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Palm Sunday A People of Praise Luke 19:28-44 |
April 9, 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum |
Let’s begin this morning with a question. How would you live your life if you knew that you had only one more week to live? How would that knowledge effect the choices you made about how best to use your time? My guess is that that kind of knowledge would radically alter our entire approach to those next seven days.
--Things that normally seem very important would instantaneously appear insignificant.
--Things that tend to lie at the bottom of the priority pool would suddenly rise to the very top.
It’s an interesting scenario to ponder but the truth is that not one of us will know when the last week of our life has begun. God has not given us that kind of knowledge. But He did give it to His Son. Jesus knew exactly when the last week of His life had begun and he talked about it with His disciples. Matthew 20:17-19 allows us to listen in on that conversation. It says,
“Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them: ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!’”
Jesus’ last week would be lived out in the holy city of Jerusalem among people who would honor Him on Sunday and crucify Him on Friday. From praise and adoration to ridicule and condemnation in a matter of days. And it all began with the event that Christians around the world are commemorating today, Palm Sunday. As Jesus made his way into Jerusalem he was given a reception fit for a king. The air was filled with the sounds of celebration. The people were waving palm branches and paving His path with their coats. It was an incredible sight; a moment of unbridled praise. And even though we know that their praise was short lived we can, still, learn some valuable lessons by looking at the factors that prompted this outburst of praise. And if we learn our lessons well our spirit of praise doesn’t have to be short lived. For us, praise can become an on-going, daily, life-enhancing force in our lives.
Before we dig into some of the details of the event let’s take a moment to recall the big picture as its recorded in Luke 19. We’ll begin with verses 28-40.
After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had see:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Jesus comes riding into town and is met by an enthusiastic crowd shouting his praises and our question is: What was it that prompted this outpouring of praise?
We get our first clue in verse 37 which says, “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices…(WHY?)… for all the miracles they had seen.”
Now, to get to the heart of this first praise lesson let me ask you this question: What has Jesus done at this point of this first Palm Sunday to prompt this outpouring of praise?
Well, the answer is, nothing. In fact, he hasn’t even arrived in town yet. The people have simply caught a glimpse of him from a distance as He’s making His way down the road that leads into the city. Yet, even this distant glimpse is enough to prompt them to break into praise.
Why? Because prior experience has taught them that when Jesus is present incredible things tend to happen. Verse 37 says they broke into praise because of what they had witnessed previously—miracles they had already seen. Consequently, simply knowing that they would soon be in the presence of Jesus was enough to fill their hearts with a joy that had to express itself in praise.
One of the treasured memories that I have of my daughters’ childhood days is the memory of a ritual that played itself out for a number of years every evening when I arrived home from work. I’d park the car in the driveway and begin walking towards our front door with a mind still focused on church stuff and then, as I unlocked the door and stepped into the house I would be instantaneously transported to a different place by two unmistakable sounds.
The first was the sound of little feet running down the hallway as fast as they would go.
And the second was the joyful sound of my daughter shouting at the top of her lungs, “Daddyyyyyyy!”
I hadn’t said anything, I hadn’t given her anything, I hadn’t done anything other than show up and already my daughter was running to greet me with a heart overflowing with joy and a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Why? Expectation based on previous experience. “Daddy’s home. I can’t wait to see what happens tonight.”
Folks, one of the lessons we need to take from the Palm Sunday story is that the presence of Jesus alone is enough to call us to praise. To wake up, every morning, secure in the knowledge that we are, once again, in the presence of the risen Lord should absolutely fill our hearts with praise. Why? Because experience has taught us that, when Jesus is present, anything is possible.
“Lord, I don’t know what you have planned for me today, but…
I know I used to be lost and you saved me.
I know I used to be weighed down by guilt and you forgave me.
I know I used to be empty on the inside and you filled me with purpose.
I know I used to live in the grip of worry and fear and you’ve given me a peace that can’t be shaken.
I know I used to be lonely and you welcomed me into Your family.
Lord, I praise you for what You’ve already done and I can’t wait to see what You have planned for today.”
Folks, write that down and start everyday with it: “Lord, I praise you for what You’ve already done and I can’t wait to see what You have planned for today.”
Now, let’s return to our text and note a second praise lesson. Beginning in verse 37 we read, “…the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
There’s the second factor that prompted this outburst of praise. Jesus was not only coming into their presence…He was coming “in the name of the Lord.”
These folk didn’t know what Jesus might do in their midst that day but they knew this much: God was directing His every activity. Consequently whatever He did would be an expression of God’s desires and a fulfillment of God’s purposes. They were singing and shouting His praises because Jesus had come “in the name of the Lord.”
And, folks, that’s exactly the way that He comes into our lives, today. He comes to us, specifically, to do the work that His Father sent Him to do in us, among us and through us. Jesus talks about this in John 5:17, 19-20 when He says, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” Folks, wherever Jesus is, the work of the Kingdom of God is being accomplished.
--When we gather for worship Jesus is present. And if Jesus is present it must be Kingdom business.
--When we gather for Youth Group, AWANA, MOPS, Sunday School and small groups. Jesus is present. And if Jesus is present it must be Kingdom Business.
--When we reach out in compassion to a neighbor or a co-worker who is hurting Jesus is present. And if Jesus is present it must be Kingdom business.
--When we offer thanks before the family dinner or read a Bible story to our children at bedtime Jesus is present. And if Jesus is present it must be Kingdom business.
Folks, there’s no such thing as a minor encounter with Jesus. Whenever and wherever he comes, He comes “in the name of the Lord.” He comes to do the work His Father sent Him to do. What an honor it is to be included in that work. What a privilege it is to participate with Him in that work. What a great reason to offer Him our praise every day.
Returning to our text one last time we see that the story takes an abrupt and dramatic turn in verses 41-44. It says:
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They 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.
The people are shouting and singing and Jesus is weeping. Why? Because He knows that while they may be welcoming Him into the city the vast majority of them have not welcomed Him into their lives. That’s why their praise will be so short lived. They’ve embraced him as a celebrity. But they haven’t embraced Him as their savior. They’ve missed the significance of His arrival. As Jesus says in verse 44, “You did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
But, folks, we have. We have. Jesus revealed Himself to us and we responded by confessing our sins, accepting His forgiveness, and welcoming Him into our lives as our Lord and Savior. For us, Jesus is not a visiting celebrity. Jesus is an empowering and abiding presence in our lives. And because of that praise can also be an empowering and abiding force in our lives.
Folks, the truth is that for those who know him, praise is the most satisfying and natural response to being in the presence of Jesus. When our eyes are fixed on Jesus our hearts will be filled with praise. Unfortunately, life has a thousand different ways of squeezing the reality of Jesus’ presence right out of our minds. And once that happens praise is the furthest thing from our minds.
--Sometimes the culprit is busyness. We fill our lives with so many activities and obligations that we’re too busy to notice Jesus’ presence.
--Sometimes the culprit is emptiness. We sit through worship services because that’s what Christians are supposed to do. But, between Sundays we don’t do anything to feed our spirit or deepen our relationship with the Jesus. And, in time, our minds become dulled to His presence.
--Sometimes the culprit is sin. The Holy Spirit convicts us of a behavior or an attitude that has no place in our life. But because it’s become a part of our life we decide to hold on to it. And the darkness of that abiding sin grows and begins to obscure our ability to see Jesus.
But make no mistake about this, folks: when our eyes are fixed on Jesus our hearts will be filled with praise.
Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
Open our eyes, Lord, and make us a people of praise.
© Copyright 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum