Palm Sunday! The day when the crowds of people shouted in the streets, laid down palm branches, and called Jesus the Messiah. We see the story played out in the Gospel of John. in John 12:12- “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Palm Sunday! A day of victory, celebration and festival. During this single event, over about 3 days, we get some of the best soundbites from Jesus. This was a “CNN Breaking News” frenzy: We have people laying their coats and palm branches for him to ride in on so he didn’t even have to touch the ground. It was like us rolling out the red carpet. He is cursing fig trees, weeping over Jerusalem, chasing out those selling goods in the temple for personal gain, Jesus taking a whip and turning over tables… This is primetime news stuff – Jesus at the top of his game. He’s doing revival meetings and telling them about the End Times. He’s telling the story of the Widow’s mite, talking about giving. Everyone is seeing him and the “Mashiach” (The Messiah) they had been looking and praying for generations. Man, Sunday to Wednesday are rocking!
OH, but it would not last – in one night, coming out of this weekend of celebration turned into a pretty different picture. In one night, everything went from Jesus being on top - to the disciples’ entire world crumbling. Jesus washes feet, Judas walks out early to betray him. The disciples scatter, then they betray him. The thousands that cheered him on just 4 days ago are gone - he is left with five (Mary his mother, Mary Magdalene, two other ladies and John. From feeding thousands, now to five.
NOTE: Not everyone who celebrates youat the beginning will be there at the end!
Then comes Thursday, the night before the Passover was to begin. Jesus is arrested, and it goes from bad to worse. Friday arrives and Jesus is dead!
Man, a lot can happen in just 5 days… From a time of celebration to a time of mourning. Have you ever had that happen to you? You go to be one night, and everything is great, only to be woke up in the middle of the night to news that changes your world completely. Someone has passed, there was an accident, she walked out and is not coming back???
What happened? Last night everything was good – today everything is broken… It’s this terrible word called transition. Transition means “to move, to shift, or to change.” It is during this time of transition that we can easily loose hope, we can easily run for cover, have a breakdown, and quit.
Why did such a whiplash transition happen with Jesus? It can be put simply, Jesus let them down. They were expecting a revolution to overthrow Rome. He was bringing a revolution to their heart and lives. When Jesus came on the scene they thought the transition would be political, but Jesus came to challenge their very existence.
One of the first things he did when he came to Jerusalem that day was to drive out the money changers and throw tables around. Here’s a behind the scenes, they were doing nothing wrong. I know we have been told they were, but everything they were doing was allowed under the OT Law. If traveling a long distance, they could sell animal and buy one there, so they didn’t have to travel with it. The Law provided for, and even encouraged that foreign money was exchanged for Temple currency. So the money changers were well within their rights.
Jesus’ new system was not to overthrow Rome, but to overthrow the old way of doing it. He came to change the old system. The old system did not allow for the weak and the poor to enter the Temple – there wasn’t room for that in there. Jesus chased out the merchants and made room for those in need.
Palm Sunday! The day that let to the story of the Resurrection, is not just another story of political transition, but a story of spiritual triumph! Because, coming out of the transition is always victory. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning…”. God is so in to letting us know that the situation you are in now is not permanent so much that he words “It came to pass” are mentioned 396times in the Bible. As with any repetition, it is important for us to get this, so I will repeat it, there is not a situation in your life that is permanent.
Nothing will last forever – no matter how good, and no matter how bad, it all comes to pass. Psalm 23:4- “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” In other words, in the time of transition, at the point of desperation and uncertainty, keep on walking because Sunday’s Coming!!! The KEYWORDin that verse is: through.Many of us want to make camp in the place of transition. Here’s a Tweetable Moment for you:
Palm Sunday! A day of victory, celebration and festival. During this single event, over about 3 days, we get some of the best soundbites from Jesus. This was a “CNN Breaking News” frenzy: We have people laying their coats and palm branches for him to ride in on so he didn’t even have to touch the ground. It was like us rolling out the red carpet. He is cursing fig trees, weeping over Jerusalem, chasing out those selling goods in the temple for personal gain, Jesus taking a whip and turning over tables… This is primetime news stuff – Jesus at the top of his game. He’s doing revival meetings and telling them about the End Times. He’s telling the story of the Widow’s mite, talking about giving. Everyone is seeing him and the “Mashiach” (The Messiah) they had been looking and praying for generations. Man, Sunday to Wednesday are rocking!
OH, but it would not last – in one night, coming out of this weekend of celebration turned into a pretty different picture. In one night, everything went from Jesus being on top - to the disciples’ entire world crumbling. Jesus washes feet, Judas walks out early to betray him. The disciples scatter, then they betray him. The thousands that cheered him on just 4 days ago are gone - he is left with five (Mary his mother, Mary Magdalene, two other ladies and John. From feeding thousands, now to five.
NOTE: Not everyone who celebrates youat the beginning will be there at the end!
Then comes Thursday, the night before the Passover was to begin. Jesus is arrested, and it goes from bad to worse. Friday arrives and Jesus is dead!
Man, a lot can happen in just 5 days… From a time of celebration to a time of mourning. Have you ever had that happen to you? You go to be one night, and everything is great, only to be woke up in the middle of the night to news that changes your world completely. Someone has passed, there was an accident, she walked out and is not coming back???
What happened? Last night everything was good – today everything is broken… It’s this terrible word called transition. Transition means “to move, to shift, or to change.” It is during this time of transition that we can easily loose hope, we can easily run for cover, have a breakdown, and quit.
Why did such a whiplash transition happen with Jesus? It can be put simply, Jesus let them down. They were expecting a revolution to overthrow Rome. He was bringing a revolution to their heart and lives. When Jesus came on the scene they thought the transition would be political, but Jesus came to challenge their very existence.
One of the first things he did when he came to Jerusalem that day was to drive out the money changers and throw tables around. Here’s a behind the scenes, they were doing nothing wrong. I know we have been told they were, but everything they were doing was allowed under the OT Law. If traveling a long distance, they could sell animal and buy one there, so they didn’t have to travel with it. The Law provided for, and even encouraged that foreign money was exchanged for Temple currency. So the money changers were well within their rights.
Jesus’ new system was not to overthrow Rome, but to overthrow the old way of doing it. He came to change the old system. The old system did not allow for the weak and the poor to enter the Temple – there wasn’t room for that in there. Jesus chased out the merchants and made room for those in need.
Palm Sunday! The day that let to the story of the Resurrection, is not just another story of political transition, but a story of spiritual triumph! Because, coming out of the transition is always victory. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning…”. God is so in to letting us know that the situation you are in now is not permanent so much that he words “It came to pass” are mentioned 396times in the Bible. As with any repetition, it is important for us to get this, so I will repeat it, there is not a situation in your life that is permanent.
Nothing will last forever – no matter how good, and no matter how bad, it all comes to pass. Psalm 23:4- “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” In other words, in the time of transition, at the point of desperation and uncertainty, keep on walking because Sunday’s Coming!!! The KEYWORDin that verse is: through.Many of us want to make camp in the place of transition. Here’s a Tweetable Moment for you:
“While you are equipped to walk through the valley, you are not designed to live there.”
When they came to see Jesus in the tomb and to take care of the final details they were greeted by an angel that asked a great question: Luke 24:5- “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen!”
Look, I know this is not Easter Sunday yet, but you need to know today, right in the middle of your transition – that cross - that symbol of pain and agony and death is also THEsymbol of LOVE. It is Jesus’ declaration to you that the transition is over, the past is dead. The transition is rough, everything crumbled, life is not the same as it was, but the Cross is standing in front of you as the reminder that no matter how bad it gets Jesus loves you!
Maybe that has just not been your experience…. Maybe the cross has not meant love, maybe it has been a source of pain in your life. As we celebrate Jesus, I want to reintroduce you to the cross. Not one of judgement or condemnation, but of love and mercy.
Here’s the ultimate description of the cross: John 3:16-“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned…”
So, what is our response to this “Good News”? First, we have to actually believe it. Mark 16:15- (NIV) “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…”
Second, we have to apply it to our own lives. Matthew 16:24- (NIV) “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
How do we take up our cross? This is all a statement of love. If, as we have discussed the past two weeks, and for really the past three years now, that the cross equals love, then taking up our cross means to take on the love of Christ. How, by no longer making it all about us. We model the love of the cross by showing that love to others, expecting nothing in return. By, following Jesus’ example and chasing out all the distractions and the stuff to make room for others in our lives this Palm Sunday.
Maybe the cross has been a weapon used by well-meaning, but misguided Christians. Maybe church has been a source of the pain. You can see another side of the cross, the real image of Jesus giving his life for you because he loves you. Like the line of the song we sing at Encounter, “He is madly in love with you.”
Maybeyouhave been wielding the cross as a weapon instead of an image of love, and today is a time of repentance and picking up this cross, this love that comes from the Father.
May you truly know the power of the cross this Easter Season!
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