John 12:13
They took palm
branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed
is the King of Israel!"
This
coming Sunday is traditionally known as Palm Sunday. It is the day of Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is the beginning of what is called Holy
Week; the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The triumphal
entry is an event full of symbolism and mixed messages. On that day, Jesus
claimed His rightful place as King, yet not the kind of king that the people
were looking for. Palm Sunday reminds us that we all have mixed motives for
raising our palm branches in praise to Jesus.
Jesus
was very intentional about the way that He entered Jerusalem on that day.
Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims who are arriving to celebrate the Passover.
The emotions of the people were very high. They were looking for the Messiah to
come and free them from the oppression of the Romans. They were looking for the
arrival of a new king. Jesus intentionally accepted the role of king on that
day.
Jesus
entered Jerusalem riding a donkey. This is the only place in scripture that
says that Jesus rode on an animal. Jesus chose to ride into Jerusalem on a
donkey that had never been ridden before. This alone was symbolic, because only
that which has never been used for other purposes came be used in the service
of God. In reality, this colt was holy to Jesus. But there was another
intentional message that Jesus was giving. When a king returned home in peace,
he would ride a donkey. Jesus was subtly proclaiming that He was coming as the
King of peace.
Jesus
allowed the people to openly praise Him. If you pay careful attention to the
gospel accounts, time and time again Jesus refused to allow the people to hail Him
as their king. On several occasions, after He had performed some miracle, He
instructed those involved not to tell anyone. Of course, in almost every case
they disregarded Jesus’ instructions and broadcast what happened to whoever
would listen. On the day of His triumphal entry, Jesus openly accepted the
praise of the people. They laid branches and their cloaks in the path before Jesus
as they would for a king. Jesus did not rebuke them, but accepted their actions.
The people openly applied the traditional Psalms of ascent directly to Jesus.
Instead of telling them to be quiet, Jesus accepted their praise. This was not
lost on the Pharisees, who complained to Jesus that this was inappropriate.
Luke 19:39-40
Some of the
Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!"
"I tell
you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
Many of
the recent events in our country show that like the crowds on Palm Sunday we
misunderstand our King. Many people still want Jesus to be a political leader
who will overthrow those who we feel are against us. Others want Jesus to be an
agent for social change. What we all want is the Jesus of power, not the
suffering servant. Palm Sunday should remind us that Jesus didn’t come to set
up an earthly kingdom, but that He came to redeem a world lost in sin; the
world we still live in.
But the
time is coming when the King will return in power and glory. When He does, He
will forever banish all sin and death. He will establish His kingdom for all eternity,
and He will welcome in all who have placed their faith and trust in Him. The
King is coming. We don’t know when, but we need to be ready.
Matthew 24:42
"Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
Matthew 24:44-47
So you also
must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.
"Who then
is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the
servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will
be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I
tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
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