Palm Sunday Sermon Notes; Continued
The focus of Palm Sunday is that Jesus comes as king. In its historical setting Matthew quotes a passage from Isaiah 62:11 & Zechariah 9:9 and the symbolism of Jesus on a donkey riding into Jerusalem would not have been lost on the crowd who would have been very familiar with the prophetic promise. This prophecy marked the coming of salvation or rescue. anticipating freedom from the lordship of Rome. It said in symbolic language here comes the king who will rescue us! But this king went on to die: A death that only the very lowest in society could die and certainly not a powerful king. So for the people of Jesus’ time there would have been for many a question mark over his true identity; could this Jesus still be a king even though he died a degrading and humiliating death?
In our Philippians passage Paul is addressing some of these issues. Yes Jesus was God but he put that aside and became a human being and as such he died. He died and then he rose from death to present himself to a great number of his followers over the next few days. Paul records this is in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. NRSV
Following his resurrection scripture now declares that he is the king supreme. He has the name above every name; Jesus now reigns in high office which cannot be altered. God has named him King no one can take his kingship away. Hence Paul’s declaration, “Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ. Jesus. “ When we grasp who Jesus was and is we have a fresh appreciation of what he offered for us on the cross. Having become fully human he submitted to take the whole weight of sin upon himself.
Why did he do that?
1] Out of love for God. That sacrifice is what God wanted because that was the only way to re-link us back to God, as scripture says, “By his stripes we are healed”. 1Peter 2:24
We all know how far short of even our own expectations we fall. A story once told to me of a little boy playing up in church and his mother after several attempts of making him behave, took him by the hand and began to lead him out of the church. As they left his piping voice was heard to say, “I was sorry before I did it”. I think we can all understand the feeling of that little boy, how sorry we are when confronted with our failures. But even so we still seem to be constantly slipping back. As a farmer many years ago I remember pulling a few young sheep out of a dam that was almost empty of water. Up to their bellies in mud they were unable to move. So pulling them out and leaving them on the top of the bank only to see that once they tried to stand up they quickly lost their balance and quickly tumbled right back into the mud, straight back into the dam! If you think we are not in need of a saviour think about how often we tumble back nto those things that hold us down.
Jesus is Lord because he loved God enough to lay aside his own dignity and position in order that God’s plan and purpose was fulfilled. Therefore God exalted him. The crowd cheered him as king but then drew back, but God endorsed him fully and finally through his death on a cross.
2]. But he also did it out of love for us. God has always loved his people. Jesus came to put a human face to that love and a practical action to that love. Love in action is giving of yourself. We know that instinctively. Love is not soft words but tangible effort. That is how Jesus loved us. Through the action of the cross.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. John 15:13
“God proved his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us”. Romans 5:8
“and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2
As we remember the story of Palm Sunday, and think of the King coming in to Jerusalem let us not miss the significance for us. Here was a king laying down his life for us. As the Scripture says he lay down his life once for all. Once he was destroyed as the lowest of servants but death could not hold him. Now he is King over all. Before Him every knee will bow. There is nothing in this world which will vanquish this King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the true One who gave up his life: And he did it for us.
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