Mark 11:1-10  *  April 13, 2003  *  Palm Sunday  *  Pastor Leyrer

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

In the “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” department, one of the enduring visual images in the news of this past week was watching the statue of Saddam Hussein being pulled off its pedestal in downtown Baghdad.  When the history of this war is written, we can be pretty sure this picture will come to symbolize what has taken place…

 

However, if we take a longer, more sweeping view, what happened in Baghdad this past week is not unlike what has happened throughout history.  Kings and leaders wax and wane.  Kings and leaders come and go.  Whether good or bad, they make their mark for a time, and then they are gone.

 

Except One. 

 

His name is Jesus Christ.  As the Apostle Paul put it in our epistle lesson for today, His is the “name above all names” at which “every knee shall bow.”  He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The impact He made is measured not only by history, but by eternity.  And roughly 2000 years ago today in what we often refer to as His “triumphal entry” Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the last week of His earthly ministry… 

 

This morning we’d like to recall the events of that first Palm Sunday in quiet and reverent

 

REFLECTION ON CHRIST, THE KING

 

We’ll begin by looking at the Palm Sunday account as we have it recorded for us in our text, and then make a couple of observations on how this event applies to our lives…

 

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,  2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it,  5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”  6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.  7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.

 

A brief summary of these verses… Palm Sunday begins with the command of Jesus to some of His disciples.  They are to bring Him transportation, specifically a donkey colt.  He also gives the disciples the assurance they will not be turned down as they simply inform the owner that “the Lord needs it.”

 

The disciples did as they were told, met no resistance, and brought the animal back.  Furthermore, they placed their cloaks on the donkey to soften Christ’s ride.  He had not commanded them to do this, but was an instinctive show of honor and respect.

 

The fact that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey colt is significant for at least three reasons.  First, because of the obvious humility it conveyed.  We live in a very image conscious society.  So did the people of Jesus’ day.  A donkey did not convey an image of power, speed or strength.  Just the opposite.  A donkey was plodding and pedestrian.  Of the people and for the people. 

 

So we see Jesus appropriately choosing a donkey.  Because He, too, is of the people – “the Word made flesh” as described in John 1; and for the people – He came, in His own words, “not to be served but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.” So we see an unspoken affinity between the Rider and what He chose to ride.

 

Secondly, Jesus specifically points out that this donkey is to be an animal “which no one has ever ridden.”  This is noteworthy when we keep in mind that in the Old Testament God often set aside unbroken or unridden animals for sacred purpose or sacrifices.  Could there be any more sacred purpose than transporting the Son of God?  He who had been set aside for the selfless sacrifice of Himself for the redemption of the world?

 

Finally, Jesus uses a donkey colt to fulfill Old Testament prophecy.  We heard it in our Old Testament lesson.  The prophet Zechariah said the King would come to God’s people riding on a donkey.  And that’s exactly what Jesus did…

 

8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.  9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”  “Hosanna in the highest!”

 

By the time Jesus began His actual ride into Jerusalem quite a crowd had gathered.  Those who had followed Him from the nearby town of Bethany (where He had spent the night) were joined by Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  The Gospel of John tells us that people were anxious to see Jesus because they had heard of His miracles, so they came out in large numbers.  It was like the equivalent of a modern day ticker-tape parade…

 

But they weren’t throwing ticker tape.  What they did do was line Jesus’ path with their cloaks and palm branches.  This was so the donkey’s feet wouldn’t touch the ground – a sign of deep respect and understanding that they were in the presence of royalty.

 

And they were shouting.  “Hosanna” is a word found in the Psalms.  It means “save” or “save, now,” and is a word of both prayer and praise.  The phrases “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” and “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David” indicated they had, at least on some level, an understanding that this was the long promised and awaited Messiah…

 

But on another level, they had no real understanding at all.  Because while Jesus the spiritual Savior had come to set them free from enemies like sin, death and hell, many of the people were looking for Jesus the political Savior, who would set them free from Roman subjugation.  And when it became evident that this was not going to happen, these shouts of joy would turn into shouts of death, all in the course of five short days…

 

But that’s another story… The story we’ll take up on Good Friday.

 

At this point, let’s make some observations and applications about Palm Sunday.  What are the lessons for us here?  There are a number of things we could talk about, but allow me to focus on two key observations about Christ, our King.

 

The first is this:  Our King speaks a reliable word. 

 

When Jesus told His disciples what to find and where to find it, it happened.  And this was not the first time.  Do you recall the instance when Peter was questioned as to whether His master (Jesus) ever paid the annual temple tax?  Jesus told Peter to go throw a line in the water and pull out the first fish he caught.  In its mouth would be a coin with which the tax would be paid.  Peter followed the Lord’s instructions and everything happened – just as He said it would.

 

We could cite others, but by far the greatest example of the reliability of Jesus’ words has to do with His resurrection, which we will celebrate a week from today.  That, too, happened – just as He said and, in fact, had predicted many times.

 

The point is simply this:  Our King speaks a reliable word.  On a practical, day-to-day personal level this means that we can trust everything He tells us regarding salvation… forgiveness… the power and privilege of prayer… His abiding presence in our lives… His eternal love and care for us. 

 

In other words, all the promises we have in Scripture are not so many pious platitudes or gushy sentiments.  They are, in fact, the reliable words of a reliable King.  People – even those who have the best intentions – can and will fail us.  But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, never will.

 

And what a comfort that is.  What a comfort to know that in those times when things don’t seem to be going our way, our reliable King has promised:  “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”  What a comfort to know that in our darkest and most lonely hours our reliable King has promised:  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  What a comfort to know that when events take place that leave us stunned or sad or that we just can’t for the life of us understand, our reliable King has promised:  “All things work together for good to them that love God.”

 

Among other things, Palm Sunday demonstrates to us that we have a reliable King.  Which leads to our second observation:  Our King is worthy of our highest praise.

 

Today Jesus was greeted by the crowd with loud shouts of “Hosanna.”  It may be that in the final analysis the sentiments behind the shouts were shallow and misguided, but let’s take them at face value.  For at least today we see Jesus at the receiving end of well-deserved exclamations of worship and praise.  He is worthy of such praise because of who He is and what He’s about to do for as this week unfolds.  We know what is coming…

 

On Thursday of this week, after living as our substitute the perfectly sinless life God asks of us, Jesus will be betrayed into the hands of His enemies.  On Friday, Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, will take upon Himself the vileness of our sin and suffer the punishment that each of us deserves.  And on Sunday, Jesus will prove to the world that He has successfully completed the mission of our redemption by rising from the dead.

 

What the Palm Sunday crowd may not have fully understood, we do.  Which means our King is worthy of our highest praise.  Those who truly understand Christ also understand this logical response…

 

A Christian woman and hymn writer by the name of Frances Havergal certainly understood this when she wrote these words:  “Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord to Thee…”

 

An ancient believer by the name of Theodulph of Orleans understood this when, in the 9th century, he wrote words to a hymn we still sing:  “All glory, laud and honor, to you, Redeemer, King…”

 

The Apostle Paul understood this when he encourages us “in view of God’s mercy” to offer our lives to God as “living sacrifices…”

 

Our King is worthy of our highest praise.  And when we make Him that which He deserves to be, He graciously grants us, in the words of Paul, “the peace of God that passes all understanding.”

 

Today is Palm Sunday.  Our King rides into Jerusalem.  How shall we reflect on this event?

 

Let us marvel at His devotion to duty.  Let us marvel at His dedication to His task.  Let us marvel at His love for sinners like you and me.

 

And then let us dedicate ourselves anew to Him.  May God grant us all another meaningful and blessed Holy Week.  Amen.