Mark wrote his account of that first Palm Sunday to a Roman audience. What would have been on their minds would have been … a very real contrast between the triumphal entry of Jesus on this day and the pageantry of Roman emperors who returned from their wars. For instance, as a symbol of bloody conquest Caesar chose a prancing horse at the head of a processional that included his warriors, a group of shackled prisoners who’d been conquered, and an extravagant display of the booty that the army had taken by force…
By contrast, Jesus makes His triumphal entry on a donkey—a symbol of peace, not war; of humility, not pride. Behind Him comes an entourage of twelve fishermen, called to be disciples, and a crowd of common people whom He had healed and/or set free. They were the trophies of His conquest—not by bloody violence, but by unrelenting love…
In our day, a donkey is usually the butt of our jokes and the symbol of stupidity. Can anyone say ‘donkey basketball?’ I hope everyone knows that that’s just for fun—so we can laugh and enjoy what is sometimes a hilarious couple of hours together…
Someplace in history, things went awry. By choosing a young donkey, Jesus gives us the symbol for His prophetic future:
- He comes in peace, not war…
- And He conquers by His Spirit, and by his own blood, not by the blood of others (Talk about unselfish!)…
So,who is the Jesus of your desires today?As we enter this very holy week ahead, who is Jesus to you?Listen now to Mark’s record of the events at the beginning of this week of Passover (Mark 11:1-10, NIV):
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'” 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
It was not the first time in Jerusalem that people had shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ Sometimes we forget this story takes place not on just any ordinary day, but on the first day of the week-long Jewish festival called “Passover.” The Hebrews were on holiday, folks! This was the first day of that holiday, where everyone came to Jerusalem to celebrate … and Jesus’ drama was a part of that celebration. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered—when it comes to the story of Easter … how so many on Palm Sunday could join the crowd and shout ‘Hosanna’ just as loud as their neighbor … only to be shouting ‘Crucify him!’ by the end of the week. How could these people be so fickle?
Well, just as the blood of the sacrificial lamb had saved Hebrew households long ago in Egypt (as the Angel of Death passed over them), so too the blood of ‘THE Sacrificial Lamb’—through his crucifixion—would save God’s people once again, this time for eternity. Do you believe that? The real question may be: This year, are we going to be Palm Sunday people … or Easter people? Here’s the reality of what was happening that day through the prophet Zechariah (500 years before):
THE MESSIAH HAS COME… Here’s what Mark was referring to, from the prophet Zechariah (9:9),
“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.”
Little did Zechariah know that everyone that day wouldn’t recognize Jesus for who he really was; they would simply get caught up in the excitement of the holiday … and join others in shouting ‘hosanna’ (Save us!) … as if Jesus was simply doing a drama about Zechariah’s prophecy, instead of fulfilling it. In other words, a good majority were still asking the question “Are you…?” wondering if he would be the Messiah that they had come to expect in their minds?
The story of Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem has always raised some questions for me—questions that I believe, if we take the time to think about them (and maybe answer them)—can help guide our future with him. Think about the story with me … for just a moment. Think about these things:
- Jesus leaving Bethany (home of Lazareth, etc.), coming to Jerusalem by way of Bethphage, and asking 2 disciples to secure a young donkey there. How in the world did this happen? The disciples are to go and swipe a young donkey … and simply tell the owner that ‘The Master needs it.’ How did Jesus know there would be a donkey there … that he could use? Was it Jesus miraculously knowing what would happen … or did he have ‘an underground’ of followers who knew him & would help him at every turn? That may be a good possibility… Now, here’s the question it raises for me today: Does Jesus have an ‘underground’ with us? Are we like those Palm Sunday people or can Jesus count on us for his most basic needs today? Think about…
- The response of the owner of that young donkey. Either he was a part of Jesus’ underground and knew Jesus … or there was something about the request that was so persuasive he couldn’t say ‘no’! And, what would our response have been?
My guess is that if this man with the donkey had treated the disciples as we too often treat God when he calls for our help, the conversation might have gone something like this:
“Hey, what are you doing with my donkey?”
“The Master has need of it.”
“What do I care? I need it myself. Now just move on and leave me alone!”
Now, what if that was in our BIble? That may sound harsh, but let’s be honest … is it too far from the truth? God’s needs and our responses too often sound like this:
- God needs our time: “Sorry, but my time is limited. Besides, it’s mine.”
- God needs our strength: “Sorry, I can’t take on one more thing. I’m almost exhausted as it is.”
- God needs our mind: “Sorry, but I have all I can think about and more. I have trouble enough of my own….”
The question this part of the story raises for me is: What kind of ‘priority’ does God get with us? Are God and God’s needs at the top of our list? Can God count on us? As we continue, think about…
- The spreading of the garments on the road that day—an impressive picture of selflessness encouraged by great enthusiasm. There was no debate about it that day—no wondering if the throwing down of our clothes was appropriate, no wonder if a cheaper show of respect might be enough. These people were lifted that day on a tide of HOPE … and that was it. Question: Do we ever spread anything ‘valuable’ or ‘costly’ before him? Are we there for Jesus in this way? And also think about this:
- ‘Hosanna!’ (Save us!) That’s what they were shouting that day! Granted, some of them were just going along with the crowd, but those 12 fishermen meant it. And other followers who truly believed Jesus was the Messiah meant it. Notice the punctuation: an exclamation point! Are we still using question marks when it comes to who this Jesus is in our lives … or has our punctuation changed?
Those are the questions that Palm Sunday raises for me—questions that can help guide us, as we begin to see Jesus for who he really is… Finally, Zechariah’s prophecy–that Mark refers to–tells us this:
…AND THE MESSIAH IS COMING AGAIN! Verse 10 (Zechariah 9) says,
“I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.”
Since it’s pretty obvious by looking at our daily news that these things haven’t happened yet, we can only trust that this part of the prophecy is ‘foretelling’ for us today, too! Christ has come; Christ will come again… We have a great deal to look forward to … in Christ! So today, folks, let’s vow to be ready—to help each other be ready for Christ who wants to enter into our lives in special ways…
My father–The Rev. R.A. Pegram (see left)–used to drill into us kids … “Be ready to preach, pray, or die … on a moment’s notice!” That mindset’s served me well over the years! (Two out of five children are actually preachers, but I’d almost guarantee you that any five of us could preach on a moment’s notice if need be…) With that in mind, I want to say that I believe it’d serve us well as a congregation too—to grow to the point where we could be THAT ready! He’s coming again, you know … riding through that Eastern Gate once again… Do you believe it?
Folks, here is the bottom line today: Are we going to be (fickle) Palm Sunday People … or Easter People this year? Is it no longer “Are you?” when it comes to Jesus in your life, but “Hosanna!” because you know who he is? Who is Jesus to you? Now that’s a question worth answering…