Palm Sunday: View from a Donkey

March 25, 2018 (040112)

Palm Sunday:  View from a Donkey
Matthew 21:1-10

SIS—The Triumphal Entry illustrates the importance of viewing things God’s way—a common, recurring theme in the Bible. Knowing God’s Way is knowing the “most important lesson in life.”

(VIDEO:  God’s Way, Before I get up).  Let’s read about that Great Day in the Life of God’s People:  Mt. 21:1-9

Notice how Matthew meticulously records the story to demonstrate the contrast between the Way of God and the way of the world.

Jesus rides into the village on a donkey, instead of a Great White War Horse as most conquering generals would do.  It is true that on occasion a returning general who had been victorious in battle would ride a donkey instead of a White Stallion, but that was not the preferred mode of travel for Great Kings and Conquerors.

Notice the names of the two insignificant villages. Mark and Luke tell us the villages were Bethphage and Bethany, twin villages near Jerusalem.  Matthew only names Bethphage, and calls the other one, “the village.”  These cities would not garner any mention in history were it not for the mention by Bible writers.  They were not on any map of “important places to visit.”

The crowd that gather are common people who remain nameless in the annals of history.  No dignitaries are mentioned as coming to greet Jesus Christ.  There is no “red carpet” rolled out.

Every detail in this story contrasts the Way God does things with the way the world does things.  The Triumphal Entry contrasts God’s view of what is important with man’s view of what is important.  I see this contrast revealed in at least three ways.

1.  We must view Our SAVIOR as more important
      than Our SELF (3)

³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.”

The words, “The Lord needs” and “immediately” juxtaposed in the verse is telling of what is so wrong in Christianity today.
True devotion results in “immediate obedience,” without question.  This not “blind” obedience because the Lord is absolutely trustworthy. 

If only our trust in and devotion to God were so deep that we would “obey immediately.”  Delayed obedience is disobedience.  Our Savior is more important than our own self. 

There’s an adage in military life that says, “Ours is not to question why, ours is just to do or die.” Sailors have a different version of the importance of the mission:  Mission, Ship, and Shipmate, in that order.  In any military group, there can be only one supreme leader.  As soldiers of the Lord, our Supreme Leader is Jesus Christ, and His mission means everything.

As a veteran, I would never have considered disobeying a direct order of the Captain of my submarine.  My allegiance was not based upon blind faith, but upon a “relationship” with the Captain that had shown him to be of sound mind and trustworthy character.  I knew the Captain, “personally,” albeit professionally.

The key to the success of our mission is the Savior, not our self.

I doubt very seriously if the man with the donkey and colt

would have given them up because two rough looking itinerant preachers asked.  But, when they dropped the name of Jesus, the man gave up his possessions without so much as a question.

The next best thing to “being important” is knowing someone important.  There’s no one more important to know than Jesus!

It has been a few years ago, now.  Many of you will not remember the man about whom I will now speak.  This man was one of the most famous people in his day was a man by the name of Billy.  He was often in the news.  He was quite a popular topic for the news – usually because of very bad behavior that was an embarrassment to his family, especially his brother.  In fact, had it not been for his famous brother, no body outside of his small farming community would have known who he was.  He was a nobody, but he had almost unrestricted access to the President of the United States.  The President was Jimmy Carter.  The infamous brother was Billy Carter.  Billy was important, not because of who he was, but because of who he was related to. 

That’s how it is with you and I.  The Savior is more important than our Selves.  Our authority comes from His authority.  The Word says,

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  ¹⁹Therefore, Go! (Mt. 28:19)

Why would anybody care to hear what we have to say?  Chances are: they would not.  But, because of “Who” we know, we can accomplish even the most difficult tasks.  Christ is the key to success in the church – some of us forget this sometimes.

2.  We must see Our ASSIGNMENT as more important
      than Our STATUS.  (6)

⁶ The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them.

In context, this verse had to do with a specific assignment to two specific (unnamed) disciples at a specific moment in history.  The instructions were simple enough:

¹ When they approached Jerusalem  and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives,  Jesus then sent two disciples, ² telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.”

This wasn’t a very impressive assignment.  The disciples did not achieve “celebrity status.”  In fact, as I mentioned, they remained nameless.  But, the lack of celebrity status aside, they were faithful.  Their actions, though anonymous, have become a part of God’s eternal record.  They opted for “eternal status,” over celebrity status.

That was then.  This is now.  That assignment for those two disciples was completed.  But, what about you and I.  Do we as disciples of Jesus, today, have an important assignment to carry out?  According to Jesus we do have an important assignment.  His last words to his disciples then, and to us by extension today are these:

^{Mat 28:19} Go, therefore, and make disciples of  all nations,  baptizing  them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,  I am with you always,  to the end of the age.”

Our assignment is not glamorous and it certainly isn’t easy.  We will not achieve celebrity status.  In fact, we may be persecuted as we carry out the assignment. Most of us will die in relative obscurity known to but a page or a few pages of persons registered at our Home-going.

The assignment is simple: tell the world about Jesus the Savior.  We only get one chance at completing our assignment in this world, and we don’t know how long we will have to do it.  We must be consumed by our mission.

There was a young man named Tommy. He was student at a Christian-based university.  Though the school was Christian-based, like many Christian liberal arts schools, not all the students are Christian.  Tommy, in fact, considered himself an atheist.  Well, Tommy decided to take a class called, “Theology of Faith.”  With hair six inches below his shoulders, Tommy would sit skeptically in the back of the class.  When the professor spoke of anything about God (which was most of the course), Tommy would smirk obviously amused that anyone could believe such things.  Tommy did his work and was usually respectful most of the time.  Tommy did challenge the professor on occasion.  The professor was usually kind and tried to accommodate Tommy’s lack of faith  The semester ended.  As Tommy turned in his final paper he said sarcastically, “Well, professor do you ever think I will find God?”  The unassuming professor decided to try some shock treatment and said, “No!” quite emphatically.  Tommy was a little taken back by the professor’s uncharacteristic bluntness.  Tommy replied, “Oh, really.  I thought God was the product you were pushing.”  As Tommy made his way to the door about to exit for the last time the professor called out, “Tommy, I don’t think you will ever find God, but I’m certain God will find you!”  Tommy left.  Later, the professor received a sad report: Tommy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Before the professor could search Tommy out, Tommy showed up at his office.  He was thin.  His long hair had fallen out from the chemo-therapy.  But, Tommy’s eyes were bright and his voice had a note of optimism that the professor had never experienced.  Tommy blurted out, “I’m sick.  It will only be a matter of weeks.”  The professor asked kindly, “Well, can you talk about it?”  Tommy said, “Sure.  What would you like to know?”  The professor asked, “Well, what’s it like to be 24 and know you are dying?”  Tommy, almost cheerfully, replied, “Oh, it could be worse.”  The professor said, “Worse.  How so?”  Tommy leaned over toward the professor and said with confidence, “I could be 50 and have no values or principles to live by or for thinking that life only consisted of booze, chasing women and making money.” Then Tommy’s eyes fixed on the professor.  He said, “Professor, what I really came here to talk about is something you said the last day of class.  I asked you if you ever though I would find God and you said no.  That surprised me.  Then you said, ‘But God will find you!’  When they first removed the lump in my groin and said it was malignant, I began to search for God.  As my disease got more serious, my search got more serious.”  But, I never found God.  In fact, I quit looking.  I made peace with my Dad, my Mom, and my brother.  I decided to spend my last few weeks telling those close to me how much I loved them. Then one day I turned around and God was there.  He didn’t come when I searched for Him to possess Him as my own.  You were right.  When I was looking for God in my way and in my time, I could not find Him.  But, when I surrendered my heart and stopped looking, He found me.”  The professor said, “Tommy, that’s wonderful.  Could I ask you a favor.  Would you come and tell this semester’s “Theology and Faith” class your story?”  Tommy agreed to come.  But he never made it.  The professor talked with Tommy one last time.  “I’m not going to make it professor.”  The professor said, “I know Tommy.”  Then Tommy said, “Professor, will you tell them for me?  Will you tell . . . the whole world for me?”  “I will, Tommy.  I will tell them.”

That’s our assignment.  Tell the world about Jesus.  None of us knows the length of our days, but all of us should measure them by the length of eternity.

It may not be a glamorous assignment, but it is our duty to God.

Regardless of how hard it is to keep telling the story. Regardless of how people might reject us or put us down, we must keep eternity in view and remember:

Our assignment is more important than our status in life.

3.   We must see our SALVATION as more significant
      than Our SACRIFICE  (8)

Something wonderful takes place in the pageantry of the Triumphal Entry that can be easily overlooked.

⁸ A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting:  Hosanna to the Son of David! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Most Palm Sunday services place the emphasis on the shout of praise from the crowd:  “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He Who Comes in the name of the Lord.”

That is an important phrase in the N.T. it comes from the Hebrew, or perhaps the Aramaic, “hoshia-na.”  The two words together mean:  “save us, we now pray.”  By the N.T. period it was a familiar term used regularly in worship as a “prayer for help.”  The idea being conveyed is:  “The crowd recognized Jesus as Messiah—the Son of God Who had come to help.”

Though, they did not really understand that the way God intended to help them was not the way the intended to be helped.  They wanted political freedom, but God was bringing them spiritual freedom.  How different is the Way of God from the way of the world.  We often get the two confused.

Now, the crowd not only shouted, but did something else that was very symbolic. The people cut and laid palm branches (common in the area) in the road in honor of Jesus.  This is why we call the Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, on the Christian calendar.

The palm tree is one of God’s grand designs. I remember the first palm trees I saw, or at least the first that I took any notice of.  I got off the plane in the Honolulu airport and thought I had arrived in the Garden of Eden.  In the open areas of the terminal were the most spectacular palm trees.  They looked like giant sentries guarding the airport grounds.  I was impressed.

Palm trees in the Bible are associated with the victory of the saints--the triumph of God’s people over our enemies (Rev. 7:9)

But, I’m not near as impressed with the palm branches as I am the second  part of the verse, “a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road.”  Now, that’s impressive.  That is a little more of a sacrifice.  God grew the palm branches, but the cloaks were provided by the people’s own hard work.  The cloaks cost them something, the palm branches did not.  I think it is more apt to call this Sunday, “Cloak Sunday,” rather than Palm Sunday.  That is more in line with the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem. Have you heard the expression, “He’d give you the shirt of his back!”  This means that someone is so giving, so willing to sacrifice, that he, or she, will do whatever the mission requires.

When God made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, he gave nothing less than His Only Beloved Son.  This reminds me of the hen and the pig.  I tell this story often because it is one of my favorites.  Both were asked by the farmer to make a contribution to the morning’s breakfast table.  The hen without reservation gave two eggs.  The pig hesitated and balked.  The hen reprimanded the pig.  “The master is quite good to us.  Is it too much to ask a little in return.”  The pig very quickly replied, “Providing a couple eggs is little enough sacrifice for you, but providing the bacon will cost me everything!”

How true.  Devotion takes on a whole new meaning depending upon what it actually costs us. Too many Christians value salvation too cheaply because they do not realize how much it cost. For God to save us, it took the greatest sacrifice imaginable.  Our salvation cost God His very own Son, and it cost the Son His very life.  God held nothing back to save us—we should hold nothing back to serve Him.

We must view things from God’s perspective:  we must see the eternal value of our SALVATION as more important the momentary cost of our SACRIFICE.   Paul says it this way:  (Rom 8:18)

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing  with the glory  that is going to be revealed to us.

I learned a little ditty in college that will serve us well as we think of our momentary sacrifice in light of our eternal salvation.

‘Tis one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last!

Our SACRIFICE, however great it might be—and for some, it will be very great, indeed—will last but a few years, but our SALVATION, and all the glory we will share, will last for eternity. 

Our sacrifice lasts but a lifetime—our salvation lasts forever!

Jesus road to His destiny on a donkey—a common beast of burden.  The pomp and circumstance of that Triumphal Entry would not even last a week.  Many in that same crowd crying, “Hosanna,” would in a few short days be crying, “Crucify Him.” 

You can get a really good view of how different God’s Way is from the way of the world, sitting on top of that donkey.

We can see that our SAVIOR is more important than our very SELVES.  We can see that our ASSIGNMENT in life is much more important than our STATUS.  And, we can see, from atop that humble donkey that our SALVATION tomorrow is eternally more important than our SACRIFICE today.

The Triumphal Entry clearly points out the difference between God’s Way, and the way of the world.

One of the most influential men in my life was the pastor who became the President of the small Baptist college I attended.  Dr. James Staples would often preach in chapel.  I don’t remember a lot of the truth he delivered in those sermons, but I remember a poem he would almost always use somewhere in his sermon.  This is also a favorite of mine:

To every man there openeth A way, and ways, and a way.

And the high soul climbs the high way, the low soul gropes the low:

And in between, on the misty flats, The rest drift to and fro.

But to every man there openeth A high way and a low,

And every man decideth. The way his soul shall go --- John Oxenham,

As you get a better view from that donkey, I hope you can see that God’s Way is not the world’s way.  Choose God’s Way!