“Triumph, Yet Tears” Luke 19:36-44, Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts (Palm Sunday 2015)
During the Civil War, chaplains served on both sides, but were not authorized transportation. Usually the troops chipped in and provided their padres with a horse. However, one chaplain wasn’t well-liked, and thus he had no horse. So one day while marching past a farmer’s field, he stole a horse. The General quickly learned of the theft and called the chaplain into his tent. “Chaplain,” he said, “I’ve been informed that you stole someone’s horse.” The chaplain explained, “Sir, remember that Jesus rode a donkey on the way to Jerusalem.” The General stood up. “Chaplain, there are three things you need to know: First of all, you aren’t Jesus; second, we’re talking about a horse, not a donkey; and third--you’re not going to Jerusalem, you’re going to the stockade!”
As we consider Palm Sunday, let’s also focus on three things, the three groups of people who were there to see Jesus: the opposition, the fickle, and the followers.
The Opposition
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, stirred with emotion and high hopes. Today we roll out the red carpet; in Bible times, people spread out their cloaks. When I mentioned this to a group of pre-schoolers a few days ago, they didn’t like that idea! Other gospel accounts mention that the crowd greeted Jesus waving palm branches. Palms were used to welcome kings; according to the Book of Revelation (ch 7), our Lord will once again be greeted with palms at His return.
The religious leaders had everything to lose: their reputation, their power and influence. Jesus had been exposing their corruption and shaming them in public debates. They sought to discredit Him, only to be discredited and humiliated. And now He is arriving in triumph! So they tell Him to rebuke the crowd. Jesus bluntly tells them that if the people keep quiet, the stones will cry out. If they had, that would’ve been the very first “rock music!”
40 years later, the stones of Jerusalem did “speak.” Jesus prophesied that the city of Jerusalem would fall, that devastation would come. The Roman army came in 70 AD and utterly destroyed the city, so that the stones were scattered. All that remained intact was part of the Western Wall of the Temple (the so-called “Wailing Wall”). This terrible event is annually mourned by a day of fasting (Tisha B'Av).
The Fickle
Jesus said if the crowd was silent the stones would speak; they would’ve made better followers than most who were present that day. Because of the attitude of the religious leaders and knowing of the rejection of the crowd, Jesus came in triumph, yet with tears. Days later He tells the crowd to weep for themselves. Their rejection is the real tragedy here. Think of all the pictures you’ve seen of Palm Sunday. Nearly all show Jesus smiling; yet He was broken-hearted. The city rejoices; He weeps.
Jesus entered the city without a display of power, a show of force. He could have ridden a war horse, with armed soldiers. What a message that would have sent to Rome! Instead, He enters unarmed, riding an animal that kings rode when on errands of peace. Kings come with a purpose; Jesus came to die.
The crowd was blind to Jesus’ true mission; they missed the whole point of His humble entry into Jerusalem. They were consumed with desire for a military leader, a revolutionary. In Mark’s account, they cry out, “Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David” (11:10). They wanted a return to monarchal rule, the golden age of Israel. Jesus knew they were not interested in a servant-messiah; they wanted a warrior-king, a political solution. Jesus came with a spiritual solution.
Roman oppression caused the Jews to (understandably) hope for deliverance. Remember the time-frame; it was the Passover, a festival that looked back on the liberation of their ancestors from Egyptian bondage. So they cried out “Hosanna!” –a cry for help, which literally means “save now.” They were demanding that Jesus forcibly remove the Romans from power by setting Himself up as a military commander.
The crowd put aside all thoughts of a Man of Sorrows—they wanted nothing of that. They knew of Jesus feeding of the 5,000—no problem with rations for an army. They knew He healed the sick and raised the dead—no problem with casualties. So when He did not follow-up His Triumphal Entry with an armed conquest, many of the people began to lose faith in Him. Like Pilate, they washed their hands of Him when they saw how unresistingly He allowed Himself to be arrested and led to execution. They couldn’t see that this was why He came, to be our sacrifice for sin; to die in our behalf.
We’re somewhat like the fickle crowd at times. We live as though Jesus is powerless to help us in our struggles. We see Him confined to the pages of Scripture. When life takes unexpected turns, we often lose trust in God. We wonder how our trials could possibly be God’s will. We wonder if God’s really in control…if He really loves us.
The Followers
We’re not alone. The disciples had the same doubts as their Teacher was led to the cross. Only later did they understand that Jesus was not a martyr—He was the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of the world.
Who we believe Jesus is will determine if and how we follow Him. Was He a false teacher, a social activist, a political revolutionary, a con artist, a religious fanatic, a raving lunatic? Or was He who He claimed to be—the Son of God?
And what exactly is a “follower” of Christ? A disciple embraces Christ’s teachings and is transformed by them. Disciples adopt a Biblical worldview, identity, and lifestyle. Those who follow Jesus do not follow the crowd; they have different priorities; they’re set apart, and refuse to be defined by this unholy, broken world. What makes disciples different is evident in how they act at work, at home, in the goals they set, and the activities they engage in. Are we in contrast to the world, or do we conform to it?
Followers become like the one they follow. Christians strive to be Christ-like. They’re loyal to their Lord. When we become part of the family of God, we take on the family resemblance. The disciple leaves behind the old life in search of a new life. Jesus said “Follow Me,” which is something even children often understand better than most adults.
The religious opposition rebuked Jesus; the fickle crowd rejected Him; and His followers nervously revered Him. It is nearly impossible to be neutral about Jesus.
When VIPs come to town, they never leave empty-handed. Some official makes sure they are given a gift. Jesus came to Jerusalem with a gift, purchased by His own blood: the gift of eternal life.
