We are assembled here this morning, as millions of other Christians are assembled in other churches
all over the world, to commemorate our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem at the close of his earthly ministry, almost two thousand years ago. We share this celebration, not only with our brothers and sisters in other nations, and other languages, and other cultures, but also with those of prior ages. Because for twenty centuries, this day has been observed by every branch of the church, whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox. And that testifies to its great importance. The triumphal entry is important, not only because it stands at the beginning of Holy Week, not only because it sets in motion a chain of events leading to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, but also because it communicates vital theological truths in its own right. It reveals crucial information about Christ, and about God’s plan for his people. And so, we cannot fully understand Good Friday, or Easter Sunday, or Ascension Sunday unless we also grasp the significance of this day, Palm Sunday. This morning, I’d like to invite you to explore with me what this day means to you and I as followers of Jesus Christ. Let me begin by reading from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 21.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, ’See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ "
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" – Matthew 21:1-9
As we read this passage, and the similar accounts in the other gospels, we can almost see Jesus sitting on a donkey; we can picture the crowds waving palm branches and throwing down their coats for him to pass over. We can hear the cheering and the shouts of acclamation – "Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" What a thrilling scene that must have been! Imagine how the disciples must have felt in the midst of all this – what rejoicing; what excitement and exultation. Christ was being hailed as king, as messiah, as savior. Everything they had been anticipating for three long years seemed to be coming to pass! Surely, it was now only a matter of time until their master took his rightful place as the ruler of his people, and they, the Twelve, took their places at his side.
It would be difficult to read this and not be reminded of the scenes we saw played out on television this week – hundreds of jubilant Iraqis singing, and dancing, and celebrating in the streets, welcoming the U.S. troops into Baghdad, embracing them and hailing them as liberators. But we probably wouldn’t want to take the comparison too far. Because, as we know, the crowd’s adoration of Christ was short-lived. Just five days later, the same people who had been shouting, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" were shouting instead, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" What happened? How could public opinion turn against him so quickly and so violently? The answer is that Christ didn’t meet their expectations. The people were expecting a warrior-king, someone who would lead them in an armed uprising against the hated Roman occupiers. They were expecting a military commander, under whose leadership the yoke of bondage to Rome would be thrown off, and the ancient glory of Israel would finally be restored. They were expecting power, and might, and victory. But when Christ was arrested, without even putting up a fight, and was brought before Pilate, what they saw was apparent weakness and defeat. It seemed that their hopes for deliverance had been crushed once again, and they reacted with furious rage.
Now, in order to understand their response, we first need to realize that their expectations were not unfounded. Their hopes were based on Biblical promises and prophecies concerning the Messiah.
"I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ’You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." – Psalm 2:7-9
"He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. . . . He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth." – Isaiah 11:4, 12
Not only that, but many times throughout Israel’s history, when they were oppressed by a foreign power, God raised up a military leader to take them into battle, and God did defeat their enemies. Reading through the book of Judges, we learn of valiant men like Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak, Gideon, Tola, and Jephthah – not to mention valiant women, like Deborah. Names unfamiliar to us, but well known to themThe author of Hebrews, referring to these men, says that they "became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies." [Hebrews 11:34] This was their history. And so it wasn’t unreasonable for these first-century Jews, recognizing that Jesus was the promised Messiah, to expect that he would be this kind of deliverer as well. It wasn’t unreasonable – but it was wrong. What they failed to grasp was that the Messiah, on his path to glory and victory, had to first pass through suffering and death. They failed to take into account messianic prophecies such as this one:
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed . . . . For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken." – Isaiah 53:5, 8
What we see is that the Old Testament contains two strikingly different portraits of the Messiah, because they describe two different appearances of Christ. The first took place two thousand years ago, when he came to suffer and die for the sins of his people. The second, yet to come, is when he will appear as a conquering warrior, utterly destroying the wicked. But the people of that time couldn’t reconcile these two portrayals of the Messiah – one a suffering servant who would be pierced, and crushed, and wounded, and killed; the other, a conquering hero. And so when they saw that Christ would not fulfill their expectations of victory and deliverance; when they heard him declare to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world," [John 18:36] they rejected him. They had no use for that kind of Messiah. They didn’t recognize the presence of God in their midst.
Let’s pause here and ask ourselves this question: are we really so different than they? Do we recognize God’s presence and activity in our lives when it involves disappointment, or suffering, or weakness, or apparent failure? Are we willing to accept those things as part of God’s good, and wise, and loving plan for us? Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble [John 16:33]. Will we accept that? Or, will we ignore it, and listen only to His more encouraging promises. Like the crowds who at first hailed Jesus as Lord, but turned against him when he failed to follow their script, will we give him our allegiance only when things are going well, but turn away from him, angry and disillusioned, when things go badly? Is it true of us, that we only have use for a victorious, conquering savior? Or will we continue to trust in God, and follow him, and obey him, even when he allows our trials to persist? In short, will we accept the savior God has given us, or will we demand another one, one of our own choosing, perhaps even one of our own making? That’s the question. You see, we don’t really have the option of demanding that Christ work in our lives in the manner that we expect. If we are to be his disciples, and he is to be our Lord, then we must accept him as he is, and accept from him what he chooses to give us. That’s very difficult at times. But I can promise you this: if we will do that, we will find in the end that he is far better than we could have imagined, that his ways are far wiser than we could have conceived, and that his love is far more wonderful than we could have hoped for.
But understanding the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem requires more than just knowing what it was not. The crowds saw it as the prelude to a revolt, the beginning of a popular uprising against the Romans. They were wrong. But that doesn’t mean it had no importance. On the contrary, it had far greater importance than they realized. It signified, not something as minor as the overthrow of Roman government in Palestine, or something as relatively insignificant as the defeat of the Roman empire. Governments come and go; empires rise and fall. It represented something far greater – the defeat of Satan and his kingdom. It meant that the power of sin and death would soon be broken forever. And when Christ rode into Jerusalem, it also anticipated what would take place after the resurrection – his victorious ascension and entry into heaven; his enthronement at the Father’s right hand as ruler and sovereign over all creation. Finally, it foreshadowed his future return to earth in glory and power, to claim the fruits of his victory once and for all.
That’s a lot to take in, so let me expand on it a bit. First, consider the defeat of Satan and his kingdom, the triumph of Christ over our ancient enemy. In Colossians, Paul says of Christ that,
". . . having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." – Colossians 2:15
What does this mean? That by offering up his life on the cross, Jesus Christ broke the power of Satan and rendered his authority over us null and void. As believers in Christ, we have been forgiven of sin. We are no longer under judgement; we are no longer under condemnation. Therefore, we no longer fear death, nor do we fear the one who holds the power of death. Satan is a defeated and vanquished foe. In saying that Christ "made a public spectacle of them," Paul uses a phrase that would bring to mind the kind of victory parade that Roman generals gave upon returning from a successful foreign military campaign. As the victorious armies marched through the streets of Rome, the rulers and assorted dignitaries of the conquered enemy would be forced to walk at the end of the procession, stripped of their royal robes and fine clothing, stripped of all power and authority, and stripped of their dignity. That’s what Christ did to Satan and his demonic powers on the cross.
The author of Hebrews makes the same point,
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." – Hebrews 2:14-15
At the cross, Jesus Christ overcame the power of the enemy, utterly and completely. He set us free from Satan’s tyranny. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was a celebration of this fact, a celebration of what he would soon accomplish by his death.
Someone might ask, then why is there so much evil in the world? Why does evil appear to triumph? For example, we are now beginning to get stories out of Iraq that reveal some of the depravity and brutality of that regime. Reports of torture and monstrous cruelty, carried out over decades. If Satan has truly been conquered, how could something that evil go on for so long? And the answer is that, although Satan is a defeated foe, although his destruction is certain, he remains active until Christ returns, doing what he can to oppose God. But it is only a matter of time until he is annihilated. As Paul tell us, looking to the future, after the return of Christ and the resurrection of the saints,
"Then the end will come, when he [Christ] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." – 1 Corinthians 15:24-25
Christ is reigning over the earth now, although for the time being he is permitting Satan to do evil. But the last chapter has already been written. It’s like the situation in Iraq. Saddam Hussein’s rule has come to an end. His regime is finished, although some elements of his army continue to fight. Yes, there will still be battles, and Iraq is still a dangerous place. But the outcome is not in doubt. His defeat is certain. In the same way, Christ’s death on the cross guarantees the final destruction of Satan and his works.
And so, there are many things that Satan cannot do, as a result of his power being broken at the cross. He cannot tempt us beyond our ability to withstand. He cannot cause us to sin. And he cannot bring such severe trials, or such intense affliction into our lives that we lose our faith. Nothing he can do will ever separate us from God. Consider these promises:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you may stand up under it." – 1 Corinthians 10:13
"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." – Romans 8:37-39
As much of a struggle as it may be for us sometimes, to trust and obey God, and as much as Satan would like to destroy our faith and snatch us out of God’s grasp, he cannot do it. God keeps us in union with himself by his own power, and he will never let us go.
The question for us, then, is this – given that Satan has no power over us, given that we are under no obligation to obey him – are we nevertheless voluntarily granting him an authority that he has no rightful claim to? Are we choosing to walk in disobedience to God, are we choosing to yield to sin, even though it has no power to compel us to obey? That is what we must avoid. As Paul exhorts us in Romans chapter six:
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." – Romans 5:12-13
In other words, Paul is telling us – don’t act as if Satan still had some kind of authority or power over you, because he doesn’t. Don’t think, or speak, or act as if sin were still your master. Instead, use your freedom to obey God; make a free choice to give yourself wholly and completely to Christ. Remember that your freedom to follow God was purchased for you by Christ at great cost, through his triumph at the cross. And so make use of that freedom for good, and not evil.
During the civil war, after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, history tells us that for a time, many of them continued to serve their masters. They continued to live in the slave quarters, continued to work in the fields, continued to obey their former masters’ commands, although their masters no longer had any legal authority over them. They had been slaves for so long that they didn’t know any other way. They continued thinking and acting like slaves even though they were free. And Paul is telling us that we must not do this. If you have trusted in Christ for salvation, then sin is no longer your master; it no longer has any authority over you. Christ has broken its power, and you are free – free to continue serving sin and Satan, but also free to serve God. It’s your choice.
Finally, let me say that the victory which Christ won at the cross will someday be evident to all.
His triumph will be acknowledged by every creature. His power, and glory, and might will be fully revealed. And when that happens, we will share in his glory. We will wear the victor’s crown, we will receive from him the crown of life. Therefore, let us conduct our lives in this world with joy and faithful obedience as people who know we are on the winning side. I’ll close with this promise:
"[Christ] humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." – Philippians 2:8-11
That’s the day we all long for, and that’s the day Palm Sunday reminds us of.
(For this and other sermons in .rtf format, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
