PASSION SUNDAY (Palm Sunday)

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: Luke 22:14-23:56: The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke

The triumphal Entry: Jesus’ Claim to be King, Lk 19:28-40

Today we are starting the Holy Week, the most important time of 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 a 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.

A. The central message contained in the narration:

a) Jesus was the 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).

1. There was a constraint to go to Jerusalem: To suffer and die (v.28)

2. There was the deliberate claim to be king (v.29-35)

a. He planned a dramatic demonstration in detail

b. He used the title “the Lord” in laying claim to men’s property

c. His instructions were carefully followed

d. He accepted the recognition of the disciples

3. There were the people’s proclaiming Him to be king (v.36-38)

4. There was the insistent claim of Jesus; He was to be proclaimed king bye the people (v.39-40)

a. Religionists rebuked Him

b. Jesus insisted that proclaiming Him king was inevitable

Thought: Jesus worshipped and kept the feasts of the Jews. He did not neglect the meeting together with others. The disciples knew this (Heb 10:25)

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