Palm Sunday
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1 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?’ say, ‘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 heaven!”
We are entering Holy Week. It is the final week of the ministry of Jesus and the most detailed history of his life as recorded in the Gospels. Little is written about him for the first thirty years of his life. Only two of the Gospels record his birth. Only Luke narrates any other event after his young childhood until he is baptized and that is his visit to the temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelves. The three years of his ministry are recorded in 10 chapters of Mark and 11 chapters of John. The events of holy week are covered in 6 chapters in Mark and 9 chapters in John. Obviously, what happened during these eight days is of great significance. We still show that by having the Lenten season during which we have special worship services focusing on the the Passion History of our Lord.
And so, what we will reflect on during the next eight days should be very familiar to us. Familiar, yet profoundly important. It is also a time of great contrast.
Our observance of Holy Week begins today with the evens of Palm Sunday. This day is known best for the makeshift parade of Jesus entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and being cheered by people waving palm branches and laying their clothes on the path before him. It seems to have been an impromptu parade but in reality it has been planned for centuries as the prophecy from Zechariah reminds us.
Let’s talk about parades for a moment or two. The most familiar parades in our area are the Memorial Day parade here in Lowell, the 4th of July parades in Columbus and Watertown, the Christmas parade in Beaver Dam. They are not the only ones. Last weekend some of our members attended a parade in Erin, WI for St. Patrick’s Day.
Why have a parade? It is usually to celebrate an event or to commemorate and honor certain people. Participants in a parade may also use it to promote themselves (politicians), their political veiws (the infamous manure spreader float in our area), or their business. (Our church has had a float or two in the past promoting our church).
In the news recently is an article about a proposed military parade by our president which is a show of strength but also a way of honoring our veterans.
The Pentagon says a military parade requested by President Trump will take place in Washington on Veterans Day to honor those who have served in the military from the Revolutionary War through today.
Contrast not only refers to what we see, but also to what we understand. St. Paul compares the truth of God to the muddled wisdom of the world and teaches us that we can be clear about what God commands by comparing his word to human philosophy.
The document addressed to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff provides "initial guidance," including assurances that the display will not include tanks, to minimize damage to the city streets. The D.C. City Council had already tweeted its objections ("Tanks but No Tanks").
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
The memo does not estimate the cost, but as NPR has reported, estimates have suggested it would be between $3 million and $50 million. Tamara Keith and Tom Bowman reported that holding it on Veterans Day, which also commemorates the end of World War I, could reduce complaints:
During Holy Week we have quite a few contrasts as well. The greatest is the somberness of Jesus’ death compared to the glory of his resurrection. Today, we contrast the anticipation of the crowds in Jerusalem concerning the mission of Jesus with the real reason he came into the world.
"By potentially tying the parade to the 100th anniversary of the end of the 'War To End All Wars,' there may be an effort to associate with the tradition of celebrating war victories and avoid associations with countries like North Korea, China and Russia, which regularly hold military parades, in part for the propaganda value.
What did many in Jerusalem anticipate?
The answer is expressed in what they cheered as Jesus entered the city.
"Members of Congress from both parties have been critical of the idea of a military parade, questioning its cost and necessity."
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.” What does this mean?
The memo says the parade will begin at the White House and proceed to the U.S. Capitol, with a "heavy air component at the end." It notes that Trump will be surrounded by military heroes in the reviewing area at the Capitol.
How do people today show the same misconception of what our God does?
We are familiar with parades. What we may not know is that parades and processions have been going on for thousands of years. In the Bible, processions were led by the Ark of the Covenant.
(NIV)
What is the kingdom of God? How does this contrast with worldiness? See passages.
25 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. 26 Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed. 27 Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.
St. Paul makes a reference to victory parades in Roman culture.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
This morning our Sunday school did something they don’t normally do during a worship service. Although they periodically proceed into church to sing, only once a year do they come in carrying palm branches. We know why this. They are reenacting in part what happened on Palm Sunday. (Some churches even go so far as to have a donkey in church.) Last year, there was even a parade in Madison on Palm Sunday featuring a donkey.
Festus, a 15-year-old donkey from Blue Mounds, led a group of about 200 congregants observing Palm Sunday on a parade to the Capitol.
The donkey has grown accustomed to his role re-creating Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey. In fact, Festus has caused at least three fender-benders, said his handler and owner, Marlene Cordes of Black Forest Farm.
“People are looking at him and not looking at the road,” Cordes said, producing a photo of one of the crashes when the donkey was leading a group of congregants from Bethel Lutheran Church.
On Sunday, Festus — not named for the Latin word meaning “festive,” but after a character on the old TV show “Gunsmoke” — was front and center in a parade from First United Methodist Church (FUMC), 203 Wisconsin Ave., up to the Capitol Square and around the block. Children got to walk with him, pet him, feed him carrots and take photos.
“There was great participation,” said FUMC congregant Mary Hasheider after the first-time event.
“Having the kids involved is really important, too, because that was part of the story originally, and it’s still part of the story today,” said Hasheider, director of the church’s Connecting Ministries, which welcomes people new to the church.
Jesus having the donkey with him demonstrated his peaceful intentions, which was in contrast to the Roman display of power on the other side of Jerusalem at the time, said the Rev. Tina Lang, the church’s associate pastor.
The parade allowed congregants and everyone else who joined to be a “physical witness for peace and justice in our time and place, in our own capital city,” Lang said.
Worship services took place before and after the parade, with the later service featuring readings from the Passion of Christ.
Palm Sunday, which comes a week before Easter Sunday, marks the beginning of Christianity’s Holy Week. On Good Friday, Christians will commemorate Jesus’ death on a cross, before Easter celebrates Jesus’ triumphant resurrection from the dead.
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According to biblical accounts, Jesus was treated like a king, with palm fronds thrown at his feet amid shouts of “Hosanna!” Many of those who marched in the parade Sunday carried palm fronds and cried “Hosanna!”
Certainly, the events of Palm Sunday are still being remembered today by Christians as we worship our Lord.
I mentioned earlier that this parade seemed to be impromptu. Jesus instructed his disciples to fetch a donkey. There is some question as to whether this was prearranged or if Jesus’ omniscience is showing. When the donkey arrived, the disciples put their coats on it and laid them in the path before Jesus. Soon others joined in a Jesus paraded into the city of Jerusalem.
Although hastily arranged, it was a fulfilment of a prophecy made many years beforehand. (NIV)
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Although Mark does not state this connection, Matthew and John do. For those who were anticipating a king who would come into the capitol to bring peace, they could not help but see Jesus as that leader. This is expressed by what they shouted:
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 heaven!”
The word they shouted, Hosanna!, means “Save!” and had become an exclamation of praise. They were cheering for Jesus. They did this because of what he had done (he was a popular teacher and miracle worker) but more so because of what they believed he would do. They anticipated that he was about to start a revolution and miraculously lead the nation in a a revolt against the Roman government. He was come to save them and to usher in the kingdom of their father David.
What does this mean? (research)
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 11
11:10 coming kingdom of our father David Reflects the expectation that the kingdom of David would be restored to Israel, involving someone from David’s line sitting on the throne and the restoration of Israel (see note on Mark 10:47).
Evangelical Commentary on the Bible B. Jesus Confronts Jerusalem (11:1–13:37)
The moment for the actual invasion of Jerusalem has arrived (11:1–11). Jesus sends two of his disciples to procure the young colt of a donkey “which no one has ever ridden” (the messianic mount [Gen. 49:11; Zech. 9:9]; being unridden, the colt was consecrated to God [cf. Deut. 21:3; 1 Sam. 6:7]). Messianic symbolism abounds as Jesus enigmatically unveils his messiahship in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, allowing the people to carpet the way and chant the great Hallel psalm (118:25–26) in welcoming him into the city with popular messianic hope (vv. 9–10; cf. 2 Sam. 7:11–14). Yet there remains a veil over the triumphal entry, for what seems to swell in triumph disperses in foreboding dusk with Jesus surveying the temple area at the end of the day and returning to Bethany with the Twelve (v. 11). Quietly, however, Jesus has laid claim to the precinct of the temple in fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 and will now begin to disclose how he will judge, cleanse, and occupy the sacred space
Bible History Commentary: New Testament Jesus Acclaimed as God’s Messiah-king
With their shouts the crowds acknowledged and confessed Jesus to be the long-promised Messiah-king, and with their actions they professed their submission to him. The questions arise: “Were they sincere in all this?” And: “Were there wrong expectations of an earthly king mingled with their conception of Jesus as a spiritual Messiah, a Redeemer from sin, Satan, and death?” Here it is useless to indulge in speculation. It is best to take their profession and confession to have been wholehearted and sincere, to believe that the crowds, for the time being at least, were gripped by a pure and holy enthusiasm. Such a view is best because our Lord himself, who denounced and rejected all counterfeit honors, accepted the people’s homage as a right and true one.
The teacher should, of course, bring home to the children that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was indeed a triumphal one. And he should leave with the children the joyous conviction that no lesser honors for the blessed Savior should be forthcoming in their hearts and lives. However, the teacher should not fail to strike the same note as does the poet:
“Ride on, ride on, in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die”
(TLH 162:2).
In other words, the children should come away from the teaching of this story with the truth impressed on their hearts: The Lord Jesus, mighty and majestic King that he was, could have gone on to triumph after triumph like the one on Palm Sunday, but in boundless love to us he chose to take the way to
Holman Bible Handbook The Servant Messiah (11:1–33)
Jesus entered Jerusalem as one coming in the name, that is, the authority, of the Lord (11:9–10) with a God-given mission of salvation (“Hosanna” means save now). By riding a colt, Jesus laid claim to His own brand of messiahship—not conquering hero but humble servant (see Zech 9:9).
Although we cannot know for certain what every person in the audience believed about why Jesus was entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we know that Jesus understood the mission before him. He was not coming to defeat the Romans and to usher in an earthly kingdom. He was coming in to defeat our spiritual enemies and to usher in the kingdom of God which he had defined throughout his ministry in his teaching. His Kingdom is not of this world but it is him ruling in the hearts of his followers by the word of God. We do well to be subject to him.
Application. What do we want God to do for us? Save us from worldly concerns. He ushers us into his kingdom. Our goal in life if to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and focus on our relationship with God through faith in Jesus rather than to find a “heaven on earth.”