Luke 19: 28-40… Palm Sunday

As we come to Easter I want to look at what is called the ‘Passion week’. I cannot look at Luke’s passages on this ‘Passion week’ in just the five days of that week, so I am starting early, trusting that I will get to the Easter story on the correct day.

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Comment: There is an incident in John’s gospel that Luke doesn’t include. Jesus kept the Sabbath (Saturday) evening meal in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. A large crowd gathered around the place and were excited and hyped up because they were expecting Jesus to claim His position as Leader of the Jews and to overcome the Romans and make the Jews the great nation of the past. He, of course, never promised that but had spoken several times about His impending death.

On the Sunday morning when Jesus and his disciples began their journey to Jerusalem for the Passover weekend, which was the next one, the now excited crowd thronged around Him shouting out phrases which proclaimed Jesus as the King, God’s chosen Messiah and acknowledged Him as their long awaited Saviour. But they were both right and wrong in so-doing as we shall see over the next week. Note….

• He came in a most un-kingly way. There was no prancing white stallion and procession of dignitaries. The Jewish dignitaries were wanting him to quiet the crowd who were there.
• He sat on someone else’s donkey colt and used peoples’ clothes thrown over it as His saddle. They threw clothes and Palm leaves on the road instead of a welcoming red carpet.
• The Pharisees were telling Him to silence the crowd but Jesus, quoting from the Old Testament, said that if mankind went silent nature would cry out. This was His moment of accolade!

They were right, He was the triumphant Messiah – they were wrong He was proceeding to His death!

Prayer: Help me to seek, find and follow the True You, Lord Jesus.