Sermon Central
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Palm Sunday 2014
Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Apr 15, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: On Palm Sunday we often concentrate on the palms and the colt Jesus was riding and the cloaks being laid before Him in the procession. We look at the exaltation of the crowd and the rebuke of the Jews but there is SO much more going on in that city.
Well, it’s Palm Sunday! The day we celebrate that glorious ride that Jesus took into Jerusalem amidst the proclamation of His followers. Let's take a look at God's Holy Word!
Luke 19:29-40 says,
“As [Jesus] approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying to them,
“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’
“Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’
They replied, ‘The Lord needs it.’
“They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
“When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
“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.”
Can you imagine the excitement? (Read these random verses about Palm Sunday)
Matthew 21:10 (AMP)
“And when [Jesus] entered Jerusalem, all the city became agitated (trembling with excitement) and said, Who is this?”
“Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill Him.”
John 11:55-56 (NLT)
“It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began.
“They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, ‘What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will He?’”
Try to imagine what a powder keg Jerusalem was!
- Jesus is coming to Jerusalem with a crowd of people who have seen many great miracles! They have even seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead! They are placing their cloaks and palm braches on the roadway for Jesus to ride over as a sign of devotion and admiration! He MUST be the long awaited Messiah!
- You’ve got the Jewish leaders who are along this procession trying to suppress the proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah. They see this as heresy or at least a threat to their status and power.
- You’ve got the Jewish court which is attempting to find a way to secretly arrest Jesus and put Him to death.
- You’ve got the people in Jerusalem who are seeing this great disturbance coming into the city and they are wondering who this is.
- You’ve got the ever present insurrectionists who want to overthrow the Roman and get them out of Israel.
- Finally, you’ve got Pilate who knows that he needs to keep a tight grip on
There are a lot of dynamics going on here! But what about Jesus? What was He feeling? Was He exulting in the admiration and worship of His followers as He approached Jerusalem for the Passover festival?
Luke 19:41-44 says,
“As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes.
“The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
“They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Let’s read this again and take a careful look! Jesus is talking TO the city, as if it were a person.
Luke 19:41-44 says,
“As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes.
“The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
“They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
