Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday:
April 9th, 2006
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Mark 11:1-11
John 12:12-16
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus Into Jerusalem
Palm Sunday represents a day that is both simple and complex to celebrate in the Lenten calendar. It is easy to focus on how Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey as people threw down their cloaks and some palm branches for their Messiah to travel upon, but it quite difficult for us to interpret and/or understand how the mood, tone, and actions of the people degenerated so quickly over the course of the upcoming week. I feel that such an intense confusion is especially true regarding those people who had been “religiously” following Jesus as his disciples, because, of all people, they should have stayed with/by Jesus during the upcoming Week of Hell (though this week’s official name is “Holy Week”). Yes, I do realize that the people’s forsaking of Jesus in His hour of need was prophesied, but it still doesn’t make sense why it had to happen. Maybe it just goes to show how fleeting human loyalties really are, and, if so, that’s a rather telling condemnation upon human nature.
Mark’s recounting of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem begins with the strange request made by Jesus upon two of His disciples that they appropriate a colt (a donkey in John’s story) that had never before been ridden. Jesus then gives them instructions on how to respond to anyone who might ask them what they are doing with the colt, basically answering any questions they might have had concerning their task (or at least I would have asked Jesus such a tacky question). They are to tell anyone who inquires as to their intentions that “… the Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.” (Mark 11:3, TNIV) The two followers of Christ go to fetch the donkey, are compelled to use Jesus’ words to defend their actions, return to the Jesus and the crowd with the donkey, and place their cloaks on the colt’s back so that Jesus can sit upon the animal’s back. People then commenced to place their cloaks upon the ground in front of the approaching donkey, as Jesus sat astride the pack beast. Shouts of “Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9, TNIV), “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David,” and “Hosanna in the highest heaven” (Mark 11:10, TNIV) filled the voices of the great crowd that was following Jesus.
In John’s rendition of this story, the crowd hears of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. Finding palm branches to wave, they begin to shout phrases like “Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” and “Blessed is the Kind of Israel!” (John 12:13, NIV) Jesus then quotes from the book of the prophet Zechariah, much to the (rather typical) confusion of his disciples.
“Rejoice greatly Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9, TNIV)
Well, with that typical (and easily discerned) timeline completed, what must be emphasized are all of the subtle and overt ways that the disciples and the crowd bestowed outright declarations of the royalty, divinity, and status as the Messiah upon Jesus. “The spreading of the garments represents royal homage (2 Kings 9:13). Branches were also waved in homage to rulers (cf. 1 Macc 13:51; 2 Macc 10:7) … In view of the crowd’s acclamation in [Mark] 11:10, however, the image that may have come most readily to the minds of Mark’s ancient readers is probably that of a royal entrance procession. … ‘Hosanna’ means ‘O save” and both this and the next line of verse 9 come from Psalm 118:25-26. … The coming of the kingdom when David or his descendents would again reign (e.g., Is 9; 11; Jer 23) is here associated with the hope of one coming in the Lord’s name. … By treating Jesus as the object of any of these hopes, the crowds are beginning to see in this teacher a possible messianic figure who could leave them against the Romans.” (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament; p164-165)
Granted, some commentaries state that the crowd (as a whole) might not have made the connection between Zechariah’s prophecy and Jesus Messianic claims, because if they had, the Roman guards at the garrisons and checkpoints would have definitely arrested Jesus and His followers for treason. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament; p164 and The Spirit of the Refomation Study Bible: NIV; p 1727) However, even if we take that caveat into account, we still must acknowledge that the crowd in general found ways and means to best honor the idea that Israel’s long-promised Messiah had arisen. Israel was in the midst of being occupied by the Roman Empire, and, even though the people had already experienced having a revolt crushed in a rather violent fashion, they were still hoping to see their Messiah rise up and overthrow their oppressors, along with the collaborationists amongst the Israeli people.
Israel was hoping that Jesus would be that political and military Messiah, a leader who would come into their midst, galvanize public opinion against the rule of the Romans, and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for the Children of God. Much like the disciples, nonetheless, it seems that the average crowd that followed Jesus’ steps and listened to His parables & stories had no real clue exactly what He was attempting to communicate. Thus, even as Palm Sunday is a tremendous celebration of Jesus receiving honor and glory from his disciples and the average Jew-on-the-streets, it’s rather easy to see how the common person’s opinion concerning Jesus would be dramatically different in just a few days. Jesus wasn’t here on earth to conquer the using the techniques and blueprints that people wanted him to employ; He was here to enact the will of the Father – to die, be buried, and rise again for the eternal forgiveness of humanity’s sins. Palm Sunday is a reminder to us today of reasons and ways to worship our Saviour and the sacrifice that He so willingly accepted, but also that humans are quite fickle creatures, capable of the worst possible jealous and vengeful reactions, especially when their best laid plans fall awry.
Teachers: Read through the Psalm first to set the celebratory tone for Palm Sunday; read it with gusto and feelings of praise towards God. Let the children feel your love for God as you read. Then, read through Mark and John, seeing if any children point out any similarities between the two New Testament passages and/or the Psalm. Focus your energies in this lesson on celebrating Christ as Messiah, since our lectionary readings for this week do the same. Any tension I address and contemplate in this lesson should be for the teacher’s consideration and not for the children.
April 9th, 2006
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Mark 11:1-11
John 12:12-16
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus Into Jerusalem
Palm Sunday represents a day that is both simple and complex to celebrate in the Lenten calendar. It is easy to focus on how Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey as people threw down their cloaks and some palm branches for their Messiah to travel upon, but it quite difficult for us to interpret and/or understand how the mood, tone, and actions of the people degenerated so quickly over the course of the upcoming week. I feel that such an intense confusion is especially true regarding those people who had been “religiously” following Jesus as his disciples, because, of all people, they should have stayed with/by Jesus during the upcoming Week of Hell (though this week’s official name is “Holy Week”). Yes, I do realize that the people’s forsaking of Jesus in His hour of need was prophesied, but it still doesn’t make sense why it had to happen. Maybe it just goes to show how fleeting human loyalties really are, and, if so, that’s a rather telling condemnation upon human nature.
Mark’s recounting of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem begins with the strange request made by Jesus upon two of His disciples that they appropriate a colt (a donkey in John’s story) that had never before been ridden. Jesus then gives them instructions on how to respond to anyone who might ask them what they are doing with the colt, basically answering any questions they might have had concerning their task (or at least I would have asked Jesus such a tacky question). They are to tell anyone who inquires as to their intentions that “… the Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.” (Mark 11:3, TNIV) The two followers of Christ go to fetch the donkey, are compelled to use Jesus’ words to defend their actions, return to the Jesus and the crowd with the donkey, and place their cloaks on the colt’s back so that Jesus can sit upon the animal’s back. People then commenced to place their cloaks upon the ground in front of the approaching donkey, as Jesus sat astride the pack beast. Shouts of “Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9, TNIV), “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David,” and “Hosanna in the highest heaven” (Mark 11:10, TNIV) filled the voices of the great crowd that was following Jesus.
In John’s rendition of this story, the crowd hears of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. Finding palm branches to wave, they begin to shout phrases like “Hosanna,” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” and “Blessed is the Kind of Israel!” (John 12:13, NIV) Jesus then quotes from the book of the prophet Zechariah, much to the (rather typical) confusion of his disciples.
“Rejoice greatly Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9, TNIV)
Well, with that typical (and easily discerned) timeline completed, what must be emphasized are all of the subtle and overt ways that the disciples and the crowd bestowed outright declarations of the royalty, divinity, and status as the Messiah upon Jesus. “The spreading of the garments represents royal homage (2 Kings 9:13). Branches were also waved in homage to rulers (cf. 1 Macc 13:51; 2 Macc 10:7) … In view of the crowd’s acclamation in [Mark] 11:10, however, the image that may have come most readily to the minds of Mark’s ancient readers is probably that of a royal entrance procession. … ‘Hosanna’ means ‘O save” and both this and the next line of verse 9 come from Psalm 118:25-26. … The coming of the kingdom when David or his descendents would again reign (e.g., Is 9; 11; Jer 23) is here associated with the hope of one coming in the Lord’s name. … By treating Jesus as the object of any of these hopes, the crowds are beginning to see in this teacher a possible messianic figure who could leave them against the Romans.” (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament; p164-165)
Granted, some commentaries state that the crowd (as a whole) might not have made the connection between Zechariah’s prophecy and Jesus Messianic claims, because if they had, the Roman guards at the garrisons and checkpoints would have definitely arrested Jesus and His followers for treason. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament; p164 and The Spirit of the Refomation Study Bible: NIV; p 1727) However, even if we take that caveat into account, we still must acknowledge that the crowd in general found ways and means to best honor the idea that Israel’s long-promised Messiah had arisen. Israel was in the midst of being occupied by the Roman Empire, and, even though the people had already experienced having a revolt crushed in a rather violent fashion, they were still hoping to see their Messiah rise up and overthrow their oppressors, along with the collaborationists amongst the Israeli people.
Israel was hoping that Jesus would be that political and military Messiah, a leader who would come into their midst, galvanize public opinion against the rule of the Romans, and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for the Children of God. Much like the disciples, nonetheless, it seems that the average crowd that followed Jesus’ steps and listened to His parables & stories had no real clue exactly what He was attempting to communicate. Thus, even as Palm Sunday is a tremendous celebration of Jesus receiving honor and glory from his disciples and the average Jew-on-the-streets, it’s rather easy to see how the common person’s opinion concerning Jesus would be dramatically different in just a few days. Jesus wasn’t here on earth to conquer the using the techniques and blueprints that people wanted him to employ; He was here to enact the will of the Father – to die, be buried, and rise again for the eternal forgiveness of humanity’s sins. Palm Sunday is a reminder to us today of reasons and ways to worship our Saviour and the sacrifice that He so willingly accepted, but also that humans are quite fickle creatures, capable of the worst possible jealous and vengeful reactions, especially when their best laid plans fall awry.
Teachers: Read through the Psalm first to set the celebratory tone for Palm Sunday; read it with gusto and feelings of praise towards God. Let the children feel your love for God as you read. Then, read through Mark and John, seeing if any children point out any similarities between the two New Testament passages and/or the Psalm. Focus your energies in this lesson on celebrating Christ as Messiah, since our lectionary readings for this week do the same. Any tension I address and contemplate in this lesson should be for the teacher’s consideration and not for the children.
posted by APN | 12:29 AM
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