4-2-23 Sermon Notes “How Do You Spell Success?”

We have been on a journey with the Lord through Lent, and we have now reached Palm Sunday. This seems like such an exciting scene, as we read Matthew’s account of it. It is the Passover, and so there are probably about 2 million people in and around Jerusalem. Jesus, for the first time in his ministry, has actually planned a very public demonstration. Up to this time, he had warned people NOT to tell who he was, and had deliberately avoided “public” scenes.

Palm Sunday is different, though. For one thing, Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy recorded in Zechariah 9:9 - a prophecy that could only apply to the Christ. Jesus was the one who was announcing that he was Israel’s king, by riding in on a donkey. A donkey? Yes! Donkeys were the royal animal of Jewish monarchs (1 Kings 2:32). If a king came into town riding a donkey, they were coming in peace. If the king came into town riding a war horse…well….

This is the scene as Matthew describes it:

1When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately. ” 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matt. 21: 1-11 NRSV)

Fame…power...influence… Does that spell success? Does this mean that Palm Sunday was a “success?” And was Jesus as excited as the crowds that day about his successful public declaration of Kingship? Actually, we read in Luke 19:41, “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.” Maybe we need to take a closer look at how we spell success.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Sam