Palm Sunday is one of the major events of Easter week which is celebrated by many millions of Christians all over the world. The moment, nearly 2000 years ago, when huge crowds lined the streets of Jerusalem to welcome Jesus continues to mark history.
All four gospels tell how the ancient city of David was packed for the great Jewish celebration of Passover. As Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, no one could fail to know something very big was happening. It was a major public event (John 12:19). Matthew 21:10-11 says: ‘When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred’ and asked, “Who is this?”
Who indeed? This is the question everyone needs to answer. Who was and who is Jesus? That there was an historical Jesus is clear. But who He was a cause of great dispute then, just as it is today. Some of the crowds who followed him were quick with their reply: ‘The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee”’ (Matthew 21:11).
Others, including many of the cheering crowds, regarded him as not just a prophet but as someone far more; the very Son of God who He had so boldly claimed to be. The gospel writers give us a very clear picture of who Jesus is.
1. Jesus is the promised Messiah (Matthew 21:1-5; Mark 11:10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13; Zechariah 9:9)
2. Jesus is the humble King (Matthew 21:5; Matthew 11:28-30)
3. Jesus is the great divider (Luke 19:36-39; Psalm 96:2; Psalm 103:1-5; Luke 11:23,39-43; John 1:11-12).
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1. Jesus is the promised Messiah. The symbolism of the occasion and actions of the people shows He was the Messiah. Palm branches, for example, had a specific symbolic meaning. It was used to celebrate the Maccabean victory less than two centuries before, when the Jewish Maccabees militarily conquered and retook Jerusalem from pagans. Now Palm branches were waved to honour Jesus. All four gospel writers make clear this aspect of Jesus as King (Matthew 21:1-5; Mark 11:10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13). Matthew records specific quotations from Zechariah 9:9 from hundreds of years before shows that the gospel writers identified Jesus as the prophesied Messiah. What the gospel writers are united in saying is very significant, namely that the events they are describing of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem were a fulfilment of what had long been promised in the Bible. God’s word had come to pass right before their eyes. For centuries it was only God’s Word that sustained the people of God as they looked forward to a day when God would personally intervene in their history. All through the Bible, we see that as God’s people we must keep our focus on what God has promised in His word not on the circumstances all around you (Psalm 145:13). Today you are one day nearer than you were yesterday to seeing God’s promises being fulfilled. And today may be the day, when what you have believed for and prayed for, for so long will come to pass.
2. Jesus is the humble King. Jesus did not enter Jerusalem with violence and great shows of power, as so many conquerors of the city have done over the centuries (Matthew 21:5). Jesus entered humbly on a baby donkey. The Jesus of the Gospels shows us that the Great God and creator of the heavens and earth sent His son to this world to be born to a very ordinary young lady in the poorest surroundings. Jesus lived most of His life in obscurity working as a carpenter. And in His ministry, He didn’t try to shock and awe, to intimidate people and to force them to submit. Of course, Islamists demand submission by the power of the sword and urges a holy war against infidels. This, however, is not the way of Jesus, even though some like the Crusaders have tragically and blasphemously done this to Muslims and others in His name. Jesus Himself was very compassionate and gentle with people (Matthew 11:28-30). Some in Jerusalem had hoped that Jesus would come as King to overthrow the Roman oppressors. But Jesus renounced violence telling His disciples to love their enemies and when one disciple tried to defend Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, He told him to put away the sword. Yes, Jesus is King but He is the servant King who stoops to conquer, the Master who knelt down to wash His disciples' feet and told them to follow His example of service. And all through the ages He has won countless followers who once were proud and aggressive, because they have discovered that Jesus is both meek and majestic, humble and gentle.
3. Jesus is the great divider. The Gospel accounts of the Easter story show that many welcomed Jesus. People praised Jesus great energy and enthusiasm for they believed God Himself was among them (Luke 19:36-38). Praise is the natural overflow of appreciation of who God is and all He has done. That’s why the Psalms are full of praises to God (Psalm 96:2; Psalm 103:1-5). Many of the crowd had come from Galilee and they were praising God for the many miracles they had witnessed: the blind receiving their sight, lepers being healed, demonised people delivered, and even the dead, like Lazarus, being raised to life. You might imagine that such wonderful developments would have resulted in an overwhelmingly grateful response. But it was just the opposite, for others wanted to kill Jesus. Religious people who are more focussed on themselves and their traditions don’t like praise being given to God. And they get particularly upset when people praise God with great joy and shouting. At root we see in the gospels that both political and religious leaders regarded Jesus as a huge threat to their power and position. At the time of His birth, Herod tried to kill Him all the while pretending he wanted to worship Him. The more the ministry of Jesus progressed, the more the religious leaders were critical of Him (Luke 19:39). The religious leaders were jealous of His success. They were incensed by His claim to be God. They hated the way He exposed their double standards and unreality. And for sure Jesus didn’t hold back on calling them hypocrites (Luke 11:39-43). After lots of private plotting against Jesus, His enemies finally made their move and carried out their plans to falsely accuse Jesus and have Him executed. And so, in such a short time after so many crowds had joyfully celebrated Him, another huge crowd gathered and this time it was a blood thirsty mob shouting and demanding that He must be crucified. Then and now, Jesus polarises people. Today Jesus Christ is honoured by Christians, yet these two words are commonly used as swear words in anger or frustration. When it comes down to it, each person is either for Jesus or against Jesus (Luke 11:23). So where do you stand in relation to Jesus? Do you reject Him, or will you welcome Him into your life as God who came to earth in human form, to live the perfect life, to die for your sins and to rise again to give new life? This is the challenge to us on this Palm Sunday. We have to make up our minds about Jesus and how we react to Him. Will we turn our backs on Him and reject Him? Or will we celebrate Him as the Promised King who can bring peace and power to our lives and who is worthy of our praise? Today you can choose to joyfully welcome Jesus and become a child of God (John 1:11-12).
