Palm Sunday 2025

0:00 Intro
0:37 Joke
1:16 Worship
5:35 Announcements
8:54 Pledge of Allegiance
10:38 Another Joke
11:33 Worship Continued
25:41 Message
1:02:04 Closing Worship

The week before Jesus’ death He came to Jerusalem. This event is known as the Triumphal Entry which is recorded in Luke. He sent two of His disciples ahead and told them they would find a young donkey that no one had ever sat on and that they should untie it and bring it to Him. If anyone asked them what they were doing they were to say that the Lord needed it.

Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem in a way that was prophesied 500 years ago by the prophet Zechariah. It is recorded in Zechariah chapter 9. The promised King of Israel is described as victorious, yet humble riding on a donkey’s colt. This was the opposite of how an invading king of the time would have entered. That king would be on a horse with an army behind him. But if a king came in peace, he would ride on a donkey’s colt. Jesus was showing that He was the King of Peace.

It is also foretold that there will be another entry but this time, it will not be in peace. In Revelation, it says Jesus will return on a white horse and wage war. It describes His eyes being like a flame of fire and that He wears many crowns. His robe is dipped in blood and He leads the armies of heaven. Out of His goes a sharp sword that He strikes the nations with and He will rule over all of them. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will return as a conqueror, but not yet.

Returning to Luke, the two that were sent went and found everything as Jesus had said. They untied it and were asked what they were doing. The disciples told them that the Lord needed it. They brought the colt to Jesus and they laid their cloaks on it as a kind of saddle and Jesus sat on it. As they went, other people laid their clothes on the road.

This colt was unbroken or untrained. No one would assume that they could saddle such an animal let alone ride it. This was a divine appointed moment and it would appear that supernaturally this colt knew who was riding him. Perhaps he was calmed and instantly tamed by his Creator.

As Jesus descended the Mount of Olives all the disciples began to loudly rejoice and praise God for everything they had seen Jesus do. They shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” This is a direct reference to Psalm 118, which the disciples knew was talking about Jesus.

The Pharisees were not happy with this outpouring of praise for Jesus as King. They saw it as blasphemy. They called out to Jesus to rebuke His disciples. But Jesus replied that if they stopped, the rocks would start crying out in praise. Jesus knew the people weren’t being blasphemous and He was telling the religious leaders the Earth would worship its King even if the people didn’t.

But the people likely saw Jesus as an earthly king who would rescue them from Roman rule and set up an earthly kingdom. After all, this was Passover week when God had rescued the Israelites from Egyptian rule and slavery hundreds of years before. But they just didn’t fully grasp that Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world and that He would need to die first for the sin of the world.

Only a week later, the same crowd that praised Jesus as King would be stirred up and shout instead for His crucifixion. Jesus knew this, and yet He went to Jerusalem anyway. As He came to the city, Jesus began to weep. He was weeping for the people because they didn’t realize who He was. That He was God in flesh who had come to visit them. He also foresaw the future of Jerusalem and how it would be completely destroyed by the Romans with not one stone left on the other. This came true in 70 AD.

This is one of two times that the Bible records that Jesus wept. The other time was at the tomb of Lazarus when he wept with Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. This is a beautiful picture. Jesus identifies with our emotions and walks with us in tragic and difficult situations. He wants everyone to be saved and know the true of who He is. We wants us to come to Him no matter what our circumstances are and He will give us rest from our burdens. But, we have to be willing to accept Him as Messiah, Savior, and King.