The Crowd Rejoices. Jesus Weeps. Palm Sunday-God's Tlc

What are the strongest days of the week?

An Episcopal priest was preaching in an unfamiliar church one Sunday morning. As he stood in the pulpit to begin the service, he tapped the microphone to make sure that it was on. He heard nothing even though it was working fine. He wanted to give the standard greeting “Peace be with you” to which the congregation should have said “and also with you”. . . So he leaned closer to the microphone and said, he thought, to himself; "There is something wrong with this thing." The congregation, being well trained church people immediately responded, "And also with you."

The programmer’s wife tells him: “Run to the store and pick up a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen.”

The programmer comes home with 12 loaves of bread.

What’s the difference between a tuna and a piano? You can tun’a piano but you can’t piano a tuna.

Now . . . a joke you may not get unless you know a little bit about theoretical physics:

I was on a train with Einstein, and he turns to me and says “Does Delhi stop at this train?”

Now, that’s funny because according to Einstein’s theory of relativity, motion is a matter of perspective. . . if you’re moving parallel to another object moving the same direction at the same speed (say you go for a walk with a friend) you both appear to one another to be not moving . . . but if you stop and your friend keeps moving, your friend appears to be moving, though his speed and direction have not changed . . . now if you’re on a train and moving at 60 km per hour the land around you appears to be moving past very quickly, while everyone with you on the train appears to be stationary. . . and if you are on the platform at a station the train is approaching, the train appears to be moving-your perception of movement is relative to your perspective. . .

That’s why Einstein asks “Does Delhi stop at this train?”

Get it?

If you still don’t get it, then you should completely understand this message.

Today we’re looking at the events of Palm Sunday.

I’d like to suggest to you that it is a story of people who just don’t get it. To see this, it may be helpful to re-tell the story, to get it clear in our minds:

If you want to understand this message fully, you may want to get a Harmony of the Gospels – or just read the story of palm Sunday in Matthew 22:1-10, Mark 11:1-10, John 12, and Luke 19:28-44

The preparation:

The day before, Mary had poured out precious ointment, and anointed Jesus.

The Disciples complained-esp. Judas. Jesus rebuked them “she has anointed my body for burial”.

Jesus sends two unnamed disciples to fetch the donkey mommy & young donkey-one that’s never been ridden. Some disciples drape their coats on the donkey to make it more cushy for Jesus.

Bethany is about 3 km from Jerusalem. . . Jesus has a bit of distance to cover on the donkey. As he travels, a crowd forms, and people begin to throw down branches, and even their clothes, to pave His way.

The People, even the children, shout “Hosanna! (Save Now!) Blessed is the King of Israel, who comes in the Name of the Lord . . . Blessed is the Son of David!” They are quoting Psalm 118.

John tells us the disciples didn’t really understand this until later. Later they’ll see this fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9.

As they enter Jerusalem, Jesus Weeps. . . He mourns over the destruction that will come on the city. The adulation of the crowd was NOT something which kept Jesus excited. He understood the truth. The people in that enthusiastic throng would become a mad mob within only a few days.

They enter the Temple

And while He is there He heals the lame and the blind.

The Pharisees are angry-they complain that they’re getting nowhere . . .

(Yes. Everyone is rejoicing. Jesus is healing. The Pharisees are complaining-what does this say about complaining? Some people can always find an excuse to complain-to see in any good and great situation reason to be sad and angry.)

They complain to Jesus and He says “out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise” and, that if the kids stop shouting “the stones, the rocks themselves will start to sing” . . .

Greeks want to meet Jesus, but He says . . . the grain of wheat must fall to the ground, and those who serve the Master will be with him (falling to the ground and dying) . . .