Palm (1st Day)
Matthew 21:1-11 KJV
Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
1And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come toBethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loosethem, and bringthemunto me.3And if anymansay ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they sethimthereon.8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawedthemin the way.
9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David:Blessedishe that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all thecitywas moved, saying, Who is this?11And the multitude said,Thisis Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
A little boy missed out on church one Palm Sunday. His mother stayed home to watch over him. When dad came home, there he was, sick on the couch. When he noticed dad come in with a huge palm branch in his hand, he was curious and asked, "Dad, what’s up with that palm branch?"
His dad said, “It’s Palm Sunday, son! You see, when Jesus came into town, everybody waved these Palm Branches to honor him, so we all got Palm Branches today.”
The boy was upset because he missed the celebration and he said, “Just my luck, dad! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”
Today is Palm Sunday! Jesus is here to be experienced, to be worshipped, to be honored and to be celebrated!
Palm Sunday is a day of celebration!
Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem has become known to us as Palm Sunday (1st Day), the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week that culminates with Good Friday (6th day) and finally Easter Sunday (1st Day). Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Glory to God, Salvation in the Highest! Hosanna to the King of Kings!
The Bible tells us, Matt 21:1-11, On Palm Sunday over 2000 years ago, the disciples… “…brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road [that’s what you did in the 1st century when a king rides into town.], while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!"
Hosanna in the highest… What does it mean? Hosanna means SALVATION: SALVATION in the HIGHEST… When Jesus entered the holy city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, the crowds proclaimed, “GLORY TO GOD! SALVATION IN THE HIGHEST…” Christ’s people, the Jews, finally celebrated His Lordship and majesty, and they were close to realizing His salvation.
But the Jews didn’t understand what Christ had to offer. They had been delivered before. They had been saved time and time again by the Lord. They were delivered from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses by the power of God.
They were delivered from exile and slavery in Babylon back to their holy city to rebuild the temple of their God, through righteous men and women such as Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah…
They had experienced radical rescues and incredible salvations before, but this was different. Jesus the Christ would bring to the Jews and to the Gentiles a salvation like never before. Never had they experienced salvation like that salvation, which would come through Jesus… Never had they known salvation like that of this King: their Messiah: Jesus Christ our Lord… His was SALVATION IN THE HIGHEST ORDER!
Not just salvation from their hard labor and oppression at the hand of their enemies, from the dryness of the desert, but salvation from sin: freedom from the enemy of our souls. Christ’s was the highest order of salvation that ever came and His salvation is the only salvation that will ever save your soul.
He’s called the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega: the One who is, who was and who is to come. Rev 21:6, “And He also said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega-the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”
Are you thirsty for the Lord? Are you hungry for righteousness? This is the salvation of Jesus Christ: salvation in the highest!
The Jews had no idea. They had no idea of the glory and the greatness of their King. They didn’t know they were proclaiming the very Gospel when they shouted, “BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! HOSANNA: SALVATION IN THE HIGHEST.”
Little did they know their creator and Lord would offer Himself up just five days later, become their sin, die in their place, experience Hell for them, then rise again to life 3 days later so we might rise to new life with Him.
They didn’t know, or the job of crucifying Him would have been that much more difficult.
They didn’t know on Palm Sunday, and they wouldn’t understand, but in a few days they would understand.
Friday, they would curse at Him. They would spit upon Him and crush Him with hateful words. Then they would feel the ground tremble, they would see the temple fall to pieces, and the veil torn. Then they would understand that He is King of the Jews.
All they understood was the celebration.
But today, we know that we have hope through Jesus Christ: HOSANNA, SALVATION IN THE HIGHEST and today we celebrate this salvation.
Palm Sunday was really all about Passover, because that is when people would bring their Passover lambs to the temple for inspection by the priests. It was a day when many Jewish pilgrims would just be arriving into Jerusalem in preparation for Passover, which would begin four days later. There was a lot of excitement in the air, as people renewed friendships and welcomed one another to the feast. This was what Jesus rode into when He entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.
When the people waved palm branches and cried, “Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” they were looking for a leader who would save them from the oppression of the Roman govt. Jesus had already shown His power to heal and work miracles. Apparently, Passover was a time when Jews became very passionate about their national identity. One scholar said that waving a palm branch wasn’t a sign of peace; rather, it was like us waving an American Flag! They were a very patriotic people and it was common for someone to come forward during Passover and start an uprising against Rome. As Passover drew near, the population of Jerusalem increased from around half a million to over 2 million within a day or two. Every Jewish home was to be open to pilgrims who would travel for days to be there for the feast. The streets would be packed, the marketplace teeming with people preparing for Passover.
So when Jesus fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 by riding into town on the colt of a donkey, the crowds went wild. They were ready to overthrow Rome. But Jesus had a different plan in mind. Just when we think we’ve got things figured out and are sure we know what is needed, God comes along and says, “No, I’ve got a different plan.”
Jesus didn’t come to save you from your circumstances. He came to save you from your sins. That doesn’t mean He can’t or won’t help you with whatever you are facing. But His primary mission was not what people thought it was. Even His disciples were pretty sure He was going to establish His physical kingdom on earth when He came the first time. Acts 1:6-7 6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
So, even though the people were looking for a Lion King to come save them from the Romans, Jesus came as a lamb to the slaughter so he could really save them.
Our English word "hosanna" comes from a Greek word "hosanna" which comes from a Hebrew phrase hoshiya na.
And that Hebrew phrase is found in only one place in the entire Old Testament, Psalm 118:25, where it means, "Save, please!" It is a cry to God for help. Like when the tide takes you too far out in the ocean and you begin hollering: "Help, save me" … "Hoshiya na!"
But something happened to that phrase, hoshiya na. The meaning changed over the years. In the Psalm it was immediately followed by the exclamation: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The cry for help, hoshiya na, was answered almost before it came out of the Psalmist's mouth. And over the centuries the phrase hoshiya na stopped being a cry for help in the ordinary language of the Jews. Instead it became a shout of hope and celebration. It used to mean, "Save, please!" But gradually it came to mean, "Salvation! Salvation! Salvation has come!" It used to be what you would say when you felt that you were drowning at sea. But it came to be what you would say when you see the lifeguard coming to save you! It is the bubbling over of a heart that sees hope and joy and salvation on the way and can't keep it in.
So "Hosanna!" means, "Yea for salvation! It's coming! It's here! Salvation! Salvation!"
And "Hosanna to the Son of David!" means, "The Son of David is our salvation! Hooray for the king! Salvation belongs to the king!"
And "Hosanna in the highest!" means, "Let all the angels in heaven join the song of praise. Salvation! Salvation! Let the highest heaven sing the song!"
Above borrowed from John Piper.
Now, on this day in the first century, a lamb was chosen by the high priest outside of Jerusalem on the tenth day of the Jewish month Nisan, (This was Inspection Day or Palm Sunday as we know it). Then the priest would lead this lamb into the city while crowds of worshippers lined the streets waving palm branches and singing Psalm 118, "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."
Jesus our Messiah entered Jerusalem this same day, on a donkey, possibly right behind the High Priest's procession. The crowds that had just heralded the entrance of the sacrificial lamb also heralded the entrance of the Lamb of God - Jesus. Jesus identified himself with the Passover sacrifice by being led into Jerusalem, like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53).
The High Priest would then take the lamb to the Temple, where it would be tied in public view so that it could be inspected for blemish. In the same way, Jesus sat and taught in the Temple courtyard, and was inspected and questioned as the Sadducees, Pharisees, and teachers of the law, who sought to trip him up in His words and entrap Him. They could not, because He was perfect and without blemish (Lancaster, 1996).
Jesus presented Himself to the people and priests that day as the Passover Lamb – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He made the crooked religious leaders angry, but the common people honored Him as their King – even if they seemed to miss the fact that He had not come to conquer Rome.
The book of Exodus, the 2nd book in the OT, tells us about the first Passover, when God delivered His people. The 10th and final plague of judgment against Egypt was to be the death of the firstborn in every household. However, God told Israel (Ex.12) to kill a lamb with no defects or blemishes, and to dip hyssop in the blood, and brush some of the blood on the doorposts of their houses. When the destroyer moved throughout Egypt to strike down every firstborn, He could not destroy anyone who had the lamb’s blood on their door. Why? Because they were protected by God Himself.
Jesus showed Himself as our Passover Lamb. He was killed, and His lifeblood became our protection against the destroyer. But we have to put it on! Are you ready for Passover? Is God’s judgment going to pass over you? The death of God’s lamb, Jesus, gives us life, and will save us from judgment – if we receive Jesus by faith and turn from a life of sin to a new life of obedience.
So, having this expectancy in their spirits, these devout Jews encountered Jesus, the One who had been healing sick people, raising dead people, casting out demons, and teaching and preaching about the kingdom of God. They saw this same Jesus come riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey. Most Jews knew the OT thoroughly. When they saw Jesus on the donkey colt, immediately, their minds went to Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
These people were welcoming their King, the One who had salvation for them. Only later would they realize what it really meant that Jesus was their Passover Lamb. They could not understand the price He would pay for their salvation. As they cried out, “Hosanna,” they did not know that He would give up His own life so they could be saved from the bondage of sin. Again, Hosanna had become more of a celebration than a cry for help. However, help was on the way, and it would come by the death of the very King they were hoping would lead them to victory against the Romans.
Conclusion: As we close today, please know that Jesus didn’t come just to make your life better. He came to give you life- His life, real life. As we face the pain and difficulty of this life, we are often brought to a place where we cry out, “Hosanna! Help, Lord! Save me from my problems.” And God often does help us, just as Jesus helped and healed all who came to Him. But until we cry out, “Hosanna! Save me from my sins,” we haven’t really dealt with our problem. When we do that and experience God’s grace and forgiveness, then our Hosanna becomes a true celebration. It becomes praise because the Lamb of God has taken away our sin and given us a new heart and a new beginning. Where are you today? What will your Hosanna be today?