Brethren, this morning, I want you to read the above bible passage regarding the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem and to look afresh at what that meant and means for us today.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the last week of Jesus` earthly life: within a week he will have been betrayed by the kiss of a friend [Judas Iscariot], denied by another friend [Simon Peter], tried on false charges, found guilty and crucified on a cross between two thieves. He will be buried in a borrowed tomb and three days later will rise from the dead. So this morning we begin another Holy Week by turning our eyes and our hearts towards Jerusalem and the entry of Christ into that city.

Up to this point in Jesus` public life and ministry he had quietly slipped in and out of places. But this time when he enters Jerusalem it would be different. So this morning I want us to look at what happens when Jesus comes to Jerusalem. Jesus gives a command to his two disciples at the first three verses of chapter 21. Mathew does not record for us that the two disciples were challenged about the instructions and their actions to untie the donkey tied up with its foal. The two disciples obeyed Jesus but from Luke`s gospel we know that they were challenged.

As Jesus came to Jerusalem the following responses took place:

1] Obedience

2] Worship

3] Curiosity

4] Cleansing

5] Opposition

THE RESPONSE IS OBEDIENCE:

The two disciples obeyed Jesus` instructions as shown in verses 1-6. These two disciples are obedient followers. You see obedience is a sign of true discipleship and the sign of a right relationship with Christ. Obedience is how they showed that they loved Christ. John in his gospel chapter 14 and verse 15 records Jesus saying to his disciples “If you love me, keep my commandments”

.

Do you love Jesus? If you love him, you need to keep his commandments.

THE RESPONSE IS WORSHIP:

The disciples arrive back with the donkey and its foal. They place their cloaks on the foal. Mark tells us in his gospel that this animal had never been ridden before. In the midst of singing ecstatic crowd rides an unbroken colt. Well Mathew tells us that the crowd soon gather around and before Jesus and they begin to throw their cloaks on the ground before him. They cut down palm branches and throw those down before him. The reason why they call this day` Palm Sunday` is due to the fact that they cut palm branches and throw them before Jesus Christ. `They worship before him, they proclaim him as king and as saviour. If disciples of Jesus do not praise him, if they do not lead people in the worship of him, who will? But note that a few days they will not be praising him but crying `crucify him, crucify him`.

Brethren, isn`t amazing the fickleness of the human heart? The people who praise him curse and spit upon him and cried for his death – all within a matter of days. So let me ask you this morning, you who have worshipped here today; come Good Friday – will crucify be on your lips? Or will praise still be ringing from your heart.

THE RESPONSE IS CURIOSITY:

Look at verse 10. They ask `who is this`? Please note that there are some in the crowd and they are singing his praise, they are joining with the rest but it is out of curiosity. They really want to know `who really is this who comes to Jerusalem in such a manner`?

Who is this man who stirs up such a commotion? He certainly stirred up the religious and political leaders. They are people who come to church out of curiosity. As I am talking to you now, there are some people even in here this morning and if you were asked you could not give as satisfactory answer why you come week after week – but you know something brings you back. Please note that there is something attractive and curious about Jesus about his people and about being his people when they are worshipping him. So when Jesus comes to Jerusalem curiosity is the response of many. You see the singing of Christ`s praise attracts but without teaching and instruction from the word of God. These people remain ignorant of who Jesus is and why he came. The crowd remains ignorant of who Jesus is and why he came. The crowd remained ignorant of who he was and why he came. You see praise was not enough to explain the gospel.

THE RESPONSE IS CLEANSING:

In verses 12 and 13, we are told that Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The donkey is a sign of a king who has come in peace. We are told he goes straight to the temple and he commits a violent act. He has come in peace and yet he is overturning tables and whipping people out of the temple. Is there not a contradiction here? No, Jesus goes straight to the heart of the Jewish faith. He goes to the temple, to the very place where the presence of God with his people is said to reside – in the Holy of Holies. He goes to the place set apart for everyday use for the worship of God and what does he find? He finds a den of thieves, a place full of iniquity and in his righteous anger he cleanses the temple. This implies that when Jesus comes into the temple, there can be no other gods. The temple is supposed to be a place of prayer, of communion with God, the Father. The pursuit of personal gain, the exploitation of vulnerable people and the misuse of the things of God he will overturn and cleanse from the temple. Brethren, the purpose of cleansing is to bring healing and restoration. When you cleanse a wound, it is to remove that which will bring infection and to aid in healing and to return to wholeness. When Christ comes into our lives to cleanse it is to do just that – to return us to wholeness of life. It is not just to overturn tables – it has a purpose to make our temples places of prayer and communion with the Lord.

THE RESPONSE IS OPPOSITION:

Please refer to verses 15 and 23 of the same bible passage and you will see opposition. When Jesus comes to town, the response of some will be opposition. The religious leaders opposed Jesus. WHY? This is due to the fact that Jesus threatened their status, their position and their authority. He threatened their legalism and their power over the people. He questioned their understanding of God and their way of salvation. Brethren, when Jesus comes to town, expect opposition. When he comes to your life expect opposition. I am always amazed that some people look surprised that when they become a Christian that suddenly they face problems and obstacles. I always say “what did you expect”? It is not a magic wand to make life easier. Brethren, of course we are going to face opposition when Jesus comes to our lives. Firstly, Satan will oppose us because he is losing another soul. Secondly, our sinful nature will oppose him because as Paul says “I do the things I don`t want to do, and do not do things I do want to do”. Paul speaks of the battle of the flesh. Opposition may well come from family and friends who think suddenly everything is going to change. Opposition may even from those within the church because your becoming a Christian points out to them their need of Christ also.

At this juncture, I like to cite an example of what happened to me when I returned to Nigeria from Canada after completing my course abroad in 1977. On my arrival in Nigeria, I noticed that all members of my family have changed from Anglican denomination and joined another denomination called Celestial Church of God. I joined them more so when I realised I had very serious challenges facing me by then. But in 1993, when I fully accepted Christ as my personal Saviour and Lord, I crossed over to a Pentecostal church. All members of my family opposed me, even some stopped talking to me for years. The opposition died down in 2000 when I became a pastor in the Pentecostal church and was transferred to America.

CONCLUSION:

I wish to conclude as follows:

When Jesus comes to town there will be obedience, worship, curiosity, cleansing and opposition. Everyone will have an opinion and a response. There will be those who are critics, – the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead, gone and forgotten. There are still those people around today, even within the church. There will be those who will go with the crowd. When the crowd are praising Jesus, they will praise but when the crowd turn and cry “crucify”, their voice will be heard there also. Some in the crowd will be curious and ask, ”Who is this Jesus”? So I want you to encourage them to keep coming so that they might find Jesus.

Brethren, be   committed and be an obedient disciple and lead the praise of Christ and lead others to Christ. Answer the curious and when you fall as we all do, try and rise again. Our God is a God of second chance, He will give you the grace of second chance when you backslide. I pray that our Lord`s death for us on Calvary will not be in vain [amen]. HAPPY PALM SUNDAY!!!