I'm going to invite you to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter
20. This is Palm Sunday.
Some of you may remember as kids in your own church, running
around with Palms on Palm Sunday.
I don't know if that was part of your experience of just
registering the day, we celebrate that Jesus comes to
Jerusalem on the way in Journey To The Cross and there's some
things happening behind the scenes.
Yes. And then there's also a
backstory to the day. Jesus went into Jerusalem.
That's maybe really important for us in this season of our own
lives in, as Christians, for us to consider the unique ways.
Jesus. Made choices on that day to show
us what his kingdom is, all about, the kingdom of his
heavenly father and to show us what he is all about.
And the Triumph of the Palms in some ways, may not tell the full
story. For us.
In fact, this was the symbol the people chose.
But Jesus chose a different symbol.
For his entry into Jerusalem. So, let's pick up in Matthew
Chapter 20. The text will be here above me
if you need it, and we're going to start in verse 17.
Now, Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.
In fact, it wasn't just Jesus going up to Jerusalem.
Thousands of people were on their way to Jerusalem
thousands. It's been estimated on the
high-end 300,000 people made their way to Jerusalem for
Passover. How many of you love crowds?
It's just a few of you. I know you're all introverts
like me, you know. Like I don't want to crowd you
would have you would have said yet go to the Passover without
me, you know, like you're you're not going to night market with
the extroverts, but Jesus is headed to Jerusalem and on the
way he took the twelve aside and he said to them, we are going up
to Jerusalem and the son of man will be live delivered over to
the chief priests and the teachers.
Is of the law. They will condemn him to death
and we'll hand him over to the Gentiles to be, mocked and
flogged and crucified on the third day, he will be raised to
life. It's really important for us to
note at the beginning of passion week on the Sunday, the first
day of the week that Jesus has told his disciples.
This was the second time he reminded them, I'm going to
Jerusalem and I'm going to die there, but I will be raised to
life. They couldn't grasp it or
comprehend it. It was one of the strangest
things Jesus was telling them but Jesus is telling them ahead
of time. What is going to happen to him?
It was at this time, it says in verse 20, that the mother of
zebedee's sons came to Jesus, with her son's and kneeling down
asked a favor of him. I love that line.
Jesus going to ask you a favor. Have you ever asked someone a
favor? Would you do me a favor?
Did you kneel down and ask? Maybe you knelt down and ask
what you do me a favor? Like, would you marry me?
You know it's a solemn moment right?
This is this is a moment and the mother has come and knelt down
in front of Jesus asking would you do a favor for me and my two
boys? She's got her two boys with or
James and John the sons of thunder.
Now I'm thinking they probably had really mixed emotions about
it at that moment but she's pulling them along.
Come on Sons. I'm telling you Jesus is going
to get his kingdom and to we'd better get there with them and
you need to have your place and so sheepishly perhaps they came
with her. And she kneels.
An ass. He says, what do you want?
She said, grant that one of these two sons of mine, may sit
at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.
You don't know what you're asking.
Jesus said to them. Can you drink the cup?
I am going to drink. we can, they answered, Jesus said to
them, you will indeed drink from my cup but to sit at my right or
left is not for me to Grant these places belong to those for
whom they have been prepared by my father, This should have set
off alarm bells for them. What Jesus has been talking from
the beginning, about seeking first, the kingdom, of God, the
kingdom of his heavenly father and his righteousness his way.
And so, here they are kneeling down in front of Jesus, asking,
we are seeking your kingdom. We want a seat in your kingdom.
In fact, we want to sit at your left and right.
Jesus, we love you. We are so loyal to you.
That we will be right there with you in it.
And Jesus goes right away to suffering.
Can you drink this cup? Will you suffer with me?
And they boldly say yes, we will.
In their enthusiasm. Yes, we will.
We're with. You will drink the cup.
I've been Jesus agrees with him. Yeah, you're going to drink that
cup. But I can't give you those
seats. Because those seats in My
Kingdom have been prepared by my heavenly father.
Oh, That should have been a little Sigh.
No. Maybe Jesus has got a different
Kingdom in mind. In fact, in Jesus Calls, the
other disciples together, because word got out about what
the mother had done. Verse 24.
When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two
brothers, Jesus called them together and said, you know, You
know, that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them and
their High officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you instead, whoever wants to become great, among you
must be your servant and whoever wants to be first, must be your
slave. Just as the son of man did not
come to be served but to serve and to Give his life as a ransom
for many. When they heard the word son of
man they should have been paying attention again.
This was one of Jesus references for himself that was actually a
claim to Divinity, son of man, a claim to Divinity, reaching back
into the scripture where the son of man had appeared in his glory
and had been promised a throne. And Jesus says, the son of man
is come, and is here to give his life as a ransom for many
people. Just before the last time right
after actually, Jesus had announced to his disciples that
he was going to Jerusalem and that he would be killed there.
Crucified, but raised from the dead, he had spoken of that as
that the son of man is coming and many of you here will see
him coming in his glory and immediately Jesus, took three of
Disciples up on a mountain to pray and while they were praying
Jesus was transfigured before them the son of man in his
glory. But what's this?
The son of man coming in his kingdom, I think they were yet
to see it. The son of man coming in his
kingdom. Is Good Friday.
It's the cross. Jesus, making that move between
Heaven and Earth between life and death.
In order to accomplish the work of his Kingdom Gathering up a
people ransoming a people right from the gates of hell.
So that they might be the people and children of God.
Jesus coming into his kingdom. Was it about to be the parade
and procession that they were to see it was going to be the agony
of the cross. A cup of suffering.
And yet the disciples couldn't grasp it.
It was so hard to get getting. This actually takes 20/20
vision. We believe this and we believe
Jesus because Jesus died on the cross was buried and raised
again from the dead. It's his resurrection that has
caused the church to come and see again, what is going on?
In the fact we are having trouble seeing the Kingdom of
God. And it's almost as if both Jesus
and Matthew wanted in that chronology for us to know how
desperately blind we are. Because look at what happens
next. Verse 29.
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho a large crowd,
followed him, two blind men were sitting by the roadside and when
they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, Lord, son of
David have mercy on us. Lord son of David have mercy on
us and I kept going and going and going so that the crowd
verse 31 rebuked them. Told them shut up.
Wow. For that's a generous crowd of
disciples, right? Be quiet.
But they shouted, louder, Lord son of David have mercy on us.
So, Jesus stopped and called them.
What do you want me to do for you?
He asked Lord. We want our sight.
And Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes and
immediately they were healed. Wow, what a moment.
It should remind you of the very moment when Jesus spoke of the
Kingdom of Heaven, in The Sermon, on the Mount, in The
Sermon, on the Mount. Jesus, spoke of the kingdom of
heaven and he said seek first, his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you, as
well. But what else had Jesus?
Spoken of? He had spoken of the greater
treasure, but he had also spoken faulty eyes, that could.
See, the treasure couldn't see the kingdom of God.
And he says all how dark it is in your life, if your eyes are
bad. If you cannot rightly focus and
see the kingdom of heaven. How awful it is for you.
Look, Jesus could heal these blind, man.
He can heal us to rightly see the kingdom of God as it is, not
as we would have it. Jesus could rightly heal his
disciples so that they could see the Kingdom of Heaven as it is,
not as they would want it. He had already taught them to
pray. Your kingdom, come your will be
done on Earth as it is in, but how can I know while it is in
heaven? I haven't seen Heaven yet.
It's like Jesus is saying, watch me, watch me, watch me.
Watch what he does next. As they approached Jerusalem
21:1. And came to bethphage on the
Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two disciples saying
to them, go to the Village ahead of you at once.
You will find a donkey tied there with her cult by her untie
them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you
say that the Lord needs them and he will send them right away.
Jesus is aware. He's going with the throngs in A
procession into Jerusalem. It is the first day of
preparation for the Passover, the 10th day of ninan.
That's a calendar, we are unfamiliar with but on this
first day of the Passover, the throngs of disciples were headed
into Jerusalem. But on the other side of
Jerusalem, there was also another procession.
It's the Unseen but historical procession that happened every
Passover during the reign of pilot.
Pilot made his way either a couple days before the 10th of
ninan or on that. Very day, pilot, who was in
charge of Jerusalem, who was in charge of that region, but
didn't like Jerusalem, had to make his way all the way from
the coast into Jerusalem. Why?
Because the Passover was a flash point.
Of nationalistic identity for Israel.
And they hated the oppression of Rome.
They hated it. They hated.
The soldiers that Rome recruited from the Samaritans.
And from the Phoenicians that these actually were soldiers,
who just came from Rome. These might have been soldiers
that were recruited from their cousins.
They hated it. About as much as they hated the
tax collectors. They hated the violence and
oppression that accompanied the rule of Rome.
And, so pilate could not risk, that Caesar would be displaced
in the rule of Jerusalem. And he had made it his Habit to
bring his own parade and procession of the empire into
Jerusalem on or by the 10th of men.
There's two parades this day. One parade as pilot and his
loyalists are those who wanted to placate the Empire.
The other procession was the rush of pilgrims headed to
Jerusalem going in as the shepherd's, herded, all of the
sheep and the Lambs so that each family could choose their lamb
for the Passover meal. Which would be 4 days later,
they would choose it on this evening.
And then by the fourth day, they would sacrifice that lamb for
their Passover meal. And this is the day that Jesus
chooses. To parade in with them, but he's
very conscientious of the prophetic drama.
He's about to be a part of So he tells two disciples, go and get
me a donkey. Some of your translations will
say a cult, others of your translations will just say an
ass. It's a donkey.
It's not the military triumphs of a grand horse.
It's a donkey. Jesus chose a donkey.
Because he knew something about the crowds.
They had always been intending to make him their King their
Earthly King but his Heavenly Kingdom.
The kingdom of his heavenly father was of a different fabric
and a different way. So while one parade is happening
on the benefit of the Empire, Jesus is parade, is the Empire
or the Kingdom of Heaven. Notice what it says in verse 4
of chapter 21, this took place to fulfill, what was spoken
through the prophet. Say to daughter Zion.
See your king comes to you, Gentle and riding on a donkey on
a Colt, the foal of a donkey the disciples went and did as Jesus.
Jesus instructed them they brought the donkey and the colt
and placed their cloaks on them. For Jesus to sit on a very large
crowd spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches
from the trees and spread them on the road.
The crowds that followed went ahead of him and those that
followed shouted Hosanna to the son of David blessed.
Is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest
heaven? When Jesus entered Jerusalem,
the whole city was stirred and asked who is this?
The crowds answered. This is Jesus.
The prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.
So is Jesus is going in the crowds choose the Palm, but
Jesus chooses, the donkey, why was the Palm important to them?
Why was it significant? It had been significant in the
history of Israel for almost 200 years.
It was a nationalistic, symbol the poem.
It was the symbol of military might in the nation of Israel.
For Antiochus, epiphanes. Who was a Solution.
He had been ruling over Israel and he had become so despised in
the history of Israel because when he took over the temple, he
brought in pigs to be slaughtered on the altar of God,
he had found a way to offend all of the sensibilities of the
Jewish people. He brought in a pig and then
spread the blood all around. He mingled, the blood of people
that he had killed Jewish people outside the temple with that.
Blood and said, oh, here is your sacrifice.
Sacrifice to my gods, he had been ordered.
That in every town, someone make us sacrifice to his gods.
And so, until Antiochus sent, A representative and Enforcer.
To go to each town. But in one town.
One man, stood up to him to the enforcer.
And killed him. This.
Family, The Maccabees. Began to create, an Insurrection
in Israel to re-establish themselves.
As this older man was dying. He said to his son Judas, make
sure that you avenge the wrong done to your people pay back,
the Gentiles in full. And Judas became relatively
successful as a military leader. And he was greeted outside.
Jerusalem by throngs, raising Palms to him, and they called
out to him Judas. The Hammer Hammer Time.
He's making his way into Israel and from that day forward, the
Palm began to be a symbol of military nationalistic identity
in Israel. They had coins imprinted on it.
So who did the crowds and even his disciples Think Jesus was.
He was going to be their military Vindication against the
Gentiles. But what did Jesus choose?
He chosen ass. You chose a donkey?
Why did he choose a donkey? He was doing.
Prophetic symbolism here. From Zachariah chapter 9, where
it says Rejoice greatly o Daughter of Zion.
Shout Daughter of Zion. See, your king comes to you
righteous and Victorious. Lowly and riding on a donkey on
a Colt, the foul, the foal of a donkey, Jesus, chose the
Peaceable Kingdom, not the palm. Do you know what verse 10 says?
Verse 10 of Zachariah chapter 9 where that prophetic word comes,
he says, I will take away the Chariots from Ephraim and the
war horses from Jerusalem and the battle bow will be broken.
He will Proclaim peace to the nation's.
His rule will extend from sea to Sea and the river to the ends of
the Earth. Jesus is choosing peace for the
Nations. Do you know what?
Judas. The hammer did when he marched
into Jerusalem. He went all the way to the
temple and he took the Palms that they had, and they use the
Palms to clean the temple to just sweep it to clean the
temple out as a symbol of cleaning away.
The defilement of that Gentile rain.
What does Jesus do next? Let's see.
Verse 12. Chapter 21.
Jesus, entered the temple courts, and drove out all who
were buying and selling. He overturned the tables and the
money changers and the benches of those selling doves, it is
written. He said my house will be called
a House of Prayer but you are making it a den of robbers.
Oh, do you know the passages is? Calling out there prophetically,
is that my house will be a house of prayer for who for the, for
the Nations. but you, he says, have made it a den of robbers
and the word there he's using, is insurrectionist You have made
it a house for insurrectionist. You have made it a house for
your national identity, but I have made this house to be a
house of prayer for the Nations who Jesus could preach.
He could preach and the Blind and lame came to him at the
temple, and he healed them, what?
He's letting the Blind and lame into the temple.
But when the chief priests and teachers of the law saw, the
wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple
Hosanna to the son of David. They were indignant.
Do you hear what these children are saying?
They asked him. Yes.
Jesus said, have you never read from the lips of children and
infants? You Lord have called forth your
praise. And you left them and went out
of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Wow. Hosanna.
It was so Peaceable in the temple that you could hear the
children play and the children playing in the court of the
Gentiles caught on to the word of Jesus, Hosanna to the son of
David Hosanna to the son of David.
Do you know what who's Anna means?
It means help us. Help us now.
Save us, save us. Now Hosanna, save us Hosanna,
save us. Now, it's a cry of urgency, but
they're in the mouths of the children, it became a word of
praise. You might not feel like you've
got a Hallelujah today. But do you have a Hosanna?
Do you have a Hosanna? Save me now.
Help me now. Lord, I feel the pressure.
I feel excluded. I don't feel like I've got an in
with you. I feel like others are against
me that maybe the people that should have been for me, or
against me. Jesus knows what that's like
he's about to experience it. Radically as the crowd turns on
him Friday in fear of what pilot might do.
It's better for one to perish for the nation than for all.
But Jesus is going to allow himself to be the chosen
Passover Lamb. So that he might save the lame
and the Blind and those scarred by sin.
I'll Santa save me. I'm going to invite the worship
team to come and we're going to enter into a time of prayer and
worship a mix. as we still our hearts before, God wait on him
as it says in chapter 46 of Psalms, Wait on him and know
that he is. God.
We're going to invite you into prayer our prayer team.
Now, if you'll stand and move to the sides and in the back, you
could see who our prayer team is today, we would like for you to
have somebody pray for you. And the next bit, we believe in
Incarnation and impartation the god incarnates us as his people
and his ministers. And that by physical presence
and work somehow, the spirit of God, also works to impart his
healing and his opening of life for his help.
And so, whether you have a hallelujah or a Hosanna, we'd
like to invite you to let others pray for you today.
So we're going to stand. We're going to enter into
extended worship prayer. Feel free to move towards those
who will pray for you.