Theme: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord
Text: Is. 50:4-9a; Phil. 2:5-11; Mark 11:1-11
The entire message of the Gospel revolves around one unique historical event: the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross. Concerning this the writer of Hebrews says in 10:14, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Perfected and forever speak of a sacrifice that comprehends every need of the entire human race, and its effects extend throughout time and into eternity. A single sovereign act of God brought together all the guilt and the suffering of humanity and offered one all sufficient solution. To receive God’s solution we must all make our way to the same place: the cross of Jesus Christ. This is the reason why the authors of the Gospels devote nearly a third of their length to the final week of Jesus’ life. Contrary to the practice of biographers who normally devote very little space to the death of their subjects each one of them give a detailed account of the events leading to His death. The many processions taking place this morning are an enactment of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Jesus chose this humble and unassuming way to proclaim that He is the Messiah, the King they were expecting. He chose a procession, which was different from the impressive Roman ones the people were used to. In these processions rulers or generals would ride on decorated horses or in golden chariots accompanied by officers in polished armour. Jesus’ procession, however, was different because Jesus did not come to rescue the world as a warring king, but as a gentle, humble and peace-loving king – a king that no one would have a problem approaching. The only way to respond to such a King is to say ‘blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’.
The Jews had been expecting the Messiah and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem fulfilled in every detail the prophecies made concerning Him. The triumphal entry took place at a time when people from all over the world had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The occasion provided them with the opportunity not only to hear and witness what was happening but also to take the Good News back with them to their various nations. Although the people had waited for a long time, Christ arrived at God’s appointed time, the right time for His presence to make the greatest impact. He came at a time when there was an extensive Roman Empire with one administration and one language and this was essential for the spread of the gospel. The people had already either witnessed or heard about Jesus’ power and authority that was confirmed by the many miracles He performed. He healed every sickness and disease and even raised the dead back to life and the raising of Lazarus from the dead was still fresh in their minds. The triumphal entry itself was a demonstration of His power and authority. Although the Lord did not own a donkey, He knew where to get one and the few words “The Lord needs it” were all that the disciples had to say for the owners to release their donkey to them. Jesus again demonstrated His authority by riding on an untamed donkey that had never been sat on before, and we all know how stubborn donkeys are.
Great care had been taken for the Jews to recognise the Messiah. Jesus entered Jerusalem fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy by riding on a colt that had never been ridden. This was because objects used for such sacred purposes should not have been used for any other purpose before. He entered Jerusalem at a time the Jews were preparing to celebrate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Their deliverance was not without battle and ten terrible plagues fell on Egypt before they were allowed to leave. The last of the ten plagues was the death of all the firstborn of animals and men. To save His people God made provision to pass over them. They had to kill lambs that were without blemish and sprinkle the blood on the lintels and doorposts of their homes. When God saw the blood He would pass over them to protect them from the destroying angel. The Passover prophetically portrayed the deliverance from slavery and bondage to sin by the Messiah. Just as the Passover lamb gave the Israelites the chance of a new beginning, so our Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, gives us the chance of a new beginning. Jesus Christ fully fulfilled the requirements of the Passover lamb. He entered Jerusalem presenting Himself to the people at the same time that the sacrificial lambs that would be brought to the priests for examination were being inspected. The lambs were then set aside for four days to make sure they were without blemish before being killed. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, in the prime of life, also came before the people and leaders for close examination for four days. During this time the Herodians, Sadducees, lawyers, Pharisees and the civil authorities examined him and they could not find anything to accuse Him of. Pilate also pronounces that Jesus qualified to be the Passover Lamb by finding no fault at all in Him. He was found to be without blemish before shedding His blood on Calvary, the perfect Lamb of God. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb had to be applied to provide a protective covering so also must the blood of Jesus Christ. We apply the blood when we acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Passover Lamb and confess Him as our Saviour and Lord.
Jesus Christ came to fulfil a mission that involved total obedience to His Father. He did not come to do his own will but to do the will of His Father. Although He was in the ‘form’ of God, He did not hold on to his rights. He gave up all he had, assuming a human body and a human nature, humbled himself and became a servant. He set aside the right to his glory and power and was obedient all the way to death. Jesus was obedient to such a degree that he was ready not only to die but also to accept death in its most shameful and most painful form, death on a cross, death in public, death in agony, death without relief, death without dignity.
We also need to be obedient to Christ as He was to His Father. It is easy to wave a palm branch on Palm Sunday, sing, and recount our Lord’s last procession into Jerusalem. But that is not all that Christ demands from us. He demands that all our actions demonstrate our commitment to Him. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem he was knowingly and willingly riding to His death. He willingly became the Suffering Servant and calls us out of the crowd to also become servants. He invites us to accompany Him and follow in His footsteps. This means being obedient to Him by also helping those in need, freeing those who are in captivity, supporting those who need support, visiting the lonely and the outcasts, feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty and clothing the naked. Jesus Christ is looking for faithful servants who will obey and serve Him. Do we trust the Lord to obey Him totally? Are we prepared to let go of our valuable possessions for the Lord to use as the owners of the donkey did? Are we prepared to do what His faithful servants did and lay at His feet what we have? The Lord needs us. We are his hands and feet and His voice. We are His agents of peace in the world.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem the crowd acknowledged His presence with shouts of praise. It was and still remains the only appropriate way to receive Him. Christ deserves our praise because He is the One who made it possible for us to be at peace with God and with one another. The crowd not only praised Him they also worshipped Him. Some worshipped Him by spreading their garments before Him while others cut palm branches and spread them on the road. They worshipped Jesus Christ as their King by giving what they had for His use.
Jesus deserves our praise and worship because He gave His life for us. He provided the solution for all our problems by paying the penalty for our sins and making it possible for us to become sons of God. The cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified was meant for the crucifixion of another person, a man named Barabbas, who had been found guilty of rebellion against the Roman government and sentenced to death. When Jesus Christ took his place it meant that Barabbas was declared not guilty and set free. Barabbas represents each one of us. We are all guilty of rebellion against God and deserve to die. But Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God took our place on the cross, that we might be freed from the sentence of death and set free. Christ paid a great price for our redemption. The price was the most horrible form of death - crucifixion - described as a sadistic form of torture that deliberately prolonged the pain and postponed death for as long as possible. To the Romans it was so shameful that it was reserved for slaves and the worst criminals but it was God’s chosen way of salvation. Christ died as our substitute. He died instead of us, so that we might not have to die for our sins. But He also died as our representative, so that when He died we died with Him. Jesus’ suffering and death paid the penalty for the sin of the whole world. Christ has saved us from hell, from death, from misery, from guilt and from punishment. It is, however, not enough that He shed His blood. It must be accepted and each individual must receive God’s provision for himself. Only then does the blood atone for sin.
Jesus Christ fulfilled prophecy in such a way that we cannot fail to recognize Him as the Messiah. The mathematical odds of all of those prophecies about the Messiah being fulfilled by any man are so great that only the Messiah could fulfil them. He is the only One who can free us from slavery to sin. It is, however, not enough just to know about Christ. We must also welcome Him into our lives, as it is possible to follow Christ for the wrong reasons and miss the blessings that He offers. The Pharisees who felt they were defenders of the faith and closest to God could not recognize the Messiah. They failed to recognise Him because they were more concerned about their own position and authority than about God and His eternal Kingdom; more concerned about safeguarding their own privileges than obeying Christ. Unfortunately, the same thing is happening in the lives of many people today. Luckily we are living in the period when the grace of God is still available for our salvation and peace. This period, however, will come to an end when Christ returns. Then He will no longer offer salvation but will judge all those who have refused to receive and welcome Him as Saviour and Lord. Our celebration of Palm Sunday should remind us that Jesus Christ is still passing by and that we can make peace with Him today. Will we turn our backs on Him as the Pharisees did? Will we support Him today as most people did on that first Palm Sunday only to crucify Him again later? Let us celebrate Palm Sunday today by welcoming Jesus Christ into our lives as Saviour and Lord. He is the only One who can give hope to the hopeless and light to those who are in darkness. Amen!
