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Grace-based biblical teaching and sermons with Pastor Jason White. Messages that focus on Life in Christ and practical application as New Covenant believers.
Palm Sunday Sermon
Matthew 21:1-11
So most of you know before I got into ministry I spent several years coaching a high school tennis team. Well early on in my coaching career, there was a set of parents who lived in our community and had a reputation of difficult...ok well that is actually putting it nicely...they had a reputation of being out to get you, to destroy you, and make your life miserable. So when one of their children signed up to play tennis for me, I got caught up in the frenzy of chatter that people were making. “Oh, Jason you better watch out for them, man...oh, I feel sorry for you...man your world is going to get rocked.” I’m in the middle of all of these other coaches and administrators saying these things about these parents, and I’m starting to get pretty nervous and anxious about how this is going to go
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But do you know what happened? They became some of my biggest supporters. They were so nice to me...they encouraged me...they affirmed me. I was wrong about them. I got caught up in the frenzy of what everyone else was saying about them and missed who they really were. Have you ever done this? Gotten caught up in what others were saying about someone only to find out that’s not who they were at all… I imagine that we all do this from time to time.
But, I wonder if we sometimes do this with Jesus? Do we get caught up in what other people say about who He is and miss the real Jesus?
I mean a lot of times we just take other people’s word for things. They say this is who Jesus is, so that must be who Jesus is.
I see these people on social media who say they are Christians and they are acting crazy and doing some not so nice things so I guess that is who this Jesus is and what He is all about too.
Or maybe if it’s not what other people are saying, it’s just your own preconceived ideas about who Jesus is.
Either way, sometimes we have this perception of who Jesus based on our own preconceived ideas or what we have heard other people say about Him at different times or maybe through the way people are acting and behaving who claim to be followers of His.
But what if it’s not right? What if it’s one of those situations like I just described when I got caught up in what others were saying about that set of tennis parents? I thought I knew who they were, but I was wrong about them.
It’s possible that we do the same thing with Jesus…as a matter of fact, there were a group of people on this day (What we call Palm Sunday) who got caught up in what others were saying and their own preconceived ideas about Jesus and missed Him completely.
Matthew tells us about it in chapter 21:1-11
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
Well, this is certainly interesting, isn’t it? Some people try to say that Jesus had prearranged this with someone in the village and was just sending the disciples to pick up the donkey that he had discussed needing at some point. But the text doesn’t say that.
This doesn’t appear to be a prearranged thing at all. Jesus, through his omniscience, knows exactly where this donkey is going to be, and He tells them to just tell the owner of the donkey that the Lord needs it.
Apparently, that is going to be enough for the owner. If the Lord needs it, then the Lord needs it! But really as the Lord, the donkey really is His property anyway, right?
The Creator of all things owns all things and just gives them to us to manage.
Ok, so Matthew makes us aware of all of this and then next he kind of inserts this parenthetical remark about what is happening… look at verse 4...
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
So Matthew points out that what we see Jesus doing in this moment was the fulfillment of prophecy. It was something that had been spoken about in the past that would happen in the future, and that time was now…
So the place it was mentioned in the past can be found in Is. 62:11 and in Zech. 9:9. In Isa. 62:11 Jerusalem is addressed as “the daughter of Zion,” and goes on to say that your savior is coming.
Now Zion was the most elevated part of Jerusalem and stood for the whole city...so, Matthew is showing here that this event where Jesus was riding into Jerusalem was the fulfillment of this prophecy made in Isaiah 62…
But not only that, Matthew combines it with the prophecy in Zechariah which foretold HOW the Messiah would be riding into Jerusalem.
Zechariah had prophesied that the Messiah would come in lowliness and meekness, riding in on a donkey. Not a war horse like the Kings rode when celebrating victory and conquest, but on a donkey which symbolized peace and humility.
But as Matthew tells us next, as the crowds begin to see this unfold before their eyes, they start to get excited…
Look at verse 6...
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
So there would have been a lot of people from Galilee on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and as these people saw Jesus riding in on a donkey they threw their garments down in Jesus’ path, which is a symbol of submission to him as king...
Others cut palm branches down from trees and spread them on the road before Jesus which symbolized Jewish nationalism and victory...(they are giving Jesus the RED CARPET TREATMENT)
In other words, there was no mistake about the fact that when Jesus was entering Jerusalem people viewed him as the anticipated king, the messianic Son of David...
And we continue to see this as we go on…
Look at verse 9...
9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
So this picture that is being painted of Jesus riding in on the donkey, people laying things down before him, and singing praises to Him is the picture of victory parades in the Old Testament in which triumphant kings and generals were welcomed back.
And look at what they were saying…
Hosanna means “save us.” They are crying out to Jesus and asking Him to save them, and by saying this, that means they recognize Him as someone who was capable of doing that.
They also refer to Jesus as the “Son of David,” which shows they saw Him as the Messiah who was prophesied to come from the lineage of King David in the Old Testament.
Next they cried out, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” which comes from Psalm 118:26 and is also associated with the Messiah who was to come and save them. (The Great Hallel – Ps. 113-118 sung by the people during the Passover season)
And finally, they yell out “Hosanna in the highest heaven,” implying praise to Yahweh, who is the highest and who dwells in highest heaven.
So with all of this happening as Jesus rides into Jerusalem, it appears that maybe the people are seeing Jesus for who He really is…
They seemed to be acknowledging that He is the promised Seed of David who had come to grant them salvation. I mean both their actions and their words were bestowing honor on Him as the One coming into the city to, at last, present Himself publicly as their King.
But even though this crowd is giving Jesus the royal treatment on His way into Jerusalem, we know that many of them are the same people who will cry out just a few days later, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
How in the world did they get from this place where they are giving Him the red carpet treatment and welcoming Him into Jerusalem as their King to, “Crucify Him?”
Well, it’s because they had mistaken Jesus for who He truly was and what He was coming to do.
Jesus was not riding into Jerusalem on a war-horse, like many Kings would do after a military victory. He was riding in on a lowly donkey, and as we said earlier, a donkey was the animal of a man of peace.
In other words, the people saw Jesus as One who was coming to fight the Romans and deliver them from oppression, but Jesus was coming to establish peace between God and man.
The crowd on Palm Sunday didn’t understand that. They missed who Jesus really was and what He really came to do, and that is why Luke tells us in his account of Palm Sunday that Jesus wept over the city as He was riding into Jerusalem.
In Luke 19:41-42, it says…
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Jesus was coming to bring them true peace, but they missed it. They thought that if Jesus changed their situation with the Roman Empire they would have true peace, but Jesus was coming to give them a peace that could only be found in Him.
The apostle Paul tells us about this in Ephesians 2…
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace…
Jesus was not riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to fight the Romans for victory but to give Himself as a sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.
Sin had to be defeated because it was the barrier that existed between humanity and God, and true peace cannot be found outside of a relationship with Him.
So when Jesus was riding into Jerusalem, even though they were giving Him the royal treatment at that moment, He knew that they were going to miss out on the real peace that He came to give them, and that caused Him to weep.
But Jesus did not just weep for the people on Palm Sunday, He weeps for all who will not recognize Him for who He truly is and what He came to do for them…and that includes you.
John tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. He loves you and died for you so that you can have forgiveness in Him and have ultimate peace that can only be found in Him.
So, I want to ask you today, have you missed the real Jesus?
Maybe you’ve had your own preconceived ideas about Jesus or have gotten caught up in what other people have said about who Jesus is and just assumed they were right.
I told you earlier about the parents that I was told were mean and going to be out to get me but that they ended up not being that way at all…and maybe that is where you are with Jesus today?
Maybe you’ve thought that Jesus was kind of like a Drill Sergeant. He’s the person in charge who sets all of the rules and is always looking to see if you are breaking the rules.
He’s the one who is out to punish you for breaking His commandments, so you find yourself always looking over your shoulder to see if He is about to punish you for doing something wrong.
Or maybe you’ve thought of Jesus as being a Genie. He’s the person that you make wishes to.
You go to Him to wish for more money, a bigger house, a better car, or for your favorite sports team to get a win.
Or maybe you’ve thought of Jesus as the Reward Giver. If you read your Bible, go to church, give money, and do the right things then He’ll give you rewards.
He might bless you with a spouse or with children. He might bless you with a better job. He might take away your pain, sickness, or disease. He’s the guy who can make your situations and circumstances better if you follow His ways.
But the truth is that none of these reflect the real Jesus.
Jesus did not come to give you a bunch of rules to follow. He didn’t come to be your Genie. And He didn’t come to give you rewards based on following His ways. He came to give you Himself.
The truth is that whatever you are hoping Jesus can give you, provide for you, or change for you is far less than what you can have in Jesus Himself!
Jesus is Life. He is Peace. And you will only find true fulfillment and satisfaction in Him and in Him alone.
So if you are here today, and you have missed the real Jesus, I hope that you are seeing Him for who He truly is and all that He did for you so that you could be completely forgiven and spend eternal life with Him.
And Jesus offers you that eternal life as a gift based on His finished work on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. All you have to do is receive His gift of salvation by placing your faith and trust in Him to be your Lord and Savior.
And if you are starting to see that today, and you are ready to take a step of faith, I am going to give you a chance to pray a prayer of salvation in just a moment.
But there might be some of you who are here today and have partly understood who Jesus is but missed out on the full message of the gospel.
Maybe you understood that you needed Jesus for salvation and you have already put your faith in Him to be your Savior. But maybe you’ve been living the Christian life where you are trying to still get something from Him.
You’ve tended to see Him as that Rewards Giver we talked about earlier. You know you have eternal life, but you are living your life right now by trying to get Jesus to reward you with better situations and circumstances.
But remember, the crowd on Palm Sunday was hoping Jesus could change their situation with Rome so that they could have peace, but Jesus said they missed out on Him who could bring them true peace.
So maybe you’ve been trying to get peace through better situations and circumstances, but I can promise you that whatever you are trying to get from Jesus pales in comparison to what you already have in Him.
He is your Life. He is your Peace. You are complete in Him and are not lacking in any way.
So maybe what He is saying to you today is this: quit chasing after life and peace through better situations and circumstances and instead rest in the life and peace that you already have in Jesus.
Let’s pray