I had the privilege of preaching today at our church on The Triumphant Entry of Palm Sunday.
As I shared, Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem represented the following three things in the life of Christ:
- A UNIQUE SITUATION: As it was the only occasion when Jesus accepted the public recognition of King. As an example, recall what occurred after the Feeding of the 5,000:
“So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” (John 6:15)
- A DEFINING MOMENT: By riding into Jerusalem as he did, fulfilling the Old Testament prophesy of Zechariah 9:9, Jesus was unmistakably claiming to be the Messiah and King of Israel.
Remember, previously, he had “warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ” (Matt. 16:20) and “told his disciples and others around him, ‘My time has not yet come.’” (John 2:4; 7:6,8)
- A POINT OF NO RETURN: As Andreas Köstenberger notes,
“Up to this point in Jesus’ ministry, he could have still managed to live a long, happy, peaceful life, but his actions on Sunday set in motion a series of events that could result only in either his overthrow of Rome and religious establishment or his brutal death. He has crossed the point of no return; there would be no turning back. Caesar could allow no rival kings.”
As Christians, we are called to live all year in the shadow of the cross; however, let me encourage you to make a concerted effort this Passion Week to reflect upon the specifics of this paramount week in Jesus’ life and our salvation.
Click here for some great resources on the Ligonier website!
