PALM SUNDAY 2003
April 13, 2003
Three of the four Gospels tell us about Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, we will use Matthew 21: 1-11
MATTHEW 21:1-11
1When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.
3 "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, "The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them."
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ’BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’"
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,
7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats.
8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
11 And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."
The day which we call Palm Sunday was originally "Lamb Selection Day", the day when Jewish families chose the lamb with which they would celebrate Passover. The feast of Passover started when the children were still in Egypt. We find this in Exodus 12: 1-13, we find they were told to find a Lamb without blemish. We also find that the Lamb it’s self was not what saved them, but the blood of the Lamb is what saved.
EXODUS 12:12-13
12 "For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments -- I am the LORD.
13 "The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This, what we call Palm Sunday was an important day for them, a time they picked their Lamb for Passover, to remember their salvation from Pharaoh.
But much more important for us, it was the day that our Lamb was picked for us by God, and the Lambs blood would save us from our sins.
MATTHEW 21
1When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples
2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.
3 "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, "The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them."
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ’BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’"
The prophecy here quoted is found in ZECHARIAH 9:9. It was always, by the Jews, applied to the Messiah.
ZECHARIAH 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
MATTHEW 21
7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats.
8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
The placing of the coats on the road and the colt is symbolic of their submission to Christ. By placing their coats on the road they were saying to Christ and the world that they were excepting Christ as their Lord.
MATTHEW 21
8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road
As they used to do at the feast of tabernacles, in token of liberty, victory, and joy
Lev 23:40
40 "Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
MATTHEW 21
9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"
Now many think of the word hosanna as a word of praise, but if we look that this Hebrew word we will find a very different meaning.
HOSANNA, in the Hebrew, means "save, we pray." The word seems to have become an utterance of praise rather than of prayer, though originally, probably, a cry for help. The people’s cry at the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem
MATTHEW 21
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
11 And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."
The crowd that day was crying, "save and deliver us"- looking for someone to drive out the hated Romans and bring freedom. On that Lamb Selection Day so many years ago, Jesus did not ride into the city on a mighty stallion, but humbly on the back of a donkey. He did not save the people from the Romans as they had wished, but instead, saved us from our sinful nature. He gave us victory, not in the physical, but in the spiritual realm, by giving us life over death for all who asked. He was the deliverer; the savior- and He brought freedom to the world. What a redeemer He is!
1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-57
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
PLAN OF SALVATION
ROMANS 10:17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
HEBREWS 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
ACTS 2:38
38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 10:9-10
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
MARK 16:16
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
MATTHEW 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
