Palm Sunday Group Notes

WELCOME

When was the last time you saw people go absolutely nuts? At a festival? A concert? A party? Maybe even in church? Describe the situation.

WORSHIP

The usual. Don’t forget Adam’s new link which allows you to listen to NRC songs online. Ask him for details.

WITNESS

In Ephesians 6:15 Paul urges us to put on certain shoes called “the preparation of the gospel of peace”. In other words, we need to be ready to preach the gospel of peace to the people around us. Discuss what the “gospel of peace” is all about and make some agreements as to how you wish to put this into practice. Does this involve more delightful door-knocking? Some social action? The Jesus Film?

WORD

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday. Read Matthew 21:1-11 together and go through it section-by-section. For each section first ask what the author was getting at (exegesis), then apply the message to your life (application). Generally it is helpful to keep these two steps separate. What follows, focuses on Step One. However, don’t forget to discuss Step Two. Use your initiative.

The main message of Palm Sunday is that Jesus brings peace: (i) peace with God (ii) peace from the enemy and (iii) peace with each other.

THE CONTEXT

We are approaching Passover – there are now three million people in a city which ordinarily had a population of roughly 80,000! Just as Jewish believers were picking out thousands of Passover lambs for slaughter, the sprit realm was also preparing for the killing of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ himself. Jesus announced his passion repeatedly - the last time in Matthew 20:18. All four gospel writers (i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) mention Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which is rare). The Triumphal Entry is important because it teaches us some significant lessons about Jesus’ Messiahship (Messiah = the Christ = the Anointed One). Three types of people were anointed in the Old Testament (kings, priests and prophets). Jesus is therefore the Super Anointed One, the King-Priest-Prophet (this concept is usually entitled “Christ’s threefold office” or “munus triplex”).

THE MESSIAH APPROACHES

V.1   When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to    Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus    sent two disciples,

V.2   saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and    immediately you will find a donkey tied there    and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.

V.3   "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will    send them."

Bethphage (meaning “house of the unripe fig”) was a suburb of Jerusalem and roughly the limit of a Sabbath-day's journey away, i.e. about one mile. At this point (V.1) the procession hasn’t even arrived at Bethphage. Jesus and the disciples have come very close to it. The Mount of Olives was a hill full of olive trees to the East of Jerusalem. The two disciples are possibly Peter and John (cf. Luke 22:8). Jesus has a plan. He is issuing orders like a king.

V.4   This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

V.5   "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,
   'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU,
     GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY,
      EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"

Central Message: Jesus is the Messiah-King. He brings peace from the enemy.

Read the original in Zechariah 9:9-10. Remember that donkeys were ridden by princes and judges. Also, consider that a donkey is not a warhorse. Why does Matthew mention two donkeys whilst the other gospel writers only mention one? What does all of this mean? Jesus is the Prince of Peace! He is still king but he operates in a spirit of peace (contrast this with Revelation 19).

V.6   The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,

V.7   and [they] brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He [i.e. Jesus] sat on the    coats.

The disciples were obedient and did more than the bare minimum out of love and respect for Jesus.

THE MESSIAH ENTERS JERUSALEM

V.8   Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the    trees and    spreading them in the road.

V.9   The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

   “Hosanna to the Son of David;
   BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"

Central message: Jesus makes peace with God as the Messiah-Priest.

Jesus has gathered a crowd around him which now bursts into full view of Jerusalem as it appears on the Mount of Olives, two hundred feet higher than the temple mount. Luke tells us in Luke 19:37 that as soon as they were approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen. But Jesus wept. Why? Any observations about the triumphal procession itself? Note that “hosanna” means “save now” or “please save”. The entire quote speaks of salvation in the widest possible sense and is taken in part from Ps. 118:25-26, a hymn which belonged to the great hallelujah chanted at the end of the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles – both of which were festivals instituted by God to remember the greatest act of salvation in Israel’s history, namely the Exodus – the occasion when God led his people out of Egypt under Moses. Palm tree branches featured at the Feast of Tabernacles as well (Leviticus 23:40).

THE MESSIAH HAS COME

V.10   When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying,    "Who is this?"

V.11   And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

Central message: Jesus revealed to us how to be peacemakers as the Messiah-prophet (cf. Matthew 5:9 & Mt. 5: 23-24).

“Who is Jesus?” That is the most important question in life. Remember that “nothing good came out of Galilee” as far as the Jews were concerned. To what extent was Jesus a prophet?

Philip Parnham, 08/04/2009