The Sounds of Palm Sunday—Matthew 21:1-11 (April 13 Sermon summary and discussion questions)

Summary

After three years of public ministry, mostly in the region of Galilee, Jesus made a final journey to the city of Jerusalem. The city was crowded with pilgrims making their way for the celebration of Passover, and Jesus ensured that he stood out from the crowd on this special, climactic occasion. Prior to this, he had kept his identity as God's Messiah quiet, knowing that people would misinterpret what it meant for him to be the long-awaited king. Now at last Jesus was ready to declare himself, and he did it by arranging to enter the city mounted on a donkey in fulfillment of the words of the prophet Zechariah from long ago. To ride in on a donkey was to be visible among the crowd of pedestrians, but it was also to come in peace: a donkey was only an appropriate mount for a king during peacetime.

The crowd of pilgrims who were walking alongside Jesus, along with Jesus’ disciples, took off their cloaks to make a sort of “red carpet” entrance for Jesus. Others snapped off branches of trees to lay the leafy limbs down along the path to add to the ceremony. And they shouted praises, quoting from the psalms: “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Their song of praise was true, but the people who sang it would surely not have guessed the way events would play out in the week to come. Many of them would be deeply confused when Friday came and their hopes seemed to be dashed.

Matthew says that the city of Jerusalem quaked as Jesus entered it. The choice of this word reminds us that the city responded similarly when Jesus was born. At that time King Herod was murderously upset at a threat to his power. Now, as King Jesus enters the city, Jerusalem quakes again. The religious leaders don't like the kinds of things that Jesus has been saying. They feel threatened by him. So do the Roman officials and all who would be loyal to Caesar.

Our sense, as we watch this scene unfold, might be to imagine that the pilgrim crowd are the good guys and the Jerusalem mob are the bad guys. It is always tempting to divide the world up into good and bad according to our own judgments. It's tempting, but misleading. The Bible makes it clear that when we stand before Jesus we are all equally in need.

In Jerusalem, a key question arises: “Who is this man?” The crowd answers, “He is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.” Certainly Jesus was a prophet, but he was much more than that. As the week unfolds, Jesus wants his followers to see his heart. “Nobody takes my life from me… I lay my life down for my sheep.” He laid his life down for you and me, to save us from sin and death. And all our goodness will be worthless if we reject the love of our Creator that meets us in Jesus. Judas, ready to betray, was in the crowd of pilgrims singing praises. So was Peter, who still hadn't accepted the necessity of the cross. And all our badness won’t be the final word if Jesus claims us as his own. In the city of Jerusalem there was a criminal who would turn to Jesus in the last moment of his life can be assured of salvation. There was a Roman centurion who would confess Jesus the moment after he died. And soon enough there would be the angry and zealous Saul, whose life would be changed by Jesus and who would become the great missionary committed to sharing God's love with all the nations. Like all of these ancient people, we are invited this week to look closely at Jesus and see what we make of him.

Discussion Questions

1.      As you think about the events of Holy Week—everything that took place between Palm Sunday and the morning of Good Friday—which stories resonate most with you? Why do they have this power?

2.      Read Psalm 118:15-29. Early Christians found that the language of this Psalm seemed to echo some features of Jesus’ life. This may have been why the crowd drew on this Psalm as Jesus entered Jerusalem. What verses do you think become more meaningful if we think about them in light of the crucifixion of Jesus?

3.      Matthew 21:10 presents us with the question, “Who is this?” It prompts us to think about how we are responding to Jesus. Read the following passages from the days before Good Friday.

a.      Matthew 21:28-32—the Parable of the Two Sons: What did Jesus mean to teach with this parable? What does the parable teach us about the difference between our words and our actions? What might Christian people today learn from this parable?

b.      Matthew 26:6-13—the anointing at Bethany: How differently do the woman and the disciples respond to Jesus’ presence in this short story? What do you think this situation has to say to us today Denmark

c.      Matthew 26:31-35—Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denials: What did Peter get wrong in this conversation? Are we in danger of doing the same thing? How might we guard against the false confidence Peter had?

d.      Matthew 26:36-44—Gethsemane: What does Jesus ask of his disciples in this passage? What makes them fail? Do you have sympathy for them? When you read, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” What types of limitations come to mind?

4.      In Matthew 21:11, the people say that Jesus is “the prophet from Nazareth.” In what ways is this statement true? In what ways is it insufficient?

5.      This year, how will you try to take a closer look at Jesus as Good Friday and Easter approach?