The Looming Question

4-5-20Sermon Notes“The Looming Question”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the original Palm Sunday – you know that day in Jerusalem? It’s hard to wrap my mind around that day. First of all, there was a HUGE crowd gathered – historians estimate between 100,00 – 200, 000 gathered lining the roadsides to cheer and welcome this guy from Nazareth…Jesus. I’ve never been to New York, but I’ve seen big parades before…Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade…ticker-tape parades for various things… That’s the kind of thing I see in my mind for that day, except with coats and palm branches replacing the ticker-tape and giant balloons. In these days of “social distancing,” wouldn’t it be nice to be able to safely gather in that kind of crowd again?

But here is a huge difference: If there was a big parade in New York City, chances are very good that the whole crowd would know why they were cheering. This crowd on the original Palm Sunday did not really know for sure who Jesus was…and the ones who thought they knew mostly misunderstood. Here is the story from Matt. 21…

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.” (Matt. 21: 1-11 NRSV)
“The whole city was in turmoil,” v. 10 says. They all had a big question that hung over the city like a fog… “Who is this?” And here’s what I mean when I say that even those who thought they knew who Jesus was mostly misunderstood: “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” Partly right…but so glaring in its omissions that it is mostly NOT right.
So this question still hangs over the world like a fog; Who is Jesus? This coming Sunday we will ask it again during our online worship. Will you join us? You can livestream by going to our church website—fumcgadsden.org—or you can join us live on Facebook Live by going to our church Facebook page—First United Methodist Church of Gadsden—and joining the live worship. This Sunday we will explore the question of who Jesus is by seeing how Jesus is the One Who: (1) Calls us to faith; (2) Calls us to give; (3) Calls us to wait on His timing.
Jesus is Who He is…not always Who we want Him to be.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Sam