Foundry Community Church
Palm Sunday - Year A
  • All Glory, Laud, and Honor

      • Psalm 31:9–16NIRV

      • Philippians 2:5–11NIRV

  • There Is A Redeemer

      • Matthew 21:1–11NIRV

  • As a young child, I remember sitting next to my grandfather in church. He was an usher, or as I came to understand later, a “husher!” My brothers and I were expected to be “seen and not heard” when we were in church. Obviously, we need to maintain decency and order when in the house of God, but kids are kids and sometimes, well, we three had difficulties… That could result in being taken out the back door of the sanctuary and having a “talk…”
    Years later, I remember my nephew, Jeffery was gettin out of line in church and my brother Jeff was compelled to take J2 out for a “talk…” On the way out, 4 year old J2 was heard crying out, “Someone help me! He’s gonna kill me!” So dramatic… But I digress…
    The one Sunday of the year that there seemed to be a little “loosening up” was on Palm Sunday. We were given these palm thingies and were allowed to wave them around like no one was around ~ to a point. It was pretty awesome. As a kid, I really didn’t understand what this was all about, but understanding came some time later as I became aware of the Kingship and Lordship of the Lord, Jesus Christ!
    John’s narrative of the Gospel reading says this in John 12:13-15
    John 12:13–15 ESV
    13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
    This word, “Hosanna!” carries two meanings, both of which are significant in this narrative.
    First, it was a declaration by the people of their recognition that the Messiah had come. John 12:13
    John 12:13 ESV
    “…Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
    The second was equally as important, it was a direct plea for Salvation! That is a good thing, because that is what Jesus came for in the first place. That day, as Jesus rode into the streets of Jerusalem riding on a donkey, They were both, acknowledging His Divine Place as the Messiah and also recognizing that they needed His Salvation. They were invoking the Psalmist as they cried out as this Psalm had long been entrenched in Jewish liturgy.
    Psalm 118:25–26 ESV
    25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
    Zechariah 9:9 ESV
    9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

    Prophetic Preparation Unveiled

    Matthew 21:1–4 ESV
    1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet…
    Zechariah 9:9 ESV
    9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
    So, the question, Why a donkey instead of a Royal Stallion? According to multiple sources cited in Logos, a king rode a horse when going to war, while when coming in peace, he would ride a donkey.
    This seemingly was part of the problem that possibly caused the dramatic shift of opinion in the week in between the Triumphal Entry and the Crucifixion of Christ. Many ~ especially at this time, believed that the Messiah, if He came, He would overthrow the Roman authority and do so violently in war through battle. Here’s Jesus not wielding the sword and shield of battle on a horse, but rather humbly in peace on a donkey.
    They must have had a few “no kings rallies” that week…
    Truth told, they forgot the prophecy of Zechariah and the imagery provided from the Old Testament in Genesis 49:11.
    Genesis 49:11 ESV
    11 Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
    And also where Solomon rode into Jerusalem on King David’s donkey when he was crowned as King.

    Purposeful Paradox of Power

    Matthew 21:5–7 ESV
    5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
    In this simple act of Christ arriving on a donkey, He was demonstrating that His reign would be that of Peace. Wessel and Straus say it like this:
    “Yet Jesus came not as a conquering hero on a warhorse but humbly riding a donkey, indicating that his messianic victory would come through his sacrificial death rather than through force.” - Wessel and Straus “The Expositor’s Bible Dictionary, Matthew and Mark.
    Strauss also says this: “Jesus enters not as a warrior king ready for military conquest against Rome, but as a humble, peace-bringing king who would bring salvation through self-sacrificial service rather than physical conquest.”
    The crowds’ response—shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” —recognized the royal proclamation, though their praise stemmed not from recognizing him as the spiritual Messiah, but from their desire for a political deliverer who would lead them against Rome.

    Praises and Proclamations Given

    Matthew 21:8–11 ESV
    8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
    So, we find ourselves asking, “Why did the people throw their clothes on the ground? Well, that practice can be seen in 2 Kings 9:13
    2 Kings 9:13 ESV
    13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”

    Saying the right things for the wrong reasons

    This event, in my opinion, is one of the most tragic narratives in all of the Gospels.
    Why would you think that?
    The People of Israel were pleading, waiting, praying for a deliverer. The Messiah. They had conjured up in their minds what this “messiah” was supposed to look like, act like, and “deliver.”
    Here, they seemingly recognized the Savior for who He really was, only to have become quickly disheartened to find out that their “messiah” had not come in the way that they expected or desired. So, what did they do? In the matter of less than a week, their cries turned from “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” to “Crucify Him!”
    The lessons for all of us today are simple. Let us recognized Jesus for who He is rather than whe we “expect Him to be.”
    It is entirely possible to say all of the right things for all of the wrong reasons. They were crying out “Hossanna!” “Deliver us!” Jesus was saying, “Absolutely!” He recognized that their deliverance was not breaking Rome’s hold but rather the bonds of sin and death.
    I guess not much has changed in over 2,000 years. We still want Jesus to deliver us from sickness, disease, poverty, government oppression etc… when He has already come to free us from the worst bondages of all, that being sin and death. Because the gift of God is life everlasting and full of Glory! So, as we call out “Hosanna!” Let’s be sure that we calling out for the right thing!

      • John 12:13–15NIRV

      • John 12:13NIRV

      • Psalm 118:25–26NIRV

      • Zechariah 9:9NIRV

      • Matthew 21:1–4NIRV

      • Zechariah 9:9NIRV

      • Genesis 49:11NIRV

      • Matthew 21:5–7NIRV

      • Matthew 21:8–11NIRV

      • 2 Kings 9:13NIRV

  • MYSTERION
  • Doxology
  • What Wondrous Love Is This
  • Now Unto Him
Foundry Community Church
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