The Big Miss On Palm Sunday
(Written by
Kevin A. Hall 04.09.17)
Jesus walked wherever He went. There were no cars, no
bicycles, no motorbikes, no trucks, no planes, no buses. They had chariots, horses
and other animals of use… but His preferred method of travel was by foot. This
makes me think about the days when there were strikes in the country and a
couple of us would “foot it” for miles back home from school. Those were the days. The good old days. Nowadays, if you are like me, then I park my car near a mall entrance, return to my car, then drive to the other
side of the mall (unless of course my wife is with me..then I have to walk the entire mall. I get lazy sometimes. But not Jesus! He loved “footing it”. Except when He traveled by boat, or walked on water! Today would be
different. Today, He gave His disciples a different kind of instruction:
As they approached Jerusalem and came to
Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2saying
to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you
will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring
it here. 3If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you
doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ”
4They went and found a colt outside in the
street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5some
people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6They
answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7When
they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it (Mark 11:1-7)
His followers knew something was about to happen. Why did
Jesus want to travel on a young donkey? Imagine
what was going through their heads…He is up to something Today.
Today!!
Before I tell you what will happen Today, I want to share
what happened a few days earlier.
Jesus raised a man from the dead. We’ve heard of dead people
being raised from the dead before – The Prophet Elisha performed a miracle hundreds
of years before (2 Kings 4), but nothing like what is about to happen. Lazarus
was dead for 4 days. 4 Days! Can we say “really dead?”. This is a good chance
to remind you that if you are currently in a situation that feels dead, is
dying or is dead, the resurrection power of Jesus is the answer you seek. On this
Palm Sunday… The Kingdom of God is at hand even as you read this post.
When Jesus came on the scene and saw what death had done to
His friend (He already knew- John.11) the Bible says “He groaned in the spirit
and was troubled” (John. 11:33). He cared about what His friends were going
through (when He saw her weeping…11:33a). Don’t tell me God does not care about
my problems. Not only was He deeply moved, but Jesus cried – He Wept! (John.
11:35)
Check out Jesus’ response:
He assesses the situation
He is moved with compassion
He is troubled or angry at the situation. The Greek words
describing this moment are embrimaomai - suggesting really angry and tarasso - suggesting stirred up or agitated. Jesus was angry at death. Jesus was angry at
Satan. Jesus was angry at the pain this situation has caused His friends. And
He feels the same way when the devil and sin and the world causes us pain,
bondage and loss. The Bible says “For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin” (Hebrews. 4:15). Jesus cares!
In the face of this challenge to His friends Jesus acts:
Jesus, once more
deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the
entrance.39“Take away the stone,” (John.
11:38-39)
Jesus wants to help with your dead situation too! Do you
need a miracle?
A little later Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The
dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth
around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let
him go” (John. 11: 43-44)
I believe that if Jesus had not called Lazarus by
name, then any number of dead people would have come out of their graves. There
are times in our spiritual walk when we just have to speak to the dying or dead
situations in our lives as alive in Jesus name! You shall live and not die!!
Of course you know this was a big deal in his town… A man who
was dead for 4 days being raised from the dead? The news spread FAST – “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” (John. 12:17). To them, this was
their man. This was the King they were waiting for. Anyone with this kind of
power can certainly topple the Roman government. They had never seen anything
like this before. Is this the Messiah? If you are in a challenging spot right
now, I encourage you…Jesus is the Messiah. The One who came to save His people.
He will not disappoint. Jesus brings dead things back to life. In fact, He even
promises “Rest” for those who wish to have it (Hebrews 4:6-10)
Do You Believe? Do you believe that God can do the miraculous
for you? Martha (Lazarus’ sister) said to Jesus “If you had been here, my
brother would not have died”. She knew Jesus to be a healer…but to raise the
dead? That’s a whole different level! Jesus said to her “Do you believe Martha?”
Do you believe? Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26and
whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11: 25-26).
Let’s
get back to TODAY!
A couple days earlier, Jesus healed a blind man just by
touching his eyes. He asked him “What do you want for me to do for you?” The
blind man said “I want to see”. Jesus touched his eyes and said “Go, your faith
has healed you” (Luke 18:35-41). And He also fed 5000 people using only 5 bread
loaves and two pieces of fish (John 6). Now He raises a dead man? Can you see
how the people felt about this miracle worker?
Now we arrive at Today. He is seated on the donkey….
Many people spread
their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the
fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10“Blessed
is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11Jesus
entered Jerusalem… (Mark 11:8-11)
Wow!! Today is a glorious day!!
I told you Today would be different. There were echoes in the
city. There were thousands gathered for the feast of Passover. No doubt many
heard about this King and miracle worker. Hundreds shouting Hosanna! Hosanna! Palm
leaves waving. One interpretation of the word "Hosanna" is "Save us". Imagine then the passion in their voices..Messiah! Save us! Messiah! Save us!The atmosphere was jubilant!! Something great was about to
happen!! Messiah and King has come!! The
King is about to enter His city…The beautiful city of King David. The city of
Jerusalem.
Can you imagine the disciples in all this? Jesus…A King! We
get to be his Princes. We will have power. We will be right there in the thick
of things!! Peter, can you imagine? What position will you get? This is it!!
This is why we left that smelly fisherman job. No more boats John…No more tax
collecting Matthew!! This is why we left it all to follow Jesus! We
are no longer the hated ones! Soon, Jesus will set up His kingdom and we will
no longer have to deal with these wretched Romans.
The Big Miss!!
The Bible says of this key moment in history “His disciples
did not understand all this" (John 12:16). If the disciples were confused, think about the crowd: Meanwhile, many people continued to testify that they
were with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the
dead. That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard
that He had performed this sign (John 12:17-18).
But perhaps the most significant thing happened that day…Amidst
the shouting, the noise, the palm branches waving, all the miracles they’d seen
and were hoping to see….
THEY MISSED JESUS
THEY MISSED JESUS, JUST LIKE MANY
WILL MISS HIM TODAY
As I write this, many will go to churches worldwide and
still many will ignore the significance of the moment, of Today. Thank God for the any who are abiding in His truth. Let me sum it
up in Jesus’ words (Luke 19:41-44):
As he approached
Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and
said, “If you, even you, had only
known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The
days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you
and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They
will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will
not leave one stone on another, because
you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
What Jesus talking about? He knew they were with Him now for
what they believed they could get from Him. They wanted a Messiah on their own
terms. Many people want God only on their terms. But the minute He says “I am
not that kind of Messiah… I want to be Lord of your life…I want your heart, not
your hands…Your life must be submitted to me…It’s all of the Bible, not some of
it…You can’t pick and choose which part of the Bible you want to honor and
which part you want to reject…” No! They wanted a different kind of Messiah.
This was not Jesus’ plan for them. In 5 days from now, these very same people
who are with Him would now be against Him. The Rejected Him, shouting “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Jesus wanted to give them real peace. The kingdom He was offering
was a spiritual one. One that gives eternal peace, and present blessings (not
withstanding persecution and trouble). He knew that in sixty plus years or so (AD 70) the Roman government would totally destroy Jerusalem the likes of which has never been seen. The Bible refers to it as the Abomination that causes Desolation (Matthew 24) - A tremendous loss of lives and property with great persecution. So yes, for the Disciples Today was a
special day, it was a different day, it would be an unforgettable day. Eventually they got the significance of the day. But this was after the people had
crucified Jesus (John 12:16). On this Palm Sunday…. Will you miss your calling from God Today as well? One of my favorite verses sums up this moment - "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart"(Hebrews 3:7-8). Today is your day. Baptism in Jesus Name Saves!! Your Salvation can only be found
in Him (John 14:6). Tired of Rituals? Then I encourage you to consider a Relationship with Jesus.
THE WAY
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