The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. (New Revised Standard Version)
Here are two questions to keep in mind as we consider Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus coming into Jerusalem during the Feast of Passover (Holy Week):
- Is Jesus really enough for me, just the way he is?
- Or, do I think he ought to be different than he is?
Many of the people who gathered to give Jesus praise at the beginning of the week, shouted to the Roman authorities to have him crucified at the end of the week. So, what changed? Why the big turn around?
The change in attitude came because Jesus did not fit the crowd’s expectations of who the Messiah is, and what he should do. Jesus, just as he is, was not enough for them. They did not accept him for who he was.
Let’s be aware and in touch with our own expectations for God, and for what we believe Jesus ought to be and to do. Because missed expectations create either hurt, anger, or both.
How we view Jesus determines how we view the Christian life and the Christian Church. If we see Jesus like an earthly king or politician, and emphasize his war chest, while downplaying his meekness, we will then have a triumphalist view of Christianity. We’ll be disappointed when there is no practical victory taking place.
The crowd wanted assurances that in Christ’s first 40 days in office, he would put the big hurt on the Roman authorities. The people had expectations of strong leadership, making things happen now, and accomplishing big hairy audacious goals of upending the establishment.
But if we view Jesus as the Gentle King and the Humble Sovereign – viewing him as lowly royalty – giving due emphasis to both his authority and his humility, then we will likely worship Jesus as he truly is, and not as we want him to be.
Most of the crowd was following Jesus with misguided expectations
Jesus did some incredible miracles, especially the one where he raised Lazarus from the dead. Over a million people came to Jerusalem every year during the week of Passover, and word had spread about a man who just might be the hope of Israel. They heard about his power and authority, and wanted to check him out.
And this is a good thing, not a bad thing. It’s important that people investigate Jesus and see for themselves who he is and what he’s all about.
Just because there are people who do not respond immediately to Jesus, doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. After all, even the disciples who were closest to Jesus did not fully understand who he was or what he was doing. Only later, after the resurrection and ascension, did they put it all together and “get it.” So, cut others (and yourself) some slack.
Let’s give a lot of latitude to people who seek Jesus. They need the good news of forgiveness and new life in Christ. They don’t need immediate pressure to follow Jesus, or given a set of moral rules to follow, right now, as if clean living brings salvation from sin, death, and hell.
People need room to investigate Jesus, and plenty of helpful guides along the way to point them in the right direction. So, let’s encourage honest questions and real conversations about Jesus.
However, some of the crowd checking out Jesus already had their minds made up about who they thought he should be. They had no room for a suffering servant and a humble savior, seeing only the sins of others, and not their own faults.
Those with closed minds believed Jesus should be a political liberator from the Gentile Romans. The crowd was understandably weary of being dominated by non-Jews. But what many wanted was some serious payback and a new establishment with Messiah in charge.
This would be like, in our own day, getting completely jazzed-up about a particular presidential candidate who did some incredible things on the campaign trail and is now entering Washington D.C. to a ticker-tape parade and lots of flag-waving.
Palm branches were the national symbol for Israel, like our flag displays. There was no question about what the crowd of people wanted: A strong leader-king who was going to change the establishment and inaugurate a new administration of peace and prosperity that put the Romans in their place and give prominence to the Jews, like King David of old.
But Jesus made it evident he was not going to submit to what the crowd wanted. Christ had a different idea about what needed to take place.
Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem on a war horse, but on a donkey
An enthused crowd. People anticipating Jesus… and then he shows up! “What in the heck is he riding on…? Is that a donkey!?” It was an anti-climactic moment.
Jesus purposely chose a donkey to ride into Jerusalem – serving notice to everyone that he was not going to capitulate to the crowd’s agenda for him and become the political savior they were looking for. The establishment was not going to be overturned.
Christ was giving balance to the people about who he was. Yes, he actually is a king, and the sovereign Lord of all – but a gentle King, a humble Sovereign, a meek Messiah. Those adjectives were not in most people’s vocabulary for a king. But Jesus is a king on his terms, not anybody else’s.
Because Jesus is a gentle king, we need not be afraid
Sometimes, what we think we need, and what we actually need, are two different things. Jesus uses his royal authority and power to help, not hurt. Although he might not meet all the expectations of the crowd, that doesn’t mean he will avoid giving them what they really need.
The crowd was too hung up on their hardships and expecting deliverance from a human government. But what they received was something better: salvation from the dark powers of sin, death, and hell.
Jesus will certainly come and right every wrong, but he will do it in God’s timing, not ours.
In the meantime, when evil seems to be winning the day, we can be assured that God’s judgment will deal with each and every sin committed against God’s people. Jesus is attentive to his followers; his grace and power combine to give us what we truly need.
Conclusion
Ironically, Jesus ended up not being enough for his own people; they wanted something different than what they got. Here is the timeless point today’s story emphasizes:
We must adjust to who Jesus is, and not the other way around.
In truth, Jesus came to take on the establishment – just not the Roman one. Jesus came to overturn the ruling establishment of Satan and his wicked spirits; to upend the principalities and powers of this dark world.
Jesus came to take back the people of this earth for God, and he would not do it through a political revolution, but by a spiritual one. Jesus would seize power by becoming a sacrifice for sin, making it possible for people to live a new life without the world, the flesh, and the devil dogging them at every turn.
Jesus is the rightful Ruler of both the church and the world. And he rules in humility, meekness, gentleness, and love. Jesus calls his followers to serve him by living in that same way. Just a few days after the entrance into Jerusalem with palm branches waving, Jesus told his disciples exactly what he wanted from them:
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than the master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him (this is Jesus’ way of saying that they all must adjust to him, and not the other way around). Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:13-17, NIV)
Jesus went on to give them a clear command:
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (this is Jesus’ way of emphasizing what is to be the priority of his subjects in the kingdom of God). By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35, NIV)
Jesus is engaging in a revolution, but not in a worldly sense. Christ sends his followers to spread the message of forgiveness and new life for individuals, families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and nations. It is a revolution that will be ushered in through love, not hate; through the violence of a singular sacrifice, and not through the violence of wars and political coups.
Is Jesus really enough for me, just the way he is? Or, do I believe he ought to be different than he is?
I daily strive to say, no matter the circumstance, that the grace of Jesus Christ is enough for me. If all were stripped and taken from me, if all the world were against me, if nothing went right and all was upside-down, I would still have the love of God in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 