PALM SUNDAY
Zechariah 9:9-10
Mark 11:1-11
April 5, 2009
In this pericope there is one week until the holiday of Passover, the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. During this holiday the city of Jerusalem swells from one hundred thousand people to five hundred thousand, a half million worshippers. Jesus, the twelve Apostles, and hundreds of Jesus’ disciples are on the road for Jerusalem. Somewhere around lunch time they arrive in the village of Bethany. Bethany sits on the east side of the Mount of Olives, which sits just east of Jerusalem. Bethany and Jerusalem are about two miles apart. The Mount of Olives is not a big mountain by American standards. It is only about 200 feet high. The road goes from Bethany, up the east side to the top of the Mount of Olives (where the garden of Gethsemane is), down the west side, across a ten-yard wide stream (called the Kidron Valley), and into the city of Jerusalem. The name Bethany means ‘House of Sadness’, and it is the home of Mary, and Martha and Lazarus. Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead, after he had been buried in the grave for four days (John 11:39). Jesus stops in Bethany to have lunch with Mary, and Martha and Lazarus.
As they’re finishing lunch, Jesus picks two of his Apostle’s (we don’t know which two) and sends them to the nearby village of Bethphage – which also sits on the east side of the Mount of Olives, about one half mile north of Bethany. Jesus tells these two Apostles, “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.” Jesus is sending these men to get somebody else’s baby donkey, and bringing it back to Bethany for him to use.
When the apostle Matthew writes about this he says, “Of course that made perfect sense. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The Bible clearly says the Messiah will ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.” When we read this same story in the Gospel of John he says, “Don’t let Matthew fool you. Yes, this was the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. But, we didn’t know that. Not at the time. It was a couple of years later before we figured this out.”
Jesus is very specific about what he wants. In Mark and Luke he tells the Apostles he wants a baby donkey that no one has ever ridden (Luke 19:30). In Matthew he says he wants the baby donkey and its mother (Matthew 21:2). Why is it important to Jesus to have exactly this donkey? Not only is this the fulfillment of prophecy, it is also very symbolic. Conquering kings ride war horses. In the days of Jesus, when a king came had forced a city to its knees, he rode in on his most beautiful war horse to dictate the terms of surrender. The horse was usually transported on a trailer. Just outside of the city, he would take the horse out of the trailer, put on his best and most shiny armor, mount the horse, and then ride into the city. Everyone would ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the king’s majesty.
On the other hand, if the king was capable of conquering the city, but chose not to, he didn’t come himself. Instead, he sent a messenger ridding on a donkey. This messenger brought the terms and conditions under which a mutually beneficial peace could be established. During times of war the sentry’s in the watchtowers looked closely for the approaching ambassador. If he came on a war horse he meant to make them slaves. If he came on a donkey he meant to offer them peace and friendship.
Jesus wants a donkey because it shows he is coming in peace. By bringing the mother as well, it proves this donkey is so young it hasn’t been weaned yet. This donkey is too young to use for any kind of a military or hostile purpose. If a donkey symbolizes peace, a baby donkey is ultra-symbolic of peace. The fact that this donkey has never been ridden means that it is still ‘pure’ symbolically speaking (1 Samuel 6:7). God can only accept that which is pure and perfect. So, it means this donkey is suitable for God. This donkey is bringing God. Here is the message when Jesus arrives on a donkey. God is coming for you. He could crush you, and force you to bend to his mighty will. But, he has chosen to offer you peace. God will make you pure and perfect, if you will accept his terms. The choice is yours. Of course, that’s the exact same message today when Jesus arrives at the gate of our own hearts.
Unfortunately, Jesus was the only one who knew what all of the symbols meant. And, he was the only one who knew how it would all end. We are sinners. If we’re going to be made pure, and perfect, and acceptable to God, a price has to be paid. The price for sin is death. Jesus knew that he alone could pay the price for our sin (Mark 10:45, Hebrews 9:15). Jesus was the only one who knew where that baby donkey would take him.
Jesus gives the two Apostles more instructions. He says, “If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.” It is important to understand that when Jesus tells the Apostles about the donkey, this is divine knowledge and not a prearranged deal. Jesus has not sent messages ahead saying, “When I get to Jerusalem I need to borrow your donkey. I want to make a big statement when I ride in!” Because Jesus is God, he knows about the donkey. And, he knows that the owner will respond positively when he learns that the Lord wants the donkey. Jesus knows the donkey’s owner has made a real commitment to God; he can be depended on. When the Apostles approach the owner they don’t tell him why God needs the donkey, just that he needs it. The owner willingly lets the donkey go.
It was a small, but very important act. Imagine years later, when he finds out that he loaned the donkey that allowed Jesus to fulfill prophecy when he entered Jerusalem. By entering Jerusalem, Jesus could be arrested, convicted, and executed. By being crucified Jesus was able to pay the price for our sin. By paying the price for our sin, we have the opportunity to accept the messenger’s offer of peace. We can receive salvation. Some time later the donkey’s owner finds out that by being obedient in a little thing, like loaning a donkey, salvation became available to all mankind.
Have you ever wondered, if there have been times in your life, when God has been able to count on you to make a wonderful thing happen? Do you ever wonder if God has counted on you to do a small thing, but the right thing, for someone else? Then, that someone else touches another life in a bigger way. Then, that other life is able to make a huge, powerful impact on our world. And, none of it would have happened if God hadn’t been able to count on you for the little thing. Do you ever wonder if a great and awesome work has been accomplished, because God knew he could count on you to loan the donkey?
The Apostles return with the baby donkey. And, late in the afternoon, Jesus leaves Bethany for Jerusalem. The road from Bethany climbs 200 feet to the top of the Mount of Olives. At the crest of the mountain, the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple come into view (Luke 19:36-37). Jesus must have paused for a moment. He was the only one who understood just what would happen in that city. He was the only one who knew how severe the torture would be; how the nails would bite when they went through the heels of his feet; how deep the pain would be just to swallow; how he would die from the exhaustion of just trying to take another breath. Jesus was the only one who knew. He could have turned and ridden the other way, but he went on.
As he starts down the mountain his disciples begin to cheer. They understood something very big was about to happen, but they didn’t understand how it would be revealed. They thought Jesus would ride into Jerusalem, and up to the temple, where the Pharisees and the priests would proclaim him the High Priest and the chief prophet of God. They thought he would continue up to Herod’s house, where the administrators would proclaim him the new King of Israel. They knew Jesus was about to take control of the world, but they didn’t know how. So, they began to cheer.
It is the Sunday before Passover, the most holy and special holiday of the Jewish year. Hundreds of thousands of people are making their way to Jerusalem to celebrate. Jesus and the disciples come from Bethany. Farther to the north comes a crowd from Bethphage. Coming from both directions, along the Kidron Valley, are other faithful Jews. The roads all meet in one place and where they come together the crowds begin to mix. The disciples are cheering Jesus, and when the crowds find out who the man on the donkey is, they begin to cheer too. The shout goes up, “Hosanna, hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Of course they didn’t really yell Hosanna. Hosanna is a made-up word. The book of Mark was written in Greek. Mark writes Hosanna, because it sounds like what the crowd was yelling in Hebrew. In Hebrew the crowd was yelling ho`sa na-, which means ‘save us now, we pray’. It comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which reads, “O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.” As Jesus rides along, the crowd shouts an ancient prayer invoking God to send a Messiah to save them.
As they approach the gate to Jerusalem the cheering fever spreads to everyone who is arriving. “Save us, save us” they cry. Jesus intends to save them by dying. Jesus is the only one who understands that the Messiah must die, in order for everyone else to live eternally. The crowds begin cutting branches off of palm trees. They throw the palm branches and their coats on the road, so that Jesus might ride his donkey over them. This is also deeply symbolic. Palm branches signify that the individual being honored is God himself (Leviticus 23:40). The coats are thrown on the ground as a symbol of receiving a king (2 Kings 9:13).
Symbolically then, Jesus arrives on an unridden donkey, which says ‘God is offering you peace. He desires to make everything perfect between himself and mankind’. The people shout Hosanna, and throw down their coats and palm branches. This means, ‘God, we desire to be saved. We receive your Messiah as our king’. Jesus is the only one who understands what all of this means. And, he is the only one who knows that the road to salvation will take him on a personal journey through hell.
Jesus reaches the gate to Jerusalem, riding a donkey along a carpet of palm branches, while crowds of thousands cheer him. The people inside the city, on the other side of the gate don’t understand what’s happening. They yell to the crowds outside, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee (Matthew 21:10-11).” There are groups of Pharisees standing inside the gates. Their job is to determine if the arriving crowd members are pure enough, and worthy enough, to be allowed to enter the temple. This near riot terrifies them. They shout to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” They want Jesus to make the crowds become quiet and orderly. Jesus shouts back to the Pharisees, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:39-40).” The Pharisees fear this is the beginning of the end. If the crowds decide to anoint Jesus as the High Priest, all of them will be out of jobs. Worse yet, if the crowd decides to proclaim Jesus as the King of Israel, the Romans will surely send armies to crush and destroy the tiny country. All of the men of religion in Jerusalem head for the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, to begin planning a way to assassinate Jesus (John 11:47-53).
Jesus rides his donkey to the temple. Cheering and screaming crowds surround him. The people are chanting, “Hosanna, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Save us, our God!” There is joy, and gladness, and overwhelming excitement. And, what goes unnoticed, what hardly anyone notices, what almost no one notices, is that Jesus is crying (Luke 19:41-42). The crowd wants salvation. They want God to rule them. They want freedom. Jesus has come to give it to them. But, he is the only one who knows what a high price it will cost. He is the only one who knows, that he loves these people so much, he will pay that ultimate price. And, it makes him cry.
Our God did not come to save us because we are such a wonderful people. Our God did not come to save us because we deserve it. Our God did not come to save us because he owed it to us. Our God came to save us, because he loves us more than anything else in all of creation. The Apostle Paul says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” We are special to him. Of all the things God has ever made, only we are made in his image (Genesis 1:27).
Jesus loves you so much, he cried for you and the pain he would endure for you. Jesus loves you so much, he let them beat him and whip him, and rip the skin from his back. Jesus loves you so much, he let them drive nails through his hands and his feet. Jesus loves you so much he let them kill him, and he spent three days in hell suffering for your sin. No matter what you have done in the past, no matter what you will do in the future, you are special – because the living God of the universe loves you that much. Until we meet again, do your best to be a tribute to that love.