Walking With Jesus – Palm Sunday (Part VII – Lent)

Sermon Title: Palm Sunday…Who Is This?

Good News Statement: Jesus establishes connections with us

Preached: Sunday, April 13^th, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 19:28-38 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke. During the Lenten and Easter Season, we are going to be walking with Jesus to the Cross, listening to his parables, deciphering his teachings, and experiencing our own resurrection. Our walk continues to by witnessing Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem: people are waving palm branches and shouting “Hosannas”. But what does this mean for us? Our scripture reading is Luke Chapter Nineteen, Verses Twenty-Eight thru Thirty-Eight. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.

 

Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem 

²⁸ After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹ When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” ³² So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ They said, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, ³⁸ saying,

“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!”

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

The following Sermon Series will be drawn from the words of Biblical Scholar Charles R. Swindoll, who offers commentary and thoughts on the Gospel of Luke in his book ”Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke” published in 2012 by Zondervan Publications in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012.

 

 

 Introduction:

In August of 1988, a Scottish duo known as the Proclaimers released a song that five years later reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The lead single from their second album, Sunshine on Leith¸ has been featured in several movies and television shows, is still played on the radio today, and is said that the band’s earnings from this one song are “five times more than the rest of their music catalogue combined.”[1] Needless to say, this 1988 song has become a “live staple”[2] for millions of people across the world. The name of this song is “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”

The song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” according to Charlie Reid, the lead singer of the Proclaimers, “is a devotional thing about how far [a person] would walk for [someone they love].” The chorus is probably the most remembered of the song, and it goes like this, “But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” How far are you willing to walk for the person and people you love?

I was thinking about this song the other day as I was contemplating the Lent and Easter Season. Jesus walked everywhere, except when he was in a boat. He walked to Nazareth to Jerusalem every year with his parents to celebrate the Passover Meal; He walked from village to village and town to town preaching the good news; He walked all over the Galilean Region healing the sick, casting out demons, restoring sight to the blind, helping the deaf hear again, giving words to the mute, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, releasing captives, blessing the poor, and telling the paralyzed to stand up and walk. He walked by wells and places of gathering to forgive sins and to eat with Pharisees, Tax Collectors, and Unbelievers; He walked throughout the land inviting people to give up everything and to “follow him”; He walked in deserts, up mountains, into deserted places, and within the peacefulness of gardens to find restoration, isolation, and hope; and He walked, while carrying his cross, to his death on Calvary. Then three days later, He walked out of the tomb!

It is extremely evident that Jesus walked. He probably walked more than 500 miles! As a matter of fact, according to Ray Downing—a 3D illustrator and animator—“The Gospels give us a detailed accounting of these walks and destinations [within a region roughly the size of the state of New Jersey] and is [estimated] that during the three years of Jesus’ public ministry he walked approximately 3,125 miles.”[3] Besides walking to share the good news and to change the hearts and lives of many people, why did Jesus walk all those miles?

For the next several weeks, leading up to Easter, we are going to attempt to answer that question by walking with Jesus, from town to town as he takes his last step on Calvary but also takes his first step out of the tomb. And hopefully, as we walk with Jesus, it will become clear to why he walked all those miles and to why he invites us to continue to walk for him on this earth. Are you willing to walk 500 miles? Are you willing to put on those boots that are made for walking? Are you willing to walk for those you love and for the One who loves you?

 

Body:

One Palm Sunday, a little boy had a sore throat and had to stay home from church with a sitter. When the rest of the family came home, they were carrying palm branches. The little boy asked what they were for. His father told him that people held them over Jesus’ head when he walked by. In a sad, disappointed voice, the little boy said, “Wouldn’t you know it?  The one Sunday I miss, Jesus shows up!”

Today is Palm Sunday! Today, we gather as God’s people, waving our palm branches high in the air, to triumphantly welcome Jesus into our community. Today, we shout for joy that he has arrived: “Hosanna, in the highest heaven.” Today, we recognize the coming of a Savior who will save us from our sins, fill our hearts with eternal love, and nurture our spirits with heavenly grace. Today, we are reminded of the victory found in Christ.

However, today, we also take note of what is to come for Jesus: trials, torture, weeping, immense pain and suffering, exhaustion, and death by crucifixion. At the end of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Mark writes in the eleventh chapter of his Gospel, “Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve” (Mark 11:11) disappointed that no one was there.

Today, we realize that Palm Sunday is just the beginning to Jesus’ resurrection. From now until then, until Jesus is resurrected and the tomb is empty, Jesus is going to be looking around in search of those who have asked for forgiveness, accepted him into their heart, lived by his word, and who have sought eternal life. We must continue to wave our palm branches high so that Jesus knows that we want him to see us—that we are the ones he is seeking and searching for when he enters the temple.

Today is Palm Sunday, and today, we ask, “Who is Jesus?” Who is the one riding into town on a humble and gentle donkey? Who is the one upon which our palm branches are waved high in the air for? Who is the one we shout Hosanna and call Son of David? Who is the one that deserves to walk on our cloaks so his feet hover above the dirt road? Who is the one that people are calling a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee? Who is this Jesus parading through a town filled with people who despise and dislike him? Who is the one searching for us? Palm Sunday is a day that we celebrate, and shout with joy, but at the same time on this day we realize who Jesus is. Who is Jesus to you and does he see you waving your palm branch?

 

Movement One: Palm Sunday has Arrived…

Jesus had a long climb ahead of him. The three-thousand-foot ascent from Jericho, the town where he is coming from, to Jerusalem didn’t present the worst challenge, though; the distance could be traveled in less than a day, and he had made this climb three times a year since the age of twelve. He had visited Judea many other times for the sake of ministry. But this trip differed from all the others: he didn’t come to worship, but to die; he didn’t enter Jerusalem as a visitor, but left as a savior.

Luke indicates that many months earlier, Jesus had “determined to go to Jerusalem” (9:51) which was confusing to his disciples at the time. According to Swindoll, the reason why Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem was to “claim the throne and take ownership of the temple.”[4] Although Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem in good faith, he understood the prophecies from earlier prophets: the Messiah’s arrival in Jerusalem will come with rejection, ridicule, and torture. According to the Prophet Isaiah, the mighty King would suffer unspeakable agony (Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9). He would be exalted and then humiliated (Isaiah 52:13-15), rejected as King (53:1-3), scourged and pierce (53:4-6), offered to God as an atoning sacrifice, and then raised to life again (53:10-12). Jesus chose to go to Jerusalem for our sake knowing that he wouldn’t leave Jerusalem the same way.

Since his decision to march to Jerusalem, the ministry of Jesus “crisscrossed Galilee and penetrated deep into Samaria, proclaiming the kingdom of God in every synagogue that welcomed him.”[5] All along the way, he gathered followers by the thousands, so that by the time he reached Jericho, a massive entourage of cheering disciples went before him. Despite his many warnings, the people expected the city would be his before the end of Passover. Indeed, he would triumph, but not in the manner the people expected. Regardless, Jesus marched relentlessly toward his destiny.

Listen to the story of Jesus’ Triumphant Entry. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is recounted in all four Gospels, but the one that I will share with you comes from Luke 19:28-38: “After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt? They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’”

Day One of his Passion Week begins with the crowds in Jerusalem greeting Jesus with cheers as they hailed the coming of David’s Kingdom. After a sumptuous banquet, the remarkable conversion of Zacchaeus, a final lesson on the use of many in the kingdom, and perhaps a good night’s rest, Jesus and his followers began the long trek uphill to Jericho to Jerusalem. The crowd, with great shouts of praise, adores Jesus by saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9). When Jesus came into Jerusalem, many were anticipating a messiah who would lead an armed rebellion against the Romans.

The people were so eager to welcome Jesus that they not only shouted but laid their cloaks on the ground before him and waved palm branches high in the air as he rode into town on a humble and never before ridden donkey. The people were seeking a warrior, a fighter, a “Goliath”, an earthly King. However, Jesus sorely disappointed the people. Instead of war, “Jesus,” according to Adam Hamilton, “taught [the] people to love their enemies and [to] pray for their persecutors.” The one who comes to Jerusalem comes as the king of the entire world and dies for all people (David E. Garland); and is not the one who will conquer the Roman Empire but will conquer the hearts of the people.

You see, the people wanted a king, an earthly king: someone who would physically fight on their behalf by taking out his sword and defeating the enemy before them. It’s no wonder the people threw Jesus a parade: a glorified parade fit for an earthly king. They were excited that someone was going to fight for them.[6] The people in Jerusalem didn’t understand the real reason for this parade because they didn’t know who Jesus was, is, and always will be.

The people—thousands who followed Jesus from Galilee and Judea and many other territories—lined the road leading into the city with palm branches and clothes, shouting “Hosanna” which means, “Save us!” Their praise was for an earthly king, a warrior, who would defeat the Roman Empire—the very empire that had enslaved, mistreated, tortured, and ignored millions of people merely to get what they wanted: power, prestige, and providence. It’s a joyous day for the people, but a heartbreaking day for Jesus as he looks around at all the people and says to himself, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. They do not understand.” Do you understand why Jesus entered Jerusalem? Do you understand why we wave palm branches and shout “Hosanna”? Do you understand who Jesus is?

 

Movement Two: Why Jerusalem? Why a Donkey? Why Palm Branches? Why “Hosannas”?

 To understand the significance of Palm Sunday, we need to answer a few questions: 1) Why Jerusalem?, 2) Why a Donkey?,  3) Why palm branches? and 4) Why “Hosannas”?

Jerusalem: According to the Gospel of Matthew, Palm Sunday was the first time Jesus ever appeared in the great, bustling city of Jerusalem, which is not the case for Luke, however. Jesus knew that his ministry would not be complete and his mission would not be successful unless He took his gospel message from the small towns of Galilee in the northern part of Israel and declared it in the great Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus had spent three years preaching, teaching and healing throughout the small and sometimes remote towns of Capernaum, Nazareth and Bethsaida, and even in towns that rejected him and told him to leave (Luke 8:34-37). Jesus knew that he had to take his message to the great city of Jerusalem.[7]

There is absolutely no question about the fact that the key to the gospel being able to reach to the ends of the earth as commanded in Matthew 28 was that Jesus first take the gospel to Jerusalem. Jesus had to go to Jerusalem for the same reason Paul knew he had to go to Athens, then Ephesus, then on to Rome. The gospel had to be declared in places and spaces that served as the crossroads of culture and ideas. The message had to be preached in places where the world always was coming and going so people who heard it could take the message with them wherever they went. Coming to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was not a casual occurrence; it was a determined, strategic decision and a necessary first step in the process of sharing the gospel and letting people know that Jesus is the king that has come to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Howard Thurman, a great African-American theology, was dean of the chapel at Boston University from 1953-1965, and he highlighted in a sermon on how the people must be willing to spread the good news at its greatest possibility. He explained why he left his church in San Francisco in order to assume that new preaching responsibility on the East Coast. He said he went to the place where he thought he would have “the maximum possibility of contagion.” Contagion is a fancy word meaning to spread an idea or practice; and so Thurman felt that he needed to travel outside of what was comfortable in order to share and spread an idea and understanding of Jesus Christ in great and new ways, to reach the widest possible audience and have the greatest possible impact. Jesus seems to have understood this principle of “maximum contagion.” So on the day we now call Palm Sunday, he left behind places such as Nazareth, Capernaum, and Bethany and marched his followers into Jerusalem. He had the right message and Jerusalem was the right place to preach it if he wanted to reach the widest possible audience, even knowing that Jerusalem would be the last place he visited.

Jesus entering Jerusalem, on Palm Sunday, is our invite to really think about where and to whom we are willing to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus went out of his comfort zone to inform the people about his message. Jesus travelled to a town filled with believers and disbelievers to let people know of who he is. The world is desperate to know the love of Christ; however, the world is filled with a lot of people who are okay with being comfortable instead of sharing the good news with as many people as they can. Jesus entered Jerusalem not for praise but to share his message to a broader community. Church, are we sharing the good news at our “maximum contagion”? Or, is there more that we can be doing, should be doing, and are planning to do?

Donkey/Colt: In addition to entering Jerusalem, Jesus also makes another bold move. Upon entering the city of Jerusalem from Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus directs two of his disciples to fetch a colt, a young donkey, and says to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.” (Luke 19:30).[8]

First, Jesus seeking a donkey is to fulfill what was spoken by the Prophet Zechariah: “Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus impresses the animal, the colt, as a king would who is entitled to whatever he needs; but, unlike, plundering kings, Jesus will return the animal immediately. Jesus chose a donkey to fulfill Old Testament prophecy.[i]

Second, instead of parading into town on a majestic horse, like a King would have, Jesus comes into town riding a donkey: a colt that has never been ridden, never been used to carry anything. Jesus chooses a humble and gentle donkey to help him share his message because he knows that what that donkey offers is more than enough to do what he needs to do. We live in a society where sometimes greed directs our footsteps and defines actions. We want more. We want more than we already have because we tell ourselves that what we have is not good enough. Jesus, by choosing a humble donkey, is sending a message that he doesn’t need anything grand or extravagant or flashy or top of the line to share his message: he has all that he needs. He has the guidance of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in his life.[9] Jesus, a humble king, had all that he needed to save the people, even those who didn’t yet believe.

According to Swindoll, “Jesus could have walked to Jerusalem as he had countless times before. But instead, he mounted the donkey because his trip down the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, and into Jerusalem was different…. Jesus entered the city on a symbol of peace”[10]; on a simple and humble donkey.[11]

The Laying Down of Cloaks: This grand entrance—this triumphal entrance—of praise and respect is different than other entrances by Jesus. Instead of people pressing upon Jesus, the people are found lining the streets. Jesus’ followers and others caught up in the excitement of the moment line the streets with cloaks and waving palm branches and fill the air with a chorus of “Hosannas” (David E. Garland, 428). In the act of showing reverence to Jesus, people lay their cloaks on the ground. A cloak, a long, heavy, robe-like coat, was an Old Testament symbol of authority. For a prophet in Israel, it was a symbol of the power of God resting on him. When Elijah first met Elisha (1 Kings 19:19), he threw his cloak around him. So when the people cover the ground before Jesus with their cloaks they are symbolically suggesting that Jesus is powerful, Jesus has authority, and Jesus is more than they are. Placing one’s cloak is an act of reverence and respect. But what about the palm branches?

Palm Branches: Palm trees are abundant in the land of Israel and have been mentioned in the Bible multiple times pertaining to important historical moments. For example, one of Israel’s judges, Deborah conducted court meetings under the shade of palm branches (Judges 4:5); King Solomon had carved the walls of the temple, both inner and outer sanctuaries with figures of palm trees (1 Kings 6:29); and in the Book of Leviticus, the palm tree is an important symbol of victory for Israel after God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Leviticus 23:40-43). Today, palm branches symbolically represent the ability to gain victory in Christ, to know that Christ is protecting you and watching over you.[ii] As the people waved their palm branches of victory, they shouted “Hosanna.”

“Hosanna.” Hosanna is a word that is loosely translated as “Save us now!” So when the Jews waved palm branches as Jesus came down from the Mount of Olives, they were saying, “Jesus, be our deliverer. Save us from the Romans. Cast out our enemies, and free us from their awful oppression. Save us now. Save us now.” The Jews, through their adored “Hosannas” were shouting what many of us shout today. We seek to be saved. We seek to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. We seek to be delivered from our past. We seek a king that will overthrow those who persecute and trespass against us. We seek the same messiah that the Jews sought: a messiah that will save us now.[12]

“Save us now” is a prayer to have Jesus in your life. You are going through something: new challenges, battling doubt, having questions about the future, trying to plan for something, wanting to do something new but are afraid of the outcome, want to suggest an idea without hurting those around you but don’t know how, and the list could go on. Maybe you know of someone in your life that is going through something or battling some sort of storm that needs to pray, “save me now.” What was happening on that Palm Sunday was rejoicing for a new beginning, but also the realization that we need Jesus in our life so that we can be saved, so that we can continue to wave our palm branches, so that we can face tomorrow and find victory in him. Your palm branch is a promise that Jesus wants to save you and be in your life, but do you want him to save you and do you want him in your life?

 

[iii]Movement Three: Who is THIS?

The last question that I invite you to think about on this Palm Sunday is a question that actually comes from the people. Matthew ends his account of this story by sharing, “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’” (Matthew 21:10). After all, Jesus was dressed in common robes. Worse yet, instead of riding on a white stallion as a Roman conqueror would do, Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The people would’ve been aware of the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9 that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem in that way, but they were unable or unwilling to connect the Messianic prophecy to the Man they saw before them. Who is this?[13] Can anything good come from him who rides on a donkey and bears no armor or weapons?

The question asked on Palm Sunday remains the question for us to consider on this Sunday 2,000 years later: Who is this? The disciples even ask this question after Jesus calms the storm. This was not simply a matter of interest for the residents of Jerusalem; this is the question that is still being asked and answered today. Who is Jesus, and why should we pay attention to his teachings and ask for him to save us? Who is Jesus, and why have so many people put their lives under his authority? Why should I wave a palm branch for him and lay my cloak down before him?

Some people are still contemptuous of Jesus. In the 21st century, there are an increasing number of people who are disinterested in religion of any form. They are not in any church this morning. They are not receiving strips of palm branches as a reminder of that first Palm Sunday. There are still people in every city and town around the world who say: Who is this? Who is Jesus, and why should I listen to him? In a world full of many religions and philosophies, where people either believe or don’t believe, it is important for us to have an answer to the question: Who is Jesus?

Who is this who could take men such as Peter, James and John and turn those fishermen from Capernaum into household names in every corner of the earth? Who is this that could take a Pharisee named Saul—an opponent to Christianity—and in a single encounter on the Damascus Road turn him into the chief proponent of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Who is this who can take people who passed through the dark night of sorrow and suffering and through the valley of the shadow of death and transform them and save them? Who is this who can cause people to take off their coats and lay them on the ground? Who is this for whom people would tear palm branches off the trees and wave them in the air? Who is this that can save us now? Who is this that can heal us? Who is this that hears our cries and removes our pain? Who is this that walks on water to save us from drowning? Who is this that can calm our storms? Who is this that chooses every day to walk by our side?[14] Only a sovereign God can do all those things.

“Who is this?” was the question in the crowd on that day, and that question stands here today waiting for each one of us to offer an answer. When Jesus asked this question to Peter, James, and John, he realized who people thought he was: “This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee.” All they could say is that he is like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos or one of the prophets.

That is what all but one of the disciples told Jesus in the 16th chapter of Matthew when He asked them, “Who do the people say that I am?” The best they could say was, “Some say you are Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist or another prophet.” That was as far as their minds could reach. What they said was not wrong, but it was insufficient. Thank God for that one disciple who had a different response. Thank God for Peter who declared: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That’s the answer to the question in the crowd on that first Palm Sunday. That’s our answer today!

Let me see if I can put my own personal touch on the answer given by Peter. Who is this? He is the Son of God; He is the Architect of all of creation; He is the Victor over sin, hell and the grave; He is the second Person of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the Wonderful Counselor and the Mighty God of Isaiah; He is the One about whom John the Baptist preached in the wilderness and prepared the way for; He is the One whose birthplace in Bethlehem was foretold by Micah; He is the fairest of ten thousand to our soul; He is the Lamb of God whose blood has washed away our sins; and He is the Man they worshiped on Palm Sunday, condemned, killed and buried on Good Friday, but who got up on Easter with all power in His hands. Who is this? This is Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus to you? Is he a healer, a comforter, a protector, a source of strength, someone to lean on, someone to cry to and laugh with, or is he something greater?

Is Jesus someone who you envision riding on a donkey? Is Jesus someone who you are waving your palm branch for? Is Jesus someone who you believe deserves to walk on your cloak? Is Jesus the one who hears your cries of “Save me now”? Those people asked an important question over 2,000 years ago that we are charged to answer today. Palm Sunday reminds us who Jesus is and always will be.

 

Conclusion:

Palm Sunday is more than a day to simply wave palm branches and shout “Hosannas.” Palm Sunday is the day that begins Jesus’ last week on this earth. Jesus chose to spend his last days in a town larger than the ones he was comfortable with because he knew his message needed to be heard in Jerusalem. Palm Sunday is the day when we realize that our heavenly king humbled himself and rode a humble donkey in front of people who sought a warrior king because he wanted them to know that with him in their life they had more than enough to face tomorrow. Palm Sunday is the day when we dig deep within ourselves and admit to Jesus that we are ready to be saved: set free from our sins, made new and transformed, and committed to following his ways through all that life throws at us. And Palm Sunday is the day when we look at our Savior as he passes by and ask ourselves, “Who is this?”

During this week, Jesus will reveal himself while in Jerusalem: Jesus will reveal himself to his disciples in an upper room; Jesus will reveal himself in the peaceful garden of Gethsemane as his disciples fall asleep; Jesus will reveal himself before Pontius Pilate and the authorities; and Jesus will reveal himself on the cross when he looks down upon you and says, “Well done my good and faithful servant. It is finished.” Palm Sunday begins the process of Jesus saving us now, but we still need to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” Who is Jesus to you?

Let us conclude that Jesus is the One about whom the triumphant hymn was written: “All hail the power of Jesus’ name, “Let angels prostrate fall. “Bring forth the royal diadem and “Crown Him Lord of all!” That’s who He is; He is the Lord of all. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He is the Lord of the past, present and future. He is the Lord of the living and the dead. He is Lord of all!

The next time somebody asks you: Who is this?—whether he or she speaks with contempt or amazement—this is what you can tell them: He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead, and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, Every tongue confess, That Jesus Christ is Lord! That is who Jesus is. That is what Palm Sunday reveals: a Jesus that is Lord and who wants to save us. So, wave your palm branches high because today is the beginning of your salvation. Jesus has arrived and I’m glad you weren’t home to miss it. Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us Pray… Dear Jesus, save us now. As we wave our palm branches and watch you enter our community riding a humble donkey, may we witness who you really are: our heavenly King who has come to save us, love us, and forgive us of our sins. All honor and glory is yours, now and forever. Amen.

 

Benediction:

Who is Jesus to you? I encourage you this week to place your palm branch somewhere in your house where you will see it every day; and every time you look at it remind yourself who Jesus is to you and that you can be saved. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth finding ways to wave your palm branch and shout “Hosanna” because his is Lord. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Gonna_Be_(500_Miles)

[2] “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” has become a live staple at the Proclaimers’ concerts. The duo played it at Edinburgh 50,000 – The Final Push at Murrayfield Stadium on 6 July 2005, the final concert of Live 8, to symbolize the conclusion of “The Long Walk to Justice”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Gonna_Be_(500_Miles)

[3] Ray Downing, “How Far Did Jesus Walk”, an online blog post published on February 21, 2023: https://www.raydowning.com/blog/2023/2/20/how-far-did-jesus-walk#:~:text=His%20journey%20was%20not%20a,he%20walked%20approximately%203%2C125%20miles.

[4] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 445.

[5] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 445.

[6] As a child, I enjoyed attending parades because they were joyful and they did meet my expectations: there was candy, there were floats, there were loud cars, old tractors, and the sounds of sirens echoed throughout the town. My expectations weren’t high for parades! As long as a parade brought me joy, I was perfectly okay. Like the people in Jerusalem, as a child I didn’t really understand the reason for having parades except to get candy from the street.

[7] Jerusalem was where every new idea and every new philosophy had to end up sooner or later. If you were to study the trajectory of the New Testament, it begins in small towns such as Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum and Bethsaida; but the road ahead always seems to be pointing to a more critical site in which the drama of the story could fully and finally unfold.

[8] Jesus also warns the disciples that they will be challenged when they try to take the colt. The answer the disciples are to give is, “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” (Luke 19:31).

[9] I’m pretty sure that if Jesus, at this point, came to Jesus and said follow me, he would have no regrets, show no hesitation, and offer no excuses.

[10] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012, pg. 449.

[11] As followers of Christ, Palm Sunday teaches us that we have all that we need to share the good news: we have Jesus, we have his word, we have his love, we have his grace, and we have his guidance. We have Jesus. Jesus, through that donkey, is our “maximum contagion.”^[11] Jesus chose a donkey to show his humbleness and to remind us that he was not entering Jerusalem to be the best: He entered Jerusalem just being himself. We don’t have to be the best; we simply have to be who Christ needs us to be. Would you choose a donkey to carry you as you share the message of Christ?

[12] We give praise; we wave our palm branches, without knowing the real reason for our praise and waving. Those in Jerusalem, like many of us today, wave our palm branches and shout “Hosanna” because we seek to be physically saved when we actually need to be spiritually saved.

[13] This was not the only time in Scripture when news about Jesus was met with such perplexity. You get a sense of that in John 1:46 when Philip tells Nathaniel that he wants to take him to meet Jesus, whom Philip believes to be the Messiah. When Nathaniel finds out that Jesus comes from the small town of Nazareth, he says, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” That kind of contempt for people from small towns is how many in the crowd viewed Jesus on that first Palm Sunday.

[14] Who is this who can take the sons and daughters of poverty and limited means and bring them into lives of promise and prosperity and potential? Who is this who can look upon injustice all over the world and infuse the people living under oppression and injustice with the belief that things can be better, then equip those same people to go about doing the work that will make their world a better place?

[i] Mark uses the term “immediately” approximately twenty-seven times. Scdnntoeurholars have taken note of this repeated occurrence and have surmised that Mark treats Jesus’ ministry as a process that removes hesitation as it strives to get to the crucifixion. Mark wants Jesus to get from point A to point B with haste. The disciples obey Jesus, and everything takes place as Jesus said it would.

[ii] The idea of waving palm branches stems from a Jewish family, known as the Maccabees, who in 165BC forced the Greeks out of Jerusalem. When Simon Maccabee, the leader of the family, returned, it was reported that the people took palm branches and waved them in front of him as a sign of victory (Hamilton, 24 Hours That Changed The World, 70). Therefore, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, in a triumphal manner, it was fitting for the Jewish people to give him the same praise as they did to Simon Maccabee because they believed Jesus came to overthrow the Roman government that had seized Jerusalem—to give the people a triumphal victory. The people found their warrior so they waved palm branches and shouted “Hosannas” from the street which translates to “Save us now.”

[iii] Movement Three: Who is Was There?

We can discover something about the people of Jerusalem as we look at the Palm Sunday narrative in Matthew. On the one hand, says Matthew, there were people who were laying their garments on the ground and tearing off branches from trees to create a kind of “red-carpet arrival” for the Man they believed to be the Messiah, the Son of God—or at least the One they thought might be the Son of David, an earthly king who would overthrow the Romans and re-establish Israel to its former glory as it enjoyed in the days of David and Solomon. These were the people who were making all the noise and creating all the uproar; they were welcoming the change they thought Jesus’ arrival was about to create. They were the ones shouting “Save us now.”

On the other hand, there were the urbane and sophisticated citizens of the bustling city of Jerusalem who had no idea what was going on that day. It may be hard for us to believe this today in a world of global communications, but most of the people in Jerusalem never had heard about Jesus before that day. There were, after all, 12 gates into and out of the city of Jerusalem. Depending on the gate through which you entered, it was possible for most people in the city to have no idea that anything was going on across town. Most of those who observed the events of Palm Sunday had no idea who this was at the center of all the commotion.

I imagine some of the Pharisees had heard rumors about Jesus concerning His teachings and miracles. I also imagine a few Roman officials had been keeping their eyes on Jesus during the preceding three years as the crowds that began to follow Him got bigger and bigger. If you had asked the average Jerusalem citizen about the Man who rode into town, sitting on a donkey, they never would have associated this fact with the prophecy that foretold of this event. So, not everyone in town was shouting Hosanna; for many in that ancient city, the only response to the procession was: Who is this?