Palm Sunday (Sixth Sunday in Lent)

 Sermon Text: Matthew 21:1-11

 Other Readings: Matthew 26 and 27


 

  1. In this YouTube video, you get a sense for the route that Jesus might have took to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. NOTE: This video limps theologically. So, use it for background information, not necessarily for theological education.
     
  2. The palm branches would have been convenient because palm trees were part of the landscape. But palm branches had some cultural significance, too. Read Leviticus 23:33,39-43.
     
  3. The palm branches can also help us look forward. Read Revelation 7:9-14 to see what the palm branches can remind us of.
     
  4. People called Jesus by different titles including Teacher (Rabbi), Lord, Master, etc. Why might the people here have referred to Jesus as “the prophet”?
     
  5. Zechariah prophesied that Jesus is your king and he comes to you gently. In what ways do we see Jesus’ gentleness displayed during Holy Week? How can those examples encourage you and your faith?

 

  1. Websites like YouTube can be great for visuals like this. Just make sure to watch and listen with discerning ears. If you have questions about something, feel free to ask your pastor!
     
  2. Palm branches were a part of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (or, Booths), an event that commemorated God’s grace in preserving Israel as they wandered in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land.
     
  3. John saw the saints in heaven holding palm branches as they celebrated their eternal victory and gave praise to Jesus, the Lamb of God. So, we can have confidence that Jesus entered Jerusalem and completed the work of salvation which guarantees our eternal life in heaven, too!
     
  4. In Deuteronomy 18, Moses prophesied that a specific prophet would come to whom the people must listen to. The Jewish people understood this as a prophecy of the Messiah. So, the people might have been saying that Jesus is the long-promised prophet from Deuteronomy. Or, they may have just been referencing his ability to teach and do miracles, like prophets before him, such as Elijah.
     
  5. The examples are many, especially when you consider the way he did not resist his arrest, did not raise his voice against the Sanhedrin, treated Pilate with respect, and prayed for forgiveness of his persecutors. This is the same kind of gentleness which Jesus shows you!