By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, March 28, 2010 · Palm Sunday
Sermon Text: Matthew 21:1-11
Sermon Theme
In Matthew the Palm Sunday scene is linked to the coming of the Wise Men to Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ birth. The city is thrown into turmoil at the announcement of a coming king. Jesus changes everything. Life cannot be the same once he is present. Jesus himself is a figure in tension. He is both humble king and divine prophet. His coming into Jerusalem represents both abandonment and vindication, failure and victory. He is the great prophet foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15) but he comes from an unimportant village. His power is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9). This is the lesson of Palm Sunday.
Sermon Outline
- Turmoil. Throughout Matthew’s gospel the theme of fulfillment is central (Matthew 1:22, 4:12-15, 5:17, 21:4, 26:54). Palm Sunday is the fulfillment of the coming of the Wise Men. The Wise Men are the first to call Jesus a king (Matthew 2:1-2). Their question plunges Jerusalem into turmoil (Matt. 2:3). The announcement of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem as the humble king also throws Jerusalem into turmoil. Jesus who describes himself as “gentle and humble” (Matthew 11:29) also announces that he has not come to bring peace to the earth but a sword (Matthew 10:34). Jesus creates turmoil in the world and in our lives. He does not leave us as we were before coming to him. He does not allow us to remain as we are. Jesus comes to us before we ever come to him (John 15:16). He creates holy turmoil.
- Tension. Jesus is a figure in tension. This is never more apparent than on Palm Sunday. Jesus is a king. Yet he comes in humility not on a horse or in a chariot but on a donkey. The crowd calls out praises to him. However the leaders plan his destruction (Matthew 12:14). Jesus is all powerful but weak and vulnerable. He is anointed of God but also abandoned by him. Jesus is certain of his mission but also has doubts (Matthew 16:21, 26:39). Jesus’ whole identity is a tension between full humanity and full deity. To follow Jesus is to become part of this tension. We gravitate toward Jesus in the power of his deity. Yet we cannot share in the power without sharing in the weakness. To follow Jesus is to experience both acceptance and rejection. It is in this tension that our faith grows (Matthew 14:28-33; Romans 5:1-5).
- Testify. The crowd testifies to who Jesus is. They declare him to be “the prophet Jesus.” This refers to the promise Moses made to the people of a coming great prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem evokes the image of the coming triumphant and victorious king (Zechariah 9:9). This testimony has to be more than verbal. It is more than service. The Palm Sunday crowd doesn’t grasp this. To belong to Jesus is to share in his mission. Like the crowds on Palm Sunday we are all too ready to share in the triumph of Jesus. The triumph of Palm Sunday is only a sign, a foretelling. It points toward Jesus’ mission. This mission includes Gethsemane and Calvary. To testify to Jesus today is to point toward the coming reality of his victorious return. Yet we cannot do so without going through the same realities of Gethsemane and Calvary (II Corinthians 1:5-6). To testify to Jesus is to identify with him. To identify with him is fully to experience his grace and power.
Questions for Us
- Why do you think Jesus creates turmoil? What are examples of the turmoil he creates in our lives?
- What lessons can we take from the tension of Palm Sunday, Jesus appearing both in power and weakness? Why do you think living in tension is so difficult for us?
- What does it mean for us to testify to Jesus by sharing in his mission? This mission is more than evangelism and service. How do we experience Gethsemane and Calvary in our lives?
