Matthew 21:1-11
Mark 11:1-11
Luke 19:28-44
John 12:12-19
How do you make your grand entry when you come home: With a silent grunt? A big splash? A hug and kiss? Yelling, "What's for dinner?"
What is the closest you have come to meeting a world leader or celebrity?
How would you arrange for a visiting President to have maximum exposure in your town: What parades? What TV talk shows or radio call-in programs? Where would he eat? Stay the night?
Have you ever been in a parade? What was it like?
Jesus’ Triumphal
Entry into Jerusalem
Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; Luke
19:28–44; John 12:12–19
Lk 19:28–31When He had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples 30and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here [Mt 21:2byou will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me]. 31And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it’ [Mt 21:3them] [Mk 11:3bThe Lord needs it and will send it back here right away].”
Mk 11:4So they
went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They
untied it. Lk 19:33As they were untying the young donkey, its owners
said to them, “Why are you untying the donkey?” Mk 11:6–7Then they
answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go. 7And they
brought the donkey [Mt 21:7athe
donkey and the colt] to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it. Mt 21:4–5This
took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: 5“Tell
the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on
a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
Jn 12:16His disciples did not understand these
things at first. However when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that
these things had been written about Him and that they had done these things to
Him.
Lk 19:36aAs He was going along, Mk 11:8many
people spread their robes on the road,
and others spread leafy branches [Jn 12:13palm branches] cut from the fields. Lk 19:37–38Now He
came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the
disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles
they had seen: 38“Blessed is the King [Jn 12:13bBlessed is … the King of Israel] [Mk
11:10aBlessed is the coming kingdom
of our father David] [Mt 21:9aHosanna to the son of David] who comes in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!”
39And some of the Pharisees from the crowd told Him, “Teacher, rebuke
Your disciples.”
40He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones
would cry out!”
Mt 21:10–11When He entered Jerusalem, Lk 19:41bHe
wept over it, Mt 21:10b[and] the whole city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the
crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jn 12:19Then the Pharisees said to one another,
“You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look—the world has gone after Him!”
Mk 11:11And He went into … the temple complex.
After looking around at everything, since the hour was already late, He went
out to Bethany with the Twelve.[1]
[1]
Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (pp.
184–185). Holman Bible Publishers.
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- How close is Jesus to Jerusalem now (Luke 19:29)? To what town has Jesus come? Why?
- Jesus always does the unexpected. What was unexpected about the way he entered Jerusalem?
- What task does he give two of his disciples about the colt? Why? What problems might they have encountered in such a job? What would you have said if you were one of the two disciples?
- How do you picture the scene in Luke 19:35-38? What do you see? Hear? Feel?
- What were the people expecting Jesus to do when he reached Jerusalem (Luke 19:11; Zechariah 9:9)? How are their expectations different from his? How does this help to explain Jesus' words and emotions in Luke 19:41-44?
- Why do you think Jesus arranged this "triumphal entry"?
- Jesus comes on a donkey and not on a stallion. What does that portray?
- In light of the response he received, what were the expectations of the crowd? The disciples according to Matthew 10:37? Jesus?
- What kind of kingdom and king were the people expecting? How do their wishes compare with the reality of Jesus?
- How might that discrepancy account for the same crowd jeering and shouting later, "Crucify him!"?
- What does Jesus reply to the Pharisees in Luke 19:39-40 imply about him?
- What do you find most significant about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- What difference does it make to you that Jesus is a gentle King, and not like the one describe in Matthew 20:25?
- How did Jesus ride into your life: As a conquering hero forcing you into submission? As a gentle king bearing peace? As a white knight rescuing you? How about now?
- How would you have reacted if you had been there to greet Jesus riding into town? Do you jump on political or religious bandwagons today? Why or why not?
- Does Jesus humility work for you ? Why or why not?
- Have you ever misunderstood Jesus' purposes, praising him one day and despairing the next?
- What kind of reception would Jesus get: (a) If he rode into your town today? (b) After the people heard the message?
- How would he be treated by the local media? By elected officials? The guys in the tavern? The ladies in the bridge club?
- Jesus wept over Jerusalem -- because he would be rejected by the people and because he foresaw the city's future destruction. What person or group of people do you weep for and long to see come to God?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
https://youtu.be/MnE5m703mzQ
Note:
The Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives was one of a series of gently sloping hills east of Jerusalem that offered a panoramic view of the Holy City. It took its name from the olive groves that grew on the hill. Jesus began His triumphal entry from this prominent overlook just outside the city walls.
After entering Jerusalem and cleansing the temple, Jesus retreated to the Mount of Olives, where He delivered His great Olivet Discourse to the disciples. The Garden of Gethsemane, where He agonized in prayer before His betrayal, was also located on the Mount of Olives.
OPEN:
- What do you like best about parades: Bands? Food Vendors? Clowns?
- What do you like least: Traffic? Pickpockets? Tall people?
DIG:
- What previous stories stand in contrast to the unity and enthusiasm the people are expressing here?
- How could you tie in their hope that Jesus will do at this Passover what God did at the first Passover?
- Why a lowly donkey for Jesus (see Zec 9:9)?
- What do you think the crowds, the disciples, and the Jewish leaders must be feeling now? One week later? Had you been there, what would you be feeling: Fanaticism, fickleness, faith or fear? Why?
REFLECT:
- What convinced you that Jesus is your King? What is the best thing you've seen about the type of King he is?
- Is your worship life like a hero's victory or a funeral dirge? Why?
=======
When God’s people are somber and critical, something is missing.
Are you as pleased as I am, when you hear a child giggle?
When Jesus came to his hometown of Jerusalem, his followers laughed, shouted, and rejoiced, and the religious leaders, who had their underwear on too tight, told Jesus to keep them quiet. Jesus said, if they’re silent, the very stones will cry out. Have you ever tried to keep a giggling child from giggling?
Laughter is a gift from God. And when God’s people grow silent and somber and critical, well something important is missing.
====
https://www.youtube.com/c/edmondchurchofchrist
=======================
Luke 19:29-44
===================
TRIUMPH OR TRAGEDY?
===================
I. Everyone likes a parade.
II. Palm Sunday fulfilled prophecy about the Messiah.
A. The concept of the Messiah has inspired Jews for 3,000 years.
B. The key events in Jesus' life are alluded to in OT prophecy.
III. The Parade unleashes the joy of God's Kingdom.
A. Most parades are fun for the observers.
B. Palm Sunday crowd is unrestrained in its joy and praise. 19:37
C. True believers in Jesus have joy.
IV. The parade honored Jesus as the coming King.
A. We all need honor and recognition.
B. It is appropriate to honor Jesus. Rev 5:12
C. If we honor him, he will honor us.
V. All parades come to an end.
A. There is often a letdown afterwards.
B. Many of those at Palm Sunday were superficial.
C. Do you recognize God's coming?
==================
Text: Luke 19:35-41, John 12:12-16
Desert Storm parade in New York City:
Celeste and I wanted to experience a NYC ticker tape parade.
When Desert Storm veterans were honored, we went with girls.
To avoid congestion we took a bus.
The streets were so crowded we were flat against a building,
actually inside a entryway.
This turned out to be a good thing.
When the troops came marching up, the crowd went wild.
Cartons of paper and confetti were tossed out of windows.
They even threw real ticker tape, imported from Connecticut.
They also threw stones, coins and small pieces of lumber, which
is why we were glad we were in a doorway.
We never saw the soldiers.
There was a glimpse of helmets, and a Patriot missile poked up.
But the energy and joy was a sight to remember forever.
https://youtu.be/KgwWOcmmsvQ
Other Resources:
From my files:
Text: 2 Kg 9:13, Matt 21:1-11
Enthusiasm for Christ filled the city. People were pressed everywhere in an effort to see Him. Like King Jehu (2 Kings 9:13), the people stretched out their cloaks in the path to honor Him as King. Like Simon Maccabaeus (I Maccabees 13-51), they cut down palm branches and laid them in the street to honor Him as a victor coming home from battle. This was their "red carpet"
==========================
Text: 1 Sam 16:7, Ps 37:11, Isa 53:2, Zeph 3:12, Matt 4:25, Matt 5:5, Matt 14:13, Matt 21:8, Matt 27:23, Mark 2:4, Acts 14:13, Acts 21:34, 1 Cor 1:26ff, 2 Cor 5:16
A schoolmaster in France was discouraged with one of his students. He wrote in his rollbook concerning this student: "He is the smallest, the meekest, the most unpromising boy in my class." Half a century later, an election was held in France to select the greatest Frenchman. By popular vote, that meekest, smallest, most unpromising boy was chosen. His name? Louis Pasteur, the founder of modern medicine. At age seventy-three, a national holiday was declared in his honor. He was too old and weak to attend the ceremony in Paris, so he sent a message to be read by his son. The message read: "The future belongs not to the conquerors but to the saviors of the world." (2)
Louis Pasteur was driven by a great purpose. Your name and my name may never be a household word like Pasteur's, but we, too, can be driven by a great purpose. Christ can give us that purpose.
------------
2. Edward Chinn, WONDER OF WORDS (Lima, Ohio: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc.,
1987), p. 18.
=========================
Text: Matt 21:1-11, Luke 19:39,40
During the nineteenth century it was Chancellor Bismarck of Prussia who entered into the City of Jerusalem riding a white horse. So great were the number of soldiers and officials that an entire section of the city wall had to be removed.
During the first century it was Jesus Christ of Nazareth who entered into the City of Jerusalem riding, not a symbol of prestige of honor, but an animal symbolic of servitude, a donkey. In accordance with Old Testament scriptures, the animal was set aside for sacred purposes such as this.
According to William Barclay, the city may have easily been crowded with as many as one and one-half million people who had come to celebrate this holy time called Passover. Every Jewish male within twenty miles of Jerusalem was required to attend.
What could possibly be more appropriate than a Passover with the ultimate Passover Lamb as the Grand Marshall!?!
==============
Text: 2 Kg 9:13, Matt 21:1-11
Enthusiasm for Christ filled the city. People were pressed everywhere in an effort to see Him. Like King Jehu (2 Kings 9:13), the people stretched out their cloaks in the path to honor Him as King. Like Simon Maccabaeus (I Maccabees 13-51), they cut down palm branches and laid them in the street to honor Him as a victor coming home from battle. This was their "red carpet"
==========================
Text: 1 Sam 16:7, Ps 37:11, Isa 53:2, Zeph 3:12, Matt 4:25, Matt 5:5, Matt 14:13, Matt 21:8, Matt 27:23, Mark 2:4, Acts 14:13, Acts 21:34, 1 Cor 1:26ff, 2 Cor 5:16
A schoolmaster in France was discouraged with one of his students. He wrote in his rollbook concerning this student: "He is the smallest, the meekest, the most unpromising boy in my class." Half a century later, an election was held in France to select the greatest Frenchman. By popular vote, that meekest, smallest, most unpromising boy was chosen. His name? Louis Pasteur, the founder of modern medicine. At age seventy-three, a national holiday was declared in his honor. He was too old and weak to attend the ceremony in Paris, so he sent a message to be read by his son. The message read: "The future belongs not to the conquerors but to the saviors of the world." (2)
Louis Pasteur was driven by a great purpose. Your name and my name may never be a household word like Pasteur's, but we, too, can be driven by a great purpose. Christ can give us that purpose.
------------
2. Edward Chinn, WONDER OF WORDS (Lima, Ohio: C.S.S. Publishing Co., Inc.,
1987), p. 18.
=========================
Text: Matt 21:1-11, Luke 19:39,40
During the nineteenth century it was Chancellor Bismarck of Prussia who entered into the City of Jerusalem riding a white horse. So great were the number of soldiers and officials that an entire section of the city wall had to be removed.
During the first century it was Jesus Christ of Nazareth who entered into the City of Jerusalem riding, not a symbol of prestige of honor, but an animal symbolic of servitude, a donkey. In accordance with Old Testament scriptures, the animal was set aside for sacred purposes such as this.
According to William Barclay, the city may have easily been crowded with as many as one and one-half million people who had come to celebrate this holy time called Passover. Every Jewish male within twenty miles of Jerusalem was required to attend.
What could possibly be more appropriate than a Passover with the ultimate Passover Lamb as the Grand Marshall!?!
==============
Text: Ps 69:9, Isa 53:4, Matt 9:36, Matt 14:13, Matt 20:34, Matt 26:38, Mark 1:35-42, Mark 3:5, Mark 8:2, Mark 10:14,21, Mark 14:33, Luke 7:13, Luke 10:20-24, Luke 19:41, Luke 22:44, John 2:17, John 7:37-38, John 11:3,33-38, John 13:21, John 14:8,13, John 15:10-13, John 17:11-13, 2 Cor 3:18, Eph 4:26, Phil 1:8, Heb 12:2,22
The gospel writers paint their portraits of Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant "emotional" colors. Jesus felt COMPASSION; he was ANGRY, INDIGNANT, and CONSUMED WITH ZEAL; he was TROUBLED, GREATLY DISTRESSED, VERY SORROWFUL, DEPRESSED, DEEPLY MOVED, and GRIEVED; he SIGHED; he WEPT and SOBBED; he GROANED; he was IN AGONY; he was SURPRISED and AMAZED; he REJOICED VERY GREATLY and was FULL OF JOY; he GREATLY DESIRED, and he LOVED.
In our quest to be like Jesus we often overlook his emotions. Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human and made in the image of God. His emotions reflect the image of God without any deficiency or distortion. When we compare our own emotional lives to his, we become aware of our need for a transformation of our emotions so that we can be fully human, as he is.
Paul tells the Corinthians that as Christians gaze upon the glory of the Lord, "with unveiled faces," we "are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (2 Cor. 3:18, NIV). The apostle is suggesting that looking intently on the Lord will bring about a metamorphosis into Christ's image by the Spirit. Paul illustrated this kind of transformation in his own life when he told the Philippian Christians, "I long for you with the compassion of Christ" (Phil. 1:8). Paul embodied the emotions of Jesus.
Many theologians throughout history have argued strongly that God is not moved by emotions. This doctrine of the impassibility of God, developed by early Christian apologists such as Justin Martyr, sought to distinguish the God of the Bible from pagan gods whose passions led them into all kinds of scandalous behavior. It is not surprising that Christians responded to the myths of Zeus's rapes and arbitrary vengeance with an absolute statement of divine impassibility. What they meant to emphasize was that God does not have mad, shameful passions like the gods of pagan mythology.
The question "What is God really like?" is answered during an exchange between Jesus and his disciple Philip. "Show us the Father," Philip said. Jesus responded, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." Not only do the emotions of Jesus reflect an essential component of the image of God, his emotions also reveal the NATURE of God. On the basis of our belief that the written Word and the Living Word give us a trustworthy revelation of God, we know that God is emotional.
If we are the body of Christ, created and redeemed to represent Jesus in our world, then we, like Paul, need to "gaze upon him" and learn to experience the emotions of Jesus. Then we can know him, and in knowing him know God, and know ourselves as we were created to be.
COMPASSION
The Gospels tell us that Jesus "felt COMPASSION." The Greek word for "compassion" speaks literally of a sensation in the guts, but was used to speak metaphorically of an emotional sensation -- just as we speak of "heart-breaking," "head-spinning," or "gut-wrenching" feelings today.
For whom did Jesus feel compassion? For people in need: a leper (Mark 1:40-41), a widow by the coffin of her only son (Luke 7:13), and two blind men (Matt. 20:34). He also felt compassion when he saw crowds starving for bread (Mark 8:2). His compassion was stirred by physical and spiritual needs. His heart broke when he saw people who were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36).
Once, when I was living in the Philippines, one of my great mentors – Phil Armstrong -- and I were watching small children scavenging for food on mountains of smoking garbage outside of Manila. The nauseating stench turned my stomach. When a little boy struggled to turn over a rotting dog to find something under it, Phil's body convulsed with sobs. "O God! O God! Please, God, save these children!" Whenever I read of Jesus' compassion for the crowds of starving people, I hear Phil's heart-rending cry. His compassion ignited and fueled the mission movement he led, just as Jesus' fueled his mission.
Jesus' empathy flowed out from his intimacy with the Father. It was after a time of withdrawal to a lonely place by himself for prayer that Jesus saw the leper and felt compassion (Mark 1:35-42). It was when he was in a lonely place by himself that crowds of people came to him and he felt compassion for them (Matt. 14:13-14).
In times alone with God, Jesus gained emotional receptivity and energy. Out of these times, his vision was clear, his words were empowered, and his touch cured. He created bread, restored sight to the blind, cleansed a leper, and raised a widow's dead son. His compassion was translated from feelings to actions. His empathy was the effective power behind them.
ANGER
Compassion moved Jesus not only to heal, but also to ANGER. In a dramatic scene, Mark portrays Jesus "looking around with anger" at religious leaders (3:5). They were concerned only to see if Jesus would break their rules by healing a man on the Sabbath. When Jesus did, they immediately plotted to kill him. But though Jesus was angry with these religious rulers, he was also "grieved by their hardness of heart." While the cruelty of their callousness deserved his anger, the condition of their stony hearts caused him grief.
Aristotle saw clearly that "anyone can become angry -- that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not easy." That is the challenge before us.
I look back with regret at most of my angry outbursts. But I do not regret an incident at the neighborhood pool when I was ten years old. Some teenagers were tormenting my brother Kenny, who had Down syndrome. I went ballistic -- screaming, scratching, gouging, biting. When the lifeguard pulled me off them, he told me to say I was sorry. I refused to apologize for defending my powerless brother against the "powerful" bullies. But only now is my anger mixed with grief over those who were so stunted emotionally that they were insensitive to the needs of precious people like my brother.
Jesus felt "indignant" (Mark 10:14) when his disciples did not allow mothers to bring their children to him for his blessing. The disciples' self-importance irritated Jesus. Jesus slapped them with stinging rebukes: "Let the children come to me; stop preventing them." Jesus then hugged the children, blessed them, and laid his hands on them (10:16). Jesus' feeling of annoyance with the disciples quickly gave way to an outpouring of warm affection for the children.
In another instance, crass commercialism in the temple inflamed the zealous anger of Jesus and moved him to a violent action. The words of the prophet were like fire in his bones: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa. 56:7). ...Though the terrified merchants running from the crack of his whip saw only the destruction of business as usual, Jesus' anger was motivated by "zeal for your house" (John 2:17, quoting Ps. 69:9).
Recently in our town there was a discussion about building a shelter for hundreds of homeless women and children. A friend of mine said that selfish pursuits were blinding people to this desperate need. She was upset, as Jesus was, that needy people were not being given the opportunity to find and worship God. ... In both cases the origin of anger was meeting the needs of others, and the aim of anger was constructive.
Our anger is often sparked by a threat to our own self-interests and usually results in bitter hostility. We need to heed Paul's warning: "Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil" (Eph. 4:26-27). The temple-cleansing story is too often used to justify incivility and unforgiving animosity. Paul knew of our propensity to legitimize our self-centeredness, and so his words on anger are full of warning. Anger is fire. When it burns destructively, it harms and destroys life. But the anger of Jesus kindles a flame within us that warms and restores life.
GRIEF
Take a moment and reread the story we call Jesus' "triumphal entry" (Luke 19:41-44). In Roman tradition, a triumphal procession showcased a victorious general riding in a gold-covered chariot pulled by white chargers. His army marched in resplendent array behind him. Wagons loaded with spoils and slaves attested to his power.
But Jesus rode on the colt of a donkey. A motley parade of peasants and children cheered him on his way as their long-awaited king. And the emotion that best describes Jesus' state as he rode was GRIEF.
Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem as he rode down the Mount of Olives into the city. His words describing the impending catastrophe were hyphenated by sobs. He wept, he wailed with grief over the coming desolation of Jerusalem.
Jesus also wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Witnesses said, "See how he loved him" (John 11:36). When Jesus saw Mary weeping, "he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved" (11:33). When he stepped near to the tomb of his friend, "again he was greatly DISTURBED" (11:38). When the word "disturbed" was used for animal sounds, it denoted the loud, angry snorting of horses. When used for human emotions, it emphasized the mixture of anguish and rage. Jesus wept. His groans welled up from the depths of his spirit, racked his body, shook the tombs, and echoed back from them. He raged against death, that terrible enemy that had attacked this, and every, family. ...
Likewise, Jesus was "troubled in spirit" when he told his disciples that one of them would betray him (John 13:21). He grieved over this betrayal by his friend Judas. Jesus had lavishly given his love to Judas. He called Judas to be one of the inner circle with the Twelve, to be close to him, and to participate in his work. He gave Judas the moneybag. He washed his feet. He gave Judas the place of honor next to him at the table. He gave him the dipped bread, a sign of love. All the time he knew that Judas would betray him. But still Jesus did not withdraw to protect himself. He gave himself to Judas without measure, and so he set himself up to suffer the pain of betrayal. When Judas led the temple troops to arrest Jesus in the garden, Jesus called him "friend."
The Gospels portray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as one who is crushed by a heavy load of grief. He did not shrink from disclosing his deepest and darkest emotions to his disciples: "I am deeply grieved, even to death" (Matt. 26:38). He begged them to stay awake and keep him company, but they "slept because of sorrow." His emotions were too heavy for them to bear. They escaped into sleep, leaving Jesus alone. "Terror-stricken and in terrible anguish" (Mark 14:33), Jesus agonized over the awful choice to endure or to escape the cross. As he wrestled in prayer, he was drenched in his own sweat "which ran like blood to the ground" (Luke 22:44).
Jesus' familiarity with grief should give us pause. Too often we hear Americanized versions of the gospel that offer quick fixes, easy solutions, and suffering-free discipleship. We need the reminder that the man who knew God most intimately and fulfilled his will most completely was described by Isaiah as a "suffering servant": "Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows" (53:4).
JOY
While Jesus was a "Man of Sorrows," Luke also paints a scene where Jesus "rejoiced very greatly in the Spirit" (Luke 10:21) - which implies more than cracking a wry smile. The occasion for this outburst was the return of the 70 from their successful mission. They had been given spiritual authority over all the powers of the enemy and, like a crack swat team, had liberated hostages. There was good reason to celebrate.
But Jesus cautions them, "Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (10:20). No matter how much power they exercised in their ministry, the ultimate source of their joy was to be rooted in their heavenly community: their names were written in heaven. Ministry is temporary. Life in the divine community is permanent. Then Jesus joyfully thanked the Father for opening the hearts of the disciples to see this and to enter into the fellowship of the Father and the Son (10:21-24). ...
On the eve of his execution, Jesus told his disciples that all he had revealed to them was so that "my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11; 17:13). They should abide in his love as he always abides in the love of the Father (15:10), and they should be one as he and the Father are one (17:11). Here again joy is the mark of life within divine love relationships.
Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, was also the Man of Joy. He obeyed the will of the Father and endured the cross by focusing on the joy set before him-the joy of unshakable love relationships in the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:2, 22).
LOVE
Love permeated, guided, and empowered the spectrum of Jesus' emotions. He felt compassion, was angry, grieved, and rejoiced because he LOVED. Love is an unshakable commitment of the will. Love transcends feelings and keeps on going when feelings falter or vanish. But love also involves and expresses emotions.
Jesus loved with strong desire. He told his friends, "I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15). The combination of the verb "desire" and the noun "desire" doubles the intensity in Jesus' expression of his deep longing to be with his friends.
When a wealthy young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked how he could inherit eternal life, "Jesus looked at him and loved him" (Mark 10:21). As soon as he saw him, affection welled up in his heart for him, just as sometimes when you meet someone, you get a strong feeling that this person could be your best friend.
Much is made about the difference between friendship (PHILIA) love and divine (AGAPE) love, but this is overdone. The words are used interchangeably for Jesus' love. For example, the sisters of Lazarus sent a message to Jesus to tell him, "the one you love (PHILEO) is sick" (JOHN 11:3). Then the gospel writer tells us, "Jesus loved (AGAPAO) Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." The point is that Jesus loved in many different ways. All the words for love in every language of the world together are still insufficient to describe the love of Jesus.
His love led him to suffer and die. Jesus pointed to his sacrificial death as the ultimate measure of his love. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). He asks his friends to live up to that standard of love. "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.... You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:12, 14). To live by that standard of love requires much more than emotions. It calls for total commitment to give up your life for someone else and to trust in the power of God to keep that commitment. But loving as Jesus loves also includes emotions -- intense, diverse, deep emotions. His kind of love will arouse emotions of compassion, anger, grief, and joy.
Sometimes we want insurance against the heartbreaks of love. The way of Stoic "apathy" seems safer than the emotional traumas that inevitably accompany the way of loving as Jesus loved. But hardening ourselves against the pains of love kills the capacity to love. As C. S. Lewis warns us in THE FOUR LOVES: "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."
I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus' emotions: not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger; not a silent tear, but groans of anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus' emotions are like a mountain river, cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy foam or feeble trickle. Jesus invites us to come to him and drink. Whoever is thirsty and believes in him will have the river of his life flowing out from the innermost being (John 7:37-38). We are not to be merely spellbound by what we see in the emotional
Jesus; we are to be unbound by his Spirit so that his life becomes our life, his emotions our emotions, to be "transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory."
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G. Walter Hansen is Associate Professor of New Testament and Director Of The Global Research Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of GALATIANS, part of the IVP New Testament Commentary Series.
Copyright(c) 1997 By Christianity Today, Inc/Christianity Today Magazine.
February 3, 1997 Vol. 41, No. 2, Page 42
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Luke 19:29-44
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TRIUMPH OR TRAGEDY?
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I. Everyone likes a parade.
II. Palm Sunday fulfilled prophecy about the Messiah.
A. The concept of the Messiah has inspired Jews for 3,000 years.
B. The key events in Jesus' life are alluded to in OT prophecy.
III. The Parade unleashes the joy of God's Kingdom.
A. Most parades are fun for the observers.
B. Palm Sunday crowd is unrestrained in its joy and praise. 19:37
C. True believers in Jesus have joy.
IV. The parade honored Jesus as the coming King.
A. We all need honor and recognition.
B. It is appropriate to honor Jesus. Rev 5:12
C. If we honor him, he will honor us.
V. All parades come to an end.
A. There is often a letdown afterwards.
B. Many of those at Palm Sunday were superficial.
C. Do you recognize God's coming?
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Text: Luke 19:35-41, John 12:12-16
Desert Storm parade in New York City:
Celeste and I wanted to experience a NYC ticker tape parade.
When Desert Storm veterans were honored, we went with girls.
To avoid congestion we took a bus.
The streets were so crowded we were flat against a building,
actually inside a entryway.
This turned out to be a good thing.
When the troops came marching up, the crowd went wild.
Cartons of paper and confetti were tossed out of windows.
They even threw real ticker tape, imported from Connecticut.
They also threw stones, coins and small pieces of lumber, which
is why we were glad we were in a doorway.
We never saw the soldiers.
There was a glimpse of helmets, and a Patriot missile poked up.
But the energy and joy was a sight to remember forever.
https://youtu.be/KgwWOcmmsvQ
