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Matthew 21:1-11
“The Triumphal Entry ”
The big three in church life, Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday
These are the times of the year people who don’t normally come to church may come because they were invited, or maybe because they are “supposed to” or maybe out of guilt or catching up…
Easter invite idea, “What do you do for Easter?"
Text: Matthew 21:1-11
Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and marks the beginning of Holy Week, the week of events leading up to Jesus' death.
Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem, Monday, clears the temple, Tuesday Jesus argues with the chief priests and predicts his death, Wed., warns against religious leaders, Thursday, last supper, Good Friday, Saturday, Jesus lay in the tomb, Sunday, resurrection!
Today is about celebrating the triumphal entry but also getting our hearts ready for Good Friday and Easter (communion today).
The celebration of Palm Sunday originated in the Jerusalem Church, around the late fourth century.
Early Palm Sunday ceremonies consisted of prayers, hymns, and sermons recited by the clergy while the people walked to various holy sites throughout the city.
At the final site, the place where Christ ascended into heaven, the clergy would read from the gospels concerning the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the city of the great king (Ps. 48:1-2), the center of Israel’s religious life and messianic expectations.
In the early evening they would return to the city reciting: "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."
The children would carry palm and olive branches as the people returned through the city back to the church, where they would hold evening services.
By the fifth century, the Palm Sunday celebration had spread as far as Constantinople.
Changes made in the sixth and seventh centuries resulted in two new Palm Sunday traditions - the ritual blessing of the palms, and a morning procession instead of an evening one.
Adopted by the Western Church in the eighth century, the celebration received the name "Dominica in Palmis," or "Palm Sunday".
Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.
The significance of Jesus riding a donkey and having his way paved with palm branches is a fulfillment of a prophecy spoken by the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9).
In biblical times, the regional custom called for kings and nobles arriving in procession to ride on the back of a donkey.
The donkey was a symbol of peace; those who rode upon them proclaimed peaceful intentions.
A king came riding on a horse when he was bent on war and rode on a donkey when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace.
Therefore, Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.
This is an open declaration by Jesus that he is the Messiah.
It starts with his triumphal entry, followed by clearing/cleansing the temple, cursing the fig tree, debates with religious leaders, and woes pronounced on the teachers of the law and Pharisees.
v. 3 Jesus refers to himself as Lord, the sovereign orchestrator of these events.
The laying of palm branches indicated that the king or dignitary was arriving in victory or triumph.
And Jesus was a king, not so much with a political triumph, but with a spiritual triumph.
Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the people think he`s coming to kick out the Romans and bring freedom to the Jews so they lay down Palm branches and shout, "Hosanna " King of the Jews."
Here we are 2000 plus years later and we know why Jesus rode in on a donkey….
But it helps to understand why the people are so excited and shouting “Hosanna.”
For centuries they have been oppressed and conquered by everybody - the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans.
They want to be freed from the tyranny!
They are so excited because finally they think Jesus is going to give them a political victory, but that`s not what Jesus came to do.
Jesus came to die to take the punishment that we all deserve on himself.
Sometimes we get caught up in all the other great things he did and said, but we always have to remember that his primary purpose in coming to earth was to die.
Jesus riding on a donkey, coming in peace and bringing a spiritual victory is not what they expected or wanted.
How sad and true…
Well, I didn’t win the Lottery…I bought a Lottery ticket for the second time in my life…$654 million?
I read a great article that said if you weren’t happy before you bought a ticket and won, you won’t be happy if you win…true.
If all we are looking for in life is relief from our own selfish needs, then we will miss out on something much bigger and better that God wants to give us.
Jesus came to release us all from the spiritual bondage we are in.
Palm Sunday represents all the times that we get really excited about Jesus because of what we want or what we think He can do for us.
Instead we should be focused on his grand purpose for our lives.
21:10 “Who is this?” (this isn’t what we expected…)
The people are still expecting to be freed from the Roman government.
What happened 5 days later? They killed him!
Now, we know Jesus was going to die anyways and we can’t just blame it on these people or the Jews.
Who’s fault is it that Jesus died? Everyones!
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned…
Palm Sunday reminds us that anyone can turn on Jesus at any moment in spite of our fevered devotion to Him.
They, like us, were quick to profess their admiration and love for Jesus, yet little did they suspect that most of them would be crying for His death on Good Friday, that very week!
In the simplest of terms, Palm Sunday is an occasion for reflecting on the final week of Jesus' life.
It is a time for Christians to prepare their hearts for the agony of His Passion and the joy of His Resurrection.
It’s a time for us to (as always) get the focus off ourselves and onto Jesus.
Hosanna: “O save” or “Save now”
PIC Matthew 21:9, Psalm 118:25-26 (stand and read close together, waving/holding palm branches)
Prayer: God save us from ourselves and our self-centered lives. Give us a broader vision of what we really need.
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