It’s not about waving palm leaves Palm Sunday 3/28/10

His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem We call it Palm Sunday Everyone waves little palm leaves around We have childhood pictures of Jesus riding on a donkey Everyone is yelling Hosanna in the Highest It is better than any ticker tape parade ever And they crucified Him 5 days later…..

So what was really going on? Jerusalem was under Roman control Julius Caesar was deified Gaius Julius Octavius, his appointed heir, was referred to as “son of the divine” died around the time Jesus was 14 Tiberius Claudius Nero reigned until 37 AD, and was horribly insecure, always suspicious of being overthrown

The behavior of the leaders The Roman Emperors were completely pagan City wide sex parties, extra marital affairs, unfair taxation to support lavish lifestyles, and constant conflict and war Jesus was not entering quietly on a donkey trying to lay low and blend in He was declaring that the real King had arrived

All bullet points from here out Matthew Chapter 21 through 27 Mark Chapter 11 through 15 Luke Chapter 20 through 23 These accounts will take less than an hour each to read Strong Suggestion: Take 3 hours to read them sometime throughout this week

Monday Enters the temple and cleans house Stands up for His Fathers agenda – Matt 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46 – My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves Curses the unfruitful fig tree – If you’re going to act like you have fruit, you better have some fruit (Matt 21:19)

Tuesday and Wednesday He defends His testimony to the Pharisees, Saducees, and Lawyers of the day He declares that they need to honor the government they serve (tribute to Caesar) He is anointed by Mary at Simon’s feast He tells His disciples when He will be crucified He explains how they will know when the Day is coming

Thursday Sends disciples ahead to prepare the Passover Feast Washes the feet of His disciples, even the betraying one He reminds the disciples to stay diligent, warning that all of them will fall away when He is struck He prays for the disciples and us (Luke 17)

Thursday evening - Friday Guess you’ll have to come Friday to find that out

Let’s make this stick! He was living in, and serving, unjust rulers He was not coming to blend in, He was coming to stand out – In meekness, not brazenness He recognized He had 5 days in which to minister, and He used every one of them He presented the truth, spoke the truth, represented the truth, all in the hopes of saving one more