd of thousands began taking off their coats and laying them on the road on which Jesus was riding... Many of them climbed palm trees and cut off branches to throw down for the colt to walk upon.
Still others waved the palm branches back and forth, You see, palm branches are an emblem of victory and restoration (Rev 7:9).
And these people felt that victory and restoration was riding right before their eyes on a colt... (they were right, but they were wrong about how it would happen).
And then the streets erupted with the sounds of praises, singing and shouting...
"HOSANNA (SAVE US NOW WE PRAY) , HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID! BLESSED IS HE THAT COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST BLESSED IS THE COMING KINGDOM OF OUR FATHER DAVID BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD PEACE IN HEAVEN AND GLORY IN THE HIGHEST
HOSANNA BLESSED IS THE KING OF ISRAEL.
THE PEOPLE ARE SHOUTING KING, BUT HIS GARMENT IS NOT A ROYAL ROBE; IT IS HOMESPUN AND SEAMLESS. HIS "CHARGER" IS A BEAST OF BURDEN... HIS COURT IS MADE UP OF FISHER MEN AND HATED TAX COLLECTORS. HIS PARADE AN ARRAY OF COMMON PEOPLE.
YET NO PAGEANT THAT EVER PASSED THROUGH THE STREETS OF ANY CITY HAS SO SET IT’S MARK ON TIME AS THIS ONE... THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRIES OF THE ROMAN AND OTHER EMPIRES HAVE LONG SINCE BEEN FORGOTTEN, BUT THIS ONE, IN EVERY DETAIL, IS KNOW AND RETOLD YEAR AFTER YEAR, CENTURY AFTER CENTURY....
Wouldn’t you love to have been there --- wouldn’t you have loved to be in that shouting, singing crowd as the King of Kings, As the Son of God, As Jesus our Lord and Savior rode triumphantly into Jerusalem.
You know, there is something that happened on the ride into Jerusalem that we do not talk about too often... In fact for yeras I never even noticed that this event was even part of this ride of triumph... I don’t know why, I mean it’s been there all the while in the black and white of God’s Holy Word, but somehow I’ve always looked over them. I guess I have always been so caught up in the crowd, the shouts of Hosanna, the palm branches the excitement -- that this event just slipped right by me...
I guess it is easy to do, perhaps you have never noticed this event either... And if you have missed it... Do you know what? We are not alone, the thousands of people; clamoring, singing praises to Jesus, that bright spring day 2,000 years ago, they missed it to... I don’t know if anyone really noticed.... You see, Luke is the only Gospel writer who records this event, and he being a gentile was probably not even there at the time.... Perhaps, it was God himself who had to reveal this event to the good doctor, because no there ever noticed.
You know one danger in getting all fired up emotionally -- is that we tend to loss sight of what’s happening around us, we become so consumed by our enthusiasm.
The passover crowd was celebrating and praising Jesus, but at this moment, they were more concerned about the parade then the King. And they didn’t notice what the King was going through.
Listen to Luke [19:41-44]
(THE WORD TRANSLATED WEPT MEANS MORE THE TEARS; IT SUGGESTS THAT JESUS’S WHOLE BODY WAS HEAVING AND SOBBING, HIS BODY SHAKING WITH EMOTION. LIKE THE DEEP, SOULFUL SOBBING WE SUFFER AT THE LOSE OF A LOVED ONE).
Do you see that picture? Do you see the contrast? Does it break your heart?
Do you see the crowds singing, shouting, praising Jesus, surrounding Jesus thousands of them. But not one notices Jesus. No one sees the one they are calling King as he sits on the colt.... No one sees Jesus, His body heaving, shaking, teras flooding down his face.. weeping violently unable to stop the teras, unable to still his quivering body... The emotion is just too overwhelming.
Do you see Jesus? Do you see your Savior sobbing?
Why are you crying Jesus? Why are you crying?
As Jesus sees Jerusalem, it is not for himself the tears are shed -- he was not weeping over the cross that awaited him. NO!, he was weeping over the fate that would come upon the nation. Instead of the resounding and joyful shouts and praises, Jesus heard: the screams, the cries, the shrieks and groans of the men woman and children who would die in the city -- he could see the burning buildings, the city turned to rubble and he could smell the odors of smoke and death.
He came to His own and his own did not accept Him, they crucified the son and invoked the fathers furious wrath. Jesus wept for those who would reject the gift he came to give, for those who would reject the crown of life he would win... For those who would reject him....
There were many faces in the crowd that day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem -- and just as Jesus wept for the city’s fate -- he no doubt shed tears and sobbed for the many faces in the crowd. For behind those now exuberant faces, were people who would soon reject him and his word -- And in so doing incur the father’s wrath. And as Jesus looked at the faces in the crowd -- he wept....
JESUS WEPT FOR THE APOSTLES
How do you think Jesus felt as looked at the apostles... True they had told Jesus that if He was going to Jerusalem to die that they would go too. But as Jesus looked at them, as he saw them: laughing, shouting - singing praises to God on the road to Jerusalem..
He wept because He knew what they would go through and what they would endure, as they faithfully finished their race.. He saw the chains, the prison cells, the beatings... He saw James beheaded, Thomas stoned, Jonh exiled and Peter crucified upside down.
Jesus had told them he was going to Jerusalem to die. But as they walked beside Jesus among the rejoicing multitude:
What are they thinking now? Or are they rather refusing to think at all? Allowing themselves to be caught up in the emotional tremors, sternly fighting off all the somber thoughts and terrifying predictions? Have they closed their eyes to the strange scene of only a night ago, when Mary anointed Jesus for His burial? And do they now at this time, rather chose to yield almost blindly to the enthusiasm of the hour?
After all, all of Jerusalem is on fire with Messianic hopes and the coming of the Kingdom, Who are the apostles not to join in with their shouts of, "HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID, BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD..."
And so the apostles walked joyfully down the road praising God. And Jesus as he looked at their faces wept... "ENJOY THIS MOMENT MY PRECIOUS AND DEAR FRIENDS... HOLD ON TO IT.. YOU WILL FIND THAT IT WILL COMFORT YOU GREATLY WHEN THE WAY GETS DIFFICULT."
THERE ARE OTHER FACES IN THE CROWD.
THE RUTHLESS PHARISEES
Luke in his gospel tells us that the Pharisees were also in the crowd... But we can be sure that though they may have been in the parade they were certainly not part of the celebration.
O’ how it must of fueled intense anger in them to see all of this support and praise for their worst enemy. For the one who threatened their power and position... The one who they feared and hated...the one whose head they had put a price on...
Luke tells us that somewhere along the parade route these men could no longer contain their boiling anger.... They just couldn’t take the shouts of the crowds calling Jesus the King and the Son of David -- Each Hosanna ripped through them like a knife...
Finally, when they couldn’t take it any longer they -- they shouted at Jesus, TEACHER REBUKE YOUR DISCIPLES!"
"TELL THEN TO STOP SHOUTING -- TELL THEM TO STOP PRAISING YOU.. MAKE THEM STOP WORSHIPPING YOU!"
And Jesus told them, do not think that you can stop the worship of God... no matter how hostile you are to me, no matter how you try to stop the people from praising me... You can not for the son of God will always be worshipped...
And even if they did stop (but they won’t), but even if they did then the rocks and stones would raise up and sing praises to my name..
The Pharisees were lost in their stubborn pride... and their refusal to acknowledge Jesus.
But Jesus found no joy in their rejection... He wept for these men who were so close to the father house, but so far away from the Father; as God has said, "The Worship me with/their lips -- but their hearts are far from me..."
THE INDIFFERENT ROMANS
Standing on the sidelines is another group of faces, The Roman soldiers. During the passover thousands of extra Roman troops were brought in as reinforcements --to make sure the Jews were kept under control.... they were there to keep the peace, make sure no trouble erupted... To put out any fires before they grew.
And we can be sure when this crowd of thousands began their celebration that it got their attention...
But they quickly discovered that this was a harmless gathering and offered no real threat to them.... It was best they determine to just leave them alone....
Their attitude was just stay in your place Jesus and don’t bother us, and we will leave you alone... They were indifferent to what was going on in the streets that day.....
THE ROOTLESS FOLLOWERS
Their was another group of faces in the crowd and I suspect that they were the loudest, largest and the most exuberant....
These faces belong to the self-serving and rootless followers.... Sure they were all for Jesus now... Yes they were ready to make Him King but only becasue they believed that Jesus was coming to do what they had been wanting for years... They believed Jesus was going to now issue in the physical Messianic kingdom, overthrow the bonds of Roman oppression and set up, a Jewish world Empire.... At this time they believed that Jesus was following their plan and they therefore loved Him.
But Jesus knew that their roots were shallow, and that their devotion temporary.
Yes Jesus wept for them as he saw those same faces shouting in just in a few days... CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY JESUS!!
YES THAT WAS QUITE A CROWD ON THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM THAT DAY...
AN DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT CROWD HASN’T REALLY CHANGED MUCH IN THE last 2,000 YEARS:
PEOPLE ARE STILL SURROUNDING JESUS TODAY -- YOU SEE YOU JUST CAN’T GET AWAY FROM HIM....
AND YOU AND I ARE ALSO IN THE CROWD, AND WHEN JESUS LOOKS AT OUR FACES WHAT DOES HE SEE....
DOES HE SEE INDIFFERENT ROMANS WHOSE FACES SAY TO HIM -- JUST DON’T BOTHER ME JESUS, YOU GO ON WITH YOUR PARADE, LET OTHER PEOPLE PRAISE YOU, SERVE AND WORSHIP -- I JUST WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE THE WAY I WANT -- DO MY OWN THING.... SOME, MAYBE EVEN SOME HERE ARE INDIFFERENT TO THE KING....
SOME FACES ARE LIKE THOSE OF THE PHARISEES, HOSTILE TO JESUS -THEY REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS, THEY REFUSE TO SUBMIT TO HIS WORD,, THEY DON’T LIKE WHAT IT SAYS/TELLS THEM TO DO -- THEY DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR POWER, PRIDE AND WRONG ATTITUDES.
AND MANY FACES ARE LIKE THE SELF SERVING ROOTLESS FOLLOWERS SHOUTING PRAISES TO JESUS ON THAT FIRST PALM SUNDAY... AS LONG AS JESUS FOLLOWS THEIR PLAN, FULFILLS THERE NEEDS AND DESIRES, AS LONG AS JESUS AGREES TO ACT LIKE A PUPPET ON A STRING OR A GENIE IN A LAMP.... MAKING NO DEMANDS -- RUNNING WHEN THEY CALL HIM, THEN THEY WILL SHOUT HIS PRAISES.. BUT WHEN THE ROAD GETS ROUGH AND ROCKY AND THEY HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO -- THEY ARE THE FIRST TO SHOUT CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY JESUS! I DON’T WANT YOU TO RUN MY LIFE! YOUR DEMANDS ARE TO TOUGH... I’M LEAVING THIS PARADE!! I MAY COME BACK AND JOIN IN IF I FEEL LIKE IT.. JESUS WEEPS FOR THEM BECASUE THEY MISS OUT ON REAL LIFE - THEY NEVER GET INTO THE PARADE FAR ENOUGH TO EXPEPINCE
THE ROOTLESS, THE INDIFFERENT AND THE RUTHLESS STILL MAKE JESUS WEEP TODAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE REJECT WHO HE REALLY IS -- AND REFUSE TO ACCEPT WHAT HE GIVES...
BUT THE TEARS JESUS CRIES FOR THE FAITHFUL ARE DIFFERENT TERAS, THEY ARE TERAS OF PRIDE -- TEARS OF LOVE... HE SEES THE HARDSHIPS THESE ONES ENDURE FOR HIM, HE SEES THEIR FAITH BEING TRIED TESTED AND PROVED... AND HE WEEPS WITH JOY AT THEIR DEVOTION, "I AM WITH YOU MY CHILD -- REMEMBER MY LOVE FOR YOU WHEN THE WAY GETS DIFFICULT-- IT WILL WARM YOUR WAY AND LIGHT YOUR PATH."
THERE ARE MNANY FACES IN THE CROWD WHCIH FACE IS YOURS?
FRIENDS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO THERE ON THE FIRST PALM SUNDAY 2,000 YEARS AGO/ WE HAD NO CHOCIE.... BUT WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO BE IN A LARGE MULTITUDE AROUND JESUS WAVING PALM BRANCHES...
YOU SEE THERE IS AN EVEN GREATER PALM SUNDAY YET TO COME:
AND THAT’S THE ONE WE RALLY SHOULD WANT TO BE IN....
[REVELATION 7:9-12]
PERHAPS YOU HAVE A DESCION TO MAKE TODAY - TO STEP OUT FROIM THE SIUELINES AND JION THE PARADE...
IF THAT PARADE WE READ ABOUT IN REVELATION WERE TO TAKE PALCE TODAY WOULD YOU BE IN THAT REJOICING CROWD.
