“HOSANNA TO THE KING: A MOST INTERESTING ENTRANCE”



“HOSANNA TO THE KING: A MOST INTERESTING ENTRANCE”

Jesus – The Most Interesting Man In The World

April 17, 2011 / Palm Sunday

Cornerstone Community Church

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, Dad?” “Well son, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor him, so we got palm branches at church today.” The little boy replied, “Aw, shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”

In a very real way, Palm Sunday was the day that Jesus showed up, the day he made a most interesting entrance into Jerusalem. We’re going to spend some time exploring the events of that day this morning as those events are recorded for us in the Gospel of John. But here’s the bigger question we want to consider, the bigger question for you and me – If Jesus showed up today, what would you do? How would you respond? Would you say or do anything differently if Jesus were to physically and literally make an entrance right here and right now?

My hunch is that most of us would respond very much like the people did on that first Palm Sunday. I think most of us would cheer for Jesus. We would give him our applause. We would probably even give him the ultimate sign of our approval – the standing ovation. And clearly that would be the right response. When the Pharisees told Jesus to quiet all the people who were cheering for him on that first Palm Sunday, Jesus’ response was this: “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40)

But while Palm Sunday is a day to celebrate, it’s also a day that gives us pause. After all, we know the rest of the story. We are well aware that just days after Jesus showed up to the cheers of the crowd, many in that same crowd were calling for his crucifixion. And we can’t help but wonder – could that happen in our world? Could we be that crowd? Could our affections and our allegiance turn like that?

Have you noticed how natural it is for us as humans to be fans? I was at most five years old when I first became a sports fan, and I have been a fan of a number of teams throughout my life. I have been a fan of certain musical groups; I have been a fan of certain authors; I have been a fan of particular TV shows. If you’re a fan of a certain person, it means that you take interest in that person, in what they say and do; it means you keep track, to a certain degree, of where that person is and what their plans are. As a 21st century fan, you follow that person on Twitter; you tell your Facebook friends that you like this person. Every one of us here knows what it is to be a fan; being a fan is as natural to us as breathing.

But have you also noticed how fickle fans can be? Yes, I will acknowledge that there are what we call “die-hard” fans. Die-hard Giant fans finally got rewarded last year with a World Series title after many years of frustration. But even most die-hard fans have a limit. The actor you were a fan of has a “Charlie Sheen” moment or a “Tom Cruise” moment, and just can’t bring yourself to watch them anymore. The politician you had placed your hopes in says some things or does some things you can’t stomach, and suddenly you are no longer a fan. Did any of you watch what was called “The Decision” last year, when Lebron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Caviliers to take his talents to South Beach? Did you see the reaction of the people in Cleveland when the player many people had worshiped left for another team? They burned their souvenir jerseys by the hundreds; they painted over his picture; they called radio shows and TV shows to announce their hatred for their former hero. “Fickle” and “fan” go together like fireworks and the 4th of July.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus had a lot of fans. If the social network had been in place back then, you can be sure that Jerusalem would have been all “atwitter” with the news of his most interesting entrance. But in the moments after his triumphal entry, Jesus made something very clear – he’s not interested in fans. My hope is that when we leave this place this morning, none of us will be fans of Jesus. In fact, try telling that to people this week, during what we in the church world call Holy Week. Tell people, “I’m not a fan of Jesus.” They might wonder what you’re talking about. They might say, “Wait, I thought you went to church. Just what kind of a church do you go to?” And that might well give you a chance to explain a little bit about what it really means to be a Christian, to explain that a Christian is not a fan of Jesus; a Christian is a follower of Jesus. Let me see if I can explain the significance of that distinction as we explore what happened on that first Palm Sunday and as we read what Jesus said to his followers immediately after he made his most interesting entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Jesus Makes His Most Interesting Entrance

In John 12 we read this account of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem:

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They 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!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” … Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. (John 12:12-18)

Let me give you the bigger picture so we can appreciate the significance of what happened on that first Palm Sunday as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt to cheering crowds waving palm branches. The first thing we need to know is the time of year. It’s Passover season, one of three times during the year when the entire country gathers in Jerusalem to celebrate and to offer sacrifices to God; that’s what John means when he simply tells us that the great crowd was there for “the Feast.” There would have been hundreds of thousands more people in Jerusalem than normal, sort of like what happens to New Orleans during Mardi Gras or to Miami when it hosts a Super Bowl. But for the Jewish people Passover was more than a strictly religious observance. It was the time of year when they celebrated their liberation from 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians. During the time Jesus lived, Passover was also a time of year when the people became more demonstrative about their longing to be free from Roman rule. In fact historical records tell us that political leaders claiming to be a “messiah” had caused riots so often during Passover season that the Romans brought extra troops in to police the Passover celebrations. So the atmosphere as Jesus approached Jerusalem would have been highly charged.

Second, we need a little background to appreciate the whole donkey thing. Think for a moment – when you read about Jesus in the Gospels, how does he get around? He walks, right? Everywhere Jesus goes, he walks. Jesus’ home was in Capernaum, in the Galilee area, in the north of Israel. From Capernaum to Jerusalem was a walk of 120 miles, a walk made every year by thousands of Galileans. But now as Jesus is just about to get to Jerusalem, what does he do? He hops onto the back of a young donkey. After walking over 100 miles, for some reason Jesus wants to ride the last few hundred yards into Jerusalem on a donkey. Oh, and those last few hundred yards happen to be mostly downhill, since he’s coming from the Mount of Olives, which is the highest point in Jerusalem at 2900 feet above sea level. So why would he do that? Is Jesus so out of shape that he just can’t make the last hundred yards or so on foot?

There are a couple of reasons for this most interesting method of entering Jerusalem. Part of the answer comes from the Old Testament book of Zechariah, where the prophet tells the people of Israel how they will be able to recognize the Messiah: “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.” (Zechariah 9:9) Jesus very intentionally entered into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to symbolically and unambiguously lay claim to being the Messiah. The Romans in the audience were likely unaware of what was going on, but the Jewish people would not have missed the symbolism. This Jesus they had heard so much about, the one who had done so many miracles, was letting them know that he was the one they had been waiting for, that the Messiah had finally come to save them.

Just to cement this point, we need to appreciate an important geographical note. Before coming into Jerusalem, Jesus had come – Matthew 20 tells us – from Jericho. Jericho is in the desert, about nine miles or so to the east of Jerusalem. The Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament were very clear that when the Messiah entered Jerusalem he would come from the desert and he would come from the east. In Isaiah 40:3 the prophet said the Messiah would come from the desert to the east of Jerusalem. All good Jews of that time were well aware that the Messiah would come from the east. In fact believing Jews of today still expect the Messiah to enter Jerusalem through what is called the Eastern Gate or the Golden Gate. So when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey coming from the east, Jesus was clearly making a statement, a statement that would not have been lost on the crowd.

So that’s part of why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, but there’s another reason. In those days the Romans would hold a parade similar to this one to welcome back a conquering hero. Such a parade, which was called a “Triumph,” would only be given to a General who had killed at least 5,000 enemy soldiers. The procession would be led by leaders of the Roman Senate, who were followed by trumpeters. Next in the procession would be carriages containing the spoils of war, both treasure and loot and any slaves that had been captured. Then came the flute players, followed by animals for sacrifice to the Roman gods. Then came the leaders of the conquered enemy, forced to walk in chains, then the General’s bodyguard. And then would come the General himself, riding on a white charger, crowned with a laurel wreath, wearing a purple tunic embroidered with palms under a purple toga embroidered with stars.

That’s the scene the Romans in the crowd would have known well. And they could not have missed the startling contrast between the way their conquering heroes made an entrance and the way this Jesus made an entrance. So I think Jesus is trying to make another point here. Not only is Jesus making the point that he’s the Messiah; he’s making the point that he’s a certain kind of Messiah. And the donkey is the clue. You see, while we might think of a donkey as an embarrassing means of making an entrance, in fact the donkey was considered in those days to be a noble animal. Kings rode donkeys. There are a number of places in the Old Testament where royal figures rode donkeys. But here’s the distinction – a king riding on a horse was an image of war, while a king riding a donkey was an image of peace. The message Jesus wanted the crowd to understand that day was that first, he is a king, he is the Messiah, the Anointed One, and secondly, he comes in peace. He is the Prince of Peace.

Now there’s some more background we need to understand to appreciate the significance of this most interesting entrance, such as the meaning of the word “hosanna.” The Greek word “hosanna” comes from two Hebrew words which mean “help” or “save” and “I pray.” “Hosanna” has become a word of praise, but at that time in history it was a cry for help. The Hebrew word for “hosanna” is found in Psalm 118:25, which says, “O Lord, save us.” Psalm 113 through Psalm 118 form what is called the “Hallel.” Even today observant Jews recite these six psalms as part of their Passover celebration. In Jesus’ day every one in Israel was familiar with the Hallel and every one in Israel understood the meaning of the word “hosanna” – “Save us, I pray.” The Hallel, scholars tell us, was part of the first memory work of every Jewish boy. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt, he was greeted by throngs of people crying out to him, “Save us, I pray.”

And what about the branches? We call it Palm Sunday; John 12:13 tells us it was palm branches that the people were waving as Jesus entered into Jerusalem. Well, it turns out that they weren’t using palm branches just because there happened to be a sale on palms at the time. Palms were a very important symbol to the Jewish people, a symbol of Jewish nationalism, an expression of the people’s desire for political freedom. The last time Israel had been independent was 100 years earlier, when Judas Maccabeus had led them to victory. His nickname was “the hammer” (sounds like the name of a professional wrestler, doesn’t it), and he adopted the palm branch as a symbol of his victory. Under his leadership the people of Israel put the image of a palm branch on their coins, and he had them used in temple feasts to celebrate their freedom. So as Jesus enters Jerusalem from the east, from the desert, on the back of a donkey’s colt, making clear claim to be the Messiah, the crowds implore him – both in their words and with their symbols – to save them and to set them free. Specifically, they want to be free of the Romans. They want political freedom, and if Jesus can give that to them, well then, they’re his biggest fans. They think the Romans are the source of all their problems, that if they could just change the government everything would be alright.

And sometimes we think the same thing. The problem, we are convinced, is the government, or Wall Street, or the liberal media, or the conservative media. If you’re a 49ers fan the problem is the Yorks and if you’re a Raiders fan the problem is Al Davis and if you’re a Warriors fan … well then you’re just being silly. If someone could just save us from the current administration and its failed policies, we would be fine.

But Jesus knew that the Romans weren’t the real problem then, and our government is not our problem now. Yes, Jesus is the Messiah; he was not trying in any way to hide that fact. But as the Messiah his mission was not to save the people from the Romans; his mission was to save the people from their sin.

Here’s one last piece of background we need to understand about Palm Sunday. That day – the Sunday before Passover – was known throughout Israel as “lamb selection” day. It was the day when every Jewish family selected a lamb to offer as a sacrifice on the coming Passover. And in a very real way Jesus, by entering into the Holy City at just that time and in just that way, was presenting himself for selection as the lamb who would be slain. His purpose was not to defeat the Romans; his purpose was to die for our sins. He did not make an entrance into Jerusalem on the back of a white horse, because he did not come as King to make war against Rome. He came on the back of a donkey because he had come as King to make peace – not between Israel and Rome, but between God and man.

Jesus Invites Us To Be His Followers, Not His Fans

So on Palm Sunday, Jesus had a lot of fans. But that’s because people didn’t quite get what Jesus was up to. In fact, the disciples themselves didn’t get what Jesus was up to. Listen to what John writes, in a moment of very candid self-revelation: “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.” (John 12:16) The term “glorified” is a technical term in John that refers to Jesus’ death and resurrection. In other words, the disciples were still a few traumatic days from putting all the puzzle pieces together and getting a grip on just who Jesus was and on what it meant to be his disciple.

But it’s not as though Jesus didn’t try to explain it to them. Not long after Jesus had entered Jerusalem to the thunderous roar of his adoring fans, Jesus said this to his disciples:

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. (John 12:23-26)

Earlier I used the term “die-hard fan.” A die-hard fan is someone who sticks with his team through feast and through famine. If you are a fan of the Chicago Cubs, who have not won the World Series since 1908, you are a die-hard fan. But a Christian is not a fan of Jesus, not even a die-hard fan. To be a Christian you have to actually die. Do you remember how Jesus put it earlier to his disciples? He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) You know what the cross is for – the cross is an instrument of death. It was the way the Romans executed rebels and criminals. According to Jesus, to follow him means we have to take up the cross; we have to die. To be a Christian does not mean to be a die-hard fan of Jesus; to be a Christian means to be a die-daily follower of Jesus.

I met a church leader named Hugh Halter at a pastor’s conference in January, and took some time to read a book he’s written about a very different kind of church he’s started in Denver called “Adullam,” which is a Hebrew word for “refuge.” Hugh didn’t start Adullam by having church services. Instead, he and his wife and a few fellow “passionaries,” as he calls them, spent two years intentionally becoming close friends with as many unchurched neighbors as they could. They threw lots of parties for their friends, they babysat for their friends, and over time they talked to their friends about how Jesus had changed their lives. A few of those friends decided to follow Jesus themselves, and after awhile one of them asked Hugh this question: “Now that we believe in Jesus, aren’t we supposed to go to church?” Here was Hugh’s answer:

“Actually, church is something everyone should be a part of, but it’s different than being a faith community. Church happens when a group of people decide to go on a mission with God together … For instance, Matt, Maren, Cheryl and I have been on a mission for you. We’ve given up our food for you; we give up our family time and personal interests to accommodate all of your spontaneous dropping in to talk. Half the time or more, we would really rather you stay away so we can enjoy our private time; but then we see you pull up in front of the house and we give another night up for you. We throw parties and gatherings for you and your friends all the time, and although it looks like it’s all fun for us, it’s a heck of a lot of work! In many ways, we’ve died for you; and if you want to be part of a church, you’ll have to die too. You have to give your life away.” (Hugh Halter, “AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church” at pgs. 46-47)

So here’s Hugh Halter’s definition of church; see what you think: “Church is God’s people intentionally committing to die together so that others can find his kingdom.” And isn’t that very much what Jesus told his disciples on that first Palm Sunday? The point of church is not for Jesus’ fans to get together so we can cheer for Jesus. Please don’t misunderstand me – the Bible teaches us to do what we do here, to come together as God’s people to sing his praises and to give him our thanks and our worship. But church is far more than that, because we are far more than fans. We are followers. And as followers, we are called to come and die. And what’s the point of dying? It’s not dying for the sake of dying. Jesus put it like this: “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” The point of dying is to reproduce ourselves. The point of dying to ourselves is so we can offer life through Jesus to others.

Do you know what palm branches are good for? They’re good for fans. If you’re hot, a palm branch makes a good fan; it’s a good tool to use to cool yourself off. But here’s the thing – Jesus didn’t call us to be fans. I know this is a little cheesy, but would you say this with me out loud: “I am not a fan of Jesus.” Jesus called us to be followers. He called us to come and die so that others can find his kingdom, so that our neighbors and family and friends can meet the Prince of Peace for themselves. We are more than fans; we are followers.

Next Sunday is Easter Sunday; it is the most exciting day of the church year. I hope you come next Sunday expecting Jesus to show up, because I am confident that he’s going to make an entrance. And when he shows up, may he find what he’s looking for – a church filled not with die-hard fans, but with die-daily followers. Let’s commit right now to die together so that others can meet Jesus.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download