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 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.
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).
1. There was the
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 was 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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