Palm Sunday

You know, it's a common thing. And as we take a look at our passes for Palm Sunday, today is a thing is we're basically going to read about a time when the people of Jerusalem got the Divine version of that same Mantra from Jesus. You know, Jesus had left Bethany and he's walking from bether at this point walking. But then it gets to a point where he starts writing this donkey, but he's going from Bethany to Jerusalem. So he has a group of people or group of disciples who have followed him out of Bethany cuz they want to see what he's going to Jerusalem to do. And that's where we pick up and Luke chapter, 19, verses 36 through 38. Cuz as he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When you came near the place, where the road goes down, the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of disciples began. Joyfully to praise God in a loud voices for all the Miracles. That's blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

You know, it's Jesus is making this trip. The praise and Adoration of the people kind of reached his Peak and As the excitement continues to build the people start showing their adoration for him by spreading their coats on the road ahead of him. What's the US? That sounds pretty strange? But what it was if it was a symbolic way of the people saying that they were placing themselves under his feet as their King. That they were submitting themselves to his Rule. And that's why they started doing that. They were declaring that this was the Messiah that they had waited for.

You know, Jesus was heading to Jerusalem and liberate them from their Roman oppressors. Or so, they thought. So they hoped mean what else would he be going to Jerusalem? They couldn't think of any other reason. And you know this, I read this story and I think about it. I don't know the size of the donkey. Jesus was riding, but for some reason I picture him on this little donkey who's trying to weave its way through all these coats on this road trying to decide what is going on. I thought about that. I don't know if donkeys would eat.

So here's this donkey. We've been its way through heading. Down this road and they come over the crest of that hill, and they start down the Mount of Olives. Now, you can see the City Jerusalem out there. And that kind of makes that excitement get even higher for those people that are walking with them. So they begin to shout a little louder, cheer, a little bit more. I don't see. No, they do that there. Palm branches. I'm sure they come out of the town to meet them and when they realize what's going on, join in the celebration, so you have these two great tides of people. So I'm coming out of Jerusalem, some coming down from Bethany and I kind of join together to just be the large sea of humanity Around Jesus as he proceeds, Some in front some behind, but all of them cheering and celebrating that Jesus is finally coming to Jerusalem.

Like I said, their hopes for the Messiah had kind of a wretch their Pinnacle at this point. So the people are shouting blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. They were essentially publicly proclaiming that. This is our King. This is our most the promised Messiah and we recognize that he has the full authority of God.

No, Matthew notes that the crowd also shot at Hosanna to the son of David hosanna in the highest.

You know, the word Hosanna means to save now and when they put that title in there of son of David, that's the title of the Messiah. So essentially what the people were shouting was son of David save us now.

You know, the crowd was not pleading for salvation from their sin. But what they were pleading with was that this Messiah King would come, and save them from their Roman oppressors that he would come and take over. And that they would be the ones in charge here. That's what led them to cry out as we seeing Mark. 11:10 blessed is the king, the coming Kingdom of Our Father, David. That's ever expecting. As the Messiah came into Jerusalem. They were expecting that the kingdom of their ancestor. David was once again going to be established. That was what they fully expected to happen.

Another reason I shared all that with you is to just demonstrate that. The people really had no concept of a messiah, who would come as suffering sacrifice for sin.

Yeah, that's what's so different about the Easter story for us. You know, we've heard the story. A number of times, me know how it is. We know what happens in the days to come with the whole story. They didn't. No, they were witnessing these events happening live. and, You know, the whole idea of a messiah that would be sacrificed that just didn't fit with what they wanted. That didn't fit with their expectations. you know, they wanted the Jesus that would come in and go all John Rambo on the Roman forum and basically kick him out that he would defeat them in some great military campaign and they would be the ones who charge. The Romans would be serving them, that he would totally flip flop, all of that.

But that wasn't the Jesus that they were going to get.

and, you know, not everyone shared in this joyous excitement, you know, as it's going on we know the Good old Pharisees. Who are always there to bring down any party. It seems like, you know, there, outraged. It's what's going on. They think these things that this crowd is shouting me. They see them as straight. Things against God. They can't believe that. They're saying all these things about this. Jesus. Why is Luke Chapter 19? Verse 39. We read there? It says some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus. Teacher rebuke your disciples.

Kind of funny, cuz a lot of other times in scripture, they don't even really want to acknowledge that. He's a teacher. But here they do. And I think, you know, part of the reason, the Pharisees turned to Jesus is they realize they have zero chance. I've getting this crowd to calm down on their own. They don't they're in too much of a frenzy. The only person that this crowd is going to listen to is Jesus. So I think that's why the Pharisees come to him and they make this appeal cuz they think this is the only way we're going to put an end to this.

You know, the irony of all this is that is actually the last time we ever hear anything about the Pharisees in the Book of Luke. It's when those who had hated him and treated him horrible, and so many occasions. It's when they're actually turning to Jesus asking for his help. Even though they've never wanted to publicly acknowledge his ministry or his right? They know they need his help. And I think Jesus's reply to them.

If we really look at it, we see that it's when he replies back to them in that situation that I think we see the major turning point in the events of Holy Week, start to happen.

Luke 19:14, Jesus says, I tell you he replied if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

To the Pharisees come to him and they ask for help. and Jesus looks at him and says, I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

You know, that whole first part of that, I tell you is emphasizing how important and serious. What Jesus is about to tell the Pharisees really is. And, you know, when he says, if they keep quiet the way that that said is in a sense that he's not talking about, something that may possibly happen. Jesus is talking about something that will happen. Something that he's guaranteeing, that's going to happen. And you know what he saying is that, if these people become silent and I know that they're going to at that point, the stones will cry out. And when the storms cry out, they won't be crying out in this joyful almost party like attitude that the people had been crying out. When the stones cry out. They will be crying out an agreement with God's judgment over the people and the nation of Israel for their wickedness.

And it's that inevitable event. That fills Jesus with the sorrow. We see in the next part of this passage. Luke chapter 19 verses 41 through 44. does as he 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 him 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.

You know, the Old Testament, they used that phrase quite often. The day's will come upon you. To express some sort of judgment that was going to be coming in the near future. So the people would have known what Jesus meant by that when he was saying that, he was telling them that God's judgment is coming your way pretty soon. And in fact, it did. The Judgment with Jesus is speaking about what happened 40 years later and a d70 when the Roman military would come in and just Crush. The Jewish military in a Revolt that they were trying to have that pretty much destroyed Jerusalem.

In the destruction would be just as Jesus foretold and that passage of scripture. If you read through the details of what happened, when the Romans came, it happens just that way.

They build an embankment against them. They encircle them, they him them in on every side and they totally tear down most of the city. So you see those stones that Jesus talked about crying out? Those are the stones that are all the rubble in the city from what the Romans did when they came. Jesus called it exactly like it happened. And those stones that are laying all around. After this destruction. Those are the stones that Jesus talked about crying out and they are crying out. In Judgment of how they did not recognize the time when God was with them. When Jesus God incarnate, was walking there with them, offering them, the Salvation that they need it. But they refused it because that was not what they were looking for. They were not looking for salvation and Redemption. They were looking to be the ones in power. In John chapter one, verses 10 through 11. We read He was in the world and though the world was made through him. The world did not recognize him. He came to that, which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

You know Jesus's response to the Pharisees, his response to the people, you know, his response reveals, the striking difference between the people's expectation of him and God's condemnation of them.

Yeah, the contrast between what the people and dissipated and what they actually received from their coming Messiah. I don't know if it could be more extreme. And we see that demonstrated a lot. Last, we read through that scripture. You know, the people are singing and praising and shouting that. Oh! The messiah's coming! We're going to finally get what we want. Yeah, it's almost a party like attitude as they come into the city.

But you know, I always wondered, did they notice? As Jesus was riding on that donkey that he's crying.

He's sobbing. So as they're filled with joy. He is filled with great sorrow.

They're filled with joy because they think they're finally going to get what they want. He's filled with sorrow because he knows what's actually going to happen.

And you know, they didn't get it that you know as they're pronouncing glory to him and you know acknowledging him as their King. They probably had to wonder why he keeps talking about all these bad things that are going to happen to them, why he keeps pronouncing Doom upon them and all these things.

But you know what? They didn't get is they were just getting a glimpse of his Divine knowledge of. He knew all the events that are going to happen and he was actually describing the events of things that we're going to happen. 40 years later in great detail to them, but

they weren't paying attention to any of that. They just wanted what they wanted and that's all they knew.

So it's no wonder that they change their opinion about Jesus.

You know because the peace that Jesus was talking about was not what they had in mind at all. You know, they were thinking more about a political piece that they would no longer be ruled by someone else. They were thinking of a social peace that they would no longer have that oppression there. Furthest Thing from their minds was, Spiritual peace to be at peace with God, which was what Jesus was bringing them. It's what he was offering them. And really if they had been paying attention. It was what Jesus had been preaching throughout his entire Ministry. Peace with God.

I think this extreme contrasts explains why we see the people shift from the cheering crowds, filled with praise and adoration for Jesus on Monday.

Two screaming crowds on Friday that are asking for his execution. They're asking for him to be crucified.

You know, I think the crowds attitude toward Jesus turned so quickly because he wasn't the Messiah they want it.

Vedic knowledge that yes, he was the Messiah, but wait a minute. He's not doing what we want to do. So their opinion totally changed and if they weren't worried about freedom from sin or peace with God. They just wanted to be the ones in charge. They wanted the Romans gone. They wanted all their oppressors gone. They just wanted the freedom to be able to do whatever they wanted to do. And since that wasn't what he came offering. They rejected it.

And, you know, this, I prepared this for this week. I thought

I mean mankind is still trying to shape Jesus into the Savior that we want, right? We want to think that we can make Jesus fit into the mold of what we want him to be. the fix things, the way we want them to be fixed, you know, we are still trying to shove that into that box of Control that we think we have over life of shaping and doing all the things, The Way We Were. Happened when we want them to happen. how we want the But that's not the way the world works.

So, you know, I think an important question for all of us to ask ourselves as we go through Holy Week. This next week, as we think about all these things. Am I seeking after the Jesus? I want. Or the Jesus that scripture reveals to us.

Because what we'll find is how we answer that question. dictates which side of the crowd we fall into

Do we fall into the mob? That was singing his Praises on Monday, but by Friday is calling for his execution, because he's not doing things the way we wanted it to happen.

Or are we apart of that, small band of disciples that walked with him into town? Shared that last supper with him. And then watch their Saviour died on a cross for their sins.

You know, if we look through scripture, we see that by that point many had deserted him. When he died on the cross. It's only a few that remain then. Like I said, I think it's important as we go through Holy Week for us to reflect on where we are with that cuz it says a lot about where we are in our relationship with God. And as we've been going through this series up till now talking about, you know, are we in rot or Revival? Because we're always in one of those three places.

This question is quite relevant to that and figuring out where you are. Please bear with me in prayer.