Palm Sunday

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PALM SUNDAY 04.09.06

(Matthew 26:36-56)

Once a young farm boy lived on the outskirts of town. He was coming home from school one day and saw some men putting up a poster on a fence. He hung around until they finished, and then went over to read it. The poster told of a real live circus coming to town; one that had animals and everything!

The day of the circus, the boy hurriedly finished all his chores, changed clothes, then headed to town to see the circus.

When he got there, he saw the whole town standing on either side of the road, and then he heard the noises. Here came the circus! His heart raced and his eyes got big as the band played and as they walked past him on the road. Group after group of all kinds of fascinating people and things came by.

The parade lasted for the longest time, and then, at the very end was a clown, all by himself. He had the traditional clown outfit; complete with painted face and big floppy shoes.
When the boy saw the clown, he ran to him and gave him the dollar his dad had given him for admission into the circus. Then the boy went home satisfied. He only saw the parade and thought it was the circus. SC ~ Bruce Ball

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Sometimes Christians have tended to jump from the celebration of the parade where Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey with people hailing Him as a conquering king as they lay palm branches on the road before Him; and skip to the empty tomb without giving the Cross hardly any focus.
• I think this is why Good Friday services are not very prominent; we’re not even going to have one this year.

One of the toughest things I’ve ever done was to see the movie, The Passion of the Christ. Why? Because I knew it was not going to be a “feel good” time. And, I was right.
• Watching the brutal torture and killing of anyone is a hard thing to do, but when the victim is someone you love….
• But, I knew I needed to see it; to be graphically reminded of the love it took for Jesus to do what He did for me; for all of us.

You see, the things leading up to the Cross (Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, etc.) tell a story, but they don’t by themselves show the love.
• And, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus where He is now, at this very moment in human time, sitting beside the Father in heaven interceding on our behalf as the supreme defense lawyer for a world full of guilty criminals; these tell a story as well, but they don’t by themselves show the love.
• WE MUST HAVE THE CROSS in order to tie the two Sundays, and everything of Holy Week, together; every event taking place because of Jesus’ love for you and for me.

Every beginning should have an ending. Every ending needs a beginning. But every beginning and every ending needs a story in between to tie them together as one.
• The celebration of the palms led to the passion of the Cross, and the passion of the Cross led to the Resurrection.

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We all do things everyday to make our lives less painful and more comfortable and pleasurable. Think about it:
• We brush and floss our teeth in order to try and not be offensive to those around us with bad breath (some of us need Altoids too!). But, we also brush and floss our teeth so our teeth will stay healthy; not causing us pain and trouble later in life.
– There’s something in it for us.

People become Christians for the same reasons; there’s something in it for them.
• You bet there is; the promise of eternal life with God versus eternal damnation; that’s a pretty good motivator!

From my observations through years of ministry, however, it seems … Some people accept Christ into their lives because of “immediate felt needs” in their lives right then.
• Marriage/family struggles
• Financial worries
• Health concerns
• Addictions
• Life’s various challenges and uncertainties, etc.
– And when God does come into their lives by way of their coming to Him with their troubles, He most assuredly helps them; and they’re so glad they became a Christian.
– But, if their Christian life doesn’t go beyond “How’s this going to make my life better?”, then they’re going to get disillusioned and begin thinking things like: “What’s the use of being a Christian? My life’s no better now than before, plus it takes up too much of my time, not to mention how the church is always asking for volunteers and money.”

It’s at this same time that Satan, the Father of lies and enemy of our souls comes around whispering in our ears:
“What has God done for you lately?”
• As if the provision of eternal salvation through Jesus’ death, in and of itself, isn’t enough!
• It’s scary how soon people can forget the most important aspect of being a Christian; spiritual salvation.
• It’s sad how soon people can forget the cost for them to be a Christian.

Being a Christian doesn’t represent a self-help solution to make life better or easier; it is life.
• And, it is life because of the horrible, unjust death Jesus died for our sins in our place.
– This is why we must not forget the Cross which ties the palm branches to the empty tomb.

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We all know today is Palm Sunday. But, how many of you know what other title the Sunday before Easter is known as? Passion Sunday.

So, since today is also known as Passion Sunday, I want us to look into God’s Word at part of Jesus’ passion which lead up to the Cross.

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Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is VERY SORROWFUL, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; NEVERTHELESS, not as I will, but as you will." 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, YOUR WILL BE DONE." 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." 47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled. Matthew 26:36-56 ESV
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In our remaining moments let me suggest other “palms” that need to be kept in mind today besides the palm branches that people lay down for Jesus to ride on as He entered Jerusalem.
• These “palms” should help us as we observe Holy Week.

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I. Palms of sorrow
• In verses 37-38 phrase “very sorrowful” comes from one Greek word meaning “surrounded by sorrow” / in a whirlpool of sorrow / engulfed by sorrow.
– Picture here Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane with His head in the palms of His hands as He’s praying.

Why did He experience such sorrow in the Garden? Three reasons come to mind:
1) Emotional suffering through the:
• unbelief of people calling Him a liar and blasphemer; it hurts to have your integrity questioned.
• rejection of the people He loved and came to save.
• hatred of the religious leaders of that day.
• betrayal of Judas Iscariot; one who walked with Him for three years; prayed with Him; was His treasurer!
– Judas betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver; the price of a slave!
• desertion by all the disciples.
• denial of Peter that He knew was coming.
• injustice of the trial which convicted Him for crimes for which He was not guilty!
• ridicule of being spit upon, and stripped naked.

If you or I experienced any of the above we’d be devastated, yet Jesus went thru it all at once!
• With palms of sorrow upon His face He endured the emotional suffering!

2) Physical Suffering
• Jesus knew a tortuous cross awaited Him, where it was said that “to be crucified is to die 1,000 deaths!”

But the worst part of Jesus’ suffering was not physical or emotional. It was

3) Spiritual suffering
• Jesus was the sinless Son of God, and we can’t begin to imagine what it would have been like to take on our sin so that the Father couldn’t even look at Him.

II. Palms of surrender
• Look at verses 39 and 42:

"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; NEVERTHELESS, not as I will, but as you will."

"My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, YOUR WILL BE DONE."

“In His humanity [Jesus] may have buried His face in palms of sorrow. But thank God He looked up with palms of surrender!” SC ~ Jerry Shirley

If we ponder for even a moment Jesus’ surrendering of His will during His Passion, how could we ever exert our own wills in the face of God?

We always make choices: “My will” or “God’s will”. Whose will are we surrendering to when it comes to:
• serving, witnessing, TV viewing, net surfing, tax preparation, tithing…?

Some of us are familiar with the song, “I Surrender All.”
• But, if people were totally honest with themselves and with God, the words should rather be:
– “Some to Jesus I surrender, some to Him I freely give…I will sometimes love and trust Him, in His presence sometimes live!”

HE DESERVES BETTER THAN THAT!

III. Palms of submission
• In verses 50-56 we see Jesus as He willingly submitted to the heinous, unjust powers of darkness that came to take Him away.
– “He could have called ten thousand angles…”
• He had surrendered to God; now He was submitting to man!

Jesus willingly suffered His Passion because He loves you; loves me.
• And, there was and is nothing greater that He could ever do for any of us.

Have we surrendered all of ourselves to Him in grateful, eternal, gratitude, or, are we looking for an easier, more pleasurable life right now?

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Palm Sunday and Easter are great. Don’t forget the Cross.