Palm Sunday: Welcoming Jesus
Matthew 21:1-11

Big idea: We choose each day whether to welcome or reject King Jesus in our lives.

I’ve lived my entire life in the Midwest, where winter means snow, summer means swimming in the lake, and spring and fall are cool and crisp.

I’ll never forget my first moments in California. I was a young boy, our family got off the plane and we exited the airport. The warm air was a sharp contrast to the Michigan weather I left behind. But the thing that was most memorable was seeing palm trees.

One feature of humans is we tend to take things for granted. If you’re watching this from Florida or California or a tropical climate, you probably don’t even notice the palm trees that dot the landscape…any more than I notice the oak, maple, and pine trees in my neighborhood.

Palm trees are special to me because they signal a special place, usually a vacation in a warm climate. Israel is a warm climate and it’s full of palm trees.

Hopefully the drama gave you a clear explanation of Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week which includes Good Friday—the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross—and Resurrection Sunday, the greatest day on the Christian calendar.

Palm Sunday is a fascinating story of a crowd in Jerusalem and their reception of Jesus the Messiah.

Image about two million people gathered in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover celebration. News about Jesus had spread far and wide. The religious leaders were trying to kill him. Many of the people loved him, especially his miracles. The story of him raising Lazarus from the dead was especially captivating.

Jesus is with his followers and…

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt 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.” (Matthew 21:1-3)

This is an interesting assignment. Jesus usually walks, but now he tells two of his disciples to go steal two animals, a donkey and her colt! No, it wasn’t theft…but an interesting loan, to say the least. Then again, if someone told you LeBron James or the Pope or Taylor Swift needed to borrow your car, you probably wouldn’t argue. But there’s more to this request than random transportation.

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, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” (Matthew 21:4-5, quoting Zechariah 9:9)

In this scene, there are two animals. Jesus sat on the colt and (foal) and the mother donkey walked beside. People often note how Jesus entered on a lowly donkey but will return someday on a white horse (Revelation 6:2; 19:11). A donkey was actually the royal animal of Jewish monarchs (1 Kings 2:32-40). It was a symbol of peace. A horse was associated with war (and there weren’t many horses in the area).

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. (Matthew 21:6-7)

The book of Mark (11:2) tells us this colt had never been ridden, yet King Jesus was able to control the beast. But notice the first sentence:

“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.”

They didn’t protest or complain, they simply obeyed Jesus, even though borrowing a donkey and a colt may have been an unusual request. Since there was no saddle, cloaks were placed on the animals for Jesus. Now the story gets especially interesting:

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (Matthew 21:8)

There’s the palm branches! A similar incident had occurred about two hundreds years prior when the victorious Judas Maccabaeus arrived in Jerusalem after defeating Israel’s enemies.

A path of cloaks is laid before Jesus, much like the actions taken for the anointing of King Jehu (2 Kings 9:12-13). It’s also reminiscent of a tale regarding Sir Walter Raleigh who may or may not have taken off his coat and placed it over a muddy path so Queen Elizabeth I could walk without getting dirty.

The crowds that 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!” (Matthew 21:9)

The people didn’t just sing, they shouted. They declared Jesus the Son of David…in the city of David! They were waiting for hundreds of years for the Messiah to rescue them from Roman oppression. The people were suffering…for generations. They wanted a Savior. They were desperate for help. We sang “Hosanna” earlier. It means, “Save now!” This was another ancient prophesy fulfilled. Psalm 118:25-26 says,

LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. (Psalm 118:25-26)

Later in the week, Jesus will quote Psalm 118:22-23; Matthew 21:42).

I used to think the crowds who welcomed Jesus were the same ones who would yell, “Crucify him” days later. Actually, there were at least three different groups of people in the crowd: the people who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17-18), the crowd from Galilee, and Jewish residents of Jerusalem. Jesus is the most controversial figure on earth at the time…and still today!

Some wanted him king, some wanted him killed. Make no mistake, Jesus would triumph (that comes next Sunday!), but only after a shocking and horrifying week.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” (Matthew 21:10)

This is the question. Who is Jesus? There might not be a more important question in human history, including today.

The Jews failed to recognize their Messiah. Many wanted him killed…and they got their wish! The subject of hundreds of prophecies enters Jerusalem on a colt, yet some have no idea what’s happening.

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11)

It’s an amazing scene, and yet I wonder what would happen if Jesus were to arrive on our planet today. Would we welcome him or reject him? N.T. Wright notes,

People turn to God, notoriously, when there is something they want very badly. Of course, that’s like finally deciding to learn to use a telephone only when you urgently need to call an ambulance; it would have been sensible to find out how to do it earlier, when it wasn’t so important. But that’s how people are. Church attendance goes up in leaps and bounds when a major crisis strikes – a war, say, or an earthquake. Suddenly everyone wants to ask the big, hard questions. Suddenly everyone wants Jesus, in terms of this story, to ride into the city and become the sort of king they want him to be. Give us peace, now! Pay my bills, and hurry! Save the life of my sick child, and do it right away! Give me a job by this time tomorrow! And – perhaps the most common prayer of all – Help!

Fortunately for us, Jesus has come to seek and save the lost, the broken, the sick, the messed up. He is a God of love, grace, forgiveness, and compassion. But He’s God…and we’re not. He will not always do what we want, when we want…not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does. He has a plan. It doesn’t always make sense to us. Good Friday certainly didn’t make sense. This king the people welcomed into Jerusalem would be hanging on a cross less than a week later, dashing all of their hopes and dreams…until…

The people made demands of Jesus: save now!

We make demands of God, too. Heal now! Get rid of the virus now! Get us back to work now!

So What?

Palm Sunday is really about the tension between our expectations and God’s actions. Perhaps you’re watching today because God’s got your attention. You’re bored, you’ve watched everything on Netflix, every place is closed, …and maybe you’re getting desperate. Maybe you’re asking bigger questions than, “What’s for lunch?” or “What shall we buy on Amazon?”

Jesus did save, but not in the way they expected. They wanted Jesus to take over the government…and someday the King of kings will rule and reign forever.

What do you expect from God? Are you blaming Him for the problems in your life? Have you lost your faith? Are you filled with questions and doubts? That’s ok. Tell Him! He’s listening! But remember, He’s God and you’re not. Yes, He wants to save, but He also wants to be LORD. Leader. God!

We choose each day whether to welcome or reject King Jesus in our lives.

Moses’ successor, Joshua, once made this famous declaration to the people of Israel:

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Will you be like the crowds, demanding God operate on your terms? Or will you be like Joshua, seeking to serve the LORD, to worship God, to welcome King Jesus into your life?

Credits: Some material from N.T. Wright and Warren Wiersbe

You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.

You can watch this online worship experience here.