Praise to Pogrom
Notes
Transcript
Palm Sunday is one of those ironic times in history because such a joyous time precedes on of the deadlist times in History.
I love the term Pogrom because it means an organized massacure of a particular person or group. It’s organized, thought out and methodical.
Th question is how can people go from love to hate so quickly and truly I think we see this in today’s society so often. One minute someone is praised for doing something miraculous the next he is being labeled by the media as something offensive. People turn on people. We have seen in our lives-How many of us have been turned on? We have definitely seen it in the media.
But today we celebrate Palm Sunday. Many label it the triumphant entry of a King. We call it palm Sunday because as we will read many people cut down palm branches and laid them on the ground as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Most of the crowed was happy to see Jesus. For they knew the scriptures.
Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”
Here’s my thought. I often struggled with the idea of people having the truth right in front of their noses and still not being able to receive it. I asked God since I have been saved:
Why do people reject truth?
And there are several things that I believe answer this question:
They don’t know
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
Despite sometimes, having the information at their finger tips-as they had the OT scriptures. Some people just don’t utilize what they have.
They don’t know because they don’t desire to learn.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
The term discipline here is likened to the term learning.
If people do not like to learn they are stupid.
It’s common sense. If you want to discuss something. If you want to know about something you have to willingly look and learn about it.
Adversely if you have the truth: you should be willing to teach others about what is true.
2. They are skeptical
Why is Jesus the only way. If I am a good person why wouldn’t anyone let me into a happy place. With all the other options on the table how do you know you are the only one who has it right.
I bet some of these people were in the crowd.
You have the people who don’t know and you have the people who have questions. And the majority of Christians will answer something along these lines: You just have to have faith.
The issue is faith isn’t useful if you don’t first believe. I can’t have faith in something I can’t even argue exists.
I love the answer of a father who just wanted to help his son. His son was being Tourchered by a spirit. Right this kid has rabbies. He is foaming at the mouth falling on the ground. The father states he tried to burn himself by jumping in a fire and tried to drown himself in water.
And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Many would say He doesn’t hav enough faith but Jesus challenges him:
And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Then the father replies
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
You know what this father is saying:
I want to believe, but there are just so many voices saying they are god. I want to believe, but I have been to church and they let me down. I want to believe, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around there only being 1 way to heaven.
And Jesus’ replied- I will show you that I am faithful and I am who I say I am and he healed his son. God isn’t afraid of your questions—but here’s the reality:
You have to be open to receiving the truth.
Which brings me the third type of person: We have those who don’t know, those who just need more information and now those who don’t want to know.
3. Those who don’t want to know
If 2020 taught me anything is that there are people who value their feelings over truth. Those who even if presented with absolute fact will dispute it because they don’t feel like recieving it.
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.
this is a dangerous place to be in. The bible even says people will hate truth so much that they will pay people to lie to them and tell them what they want to hear.
Palm Sunday was a day when many people gathered for different reasons. Some wanted to see the what the fuss was about. Some actually believed Jesus was the Messiah and some just wanted to drink their hateraid.
The reality is that it doesn’t matter which one of the three areas the doubters fell into to because , frankly they already made thier choice. What matters is which one do we fall into
Do we not yet know?
Are we just skeptical and need more information?
Do we not care about truth
Or
Do we believe and thus should be teaching others through our words and actions.
Jesus went from praise to Pogrom-Praise to slaughter—well because that was what we needed. We needed someone to pay for a debt we could never repay. We needed someone who would willingly lay down their life for us. WE needed a perfect being for an imperfect world.
Bottom line: Jesus took the praise-Jesus took the beating-took the mockery and shame- and took the cross for you and I. And that’s why:
Jesus is the only way to the father.