Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services / Easter Season 2002

Palm Sunday 2002

Intro: I used to play in a drum and bugle corps in my home town of Gloucester City, NJ. On holidays we would march in parades down Broadway, the main street in town. It was pretty cool having people shout and yell when we went by. The streets were packed with people and they all came out to see me..or so I would like to think. It was a pretty good feeling, marching in a parade in your home town.

     But, there was also something quite strange too. The next day after each parade, I would have to walk down Broadway to go to school things were different. There was no crowd to cheer me along, no one shouting  and yelling. In fact, the street was quite vacant and I was kind of let down after the excitement of the previous day. On Monday, things just went back to normal.
Same town, same street, same me... yet, Monday was so very different. I believe, perhaps, Jesus kind of knew what I was feeling those first 2 days of Holy Week.

     Early Sunday morning, Jesus made his bold public entrance into the city.  And that is what we remember of Palm Sunday and the focus is usually on the Hosanna's and Blessed be's as He approached Jerusalem. But this past week, I read something and for the first time I saw Palm Sunday in a different light. You see, according to our main text, Mark 11, there really were two very different entries into Jerusalem by Jesus. And if we are going to get a true picture of what Palm Sunday is all about, we need to see it in light of 'Normal Monday'. Those two days are connected forever by Mk 11:11 and ought to be connected in our celebration and remembrance of Palm Sunday as well.

     But I get ahead of myself. Open you Bibles to Mark 11:7

Read: Mark 11:7-10

     This is the picture. Jesus is the  Grand Marshall of this religious parade. It was a spectacular parade with thousands of people lining the road to see and honor Jesus. They were all shouting, singing, and cheering the entrance of Jesus, the Son of David, to Jerusalem, the city of David. They threw branches, even their cloaks on the road in tribute of and in hope that Jesus would be their king.

 '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!'

    It was exciting, it was captivating, it was infectious. Everyone was shouting, singing, praising God that Jesus would save them from Roman rule. The problem was, Jesus didn't come to save the people from the political oppression. Jesus came to save them from the oppression of sin, to reestablish broken relationships with God and bring eternal life. But, they, and most people today, didn't recognize it.

     And the religious leaders of Jesus's day had a particularly hard time with all the praising that was going on in this parade.

Read: Luke 19:39-40

     Many of the Pharisees and religious leaders were in the crowds as Jesus passed by, but they were not cheering. In fact, they were boiling over with  hatred for Jesus. The text seems to say that the Pharisees were upset that Jesus, had passed himself off as the model of humility, and now would do nothing about all this hoopla.

 'Jesus, rebuke your disciples. Come on, enough is enough, tell them to be quiet. This is not dignified, this is not honoring to God'. (Gee, where have I heard that before) 'Anyway, tell them to stop being so extravagant in their praise'.

     In a paraphrase, I can see Jesus saying 'Don't you understand? This is the moment that God my Father has been preparing since the foundation of the earth. I am here, present in your midst, Immanuel, God is with you,  and if I tell my disciples to stop singing, then you're going to hear a rock concert!'

     Jesus not only approved and approves of joyful praise, he says that it is inherent in all creation.

     By the way this was not just meant to put the Pharisees in their place. Think for a moment, when Jesus was on the cross, when all was silent, when there was no exuberant praise, no joyful singing... the earth quaked and the rocks broke the silence.

     In spite of the belief of the Pharisees that first Palm Sunday, there is never a time when praising God is inappropriate or not pleasing to God. Let's continue with the events of that day.

Read: Luke 19:41-44

     Coming down the Mt of Olives, Jesus had a full view of the city and I am told that even today it is breathtaking. And what Jesus saw in his eye, affected his heart. In the midst of all the shouting, singing and praising, Jesus wept. He saw the destruction of Jerusalem... physically by Titus in 70ad when the city walls and every building would be destroyed. And spiritually when they would reject him as Savior, and lose the hope of eternal life.

     The day of salvation would come and go with only a few being personally touched by the healing hand of God. Most would miss the opportunity to be restored to a right relationship with God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And because they missed out, they would suffer destruction, which is spiritual separation from God's goodness for all eternity.

     Jerusalem is symbolic of our hometowns and cities. The question is,

     Do we see what Jesus sees?
     Do we see the restlessness of our neighbors?
     Do we see their loneliness, despair?
     Do we see that the road on which they are traveling leads to destruction, just as sure as Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 ad?

     If we were really aware of the heartbreak in every town and city around us, we would weep more.

Read: Mark 11:11

     While Matthew's account seems to say that Jesus cleansed the temple on Palm Sunday, the other Gospels state it happened the next day. What happened then when Jesus entered the city that first Palm Sunday? Well, he went to the Temple. Quietly looked around at everything, the text says and went to Bethany for the night. Jesus went to the Temple and took a good look around. What did he see? He saw a Temple in which the place set aside for the Gentiles to pray was overrun with merchants, animals and people using it as a short cut to another part of town. The sound of business, not prayer filled the Temple. Jesus sees all this on Palm Sunday and takes it in, but does nothing about it at this time. He goes to Bethany, perhaps to think about and pray for what he had seen.

Read: Mark 11:12-14

     Know the song, 'What a difference a day make, 24 little hours.'? Well, it is certainly true for 'Normal Monday.'

    Jesus leaves Bethany heading once again for Jerusalem. This time without a parade or crowds of people shouting and singing. He comes to a fig tree and although it has leaves it has no fruit.  Jesus curses it and later tells his disciples that it meant that Israel, although it had the leaves of religion did not have the fruit of righteousness. It was to show that unbelief brings judgment. That to have the 'form of godliness' but to never bear fruit brings condemnation. This was the beginning of the judgment based on what Jesus had examined the day before.

Read: Mark 11:15-17

     The judgment continues. Here we read of the familiar passage of Jesus chasing out  the money changes from the Temple.  There is more than one problem here.

     First, these merchants were allowed to sell animals for sacrifice as those who traveled for miles could not have brought the sacrificial animals with them. The problem was they were not selling the best animals. This was unlawful.

     Second, since everyone came from different places, they needed their money exchanged so that they could buy with the Jerusalem currency. The problem was they were charging exorbitant fees to exchange the money.  This was unlawful.

     But, these two really were not the focus of Jesus cleansing the Temple. Remember on Palm Sunday Jesus went into the Temple, quietly and looked around. What he saw was that the area specifically designated in the Temple as the place for Gentiles to come and pray, had been over run by merchants. By keeping the Gentiles from praying in God's House, the Jews had turned the Temple into an exclusive members only club.
 
    The pious Jews had forgotten that God calls everyone to Himself.
    They had forgotten that the doorway to the temple was to get wider, not more narrow.
    The Jews were showing the ugly pride of self perceived superiority and looked down on all those not Jewish.

     Jesus said 'My house will be called a house of prayer... FOR ALL NATIONS.' We often forget those last three words...just like the Jews did. For all nations. As a church we must welcome all people to the throne of grace and not discriminate ...based on race, age, education, wealth or even level of expressive praise.

     Bottom line, the church is to be a place of prayer. Time doesn't allow me to get much of a commercial in for our Mid Week Praise & Prayer Meeting but I believe this text encourages us to make corporate prayer more of a priority in our lives here at CBC.

Read: Matthew 21:14-17

     After Jesus clears the Court of the Gentiles, he begins to do what ought to be done in God's House, healing the hurting, and receiving praise.

    Well, just when you think all is getting good, back come the Pharisees. 'Jesus, tell these children to be quiet. Do you hear what they are saying? Come on they are nothing but immature, little children.' Notice that Jesus is not ashamed of the praise coming from these children. In fact, he heartily accepts it. Not only that, Jesus was pleased with their joyful, how be it, childlike offerings of praise.

     If God is honored by the free, joyful, expression of children's praise, then we older saints should learn from their, simplicity and lack of inhibitions.

 Matthew Henry said 'When great things are brought about by weak and unlikely instruments, God is thereby much honored'.

     Sometimes, I think we as adults don't want to be weak and unlikely instruments so we all get sophisticated and respectable in our worship. And when we allow this to happen, this kind of childlike praise eludes us.

Conclusion
     Palm Sunday is more than just a one day event, it includes what happens on Normal Monday.  The joy of Palm Sunday must be balanced with the sober examination of Normal Monday. Mark 11:11 forces us to reflect on what Jesus saw in the Temple that Palm Sunday and on what he did the next day.  It challenges us to look at what we see today and think about what we will do tomorrow. And it forces us to ask some hard questions...

     Will I openly and joyfully praise God, with my voice and body? Or will I be like the Pharisees who want all the ungodly nonsense to stop?

     Will I weep over those in my city or town who do not know Christ as personal Savior and Lord?

     Will I take advantage of the opportunity God has given me by revealing Jesus Christ to me?

     Will I redeem the time so that it will not be said of me that I did not recognize the day of salvation?

     Will there be spiritual fruit in my life? Or will I be like the fig tree with leaves of 'religiosity' but no fruits of righteousness?

     Will I warmly welcome those who visit here at CBC? Especially those who are different than I am.

     Will I personally, and actively contribute to make this place a House of Prayer for All Nations?

     Will I exhibit childlike faith and forgo prideful respectability for honest, authentic exuberant praise of God?