Let’s open this morning to John 12:12-15 (The reason that it is called Palm Sunday)

 

It’s the week before Passover in Jerusalem and the city was jam packed with people from all over, some scholars have estimated as many as 2.5 million people packed into a space of only 48 square miles (Denver is 154 sq miles, with a population of only 600,000 people)…So imagine an area a third of the size of Denver, swollen with 4 times as many people!

 

Now the Passover Feast was the week that celebrated what the Romans feared worst, and the Jew’s yearned for the most…revolt.  Passover, for the Jew, fueled the hope that God was going to do to the Romans exactly what God did to the Egyptians.

 

Remember, the Jews there in Egypt, slaves to the Egyptians…under their rule…and God sends Moses with signs and wonders to confront Pharaoh and set them free.  Now, the Jewish state is under the control, rule and authority of the Roman Empire. 

 

You see Jacob entered Egypt around 1800 BC along with his sons, his sons wives, and their families…a total of about 70 people according to Exodus 1:1-5.  With Joseph at the right hand of Pharaoh, the Jews enjoyed a decent life there in Egypt but something went wrong.  In the Books of Judges, Samuel and Kings, we often read of the Israelite nation going from “righteous” to “evil” in only one generation.  They would go from worshipping God and following Him to doing what was right in their own eyes, assimilating with the Canaanites and falling very quickly into cultural idolatry. 

 

After the death of Joseph, the Jews remained in Egypt for about 400 years and while Joseph lived, the Israelites were not enslaved.  They did not become enslaved suddenly.  From the time they entered Egypt, they worked…they worked with the Egyptians, they worked for the Egyptians but the righteousness of Jacob and Joseph did not get taught and accepted from one generation to the next and so they worked and mingled and absorbed the idolatrous culture of the Egyptians.  The only difference was that the Jews grew at a much faster pace as the Egyptians. 

 

The leaders of Egypt took notice of their growth and prosperity and fearing an economic or military takeover, they cunningly changed the Jews employment into a sort of economic slavery and eventually a physical slavery.  All of this in only about three generations. 

 

Reminds me of the promise God always gave to the line of Issac. A promise that we can find being given in Zechariah 3 to Joshua…”If you walk in My ways, and if you will keep my command, then you shall also judge My house and likewise have charge of My courts.”  But what had the Jews there in Egypt done, they had forgotten the God of their fathers and turned to the evil of the Egyptian culture and as we see time and time again in the Bible and in our own lives, when the people do evil, they often suffer. 

 

But God sent Moses to save them from the oppression of the Egyptians and it was the Passover that marked the death blow to the Egyptian regime which led to their release by Pharaoh.

 

And so here the Jews, once again, find themselves under the rule of an oppressive regime, the Romans.  The Passover approaches and excitement over Jesus was at an all time high.  Jesus had claimed openly to be sent from God.  He had claimed openly that He was the Son of God.  He had made statements like, “I and the Father are One,” and “if you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”

 

He had healed the lame, raised the dead, fed the multitude, cleansed the temple.  Jesus had stood in wondrous strength against the religious elite and spoke with boldness regarding righteousness, heaven and Himself.  His fame had reached all 2.5 million no doubt and they were excited!

 

He was a decedent of David which was a requirement for the Messiah according to Isaiah 9.  He was born of a virgin which was a requirement for the Messiah according to Isaiah 7.  He was from the House of Judah which was a requirement for the Messiah according to Isaiah 37.  The people were buzzing!  The stores there in the city were dropping the prices left and right on RedBull and Monster energy drinks because they weren’t needed!  Noone was lethargic!

 

He was born in Bethlehem which the people knew would be where the Savior was born according to Micah 5:2.  Even His name fit.  Jesus, in the original language Ja-Shua, meaning “God is my Salvation” and Isaiah 12:2 says, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.”  So even His name was cause for excitement.  It really, all fit…and the Passover approached.

 

And so He makes His way to Jerusalem with His disciples and even His disciples were an emotional mess. 

 

Mark 10:32-45

³² Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: ³³ “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; ³⁴ and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” 

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

³⁷ They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”  (After you rise again that is and set up your Kingdom, overthrowing the Romans!)

³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask (My Kingdom is not of this world).Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

³⁹ They said to Him, “We are able.”

So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; ⁴⁰ but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”

⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.⁴² But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. ⁴⁴ And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

 

I wonder if this threw them off as no doubt they knew the prophecy in Zech 9 which proclaimed that the Messiah would “cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off.  And the Messiah shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion will be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

 

But Jesus just said to them, “the rulers of the gentiles Lord authority and power over them, but for you men, you must exercise greater power…love.  Whoever desires to become great among you, serve… because even I have not come to be served, but to serve and give My life as ransom.”

 

But we thought you were going to establish Your Kingdom Lord?  Jesus says, I am…But we thought that You were going to overthrow the Roman oppression just as you overthrew the tables in the temple Lord?  Jesus says, I am…but My ways are higher than yours…The pursuit and capture of domination is the world’s way of peace, but not God’s…and it is not peace at all!  God’s way of peace is love.  God’s way of peace is restoration and rule and grace and therefore My Kingdom, Jesus says, true peace comes by way of the cross, not the sword.

 

And so in Mark 11, Jesus sends His peeps into a village outside of Bethany to fetch a donkey and then He waits outside of Jerusalem as they bring it to Him.  This is significant because Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

 

You see it’s all come together.  John the Baptist had foretold the coming of the Messiah to these people which was completely consistent with Is 40…that Jesus would have a frontrunner…a hype man.  Jesus had come from the right lineage, the right place, it was the right time, He had performed the right signs and He had made the right claims.  And now He enters the city the right way…completely consistent with all prophecy…and the people frenzied!  They went buck wild!

 

But what’s most interesting to me is that in less than a week, this crowd would go from calling out in praise to crucifying Him.  Good Friday lay before Him.  The day in which He will be utterly forsaken, yet today, on this day, they shouted for joy…they cheered for Him…they offered worship to Him…they were at the peak of excitement and happiness with Him. 

 

There was One there that day not frenzied…there was One there that day that wasn’t going buck wild…Jesus must have been sorrowful as He peered into the hearts of His people, hungry from happiness and void of holiness.  He knew that Palm Sunday wasn’t the last word though.  He knew that Good Friday stood in front of Him…but ultimately, He knew that Resurrection Morning was but a week away…

 

“Good Friday” is a supreme paradox.  Most agree that the title “Good Friday” is somewhat of a linguistic accident and that it originated, most likely as “God’s Friday.”  In other countries and cultures, it is called Great Friday, or Holy Friday.  Some believe this was no accident at all but rather a God inspired change that deals a sharp, truthful jab at a time and culture obsessed with happiness. 

 

We are taught that the “pursuit of happiness” is an unalienable right and an ultimate purpose yet the cross reveals this pursuit for what it is:  secondary at the very best.  Happiness is fleeting…and is not a primary destination…you might say that it is not a destination at all…it is not, in a way achievable…it is a cheap emotion.  Joy, satisfaction, purpose (what we’re really after)…are all the result, the reward, the fruit (to put it in Biblical terms) of performing the role for which you were created to perform…knowing and worshipping God.

 

Turn back over to John Chapter 12 and pick it up with me in Verse 20…back at the Palm Sunday theme, (read verse 20 through verse 26).  It is so contrary to our nature, it is so contrary to the world, to enter into Jerusalem staring Good Friday in the face.  The world would avoid Jerusalem.  The flesh would rather destroy it then enter into it…but what we must understand is that the promise of Palm Sunday is that Resurrection Morning will overcome Good Friday.

 

 Jesus’ statements upon the cross go from “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me,” to “into Your hands, I commit My Spirit!”  In this, we find hope.  The situation on the cross there on Friday, which Jesus knows He Himself is walking towards, was so grave, was so painful…that they made a new word for it…excruciating and Jesus cried out “Father, Father where are You!”  Maybe you find yourself there today.  But as Jesus watched the Roman guards, as He saw His disciple John there with Mary, His heart purpose was reminded…and He gave all to God.

 

Psalm 126:5, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

 

They praised Him as King as He entered the city expecting their demands, their requirements to be met…but their thoughts, their understanding was finite, just like ours.  Limited, just like ours.  If Jesus had overthrown the Roman oppression and set up His ministry as King, then all hope would be lost.  The people would enjoy freedom and righteousness for a generation only.  What God did that day ensured freedom and righteousness forever, for all those that would not despise His cross…for all those that would rise above their limited understanding and see the truth by faith as we have seen it today. 

 

The crowd wanted an easy life, what Jesus delivered is everlasting life.  This crowd ushered Him into the city that day spreading Palm branches and even their clothes, heralding Him as their King…and then when they didn’t get the toy they wanted out of the machine…they bailed.

 

That Friday, Jesus would show them the cross…not the crown of Jerusalem…that had already been offered to Him…but the crown of creation yet where were they when He was tried unlawfully?  Where were they when He was offered by Pilot and the Jews called out, “no we will not have this Jesus!  Give us the murderer Barabas!”  Where were they when He was nailed to the cross? 

 

Working on their projects.  Pursuing their careers.  Checking their stock market investments.  Shopping at the market….pursuing happiness?

 

But that was their choice, that’s their free will…and just as they had the choice, so do we…and that choice, will mean the difference between life and death, blessing and cursing, heaven and hell, truth and the lie…  The Bible says that all this, this story of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, all this is because God loves you.  All this is because without Him we were hopeless and His very heart broke for His lost sheep…and because of His great love for you, whoever would choose to believe in Him, accept Him as their Lord and Savior, will not perish but will have everlasting life!

 

Don’t be deceived into thinking that God knows your heart and that you’re basically a good person so surely God will have to accept you…Palm Sunday and Good Friday challenge the idea of human goodness.  It proves that in the face of sin, our goodness avails nothing.  Only One is good enough to save us and the fact that He did is cause for worship…that kind of love, that kind of truth…how could we do anything else, but turn to the One who is not only able to save, but offers it freely…to anyone who would simply accept Him.

 

He had you on His heart that day…riding into Jerusalem….He had you on His mind that day when He was nailed to the cross…He had you tattooed on His body even as He rose again…and today, even today, He calls out to You!

 

The people came to Philip and said, “we wish to see Jesus.”  Jesus says, come and see.