Triumphal Entry A Misnomer For Palm Sunday? Series

We will start today with a new Message Series on the Letters to Timothy. But today is also celebrated as Palm Sunday. Let’s take a look at the actual event about 2000 years ago of what led to Palm Sunday Celebrations! Let us note that before Palm Sunday, Jesus already had been teaching and performing many miracles. Open your Bibles to the Gospels, starting with Matthew 21:1-11…..

We note from The Gospel of Matthew: Jesus and His disciples went to Jerusalem, donkeys were miraculously found and taken, Jesus sat on a colt (as prophecied in the Old Testament), a large crowd of people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem as they laid their cloaks and waved branches and shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!", and the crowd professed “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

We can note that Mark 11:1-10 describes a similar story as Matthew.

Let’s look at the story in Luke 19:29-44….

We note the same things mentioned in Matthew with a couple of other things to note:

V37: the crowd praised God for all the miracles Jesus performed

V41: Jesus wept when they entered the city; why?

V42-44: Jesus expressed that the people really didn’t know what they were doing and that they will be persecuted even more because they did not see who Jesus truly is!

The crowd in Jerusalem 2000 years ago actually were just looking for more miracles on Palm Sunday! What do we look for when it is worship time?

Let’s look at the story in John 12:9-16….

Again, we note many of the same things stated in the other Gospels but v16 is important to note: The disciples themselves did not understand what happened on Palm Sunday until Jesus suffered, died, resurrected, then ascended back to heaven!

And so, why did Palm Sunday happen? Palm Sunday happened to fulfill God’s prophecies in the Old Testament and to set up the eventual suffering and death of God Jesus Christ for the sins of people!

Like the First Disciples, we can note this significance of Palm Sunday because God tells us even one of the first disciples betrayed Jesus after Palm Sunday and the same crowd who proclaimed “Hosanna, Hosanna” to Jesus cried out 5 days later “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”!

And so, how should we handle Palm Sunday? We are not to celebrate Palm Sunday like the initial crowd 2000 years ago who were ignorant and focused only on a fast and quick deliverance from their troubles! We are to remember and celebrate Palm Sunday but it is only a part of the full story of Jesus Christ who had to die for our sins!

Now, we will come back to this Palm Sunday celebration after we look at our initial study of our new message series on the Letters to Timothy. Please open your bibles to 1st Timothy 1. Read along with me 1 Timothy 1:1-4…..

We will note more of Paul and Timothy in future messages but let us just note that Paul was called by Jesus Christ to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Non-Jews) as we note in 1 Timothy 1:1 - Paul, an Apostle!

Timothy was discipled by Paul (1 Tim. 1:2a). Paul and Timothy went all over the Mideast to proclaim the Good News of Salvation! In the Book of Acts we read that Paul and other disciples went to Ephesus and led many to Jesus Christ who brings grace, mercy, and peace (1 Tim. 1:2b).

V3-4: Timothy was called to Minister in Ephesus! What were the specific instructions?

a. command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer

b. to stop devoting themselves to myths and endless genealogies

c. prevent controversies and promote God’s work by faith

We will discuss each one in more detail in a few weeks. Let us focus today on not devoting on “myths” as it relates to what we call Holy Week, starting today.

If we look up the original Greek word for myth, it is “muthos” meaning an idle tale, fable, fanciful story. Don’t you think Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are “muthos”?

Christians are to avoid idle tales, fables, and fanciful stories but follow God’s Word by faith.

How are people celebrating Holy Week today?

As we noted earlier, we are not to celebrate Palm Sunday like the initial crowd 2000 years ago who were ignorant and focused only on a fast and quick deliverance from their troubles! We are to remember and celebrate Palm Sunday but it is only a part of the full story of Jesus Christ who had to die for our sins!

Let me share with you some of the interesting things people do today all over the world during Palm Sunday: