Palm Sunday

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0:00 We are going to tell the Palm Sunday story today to ourselves again, though we may have heard it before. It's in Luke chapter 19 if you want to follow along with me. Luke chapter 19 is where we're looking this morning. Before we get there, let's pray together. Hey Lord, thanks for bringing us here. It's good to be yours. Lord, to not be alone. You save us and then you put us not only in families but churches that you promise to be wherever two or three are gathered in your name.

0:32 And so Lord, we come here expectant that you would remind us what it means that you are the son of David. Help us to apprehend Lord what sort of salvation you bring to us today and give us expectant hearts to look forward to the salvation that is yet to come. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. We finished, we we just finished five weeks on Isaiah 58 looking at what worship looks like or

1:08 might, what good worship might look like. And hopefully that jogsome thinking for you about how you might reach out or engage the Lord. This morning as we look at the story of the triumphal entry, we see people worshiping the Lord well. And that doesn't happen very often in scripture. Like, I mean, Isaiah, God is speaking through Isaiah in chapter 58, he's mad at how poorly Israel is

1:41 worshiping, right? They're like worshiping in form but not in their heart. They're like going through the motions of worship actions but they don't, they don't have a life that's dedicated to the Lord. And this is a consistent refrain. The problem so often in scripture is humanity doesn't appropriately acknowledge or recognize the fact that they are not God, that someone else is God. And it's not them. And that they need from the God, they need protection, provision, forgiveness, they need renewal, they need hope, they need increased capacity for mercy and

2:16 love. They need from the God and people have trouble being in the position of need, especially with respect to the God. They'd like to be in a position of control. And so so often in the story of scripture, a core problem, a way that problem humanity wants control, they don't like being in need. And the way that shows up is they worship poorly. They try and manipulate God so that they keep control. If I pray you must do this. Here in the story of the triumphant entry, we have a very rare

2:48 story of people worshiping well. People worshiping well. What's interesting about the worship well is we are pretty sure they are worshiping well in heart and body with their mind lagging behind. They don't even all the way understand what they're saying or what they're witnessing. But it's interesting, their mind almost

3:21 matters the least. Their heart and body are right and Jesus receives the worship. It's very interesting. I really love this moment as a kid, rudimentary understandings of the story, but going to church every year, year after year, good Friday would just make me so sad. Good Friday would make me so sad. And

3:55 there's a moment in the Palm Sunday story in the triumphal entry that I just loved always. We'll get to it, but the church folks try and get Jesus to tell the worshipers to be quiet. And he's like, today's not the day. I'm not telling anybody to be quiet today. And so I love Palm Sunday. So it got, it's kind of bummed me out when you start looking at the historic church year. Often they skip right over Palm Sunday. So they call it Passion Sunday and they start talking about Passion Week and you don't get to talk about the triumphal entry.

4:28 We're not doing that. I changed our banners from purple to red because it's Palm Sunday, not Passion Sunday. We're gonna talk about the triumphal entry. Luke chapter 19. Let's look at it together. Luke chapter 19. Now Jesus is like, if you were to like, best way to read a passage when you want to just read the passage is look what comes before it and what comes right after it. What you notice if you look in Luke chapter 19 is before it there's this series of

5:01 teachings and events happening. So if you just like flip the page you have right before this you have in the beginning of 19 you have Jesus and Zacchaeus right before that he heals the blind beggar. Right before that there's some teaching. What you get a sense of is that you know the triumphal entry happens just before Passover right. If you remember the story he comes in with

5:32 the triumphal entry over turns the temple cleanses the temple of all the stuff he doesn't want to see happening there and sets up the upper room. And then the upper room they have Passover together him in the 12 and so they're moving in to Jerusalem not to reenact or to enact the triumphal entry they're moving into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. And there's two reasons why there's all these people with him. You remember the story about Mary and Joseph and Jesus when

6:06 they're little. Remember and they they go up to Jerusalem for the Passover and then they walk a day's journey out of town and all of a sudden they look around and they can't find Jesus so they walk a day's journey back and they find out that for now two days he's just been chilling in the temple asking the rabbis a bunch of questions and he says where did you expect to find me of course I be in my father's house. Well the reason that Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus is not because they're absent parents or bad it's because they were in a whole crew of people probably coming up from Nazareth and all these families

6:40 traveled together right because it's not always safe on the road and so they're traveling in big family groups and the kids are running around and and so when they gather together in the evening to kind of camp down for the night the families huddle up and then Jesus is nowhere to be found so they wake up in the morning and go back and so it would be normal for families going up for high feast days to travel together in big groups from the town for safety and for fun man it's way more fun you know they think that the Psalms of Ascent Psalms

7:15 130 through 144 something like that there's like a 12 to 20 I can't remember they call them the Psalms of Ascent they think that these are the songs that the families would sing together as they go up to Jerusalem for the festival days I look to the hills from Winston's my help come my help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth who will not let my foot slip or slumber he will not slumber he will be my shade and during the day from the Sun he will protect me at night and not sleep and they walk up together so Jesus is walking with his

7:49 crew man towards Passover do you know when you look at the story and assemble almost all the gospels I can't remember if Mark does right now have a story of the triumphal entry and when you try and piece together the timeline it's like Jesus raises Lazarus he's been out in Galilee he finds out Lazarus is sick he waits the number of days until he knows Lazarus is dead right then he comes back and they're like we shouldn't probably go back there by now the church is angry at you and ready to deal with you he's like we're going back because it's

8:21 Lazarus y'all so he goes back to Lazarus raises Lazarus from the dead it starts to get crazy there in Bethany and so he goes out for a wilderness retreat into Ephraim with just his disciples he's raised Lazarus from the dead goes out to the wilderness retreat in Ephraim with just his disciples for a couple of days we don't know how long but it sounds lovely then he comes back and they have a feast with Mary and Martha and Lazarus and all the crew back from the dead they eat with Mary Martha then that cruise like let's keep the party going and go to

8:56 Passover so then they all start walking and then you hear by the time they get to Jericho there's a dude on the outside of Jericho remember Jericho is the famous road they're almost there like when Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan it's on the Jericho road it's not safe it's a dangerous road but it's highly traveled and so it makes sense for a beggar to sit there and they're walking through Jericho the remnants of the old Jericho where the walls fell down they're walking through and there's such a crowd of them by then that the beggar sitting outside the walls of Jericho can cry out Jesus son

9:28 David have mercy on me and Jesus calls him up everybody's trying to shush him but Jesus stands with the afflicted and the cast off and the cast out defining characteristic of Jesus solidarity with the poor and the cast off and does with him he says what would you like and he says Jesus I'd love to see he said great man see join the crew and now we get to Luke chapter 19 now he's got the the crowd has been swelling because not only is it Mary and Martha and the family and

10:02 the disciples but it's Bartimaeus blind Bartimaeus right and and then there's already people on the road and then as they're all marching on the road different family groups from different places they see a bigger crowd with Jesus and they're like this guy was dead a couple days ago we're gonna go celebrate Passover they're like oh my gosh the dead are raised and then they're all there and they see the blind see oh my gosh the dead are raised and the blind see yeah yeah he fed the five thousand in the wilderness the

10:34 disciples are like we think he walked on water it was crazy right and they're coming into Jerusalem Luke chapter 19 okay verse 28 so he's been teaching and walking and when he had said these things he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem remember up and when he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany at the

11:07 Mount that is called Olivet he sent two disciples saying go into the village in front of you and when you are on when on entering you will find a cult on which no one has ever yet sat untie it and bring it here if anyone asks you why you are untying it you'll you shall say this the Lord has need of it so those who were sent away went away and found it just as he had told them and as they were

11:39 untying the cult its owners said to them why are you untying the cult and they said the Lord has need of it and they brought it to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the cult Jesus sat on it so Jesus is now I haven't been to Jerusalem I've heard stories from folk who have been that supposedly like the Mount Olivet is very similar like to the garden of Gethsemane and that Jerusalem sits on kind of a hill with a wall around it and then it goes down a little bit

12:13 and they have like they would burn trash down at the low pouring of the valley there and sometimes this would be called like a burning field or burning place even sometimes called this greek word Gehenna there where they would burn the things and then back up the hill to the olive trees around the outside where garden of Gethsemane is and Mount Olivet and so you could sit on the hill and look down and see the city even though the city was still up above its surroundings and Jesus comes to Mount Olivet and he like tells his disciples hey guys I'm

12:47 going to pause here for just a minute go back in and this is how you'll find it and this is another thing I remember from the being a kid and Jesus thinking Jesus has some like I don't know weird prophetic abilities and it gives his disciples you remember the scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi tells the star troopers these are not the droids that you're looking for you know and they're like oh yeah these are not the droids we're looking for this is my notion of the disciples when they come

13:21 and they take this guy's cult and they're like they're untying the cult he's like what are you doing you're taking my cult they're like the Lord has need of it and then they get to take the cult and walk away right but more that more likely Jesus has been here before and he's arranged like this is the place where they're going to have Passover together and Jesus has arranged that we can use your room for Passover your upper upstairs room they think that probably Mark who wrote Mark's gospel that it was his parents house it might even have

13:51 been the place where the first church started to meet where Paul comes and Peter comes after prison right and so when they say the Lord has need of it it's not some abstract Lord it's not the Lord in heaven it's Jesus they're rabbi and teacher and so he knows hey guys I'm going to get the cult it's for Jesus and it works right and Jesus gets on the cult the full of a donkey okay we're on we're still in Luke chapter 19

14:24 verse 34 and they said the Lord has need of it and they brought it to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the cult they set Jesus on it and as he rode along they spread their cloaks on the road and as he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount of Olives the whole multitude of his disciples now I don't know how many it was but at times he had a lot you know with him you think about when he was out in the

14:54 wilderness teaching and they've already been going in for Passover anyway so there's a big enough crew that this is causing people are noticing right and so let's see the multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for their mighty works that they had seen so obviously as they're walking towards they've been talking about the stuff they've seen Jesus do raise Lazarus from the dead feed the people walk on water blessed is the king who

15:25 comes in the name of the Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest and some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him teacher subdue or rebuke your disciples and he answered I tell you if they were silent the very stones would cry out that's the moment I was talking about that I really like so fun if you read the story any one of the gospels you see multiple times where Jesus

15:59 does something and he tells people to keep it quiet you know hey don't tell anybody about this he heals the lepers hey don't just go to your rights and don't make a big deal right and he's constantly just kind of downplaying it and we wonder why he's like asking people not he probably doesn't want to cause a problem before it's ready before the time is ready he doesn't want to draw a bunch of attention until he's got his disciples lined up where they're supposed to be until all events are

16:30 in order the way he wants it to happen but this is the moment and if you think about it one of the defining characteristics of the divine in our whole story of scripture is receiving worship think about it whenever whenever one of the angels come and people are afraid and they bow down the angels are like hey stand up and don't be afraid right when they asked John the Baptist are you the

17:01 one to come or should we expect another he's like there's another it is not me and Jesus said that there was no man board of woman greater than John the Baptist but John the Baptist is very careful to defer from Gabriel to John the Baptist no one receives worship it is different when the angel of the Lord appears when Moses walks up to the burning bush and stands in the presence of God and the presence of God says man take off your feet you're on holy ground and so when Jesus this is

17:31 why the Pharisees are saying hey Jesus rebuke your disciples nobody receives worship but God alone and Jesus looks at him and goes yeah that's right today's the day and if I tell them to be quiet today's such the day that the rocks will cry out at the injustice that the son of David is walking into Jerusalem and nobody's acknowledging it today's the day Jesus says what satisfaction can you imagine building your whole life you've gone through the Jordan River you've gone through

18:02 the temptation in the desert right you've dealt with them trying to kill you the hypocrisy trying to stop you from healing on the Sabbath day you've dealt with the idiocy of your disciples who can't figure it out or get it right you've walked on water you've weaped with Lazarus right you've dealt with them calling you a drunkard and a glutton you've dealt with them abusing the ones whom you love you've come through all of these things and today is the day Jesus says such joy

18:38 and satisfaction such hope for the future such a so charged up for the mission so secure in the righteousness of his work that he walks right into the temple and kicks out the hypocrisy right overturns the tables look at he does it let's see Mount of Olives blessed is he all the very stones will cry out and when he drew near and saw the

19:09 city he wept over it so the disciples and the people come out and the Pharisees tell them to stop and he says today's the day and he's still coming and he draws very near to the city and he looks at Jerusalem and weeps saying would that you even you had known on the day the things that make for peace but now they are hidden from your eyes for the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barrier

19:41 around you and surround you and on every side and tear down the ground the children within you and you will leave its stone upon another and because you did not know this does happen Jerusalem gets destroyed and this is the kicker for me with Palm Sunday now as I'm passed just the palm fronds and the parade there is I think there there can't not be deep joy and satisfaction in Jesus at the triumphal entry

20:15 it's the one day that he can receive the praise for which he's due he's with all his crew on a multiple day walk into celebrate the Passover feast together what great joy and clearly deep sadness he sits on his donkey prophesied from Zephaniah and Habakkuk that he would do it

20:45 different from David who comes in and war to kill Jesus comes in and peace to heal and restore he sits on his donkey and weeps at the self-centeredness of his people whom he loves at their inability to pick up their head and look around and see what's happening in their midst this is like a crazy juxtaposition of emotions the same road he comes in on is the road he'll

21:25 carry the cross out on in a few short days it's crazy to me that he allows both to exist even on Palm Sunday even on his triumphal entry

21:59 surely the son of David together with the god of creation and life could have wiped out all opposition on this day at least on the amount of transfiguration with his three buds he floats up off the ground and the divine light of God emanates out of him such that they can't look at him and a voice from heaven comes down and says this is my son whom I love listen to him

22:32 what if on the triumphal entry right as he's coming into the walls of Jerusalem he comes up off the donkey and shines with the light of God and the audible voice of God to squelch all doubt and give one moment of pure joy not conflicted not muted not mitigated right pure he doesn't certainly he could have but he doesn't he lets joy and sadness be together

23:15 it's no wonder you have both in your life as well I don't know how he does it how he could have such sadness and still joy but he does and I want to encourage the same is true for you you can hold

23:46 both your life if you're honest and present will have both suffering and joy hardship and peace love and heartbreak it will have it all

24:18 I think that's probably the reason he lets it stay at the triumphal entry because if there's one thing consistent in the life of Jesus it is solidarity with the sinner he's got both in that day so he can tell you I know what it feels like

24:49 joy and sadness elation and heartbreak suffering and ease both he leaves them for you so that you would know you do not have a high priest who can't identify but one who in every way has experienced your whole life in order that when the unmitigated day of joy comes

25:22 when the march that the triumphal entry is but a forte step when he returns and he says that he gathers all of his to himself no longer will you stand on the side watching the parade he says you'll come in and ride on the clouds with the Matthew chapter 19 that when he returns you go with him and he says all enemies will be put to say all need will bow every tongue will confess unmitigated joy

25:52 and recognition at the lordship of Christ to our great benefit and his great unmitigated joy and glory we celebrate now not because everything has set has been set to right but because everything will be set to right and our hope is set in the little moments we get of joy and rightness today today not everything is right but some things are

26:30 not everything is just but there is justice to be found not everything is loving but there is love to be found not everything is joyful but there is joy to be found today I pray that you and I would receive the spirit in a way that amplifies our love joy peace

27:02 patience kindness faithfulness gentleness self-control now and forever till he's his return let's pray hey lord thank you for this room and for your triumphal entry and what it foretells lord solidify our hearts and our bodies and bring our minds along as well to believe and respond to your good news with praise and hope for the future in Jesus name we pray

27:37 amen