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Palm Sunday – Receiving the King

17 April 2011

Worship reading:

There are songs everywhere in scripture. The people of God sing.

They express exuberance in realising the majesty of God and the
mercy of Christ, the wholeness of reality and their new-found ability to
participate in it. Songs proliferate. Hymns gather the voices of men,
woman and children into century-tiered choirs. Moses sings. Miriam
sings. Deborah sings. David sings. Mary sings. Angels sing. Jesus
and his disciples sing. Paul and Silas sing. When persons of faith
become aware of who God is and what He does, they sing. The songs
are irrepressible1.

Read: Rev 5:13

Worship – Ivan

Scripture reading

In Jerusalem, on the Sunday before Jesus was crucified, there was also some singing.
Today, on Palm Sunday, we ponder again this day - what it meant back then and what it
means to us today.

Mt 21:1-11

Message

More than a thousand years before Christ was born, about three hundred years before
Rome itself was founded, a young war hero named David was crowned king – first of
Judah and then of Israel - in the place of their dead king, Saul. Years earlier he was
anointed to be king by the prophet Samuel, an honour after which his father promptly
sent him back to the fields to look after the livestock. In becoming king David was
caught up in a long war with the house of Saul. When that battle was settled, David made
his first conquest as the new king of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah: he took the
stronghold of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, naming it ‘the City of David’, and the king of
Tyre built David a palace there. He brought the altar of God to Jerusalem – signifying
God’s very presence, and God promised David two things; that David’s son would build
a temple for God in Jerusalem, and that David’s line will be established in perpetuity:

1
1998, Eugene Peterson, Living the Message, P75
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Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your
throne will be established forever.
2Sam 7:16

The hope of this promise carried the nation of Israel through many centuries of hardship,
persecution, oppression and exile. Under David Israel achieved independence and might
– from being a nation of Egyptian slaves they for the first time became the dominant
military force in the Middle-East. Under Solomon, Israel became unequalled in wealth
and splendour. They wanted to be God’s glorious nation again – wealthy, powerful and
blessed - the envy of the whole world. Their prophetic writings are full of promises like
this, that the Lord again will establish Jerusalem and make her the praise of the earth (Isa
62:7). Israel was hoping for a saviour, and they had been given reason for this hope.

Many centuries after David, about a hundred and sixty years before Christ was born,
Israel liberated Jerusalem under leadership of the Maccabean family from terrible Syrian
oppression, and kept it independent for a hundred years. Now under Roman oppression,
the Israelites remembered that once before they liberated themselves from tyranny, and
they had prophesies to confirm that they would be free and magnificent again. Into this
national atmosphere pregnant with expectation, steps Jesus.

We generally look at the Triumphal Entry as a moment of glory for Jesus before his
suffering commenced, but it is always a bit sobering to remember that a couple of days
later, a good contingent of this same crowd must have been part of the masses demanding
his crucifixion. I wonder what went through Jesus’ mind as he entered Jerusalem riding
over cloaks and palm branches. The crowd was cheering him, but it seems they were
cheering for who they thought Jesus was, and not for who He turned out to be. When it
dawned upon Judas that Jesus was not the revolutionary kind of political messiah that he
thought he has been following all this time (Mk 13:10), he quickly changed sides. Jesus
entered Jerusalem knowing that He was misunderstood, that the people’s hearts were set
upon their own ideas of freedom and not upon God’s purpose.

Let’s have a look at and discuss some of the sayings and events surrounding the
Triumphal Entry:

Preceding:

1. Jesus heads for Jerusalem - Mk 10:32,

prompting fear and astonishment from his followers. It was clearly considered to be
walking right into the lions’ den.

2. Jesus again predicts his own death and resurrection – Mt 20:17, Mk 10:33, Lk 18:31
He knew what He was doing. He wasn’t trapped, tricked or taken – He gave
Himself.

3. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Mt 20.

Jesus illustrates that those entering God’s inheritance late receive the same as those
who carried the burden of the work. He also shows the offence of the original
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beneficiaries at God’s choice and his generosity.

4. A special request – Mt 20:20, Mk 10:35.

Another clear demonstration of the lack of understanding Jesus’ close followers had
of what Jesus was setting out to do. It is surprising that this request came after right
after Jesus predicted his own torture and death! Through Jesus God was setting up a
different kind of kingdom, one in which authority and influence served different
kinds of purposes.

5. Jesus heals the blind – Mt 20:29, Mk 10:46, Lk 18:35.

The men cry out to Jesus in spite of the crowd’s rebukes. Jesus hears their cries and
He demonstrates that He can help those who do not see to see, if they ask and
persist. If people really want to see, God will help them to see. Misunderstanding
is not an excuse. It is a revelation of the desire in the heart to really know truth.

Subsequent:

6. Cursing the fig tree – Mt 21:18, Mk 11:12.

God expects a harvest. The consequence of failure to yield a harvest is a curse.
Being the chosen nation is not enough. Israel had to “produce fruit in keeping with
repentance” (Mt 6:8). Earlier Jesus told the parable of the fig tree that, for year after
year, failed to bear fruit (Lk 13:6). The parable concludes with an agreement that
the tree will be granted one more chance, and that another failure will seal its fate.
Now, as Jesus enters the final chapter in his ministry, He sees the empty fig tree by
the side of the road, a symbol of Israel in its persistent failure, and He speaks death
over it. When quizzed by the disciples, Jesus doesn’t explain the symbolism, but
teaches on the importance and potency of faith.

7. Clearing the temple – Mkt 21:12, Mk 11:15, Lk 19:45.

Jesus corrects the sanctity and purpose of worship. The worship of God is not to be
mingled with the market place. In the place of commerce, there now is teaching
(Luke) and healing (Matthew).

8. The authority of Jesus questioned – Mt 21:23, Mk 11:27, Lk 20:1

Jesus refrains from defending his position and right to do what HE does. He doesn’t
play into their hands. In stead, He quiets his opponents by exposing their duplicity.

9. The parable of the Tenants – Mt 21:33, Mk 12:1, Lk 20:9.

Jesus is the Son (Hebrew “ben”) that is to be killed and thrown out of the vineyard,
and God’s judgement on the tenants will be severe, their privileged place being
given to others.
Jesus is the rejected Stone (Hebrew “eben”) that is to become the cornerstone of the
new temple after the old one is torn down – an event that first happened spiritually
ito Judaism and then physically ito Jerusalem. This Stone is destructive to those
who confronts it.
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Jesus comes to Jerusalem in obedience to the Father and to fulfil his call. In this time He
speaks – in word and deed – about what is actually happening. It seems however like
nobody gets it. Everybody is smug in their theological persuasions. They have
thousands of years of scriptures and theological training to back their position up. They
know what is supposed to happen; they have faith, they’re confident and they gear up for
it. In the process they loose their place in God’s plan. It is taken away and given to
others.

Let’s consider some questions for ourselves as we reflect on what we read here:

1. What are our expectations in terms of how God is to act in history? I read quite a
bit in the media about the exemplary way the Japanese handled the triple-disaster
that came upon them recently. They bore their pain and loss with dignity. There
was no chaos and looting, but quiet discipline. They are grateful for the help they
received. They are positive about the future. How does the Christian worldview
equip us for handling disaster? How do we handle disaster in our own lives?

2. What is our role as a local church in God’s plan? What is my role as an

individual in God’s plan? Am I in it? Am I serious about knowing the answer to
these questions or am I content to sit back and hope things will work out
themselves?

3. What are our expectations about Jesus coming back? Do they equip us for his
coming, like the virgins with oil in their lamps?

Prayer

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