View from the Pew – Will He Weep?

What did you learn from last week’s sermon?

Q1: Where in the Bible did a prophet tell us about the unridden colt that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem?

Q2: Did the Jews really know why Jesus came to earth?

Q3: Did the Jews (waving branches) believe Jesus was the Messiah?

Q4: If the Jews believed Jesus was the Messiah, why did they kill him?

Q5: What made Jesus cry as he entered the city?

Sermon Summary & Answers

Palm Sunday is a recognition of the beginning of Holy Week, where we focus on Jesus’ arrival into the city of Jerusalem. This Friday, we will mark the day our Lord died on the cross. Jesus prepared his twelve disciples by reminding them of what the Old Testament said about how this would happen, and it did.

We start just before this week by looking in on Jesus and his disciples enjoying a great meal of celebration with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (Luke 19). This makes the Jews so mad that they plotted to re-kill poor Lazarus (along with Jesus) because people were starting to believe Jesus was who he said he was.

So, Jesus and the disciples leave and head toward Jerusalem. He sends two disciples ahead with detailed instructions about finding a particular unridden donkey in one specific place and acquiring it from its owner without payment or argument. The owner did question them about taking the donkey, but once he heard it was for the Lord, he immediately relented.

These events were prophesied precisely in this way in Zechariah 9:9. Jesus was a King from David’s line, humbly riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, not the expected traits on display when a conquering king arrives at the capital city. God has promised just this – a humble, gentle, and meek king bringing salvation, never deliverance from the tyranny of Rome so that they and the Mosaic law would rule the land. A far greater tyranny was at work in the Jew’s hearts, the tyranny of slavery to sin. Funny, them wanting a law that they never kept or ever intended to keep. Talk about double-minded people!

“This point should be driven home – – Jesus will always come via the Word – – with the Word – – He will never come against the Word – contra the Word.

You see, these Jews – like their father, the Devil, always used the Word – – but used it to point away from God – away from Jesus.”

Pastor Steve Wilson

A genuine believer in Jesus Christ is a believer who gets the person and the work of Jesus Christ right! Jesus doesn’t come to make our current earthly lives better. He comes to serve the Father and the Father’s purposes ONLY.

As Jesus entered the city atop the donkey, the crowd waved their branches and laid them down along His path. They shouted Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. They’d heard of Lazarus being raised from the dead and were very excited. They even sang this song.

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, do save, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord [Jesus]; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.”

Psalm 118:22-25

Immediate personal and national gain was always on their minds, not God’s real purpose for the Messiah. Them turning the temple into a den of thieves is just one example. His ultimate purpose was and is to put His enemies under His feet and establish righteousness.

“We look at this crowd, and we see their confusion – – their false expectations – – their refusal to understand the prophecy – – their refusal to accept God’s plan – –

We see this crowd, and we feel pity for them – – we know, they will, many of them, call for His crucifixion with the same zeal they are now calling for His reign …

And then the burden – – how often we do this – – how guilty are we of doing this – – wanting a Jesus of our own making – – a king on our terms.”

Pastor Steve Wilson

Jesus wept as he entered the city over the superficiality of the peoples’ hearts. Do we long for things more than Jesus? Do we refuse to learn of Jesus? Are we indifferent to God’s purpose here? He can see our hearts as clear as day. Will He rejoice, or will He weep over you (us)?


Melissa Strautman

Did you find this quiz and sermon summary helpful? Log on to gccbg.com/blog each week for the latest sermon study guide. Jessica will send the link out in the Midweek church emails.


Answers:

  1. Zechariah 9:9
  2. no
  3. Yes
  4. Because he was of no use to them, they wanted someone to deliver them from Rome, not sin.
  5. Knowing that the people did not want the gift of righteousness and eternal salvation and were only concerned with their lives right now.