PALM SUNDAY
Message by Josh Mutter – March 24, 2024
BIG IDEA: The events of Holy Week help form our understanding of Jesus.
John 12:12-19 NIV The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
1. We are tempted to make Jesus fit our expectations.
John 11:48 NIV If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.
2. Our fears can shape how we respond to Jesus.
Zechariah 9:9 NIV Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
John 12:16 NIV At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
3. The events of Good Friday and Easter help us see who Jesus truly is.
4. Concluding thoughts:
– Acknowledge how our experiences and preferences have shaped our understanding of Jesus.
– Reflect on what the events of Holy Week teach us about Jesus.
You can listen to the sermon on YouTube here.
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