PASSION SUNDAY (Palm Sunday)-HOLY WEEK-A

PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem

I Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7: I did not cover my face against insult- I know I shall not be shamed.

II Reading: Philippians 2:6-11: He humbled himself, but God raised him high.

Gospel: Matthew 26:14-27:66 :The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

The Messiah Betrayed by Judas:

The Pictured of a Ruined Life, Mt 26:14-16

Today we are starting the Holy Week, the most important time our Year of Worship.

Jesus died, yet he still lives on. He went up to heaven but continues to live in our midst. As we have gathered for this Church Service he too has come, faithful to his promise given in the Gospel, to be in the midst of his disciples at prayer (Mt 18:20).

He comes not only to listen but also to speak. He will not be a passive onlooker but active at his work of saving us.

We have gathered to re-enact what happened on that first Psalm Sunday when Jesus went from Bethany to Jerusalem.

The people taking part have changed; there are no apostles and no Jews; we have taken their place. But the same Jesus present there, is also present here.

This Sunday has two names: Psalm Sunday and Passion Sunday. This sounds bit strange; it sounds like saying that it is a Sunday to rejoice and a Sunday to mourn. Well, it is precisely that, as we shall find as the service proceeds:

In the first part of the service, we remember the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem acclaimed by all the people. The procession started from Bethany, the village of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, and ended in the Temple of Jerusalem.

During the second part, inside the church, we shall remember Jesus’ passion and death both in the readings and in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Our procession will end up in the church, which represents Jerusalem. Let no one think that this procession is some sort of entertainment. Jesus will walk in our midst, and we are going to acclaim him as our king, the king of our families, of our village and of each one of us. Our hymns and prayer will amount to a firm promise to serve Him and Him alone.

Let now listen attentively to what the Gospel tells us about Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:1-11: Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!

A. The central message contained in the narration:

a) Jesus was Messiah awaited by the people of Israel

b) Jesus was the Messiah announced by the prophets

B. What were the thoughts that occupied the mind of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem acclaimed by all the people?

C. Christ accepts whatever we offer insincerity of heart and makes use of it to save us.

This was a dramatic picture. Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem began the last week of his life. It is what we call Holy Week or Psalm Sunday. Jesus was unquestionably claiming to be king, but He was claiming to be a different kind of king, a king who was different from what people usually conceived. He was claiming to be the king of peace, the king whose kingdom is not of this earth (Jn 19:36).

The Triumphal Entry: Jesus Deliberately Claimed to Be the Messiah, Mt 21:1-11

Jesus began the of his life. he spent the night before (the Sabbath evening) in Bethany with Lazarus, Mary and Martha (Jn 12:1f). He was now going to deliberately  demonstrate that he was the Messiah, the One prophesied to be the Saviour of the world. He pictured without question that he was the fulfilment of prophecy, the One for whom all righteous men had longed and looked.

1. Jesus’ last week began in Jerusalem (v.1)

2. He deliberately fulfilled prophecy (v.2-5)

3. He deliberately received the homage of the disciples (v.6-7)

4. He deliberately received the homage of the people (v.8-9)

5. Conclusion: The question of the people in Jerusalem (v.10-11)

Thought: A deliberate decision is now required to us. As Jesus deliberately fulfilled the prophecy, so we now deliberately accept or deliberately reject His claim.

We must proclaimed Christ as our king and the Messiah and the Saviour of the world because he has saved us from sin and death while dying on the cross for the whole humanity.

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