Mark 11:1-11
Listen link is a video! https://www.facebook.com/gregory.dubois.547/videos/10157811334981195
Well good morning. It’s Palm Sunday! Pastor Greg here, welcoming you to our live stream presentation of God’s Word, with a message and prayer. First, I have an announcement. We are working on presenting a live stream Maundy Thursday worship experience. If you can find seven candles to set up before the service and light them just before we begin, that we extinguish as we go through the service, that might be a way for you to participate more fully in the service.
Also, included will be a virtual communion service. Participants would need to bring your own grape juice or wine and a bit of bread for each participant. But I will still lead us in the prayers of thanksgiving and consecration. Then we would all partake at the same times, even though we are scattered to our own homes.
Our Lord Jesus was celebrating the Jewish Passover meal and transformed it into our sacramental Lord’s supper. Remember the first Passover in Egypt? That was the first "shelter in place" order! Each family stayed home. The blood on the door posts would protect them, but only if they stayed inside while the angel of death passed over. It is very interesting to me that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is founded on a meal that happened in homes, not in a community gathering.
So, there is biblical precedent for what I am proposing, with the addition of being connected in a way the ancients could not because of our access to technology. In addition, our leaders in the EPC have formally approved of any congregation’s desire to enjoy the Lord’s Supper together under these special circumstances. Participation is of course voluntary, and observation is welcomed. That will be Thursday at 7pm. I’ll create a Facebook event posting to remind and invite again.
Now let’s begin, with a reading to the gospel of Mark, at chapter 11, verses 1-11.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 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. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Well, it’s Palm Sunday. We know what that’s all about, right? Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem riding on an untamed donkey. The disciples and other believers welcome him, waving palm branches and rolling out the red carpet, sort of, by laying their cloaks on the path in front of the donkey. The Pharisees and other unbelievers don’t welcome him and try to get him to stop the celebration and quiet the loud cries of Hosanna that make this procession more like a coronation ceremony.
What more is there to say about this? It is such a familiar story. So today I will move through the text and pick out a few details that may have slipped by in times past but at the end I will draw us into a deep truth that may challenge us to accept Jesus’ ways just as much as the Pharisees of old were challenged when they encountered and rejected their Messiah, Jesus the Christ. But if you will hear the message of faith, you will be blessed!
To begin, “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 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. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. This was an important day in Jerusalem it was the time of beginning the preparations for the great Passover feast. Thousands of extra Jews were in the city. They have come from far and wide on a holy pilgrimage to worship God on a day that he commanded all the men of Israel to be present if they could. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, had planned this day to be the day that Jesus would make his own claim to be their king.
There is a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 that is fulfilled when Jesus enters Jerusalem this way. “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.” And all of God’s people who were waiting for the Messiah understood that Jesus was proclaiming for himself the fulfillment of this prophecy. He would be Israel’s king.
One more detail. This is lamb selection day. This is the day of the Passover preparation on which each family or group picks out the lamb that will be offered for the Passover sacrifice. For Jesus to enter Jerusalem this day, as the Savior of the world, is for him to offer himself as the self-selected Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Every other lamb that was ever offered was just a picture and foreshadowing of this lamb, the true Lamb of God, the chosen one who would be offered up on the cross to take away the sins of the world. As it says in Hebrews 9:12, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, [or lambs]; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
Let’s read on at verse 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.
Let’s take a closer at the donkey. The donkey was a servant of God! The donkey’s owner released it to the Lord’s service. This was a donkey that no one had ever ridden. The significance of that is that it is a miracle that the donkey submitted to Jesus and allowed him to ride, with no previous training or experience. That is a miracle. But it is also a picture of the idea that Jesus doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.
When Jesus calls you into mission, don’t be stopped by the feeling that you have never done that before and won’t be able to do it. You don’t necessarily need training or experience. Training and experience are good. I am not discounting that. Moses is another good example of someone who wanted to say no to God’s call, felt ill equipped, and God used him mightily. So, if God calls you to do something and you feel you can’t, but you do it anyway, then He gets all the credit doesn’t he, because your service in that calling will be sort of miraculous.
There’s another time used a donkey. You may remember the Old Testament story of the prophet Balaam who was called up by King Balak to curse the people of Israel as they approached the Promised Land. The false prophet kind of knew he shouldn’t go but he was enticed by the money, so he went. And along the way, even his donkey tried to stop him. The donkey even talked to him to warn him about the threatening angel that Balaam didn’t see. If even a donkey can be used of God to speak the truth, surely any of us can be used of God to share the gospel, as we are led by the Spirit.
Let us all be humble in our estimation of ourselves. Jesus humbled himself by riding a donkey, though he was king. I am willing to consider myself as lowly as a beast of burden, if only I may bear the living Christ and bring him to the lost who need to meet him! Like an untamed donkey, never before ridden, I am willing to be used if Jesus says he needs me.
The people who owned the colt are a good example of good stewardship. Hold things lightly, not tightly, lightly. It all belongs to the Lord anyway. So, if he says he needs it, you release it. The whole point of good Christian stewardship is to always remember that you don’t actually own anything. It is all on loan from the Lord. Some people don’t like it when the pastor starts to talk about money. You might say, “That’s all I ever hear. The church needs my money.”
A couple of things: First, if that is all you ever hear, that might be all you’re listening for. Second, I just said it’s not your money. And, third, your giving is much more about blessing you with a spirit of generosity than about you supporting the church. So, if you don’t feel like giving, don’t give! But don’t call yourself a truly forgiven, Holy Spirit filled, born again of faith in Jesus, disciple of Christ either! Because a true Christian understands the proper use of money and loves to support the ministry.
Picking up again in verse 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!”
That word means, “Come save us!” or “He delivers!” It was used to praise the Lord because of their faith that he would deliver them from the Romans. It is used only here in the New Testament, to fulfill the prophetic Scripture, to specifically identify the new King of Israel. Jesus was a legitimate heir to the throne, a true descendant of David. That’s what they said next. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Those from whose lips "Hosanna" rose that day seem to have looked on Jesus as God's anointed one from the house of David, of whom the prophets had spoken, and through whom they hoped that all their messianic expectations would be fulfilled. But their expectations were too small! Jesus is really the king of the Universe. However, misguided as their particular expectations may have been, their actions underscore the theme of the Gospels, that Jesus is indeed the promised son of David, through whom the redemption announced by God's prophets has come. In him the age-old cry, "Lord, save us," has become the glad doxology, "Hosanna, " which equals: "Praise God and his Messiah, we are saved."[i]
That’s not just religion. That’s politics! This is exactly the kind of thing the Romans were on the lookout for, religious zealots who would try to rouse the people to rebel against the Roman rule. The people of Israel didn’t have national flags printed in fabric back then. They had Palm branches for their national symbol. When the procession was waving the palms, they were flag waving in defiance of Rome! This is why the Pharisees tried to get Jesus to quiet his exuberant followers. John 11:48 explains it. “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
But, of course, we know that it wasn’t politics at all as far as Jesus was concerned. He is the king of Heaven, not of this world, yet. Jesus had really come not to drive out the Romans but to completely change how the Israelites were going to worship. It wasn’t going to be the Romans who would take away the temple. Jesus’ ministry launches out into new ways of doing things. No more animal sacrifices, no more stone temple, no more ritualistic laws and food regulations. Everything changes in order to bring the gospel to the whole world and way outside the territory of Israel. In the end, just as the Pharisees used the Romans to crucify Jesus, God used the Romans to take down their temple after all. They had not saved themselves by crucifying Jesus. Everything changed anyway.
Can we relate? Our own nation has enjoyed its freedom for so long, it is hard for us to imagine what it feels like to be oppressed under a foreign ruler. But perhaps we can relate now, because our nation is oppressed by a virus, our freedoms have been suppressed by the social distancing and quarantining necessary to stop the spread of Covid. Some want to rebel and meet anyway. Some cower in fear of what might smite them if they even venture outside.
Most of all, we just want the virus to go away, just like the Israelites wanted Rome to go away so they could get their freedom back. And we cheer and put our hopes into every bit of good news that shows any promise of curing or preventing this terrible disease. That’s why the people of Israel were cheering for Jesus! He talked about the Kingdom of God. He displayed power to heal their sick, feed them all, and maybe even save them from Rome!
But the people didn’t understand that God meant to bring about more significant changes than just freeing them from Rome. Jesus wanted to leading His people into uncharted territory. If they had believed in him, then when he offered himself on the cross it would have been like asking the Pharisees to close the temple made of stone because Jesus was going to open a new temple made of human beings knit together into the body of Christ. In order to handle that kind of change they were going to have to close down a once cherished ministry, ritualistic temple worship, to make room for something new, led by the spirit compassionate living that shares the good news that all are saved through faith in Jesus.
We face the same challenges today. Everything is changing. Our Church buildings are closed for now. If we try to hang on to church as we knew it, we are liable to lose it all, just like the Pharisees lost their precious temple because they tried to hang onto the old ways they knew. God is going to have to show us how to adapt to this new environment and turn this institution back into a missionary outpost, training new disciples to preach the good news to everyone we meet, not just in our meeting place, but anywhere and everywhere, the way it was back in the days shortly after Pentecost. And not just by preaching, but by caring for folks and sharing the resources we have to bless them in their needs.
We have been forced to experiment with new forms of worship, such as this Live stream message. If we accept it as God using the difficulties we face to produce a new work among us, we could see it all as a grand adventure. It’s forced upon us, but if we are willing to be used by God, He can use us mightily! We would be like explorers, facing the unknown with courage and conviction. And we would be exactly like Jesus’ disciples, who had no idea how they were going to be moved by the Holy Spirit. Before he came and filled them with his power, they had no idea that they were going to start loudly praising the Lord in other languages. It wasn’t even on their radar! But when God moved them, they moved! They obeyed his call.
When a leader goes on a mission, he might have some pack animals along. The donkey has no idea where it’s going, but it follows the leader, trusts the leader, is fed by the leader and cared for by the leader. In the church, Christ is our head. Jesus Christ is our leader. I am not the leader. I am following the leader. We trust him. He provides for us. He makes all things work together for the good of those he loves, who are called according to his purpose. We follow him and we do whatever he says to do. Even if we think we can’t do it, we try to do it because He says we can.
Then there is one advantage we have over the donkey. We do know where we are headed! We can understand what our master tells us and believe it when he says we are headed for paradise! And along the way, as we meander through the trails of this life, we get to bear Christ to the world around us. We live in a day in which people pursue their own dreams, their own ideas about God, their own forms of religion. They’re mostly happy with their own personal choices and they don’t care what we think about God. That’s the same way it was in the ancient Roman empire. So why do you think the church grew so fast?
It was because the church showed by its actions that the body of Christ does care about everybody else. They loved each other and they loved everybody! They were generous and compassionate. They cared for the poor and ministered to the sick. And one thing more, they had a message about the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. The church has a very clear answer to the one problem nobody else can solve. Jesus Christ has conquered death! And anybody who believes this gospel is invited to join the party and experience the love of God through his free gift of grace that forgives sins and grants eternal life.
Hosanna! Jesus saves! The triumphal entry we remember today is just a picture of the real thing, the ultimate triumph over sin and death, that will be revealed when Jesus comes again. And we who believe this gospel now get to share in that triumphal entry into paradise! In the meantime, we get to invite everybody else along. We praise the Lord and wave palm branches and make a lot of noise and attract a lot of attention to the gospel because we want everybody to hear about it! It’s much ado, about life! Are you all in? Hosanna!
Let us pray: King Jesus! We adore You! All glory laud and honor belong to You Redeemer King! We welcome You into our hearts, now that we know all that you intended for us and for the world when You came as our King! Ahh but we must confess, we still struggle for independence and do not always obey you as we ought. Please forgive us for any rebellion and disloyalty.
Thank You Father, Holy God, for extending Your grace and mercy to us because of what Christ Your Son has done to rescue us from sin and darkness. Thank you for giving us Palm Sunday for pageantry, and for remembrance, and for honoring Christ as King!!
Thank You for wisdom to live through the oppression of the Covid virus. Help us to stay safe and heel those who are already afflicted we pray.
Thank you for all the medical and other essential personnel working hard around the world to help and heal and to find a cure and prevention.
Thank you for all the amazing and creative ways people from all the different sectors of community are coming together to meet real needs of our fellow citizens.
Father, please, cure the sick and end this plague.
Jesus comfort all who are grieving loss and suffering illness.
Spirit, fill us with Your peace and embolden us to care for people both physically and spiritually through this stressful time.
I pray for everyone to turn to You God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, for strength, for forgiveness, for healing, for resources, for life itself and for peace that passes understanding as we weather this storm. We ask it in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Listen link is a video! https://www.facebook.com/gregory.dubois.547/videos/10157811334981195
Well good morning. It’s Palm Sunday! Pastor Greg here, welcoming you to our live stream presentation of God’s Word, with a message and prayer. First, I have an announcement. We are working on presenting a live stream Maundy Thursday worship experience. If you can find seven candles to set up before the service and light them just before we begin, that we extinguish as we go through the service, that might be a way for you to participate more fully in the service.
Also, included will be a virtual communion service. Participants would need to bring your own grape juice or wine and a bit of bread for each participant. But I will still lead us in the prayers of thanksgiving and consecration. Then we would all partake at the same times, even though we are scattered to our own homes.
Our Lord Jesus was celebrating the Jewish Passover meal and transformed it into our sacramental Lord’s supper. Remember the first Passover in Egypt? That was the first "shelter in place" order! Each family stayed home. The blood on the door posts would protect them, but only if they stayed inside while the angel of death passed over. It is very interesting to me that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is founded on a meal that happened in homes, not in a community gathering.
So, there is biblical precedent for what I am proposing, with the addition of being connected in a way the ancients could not because of our access to technology. In addition, our leaders in the EPC have formally approved of any congregation’s desire to enjoy the Lord’s Supper together under these special circumstances. Participation is of course voluntary, and observation is welcomed. That will be Thursday at 7pm. I’ll create a Facebook event posting to remind and invite again.
Now let’s begin, with a reading to the gospel of Mark, at chapter 11, verses 1-11.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 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. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Well, it’s Palm Sunday. We know what that’s all about, right? Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem riding on an untamed donkey. The disciples and other believers welcome him, waving palm branches and rolling out the red carpet, sort of, by laying their cloaks on the path in front of the donkey. The Pharisees and other unbelievers don’t welcome him and try to get him to stop the celebration and quiet the loud cries of Hosanna that make this procession more like a coronation ceremony.
What more is there to say about this? It is such a familiar story. So today I will move through the text and pick out a few details that may have slipped by in times past but at the end I will draw us into a deep truth that may challenge us to accept Jesus’ ways just as much as the Pharisees of old were challenged when they encountered and rejected their Messiah, Jesus the Christ. But if you will hear the message of faith, you will be blessed!
To begin, “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 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. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. This was an important day in Jerusalem it was the time of beginning the preparations for the great Passover feast. Thousands of extra Jews were in the city. They have come from far and wide on a holy pilgrimage to worship God on a day that he commanded all the men of Israel to be present if they could. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, had planned this day to be the day that Jesus would make his own claim to be their king.
There is a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 that is fulfilled when Jesus enters Jerusalem this way. “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.” And all of God’s people who were waiting for the Messiah understood that Jesus was proclaiming for himself the fulfillment of this prophecy. He would be Israel’s king.
One more detail. This is lamb selection day. This is the day of the Passover preparation on which each family or group picks out the lamb that will be offered for the Passover sacrifice. For Jesus to enter Jerusalem this day, as the Savior of the world, is for him to offer himself as the self-selected Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Every other lamb that was ever offered was just a picture and foreshadowing of this lamb, the true Lamb of God, the chosen one who would be offered up on the cross to take away the sins of the world. As it says in Hebrews 9:12, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, [or lambs]; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
Let’s read on at verse 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.
Let’s take a closer at the donkey. The donkey was a servant of God! The donkey’s owner released it to the Lord’s service. This was a donkey that no one had ever ridden. The significance of that is that it is a miracle that the donkey submitted to Jesus and allowed him to ride, with no previous training or experience. That is a miracle. But it is also a picture of the idea that Jesus doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.
When Jesus calls you into mission, don’t be stopped by the feeling that you have never done that before and won’t be able to do it. You don’t necessarily need training or experience. Training and experience are good. I am not discounting that. Moses is another good example of someone who wanted to say no to God’s call, felt ill equipped, and God used him mightily. So, if God calls you to do something and you feel you can’t, but you do it anyway, then He gets all the credit doesn’t he, because your service in that calling will be sort of miraculous.
There’s another time used a donkey. You may remember the Old Testament story of the prophet Balaam who was called up by King Balak to curse the people of Israel as they approached the Promised Land. The false prophet kind of knew he shouldn’t go but he was enticed by the money, so he went. And along the way, even his donkey tried to stop him. The donkey even talked to him to warn him about the threatening angel that Balaam didn’t see. If even a donkey can be used of God to speak the truth, surely any of us can be used of God to share the gospel, as we are led by the Spirit.
Let us all be humble in our estimation of ourselves. Jesus humbled himself by riding a donkey, though he was king. I am willing to consider myself as lowly as a beast of burden, if only I may bear the living Christ and bring him to the lost who need to meet him! Like an untamed donkey, never before ridden, I am willing to be used if Jesus says he needs me.
The people who owned the colt are a good example of good stewardship. Hold things lightly, not tightly, lightly. It all belongs to the Lord anyway. So, if he says he needs it, you release it. The whole point of good Christian stewardship is to always remember that you don’t actually own anything. It is all on loan from the Lord. Some people don’t like it when the pastor starts to talk about money. You might say, “That’s all I ever hear. The church needs my money.”
A couple of things: First, if that is all you ever hear, that might be all you’re listening for. Second, I just said it’s not your money. And, third, your giving is much more about blessing you with a spirit of generosity than about you supporting the church. So, if you don’t feel like giving, don’t give! But don’t call yourself a truly forgiven, Holy Spirit filled, born again of faith in Jesus, disciple of Christ either! Because a true Christian understands the proper use of money and loves to support the ministry.
Picking up again in verse 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!”
That word means, “Come save us!” or “He delivers!” It was used to praise the Lord because of their faith that he would deliver them from the Romans. It is used only here in the New Testament, to fulfill the prophetic Scripture, to specifically identify the new King of Israel. Jesus was a legitimate heir to the throne, a true descendant of David. That’s what they said next. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Those from whose lips "Hosanna" rose that day seem to have looked on Jesus as God's anointed one from the house of David, of whom the prophets had spoken, and through whom they hoped that all their messianic expectations would be fulfilled. But their expectations were too small! Jesus is really the king of the Universe. However, misguided as their particular expectations may have been, their actions underscore the theme of the Gospels, that Jesus is indeed the promised son of David, through whom the redemption announced by God's prophets has come. In him the age-old cry, "Lord, save us," has become the glad doxology, "Hosanna, " which equals: "Praise God and his Messiah, we are saved."[i]
That’s not just religion. That’s politics! This is exactly the kind of thing the Romans were on the lookout for, religious zealots who would try to rouse the people to rebel against the Roman rule. The people of Israel didn’t have national flags printed in fabric back then. They had Palm branches for their national symbol. When the procession was waving the palms, they were flag waving in defiance of Rome! This is why the Pharisees tried to get Jesus to quiet his exuberant followers. John 11:48 explains it. “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
But, of course, we know that it wasn’t politics at all as far as Jesus was concerned. He is the king of Heaven, not of this world, yet. Jesus had really come not to drive out the Romans but to completely change how the Israelites were going to worship. It wasn’t going to be the Romans who would take away the temple. Jesus’ ministry launches out into new ways of doing things. No more animal sacrifices, no more stone temple, no more ritualistic laws and food regulations. Everything changes in order to bring the gospel to the whole world and way outside the territory of Israel. In the end, just as the Pharisees used the Romans to crucify Jesus, God used the Romans to take down their temple after all. They had not saved themselves by crucifying Jesus. Everything changed anyway.
Can we relate? Our own nation has enjoyed its freedom for so long, it is hard for us to imagine what it feels like to be oppressed under a foreign ruler. But perhaps we can relate now, because our nation is oppressed by a virus, our freedoms have been suppressed by the social distancing and quarantining necessary to stop the spread of Covid. Some want to rebel and meet anyway. Some cower in fear of what might smite them if they even venture outside.
Most of all, we just want the virus to go away, just like the Israelites wanted Rome to go away so they could get their freedom back. And we cheer and put our hopes into every bit of good news that shows any promise of curing or preventing this terrible disease. That’s why the people of Israel were cheering for Jesus! He talked about the Kingdom of God. He displayed power to heal their sick, feed them all, and maybe even save them from Rome!
But the people didn’t understand that God meant to bring about more significant changes than just freeing them from Rome. Jesus wanted to leading His people into uncharted territory. If they had believed in him, then when he offered himself on the cross it would have been like asking the Pharisees to close the temple made of stone because Jesus was going to open a new temple made of human beings knit together into the body of Christ. In order to handle that kind of change they were going to have to close down a once cherished ministry, ritualistic temple worship, to make room for something new, led by the spirit compassionate living that shares the good news that all are saved through faith in Jesus.
We face the same challenges today. Everything is changing. Our Church buildings are closed for now. If we try to hang on to church as we knew it, we are liable to lose it all, just like the Pharisees lost their precious temple because they tried to hang onto the old ways they knew. God is going to have to show us how to adapt to this new environment and turn this institution back into a missionary outpost, training new disciples to preach the good news to everyone we meet, not just in our meeting place, but anywhere and everywhere, the way it was back in the days shortly after Pentecost. And not just by preaching, but by caring for folks and sharing the resources we have to bless them in their needs.
We have been forced to experiment with new forms of worship, such as this Live stream message. If we accept it as God using the difficulties we face to produce a new work among us, we could see it all as a grand adventure. It’s forced upon us, but if we are willing to be used by God, He can use us mightily! We would be like explorers, facing the unknown with courage and conviction. And we would be exactly like Jesus’ disciples, who had no idea how they were going to be moved by the Holy Spirit. Before he came and filled them with his power, they had no idea that they were going to start loudly praising the Lord in other languages. It wasn’t even on their radar! But when God moved them, they moved! They obeyed his call.
When a leader goes on a mission, he might have some pack animals along. The donkey has no idea where it’s going, but it follows the leader, trusts the leader, is fed by the leader and cared for by the leader. In the church, Christ is our head. Jesus Christ is our leader. I am not the leader. I am following the leader. We trust him. He provides for us. He makes all things work together for the good of those he loves, who are called according to his purpose. We follow him and we do whatever he says to do. Even if we think we can’t do it, we try to do it because He says we can.
Then there is one advantage we have over the donkey. We do know where we are headed! We can understand what our master tells us and believe it when he says we are headed for paradise! And along the way, as we meander through the trails of this life, we get to bear Christ to the world around us. We live in a day in which people pursue their own dreams, their own ideas about God, their own forms of religion. They’re mostly happy with their own personal choices and they don’t care what we think about God. That’s the same way it was in the ancient Roman empire. So why do you think the church grew so fast?
It was because the church showed by its actions that the body of Christ does care about everybody else. They loved each other and they loved everybody! They were generous and compassionate. They cared for the poor and ministered to the sick. And one thing more, they had a message about the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. The church has a very clear answer to the one problem nobody else can solve. Jesus Christ has conquered death! And anybody who believes this gospel is invited to join the party and experience the love of God through his free gift of grace that forgives sins and grants eternal life.
Hosanna! Jesus saves! The triumphal entry we remember today is just a picture of the real thing, the ultimate triumph over sin and death, that will be revealed when Jesus comes again. And we who believe this gospel now get to share in that triumphal entry into paradise! In the meantime, we get to invite everybody else along. We praise the Lord and wave palm branches and make a lot of noise and attract a lot of attention to the gospel because we want everybody to hear about it! It’s much ado, about life! Are you all in? Hosanna!
Let us pray: King Jesus! We adore You! All glory laud and honor belong to You Redeemer King! We welcome You into our hearts, now that we know all that you intended for us and for the world when You came as our King! Ahh but we must confess, we still struggle for independence and do not always obey you as we ought. Please forgive us for any rebellion and disloyalty.
Thank You Father, Holy God, for extending Your grace and mercy to us because of what Christ Your Son has done to rescue us from sin and darkness. Thank you for giving us Palm Sunday for pageantry, and for remembrance, and for honoring Christ as King!!
Thank You for wisdom to live through the oppression of the Covid virus. Help us to stay safe and heel those who are already afflicted we pray.
Thank you for all the medical and other essential personnel working hard around the world to help and heal and to find a cure and prevention.
Thank you for all the amazing and creative ways people from all the different sectors of community are coming together to meet real needs of our fellow citizens.
Father, please, cure the sick and end this plague.
Jesus comfort all who are grieving loss and suffering illness.
Spirit, fill us with Your peace and embolden us to care for people both physically and spiritually through this stressful time.
I pray for everyone to turn to You God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, for strength, for forgiveness, for healing, for resources, for life itself and for peace that passes understanding as we weather this storm. We ask it in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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