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Why Are You Here?-Matthew 21:1-11

By Charlie Vensel | June 14, 2008

ME:
You know, even though my family was not one for church when I was growing up, we still said grace three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. We were not really against God, though we certainly held that religion, like other things that could easily be taken too far, should be held in moderation. But even then, three times a year, my mother was careful to remind us of the significance behind these holidays, they all had something to do about God.

But, there was something else unique about the triad of those holidays. There was something about the larger family being together; travel, meals at the grandparents’ houses, seeing cousins, aunts and uncles; decorations everywhere, covering up the ordinary.

I can still remember anticipating Easter almost as much as I did Christmas, because some fantastic character was going to come into my house while I was asleep and bring me something. How cool is that?

And, there was nothing quite like playing with all my friends while we were out of school, “What did Santa bring you?” or, “The Easter Bunny brought me candy and a cap gun.” There was nothing quite like showing off your new stuff; nothing quite like getting lost in the land of imagination where hours ticked by like seconds. These were times of the year when the clock meant nothing.

Easter was especially great in Florida, because it usually meant a dramatic change in weather was underway. It would not be long before we could get back in the pool. The smell of azaleas blooming and fresh cut grass was about to take over our neighborhood. Backyard cookouts were coming, and beach trips were right around the corner. And yes, praise God, the school year was coming to an end and that meant I could really spend some time with one of the neighborhood girls I really liked.

Yes, I had lots of reasons to love these holidays each year, especially Easter! Things were changing, and a new season was on its way!

WE:
Today is Palm Sunday. It is the first Sunday of Holy Week and the day we celebrate Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Most of us have been through many Palm Sundays. We are familiar with the story; we rehearse it every year. Yet, many of us still look forward to this service; something about its timing is very different.

It’s new. Lent is drawing to a close. Most of us are starting to look out the window and see the changes. The snow is melting, the grass is greening, and it’s a great time to start church outside. The service is beautiful with the large procession, the palms are pretty cool, and there is a celebratory atmosphere in the air. There are a lot of reasons to be here today.

Easter is not far away when we break out all the colors, the kids will be gallivanting around looking for their treasure, and many will have fond memories of Easter Sunday from their own childhoods, and we all want the same for our children and grandchildren. Many people will attend church this week, because even if they go no other time, this week is still special to them. There are a lot of reasons to be here today.

There is something about human nature that loves something new, that loves something different and memorable, and that loves coming together with family and friends, that loves the change from winter into spring, and that loves tradition.

GOD:
We see it in our Processional reading this morning too, Matthew 21:1-11. Let’s turn there in the Scriptures and drop into Passover Week in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. The scene is the original Palm Sunday. There are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

People have gathered from all over to come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. It is estimated that during this feast, some 2.5 million people were present in Jerusalem. They’ve come by family. They are seeing old friends. They’ve walked for miles to get there, meeting new friends. It is a time of great fellowship, catching up, making contacts, and fathers and sons bonded. Everywhere you go, you are aware of this great celebration. There are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

Today is the day the Paschal Lamb is set aside for the sacrifice on Passover four days later. In just a few days, wine will flow and the Nation will celebrate her birthday, her deliverance out of slavery in Egypt, God’s distinguishing Israel by the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts, his blessing, and his provision.

The winter boredom is over, and they are at the first three holidays of the New Year. It was a big event and the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles, wouldn’t be long now. The New Year would start in just four days and it would be a great year! There are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

Tensions are high with the occupation of Rome. Hope of a Messiah, a son of David, a new deliver was being talked about. Israel longed for her deliverer to get rid of Roman rule, to once again rise to power as in the time of David. Last year, many had heard that some were speculating that Jesus was that Messiah. Others weren’t so sure.

But, Lord willing, something was going to go down soon, and the Passover seemed as likely a time as any. Even if it didn’t, who would want to miss the opportunity to flaunt Israel’s presence and tradition in the face of the Romans, those Gentile pigs? There are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

While all the celebration and excitement are going on in the Holy City, the Lord is demonstrating his knowledge of things unknown, instructing his disciples on where and how to find the young colt. The disciples laid their coats on the colt’s back and helped Jesus get on.

They were good Jews; they knew the Scriptures. They knew what this act meant. They even tell us in the Gospels that he was fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy (Zech 9:9), “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matthew 21:5 NIV)

They knew that David sent his son to be anointed king on a donkey (1 Kings 1:33). They knew the story of King Jehu, when his men threw their coats down to show their respect and submission to their new king. Kings rode donkeys. Kings sat on their subjects’ coats.

They knew what they were doing. Long had the days been when Jesus was talking about all this kingdom stuff and now the time has come. The fear they had for him entering the city is gone. They are living on faith and hoping to ride into Jerusalem and sit at the king’s right hand (Mark 10:37) as James and John had asked a few days before. I wonder if there was a race to de-cloak. You could almost imagine them saying, “Lord, take mine.” “No, take mine,” says another. A new day is coming. There are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

They leave Bethpage, cross over the Mount of Olives, and approach Jerusalem. On the outskirts of town, in Luke’s account, the disciples are praising God for all the miracles they had seen, leading the song, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” Matthew tell us, “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matthew 21:9 NIV)

As they entered the city, the crowd knew their Bibles too. They knew the imagery. They knew the stories of kings, donkeys, and coats. They knew hope of a Messiah. They knew hope of Israel’s restoration and the fall of Rome. They knew the tradition of singing the Hallel on this day. They knew that you started with Psalm 113 and sang through Psalm 118, the psalms that spoke of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt, the coming rest, the Lord’s provision, and victory. They were psalms sung in Israel’s history, often used in times of victory. They knew the words; they knew the symbolism.

The crowd, estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000, lined the roadsides to cheer an itinerant preacher from Nazareth named Jesus. The sang the Hallel back and forth across the street in response to each other like we would at a University of Florida football game. One side yells, “Orange” and the other side yells, “Blue.” “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”” (Matthew 21:9 NIV) Back and forth they went.

In all the excitement, they gathered palm branches, cheering him on. These palms come from the third holiday of the year, the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23). The palms people used to build their houses in that ceremony represented God’s deliverance, that the wanderings were over, and thanksgiving for their being declared righteous. They tossed them in the road and waved them in the air.

They were elated! What great pageantry! What great timing for this these guys to come in like this! You could not have planned it any better. What great fun with the cool palms! What a great Passover! This one will go down in the books, they thought! There are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

But, there is something very strange about the original Palm Sunday. A huge question mark looms in the background. There is a glaring discontinuity about the whole event. Think about it.

And, as he comes through, the whole city was stirred, and asked, “”Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”” (Matthew 21:10-11 NIV) It is as if to ask whom the rodeo clown is. How funny! What great entertainment! What a great show! Yes indeed, there are a lot of reasons for them to be here today.

YOU:
So, why are you here? Why are you really here? Why are you here this morning? I think that is a fair question in light of this passage. That is the question this passage is asking us in 2008, “Why are you here? Why are you really here?”

Luke tells us that Jesus was weeping as he entered the city saying, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” (Luke 19:42-44 NIV)

Why are you here? The Lord himself rode right through Jerusalem and most everyone missed it. The Lord is unknown in the Holy City and he is often unknown in the Church. Oh, the ways we miss him too!

I. There are a lot of reasons why we miss him.

As we enter this place on Sunday mornings, we lay down our coats saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” We listen to God’s Word, we know our Bibles, we sing our victory songs, and we cheer Jesus on. Yes indeed, there are a lot of reasons for us to be here today, and some are pretty good.

• To see friends and fellowship (Acts 2:42)
• To be with family
• Because God commands it (Heb 10:25)
• Because we need refreshment
• Because we’re on the schedule
• Because it’s tradition or habit

Those are all good and biblical reasons, but if they are the only reasons we come, or even the main reasons, we’ve missed him. The Lord has come near and we were busy serving ourselves.

There are a lot of reasons for us to be here today and some of them are not so good.

• Because we don’t want to feel guilty
• Because we don’t want people to think less of us
• Because we want people to feel better about us
• To drop something off at the office
• Because it is a beautiful day, good for being out and about
• Because we decided not to go skiing today
• To offer our agendas
• To see who is going to say what
• To offer our critiques

We come for so many reasons other than the right ones. If we’ve come for any of those reasons, we’ve missed the Lord. The Lord has ridden right down this aisle, and we missed him. The Lord has come near and we were busy justifying ourselves.

II. There is only one reason for us to be here today.

Why are you here? There is only one reason for us to be here today, to worship the Lord who has taken away our sins. It sounds so simple doesn’t it? Yet it’s so complicated.

We are like the crowd in that we have different expectations than our Savior. We see the Paschal Lamb, the lamb who takes away the sin of the world, and we ask, “Is that all?” We so often want more from our Lord.

We really don’t think our sin is that bad. “Redemption? Yeah it sounds good, but if I’m honest, I think I would prefer an easier life,” we think in private; “I tell you what Jesus, I’ll buy into the sin thing on paper, but I really want to talk about the rest of your blessings. Come to think of it, I’m not really into much of that negative stuff, I just want positive results and I want them all now…Come on, overthrow this pagan regime, do something big. Let’s not talk about this dying to self stuff, gim’me the goods.”

We are like the crowd in that one day we are worshipping him as we think he is going to do something big for us, but when it doesn’t satisfy us, we are ready to shout, “Crucify him,” the next.

We want a resurrection without a cross. We want gain without the pain. We want the love without the discipline. We want it easy. Oh, do we have different expectations than our Savior! We so want it to be about us!

No, there is only one reason to be here today and that is for him; it’s all about him. It is about:
• The God-man who rode into the Holy City to die in our place, to take on the sin of the world.
• It is about the Passover Lamb whose blood protects us from the Angel of Death.
• The loving Lord who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves; rescue us from judgment.
• It is about the Lord who delivers us from the slavery of sin.
• It is about the Redeemer who took the nails and lashes that were reserved for you and for me.
• It is about the Lord who loved us while we were still in our sin, to set things right.
• It is about the King of the universe bringing us into the kingdom of light from the kingdom of darkness.

WE:
Imagine if we set aside all the other reasons for our being here. Imagine that with all that garbage out of the way, how we could fellowship with the Lord…Talk about being near?

Imagine how we could relate to one another without our agendas…Talk about being provocative to the unchurched?

I suspect, if we could do that, we would have our very own revival, right here in this sanctuary. I bet it would spread. I bet we would be transformed. I bet we would see all kinds of spiritual and physical healing. I bet we would wish the service would go on for three hours; shoot, I bet we would stay right on through dinner and the evening service.

Imagine…

There is only one reason to be here today, and his name is Jesus. Why are you here? Why are you really here? …….Let’s pray…….

Topics: Matthew, Palm Sunday |

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