I love the observance of Palm Sunday, don’t you. There is a spirit of hope and celebration. In John’s gospel he says, "The great crowd that had come to the festival." There was such a spirit of gaiety two thousand years ago, and I hope you captured that same festive spirit in the service today when the boys and girls waved their palm branches and our choir sang "One Thousand Hosannas."
The crowd was in a mood for celebration. There was excitement in the air. Do you understand all this commotion? Was this some kind of mysterious miracle of some kind? The people well understood the significance of this event. Here was a leader who was coming as the messiah.
The word "messiah" means "the anointed one" and it is kings who are anointed. From their own Biblical prophecy the Jews believed that there was going to arise a very special person -- a son of God -- who would be anointed King of the Jews. The messiah was going to restore the Kingdom of David; he was going to save them from persecution and make the Jews the rulers of the world. But remember that their land was ruled by the Romans and they had a governor, Pilate, and a tetrarch, Herod. The Jews were a subjected people. To speak about a King of the Jews was subversive, revolutionary talk. It was exciting to think about such a revolution -- but it was very dangerous. Very, very dangerous.
Prior to this moment, Jesus had refused to allow any public acknowledgment of His being the Messiah. When the disciples began to recognize that Jesus WAS the Messiah, He specifically told them not to tell anyone. By conducting His ministry outside Jerusalem, He had avoided further strengthening of conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. Now, however, the time was at hand. The opponents of Jesus understood the strong messianic implications of the manner of His entry into Jerusalem. The riding upon the colt, the garments and palm branches in the road, and the shouts of the multitude -- all of this pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. When He was urged to quiet the people, Jesus replied, "If these [people] become silent, the stones will cry out!"
The people were ready for a change. They wanted someone who would bring salvation to the people. They wanted someone who would set them free. They wanted someone to lead them to a better life. They had high hopes that Jesus WAS that someone.
High hopes bring joy. Nothing brings more joy that hope. And when there is no hope, life is dark and despondent. There is something very appealing about people with high hopes. Hope is essential to life. That’s the way the people were who accompanied Jesus that first Palm Sunday.
But the problem with their high hopes was that they were shortsighted. They could not see the world from God’s perspective. God had a greater plan -- a grander plan than they could ever imagine.
When the people along the road saw Jesus riding a colt approaching Jerusalem, they knew that it was a Messianic symbol. And they thought that the Messiah would enter the city defiantly to smash the established order. They thought it would be a showdown between Jesus and the Roman officials.
This was what they wanted. This was what they were hoping for. "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" they shouted. "Hosanna!" is a prayer "Save us, we beseech Thee!" or "Save us now!" The people were geared up and ready.
Jesus answered their hopes -- but he didn’t do it in the way they expected! He was riding a colt, a symbol of peace, not a horse, the symbol of conquering. Jesus approached Jerusalem in peace as a humble servant and not as a mighty warrior king. The people were so preoccupied with the idea of political and economic power that they were blind to what was taking place right before them.
Dear friends: Jesus brought them freedom. Jesus brought them salvation. Jesus brought them peace. Jesus did come as king. Jesus did usher in a new kingdom. Jesus was the triumphant victor.
It was just not the way they expected.
This has always been the way God works in His world, you know. He answers our prayers, our hopes, our expectations -- BUT IT IS NOT THE WAY WE EXPECT IT MOST OF THE TIME. You see, in our prayers, we try to tell God not only what we want -- but how to do it. I want God to respond to my hopes and dreams -- and I want him to do it my way!" But God’s ways are not our ways, and our ways are not God’s ways. We want God to be our servant, to do OUR will, and we will love Him. God wants to be our King -- our Lord.
The people on that first Palm Sunday were looking for a conquering king. Jesus appreciated the peoples’ high hopes, but he knew those hopes were shortsighted. God had a different plan -- a plan that would change the world forever.
This brings us to my final point. It is easy to shout -- it is much harder to serve. It is easy to wear a lovely cross necklace around our neck -- it is harder to carry our cross. It is easy to "honk if you love Jesus’ -- it is harder to tithe. It is easy to enjoy gospel singing -- it is harder to love the homeless, the poor, the disenfranchised.
Everyone loves a parade. Everyone loves to get excited. Everyone loves to get caught up in the excitement of religious frenzy. Many want to clap their hands for Jesus and shout and wave their arms. That’s all right -- but we need to remember that that is not what the religion of Jesus is. Jesus’ religion is not waving a palm branch but loving one another. It is caring for the stranger that is robbed and beaten. It is forgiving those who have abused you and going the second mile.
It is easy to shout -- it is hard to serve.
What the people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem that day did not realize was that God was offering them an opportunity to join Him in doing a new thing. Rather than simply smashing the oppressive government of that day, God was beginning from the bottom to build a new world order. He started with a small group of men and women, a ragtag salvation army, the would grow person by person through the ages until it transcended all the governments of this world.
That ragtag army is building hospitals and universities and schools. It is healing the wounded and visiting people in prison giving captive peoples their liberty. It is bringing people from the darkness and into the light. That salvation army is, of course, the church of Jesus Christ.
That’s why we lift up our anthems of praise this day. That is why we are shouting, "Hosanna!" Christ is alive and he is still leading his ragtag salvation army until that day when oppression is no more, and everyone lives in dignity and peace and freedom together until the Lordship of Christ.
Can Jesus count on you? Are you ready to join the celebrative parade? It’s so easy to shout; what he needs is people willing to serve.
CHRIST IS KING
