May the peace that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Luke 12:12-40 12 On the next day, when the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things for Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!” 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these people then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and were making a request of him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus. 23 But Jesus *answered them by saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him!” 30 Jesus responded and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for yours. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” 33 Now He was saying this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die. (NASB)
This Sunday is possibly the most awkward challenge of the church year for many preachers. Is it Palm Sunday with its great festive parade, or is it the Sunday of the Passion with the betrayal, trial, and execution of Jesus? Historically it is Palm Sunday, over the past couple of decades this Sunday is often designated as Passion Sunday. Why the change? Well most Christians don’t attend church during the week of Holy Week. So if they only attend church on Sunday’s then they go from Palm Sunday Easter Sunday, thus missing the most important events in human and salvation history, the suffering and atoning death of Jesus Christ. Without some element of Christ’s passion, the casual worshiper would go from songs of “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!” to “He is Risen!” without observing the reason for His coming and His rising.
Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday are about as different from one another as they can be. Palm Sunday is a joyful celebration. It sees Jesus as the Triumphal King who is bringing with Him the Kingdom of God with Him. Passion Sunday takes us in the opposite direction. Jesus appears to be the fallen, beaten, mocked, and crucified King of the Jews.
The hymns, the Palm branches, and the first part of the Gospel lesson draw our attention to the images of Palm Sunday. The rest of the Gospel lesson, the collect, prayer, and introit take to the Passion of the Christ.
Jesus’s ride into Jerusalem on Sunday is recorded by all four Gospels. That indicates that Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem is one of the most important events in Jesus’s earthly ministry and a prelude all that will happen in the days following, especially the crucifixion. Jesus is King. He is bring salvation to the children of God.
It was the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead that set in motion the events of the first Palm Sunday. The word has spread. Jesus raised a dead man and now He was on the road to Jerusalem.
The signs of something big happening were everywhere around Jesus. Everything Jesus life was intensifying. His teachings about what was going to take place became clearer and more forceful. He would be rejected, crucified, and rise again. The challenges and demands from the religious leaders had escalated. The miracles show just how powerful Jesus was. Raising a dead man after four days in a tomb was impressive stuff. In the midst of all the tension and political intrigue, a parade of joy and celebration had formed.
14 “Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 ‘Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’” The disciples didn’t connect the dots as usual. All they understood was that people were coming out in droves because Jesus had done great things. But 19 “the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!’”
Jesus was the king, the new king of the crowd was concerned. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna in the highest heaven!” “Hosanna” comes from a Hebrew expression, which means to be safe; to free, to deliver, to help, to preserve, to rescue, or to bring salvation, to get a victory. That’s the picture of Palm Sunday, albeit a bit premature in light of what the people are going to see at the end of the week.
Then here in the Gospel of John, just like that, a transition from Palm Sunday to the Passion of the Christ. Some Greeks want to talk to Jesus. They talk to Philip and Philip goes to his brother Andrew. They take the request to Jesus and wham– just like that Palm Sunday is past and the passion is at the door.
Jesus says stuff like, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. . . . 27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Jesus feels and knows what is about to take place.
The weight of the moment is to great, God the Father speaks. “Then a voice came out of heaven: ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’” The crowd heard and a debate ensued. Was it thunder, and angel of something else.? it were saying that it had thundered; 30 Jesus responded and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for yours. And then again, Jesus leaves Palm Sunday behind and presses forward to Good Friday. 31 “‘Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.’ 33 Now He was saying this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die.”
That’s why for Christians Palm Sunday should always be bitter sweet. We stand on the other side of Holy Week. We know the realities of Holy Week. Know what Judas did. We know what Peter did. We know that all but on disciple ran away and hid. We know what the High Priest and Pilate did. We know what the people cried out that Friday morning, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” We know of the bloody mess. And we know the cry “Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
One the one hand, Palm Sunday, Jesus rides to His death with great excitement, celebration, and joy. At one point to Pharisees demand that Jesus silence the crowd. He says “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40) Palm Sunday also speaks to our desire to dwell in our heavenly home. To live under the gracious reign of God our King.
But Passion Sunday speaks to Christ’s desire, to His unwavering commitment to accomplish the purpose for which He took on flesh and came into the world. The Son of God “emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” That’s the definition of Passion Week.
Jesus set His mind and His heart on the terrible work before Him. There was nothing Jesus was going to do to stop Judas. “What you must do, do quickly.” He did nothing to prevent them from arresting Him in the garden. He told Peter, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve [v]legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” (Matthew 26:52-54)
There was no place He went to go to hide. Jesus said to his accusers, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret.” He did nothing to stop Pilate. He told Pilate “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above.”
Palm Sunday is a joyful, standing, shouting, parading occasion. Passion Sunday, well Passion Sunday is something different than that. Passion Sunday is a kneeling, meditating, humbling, sorrowful, repenting occasion, like when you come to that communion rail.
Jesus did not let the praise and adoration of thousands dissuade Him from the cross. That was the mistake of the Pharisees that were present on Palm Sunday. That was how the gospel lesson this morning ended.
“The Pharisees they were not confessing Him, so that they would not be excommunicated from the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of people rather than the approval of God.” (John 20:42-43)
Jesus did not come to be praised by the multitudes. He came to serve. He came to died the most humiliating and public death possible in the Roman world. He humbled Himelf.
Albert Schweitzer, the great medical missionary, served in his small African hospital doing the most menial jobs. He had the every qualification to seek what people considered prestigious positions at any medical or teaching facility in the world. He held degrees in philosophy, medicine, and theology (he was a terrible theologian). He was also a great organist and writer. One time when Schweitzer came home on furlough, reporters waited for him at the train station. They almost missed him because they looked for him in the first class coach. When asked why he, such a great man, rode in third class, he replied, “There was no fourth class compartment.”
Jesus was entitled to the treatment He received on Palm Sunday and much more. And one many Sundays and festival occasions, Christmas and Easter chief among them, we join the chorus of the Palm Sunday parade. And when the last day comes, Jesus will received the kind of treatment befitting the King and Redeemer of creation. For God has “bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Palm Sunday, the Passion of our Lord, and the resurrection cannot be separated one from the other. Palm Sunday will soon give way to the Passion of Christ, where He earned for you the forgiveness of sin.
AMEN
May the peace that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen