Matthew 21:1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Dreams:  People are having wild dreams-  maybe you are too.  Cooper had one where he lost everything, not sure what the thing was, but he knew he lost it.  My friends shared their dreams. I think it is our subconscious processing all that is going on right now.  Childhood home- birth to 10 comforting and my first home.  people coming and going and I was going around a locking all the doors.  The other thing I was doing was trying to save dogs in the neighborhood.  I concluded it was me trying to lock out the virus and the dogs represented saving those I love.  In my dream I want to be safe and I want to save those I love.  A pretty primal need right now.

Messiah:   That’s why the entry into Jerusalem is so important.   Jesus came to Jerusalem to save us.  Most years we celebrate that by waving Palms and singing hymns of his triumphal entry.  I have to say I miss the procession into church.  But as we read that passage twice today what struck me was how clearly Jesus was shown to be the Messiah.

  • Mount of Olives- is where the messiah would come from, that is where the story starts.
  • Jesus sent his disciples to create the setting as described by the prophet Zechariah of how the Messiah would arrive (14:1-11).
  • Riding a donkey instead of a war horse, which is what everyone expected. Jesus was humble and caring as he entered the city where he would soon die.

As you know the very word Messiah means, “One who saves.”

Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus the one who saves YOU!

I don’t know about you, but right now I really need a savior.  I guess I am used to Jesus saving me from my sins and I am grateful Jesus saves me in my grief, but right now I feel like I long for, my heart aches for, a savior.  A savior for my very life and the lives of humanity.

For someone to be saved, they are saved from a threat, a hurt or a problem.  We are each facing a threat like none we have ever faced before.  A virus we cannot see and we do not understand.

You and I need a savior like never before, Jesus comes to us, Jesus saves us.

The people waving palms 2,000 years ago had a real need for a savior too.  One who would free them from Imperial Roman oppression. They were weighed down not by a virus but by Roman soldiers.  It was a matter of life and death.   That’s why we resonate with scripture; we are in a desperate place too!  We need a messiah!  We need a Savior!  The wonderful thing is that we have one in Jesus.  Calling Jesus the Messiah truly means something.  There is a depth to that word, hope and comfort.

Hosanna:  As people recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and at the same time admitting their need for a Messiah crying out Hosanna!   You see shouting Hosanna to Jesus is truly a plea for help, a cry to the Lord.  Hosanna means Save Us!  It only appears in three of the gospels as Jesus enters Jerusalem and nowhere else in scripture.  This is a profound and symbiotic moment: as the people see Jesus as their messiah and confess their need to be saved!!!

Shouting Hosanna declares “Save, I pray!!!

Save I pray the doctors and nurses fighting this virus. The people alone in the hospital.

Save I pray the people we love

Save I pray the community spirit

Save I pray……

We shout hosanna saying Save I pray our world.

Response- Seismic: Once Jesus enters the city, the people respond asking, “Who is this?” They see the parallel to prophesy.  They wonder who he is.     Struggling with the answer, the city is thrown into turmoil.  In the Greek the word turmoil means shaken, but it has the same root as “seismic.”  Doesn’t it feel like we are in a seismic shift right now.  Our world is shaken by this corona virus, and we are having a hard time finding our footing.   We as Californians know what it feels like to have the earth move under our feet.  As Jesus enters the city, Jerusalem shook – the world changed that week. The week we call Holy, the one we are entering.

Before his betrayal, Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. A meal we will honor on Thursday.  Then the earth literally shook when Jesus hung from the cross (27:51). When the Messiah saved YOU, the earth quaked.  It also shook with the good news of his resurrection at the empty tomb (28:2).  Jesus the Son of David, the prophet from Nazareth, caused a seismic shock.  The epicenter of which was the cross. The revelation of Jesus as the Messiah and the people’s need for a savior is seismic.

Palm Sunday is not about the parade or the palms.  Not about the triumphal entry or riding on a donkey.  What this moment is about is Jesus being the Messiah who saves us and our desperate cry and need to be saved!  It doesn’t mean we congregate saying Jesus will save us from this virus like some Christians have done.  It means Jesus is our Rock and our salvation, our hope and our Savior.  Jesus saves you from your fear, anxiety, depression, isolation and all the what ifs.  Lay those at Christ’s feet because he bears your burdens.  Ultimately Jesus saves you through eternal life.

Jesus didn’t just enter Jerusalem 2,000 years ago; Jesus enters our hearts today.  Just as the world opens in an earthquake, may your heart open to Christ in our shared communion.

John Wesley said, “Communion is a saving sacrament not only a sustaining one.”  Come to this table, to be saved by Christ because we need a Savior right now- come to Christ’s table with your heart wide open to the glorious saving power of God,

the comforting and sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit and

the seismic and transformative love of Jesus.  Amen.