Journey to the Cross & Beyond: What Did Jesus Come to Do?
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Speaker: Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Scripture: Matthew 21:1-9, Matthew 4:23
Sermon Quick Summary
Jesus, Hosanna, is at the center of it all. Imagine you are there on Palm Sunday in the crowd excited about Jesus. The Tension and Disconnect of Palm Sunday is that the crowd was right to call Jesus King, but they were wrong about what kind of King Jesus came to be. There are many Messianic Prophecies included throughout the Old Testament scriptures passed down from generation to generation. Many who waved palm branches in praise that day would later shout “Crucify Him” because Jesus didn’t play the part they wanted Him to play. The truth of Palm Sunday asks each of us a hard question: Are we worshiping Jesus for the King Jesus comes to be as declared in Luke 4:18-19? Or the King we want Jesus to be? The mission of Jesus (review Luke 4:19) was literally and figuratively. 1) To bring good news to the poor. 2) To proclaim freedom for the captives. 3) To give sight to the blind. 4) To set the oppressed free. Jesus came to establish the reign of God. It is a Kingdom marked by justice, mercy, healing, hope and love that embodied the Kingdom of God in what Jesus did. The crowd missed that Jesus wasn’t doing signs to impress them; Jesus was revealing the very essence of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that day, Jesus was moving forward with the revolution He had already begun that would find its fulfillment at the cross and its power in the resurrection. Jesus came to save them not just from Rome, but also from sin, from brokenness within and without, from eternal death. Jesus came to save not just a nation, but to save all people from the inside out. The people shouted “Hosanna,” believing they were welcoming a king who would change the world. Jesus, their King, does change the world, but not in the way they imagined. Today, those who truly understand who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do still shout, “Hosanna.” Our shout in our lives today should also be “Hosanna in the highest.” Living in Jesus’ Kingdom is a call to surrender our expectations. Jesus invites us to live as citizens of that Kingdom. (1) To speak truth, even when it’s costly. (2) To love our neighbor, even when it’s inconvenient. (3) To let go of control, even when we’re afraid (4) Trusting in the safety of being in the center of Jesus’ love, because Jesus will never fail or forsake us. We are invited to a spiritual exercise, to shout Hosanna, and pray for Jesus to reign and be the center of our life.
Jesus, Hosanna, is at the center of it all.
Today is Palm Sunday, and Jesus literally is at the center of it all. The cheers and also some jeers are all about Jesus. What that meant for Jesus to be at the center on that particular day would depend on who you asked, what they believed was happening, and what they were expecting to happen. Last week, we began our series, “Journey to the Cross.” Minister Tony DeGruy wrestled with the question, “Who is Jesus?” Today, we continue the Journey to the Cross series with the question, “What did Jesus come to do?” We begin to glimpse the answer as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Let’s relive the story through Matthew’s eyes. Matthew 21:1-9 declares, “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.’4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 ‘Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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 heaven!”
Imagine you are there on Palm Sunday in the crowd excited about Jesus.
You are invited to use your holy imagination for a moment. Shut your eyes if you want to: hear the sounds, see the sights, feel the energy. Jerusalem is buzzing. It’s the week of Passover, one of the holiest times of the year. Pilgrims are flooding into the city, filling the narrow streets with a combination of anticipation, tension, and sacred reverence. In the midst of the crowds though, something different is happening. Jesus, a man from Nazareth in Galilee, is entering the city in a way that grabs everyone’s attention. Palm branches are waving. People are laying their cloaks on the road usually only done for royalty. Shouts are ringing out across the hills: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
This isn’t just a random gathering. These people are gathered and excited because they believe their long-awaited Messiah has finally come, the King they’ve been waiting for. Imagine yourself in that crowd. You’ve heard the stories. Maybe you saw Him heal someone. Maybe you tasted the bread and fish that He multiplied. Maybe you have your own burdens and your own hopes. You're thinking that this is the moment we’ve waited for, that the Messiah is here!
The atmosphere is electric, and the energy is palpable. But underneath it all, something doesn’t quite add up when you think about it. This King is not riding in on a horse. This King is not surrounded by soldiers. This King is riding on a donkey. That has to mean something. And it does!
The Tension and Disconnect of Palm Sunday is that the crowd was right to call Jesus King, but they were wrong about what kind of King Jesus came to be.
They wanted a conqueror, someone to overthrow Roman oppression, to restore Israel’s power, and someone who would fix everything in their external world.
Messianic Prophecies include many throughout the Old Testament scriptures passed down from generation to generation.
They were right to expect a Messiah who would bring change. The scriptures had promised it. The prophets had spoken of a coming King who would reign in justice and righteousness. Isaiah spoke of a child who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) like we sing about every Christmas. Jeremiah prophesied of a Righteous Branch from David’s line who would reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land (Jeremiah 23:5). Even beyond Isaiah and Jeremiah, the crowd’s expectations were shaped by centuries of prophetic hope through lived struggles. Zechariah spoke of a day when the Lord would come and dwell among His people (Zechariah 2:10), Later Zechariah spoke of a king who would come “righteous and victorious, lowly, and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Daniel prophesied about the Son of Man who would be given dominion and glory and a kingdom that would never pass away (Daniel 7:14). On that famous day of Palm Sunday, this was not a crowd with abstract hopes; rather they were survival truths and promises passed down generation after generation, especially during seasons of exile, occupation, and despair, similar to the challenges the Children of Israel faced at Palm Sunday. Then woven into all of this was the memory of the Exodus, the defining salvation event of Israel’s story. Just as God had delivered them from Pharaoh, they believed the Messiah would deliver them from Caesar.
The palm branches they waved weren’t just celebratory; they were political. To wave a palm branch was to say, “We believe our King is here, and He’s going to win.” When they shouted, “Hosanna, save us now,” they weren’t just quoting a Psalm. They were crying out from national longing and generational pain with confidence that the time for victorious change had finally arrived.
But Jesus came to address something bigger and deeper. Jesus came to usher in a Kingdom of compassion and love for the now and the “not-yet,” not of politics or geography. Herein lays the problem for the crowd that day. Jesus did not meet their expectations
Many who waved palm branches in praise that day would later shout “Crucify Him” because Jesus didn’t play the part they wanted Him to play.
This is important to grasp. This same crowd who on Palm Sunday is yelling “Hosanna”, in just seven days will change their yelling to “Crucify Him!” Yes, it is true that the religious leaders who plotted to kill Jesus instigated the movement. Yes, it is true they may have gotten caught up in crowd mania. However, for many Jesus simply didn’t turn out to be who they thought Jesus would be.
If we’re honest, many of us know what that feels like. We’ve had times when we expected Jesus to fix something quickly, to open a pathway for us, to make a situation right, or to grant what we believed to be a reasonable prayer request. When things didn’t happen the way we wanted or expected, we may have felt confused, disappointed, or maybe even angry.
The truth of Palm Sunday asks each of us a hard question: Are we worshiping Jesus for the King Jesus comes to be as declared in Luke 4:18-19? Or the King we want Jesus to be?
To understand what kind of King Jesus is, we need to go back to understand why Jesus came. We have to go back to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a flashback of about three years. Let’s look at the moment Jesus stood up in His hometown synagogue and publicly declared His mission: Engage your imagination again to visualize the scene and imagine you are there.
Luke 4 tells us Jesus was worshiping in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth that day. Jesus was surrounded by familiar faces: people who had watched Him grow up, neighbors, extended family, and even old teachers. As was His custom, He stood up to read. That day, He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus didn’t just read at random. Luke informs us that Jesus found the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 quoted in Luke 4:18-19. Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19).
Then the scripture says He rolled up the scroll and said, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Luke 4:21). This was a bold claim. Jesus was making a declaration. He wasn’t just a good teacher. Jesus was saying that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
The mission of Jesus (review Luke 4:19) was literally and figuratively, 1) to bring good news to the poor, 2) to proclaim freedom for the captives, 3) to give sight to the blind, 4) to set the oppressed free.
From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus made it clear: Jesus came to establish the reign of God on earth. He didn’t come to launch a political revolt. Jesus came to bring a Kingdom where captives are released, the blind see, and the broken are restored.” Jesus didn’t come to build a worldly empire.
Jesus came to establish the reign of God. It is a Kingdom marked by justice, mercy, healing, hope and love that embodied the Kingdom of God in what Jesus did.
This exactly answers the question posed by the sermon title, “What did Jesus come to do?” Jesus established God’s Kingdom on earth and showed us what the Kingdom is like. In Matthew 4:23 we get a broader view of how Jesus lived out this mission: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
Jesus didn’t just announce the Kingdom. Jesus embodied the Kingdom in everything Jesus did. His teaching, His healing, and His compassion was a living demonstration that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
The Kingdom is rooted in mercy, truth, healing, and transformation. It is not a political kingdom built by force. Lives were continually touched, and lives were continually changed. The people had seen firsthand what no one had ever done. They had watched Jesus touch a leper and make the leper clean. They had seen Jesus give sight to a man born blind. They had heard Jesus speak to a paralyzed man and then watched the paralytic rise and walk. They had been among the thousands fed by Jesus with five loaves and two fish, with more than enough to go around. Some had seen Him walk on water. Others had watched Him cast out demons with nothing more than a word.
Just days before this entry into Jerusalem, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. After four days in a tomb, Lazarus came out alive. That miracle alone sent shockwaves through the region. People came to Jerusalem not just to worship, but to see Jesus, and to see Lazarus.
Is it any wonder they shouted “Hosanna!” as Jesus entered? They had seen signs that only the Messiah could do.
The crowd missed that Jesus wasn’t doing signs to impress them. Jesus was revealing the very essence of the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus healed the sick, He was showing a Kingdom where brokenness doesn’t get the last word. When Jesus welcomed outcasts, He was showing a Kingdom where everyone has a place at the table. When Jesus forgave sins, He was revealing a Kingdom where grace flows freely, and you can always repent and come back to God. When Jesus challenged the religious leaders, He was exhibiting a Kingdom where truth speaks louder than tradition or religiosity. When Jesus washed feet, He was introducing a Kingdom where true greatness is embodied in humility.
Every word, every miracle, every table He sat at was a signpost that the Kingdom of Heaven is here. The signpost is not defined by borders or armies, but by the reign of God’s presence marked by justice, mercy, love, and truth impacting this broken world at every turn.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that day, Jesus was moving forward with the revolution He had already begun that would find its fulfillment at the cross and its power in the resurrection
Now that we’ve seen that Jesus came to establish a Kingdom generated by love without the borders or barriers, we can gain even deeper insight as to what’s happening in this Palm Sunday moment.
Jesus approached the city. Jesus instructed His disciples to bring Him a colt. This was not random, but it was intentional. He wasn’t on a warhorse. He wasn’t riding in a chariot. He was riding a humble animal of peace. Humility in the Kingdom of God characterizes the donkey. The prophecy we mentioned earlier makes this distinction, “See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
The crowd didn’t seem to notice the contrast. They were caught up in the momentum, the movement, the hope, and the hype. They shouted, “Hosanna!” which means “Save us now!”
But what were they hoping to be saved from? They longed for deliverance from Roman oppression, from unjust systems, from economic hardship, and from fear. They weren’t wrong to want deliverance, but they misunderstood God’s method. They misunderstood what Jesus came to do.
Jesus came to save them not just from Rome, but also from sin, from brokenness within and without, from eternal death. Jesus came to save not just a nation, but to save all people from the inside out.
Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was a kind of parable or statement that is a protest against every kind of power the world celebrates. Power that dominates, demands, and destroys is not the power of Jesus. By contrast, Jesus offered a different kind of holy power that is humility and healing. Jesus was not the King they expected or wanted, but Jesus was the King they needed.
This brings us back to the question raised earlier for us to ponder. Are we worshipping the King Jesus is, or the King we want Jesus to be? Palm Sunday is not just a celebration of who Jesus was on his journey to the cross. Palm Sunday is a call to recognize who Jesus truly is for all times.
The people shouted “Hosanna,” believing they were welcoming a King who would change the world. Jesus, their King, does change the world, but not in the way they imagined. Today, those who truly understand who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do still shout, “Hosanna.”
Although Hosanna literally means “save us now,” it was also an exclamation of praise. We cry out not only in the midst of desperation, but also praise in recognition that Jesus is the One who saves even if not in the way we expect. Jesus saves in joy and in sorrow, in certainty and in confusion, on the mountaintop and in the valley.
When we truly understand what Jesus came to establish the reign of God’s Kingdom, Hosanna becomes a prayer for every season of our lives. Please click this link to watch this brief video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zdfqv4NH2NVb45DZyXOzLQKXvKCK0JQE/view?usp=drive_link
Our shout in our lives today should also be “Hosanna in the highest.”
The video reminds us that Hosanna isn’t just something we shout when life feels good. Rather, Hosanna is a prayer we carry with us in joy, in sorrow, in trust, and even in uncertainty.
However, that’s only the beginning. Palm Sunday invites us to do more than lift up praise. Palm Sunday calls us to consider what the prayer “Hosanna in the highest” really means in our lives today.
Living in Jesus’ Kingdom is a call to surrender our expectations
Jesus’ Kingdom is a call not just to shout praise, but to surrender our expectations. Living in Jesus’ Kingdom is still not what we’d naturally choose. The Kingdom is forgiveness instead of revenge. The Kingdom is peace instead of anxiety. The Kingdom is humility instead of ambition. The Kingdom is serving instead of being served. This is hard stuff! The Kingdom of God is upside down from the kingdom of this world.
What’s more, Jesus’ Kingdom isn’t just something we enter one time and we are done. Jesus’ Kingdom is something we learn to live in day by day. Each day may have its own challenge. Challenges might look like choosing to forgive someone who hasn't apologized, or show kindness to a person who sees the world completely differently than you. It might look like being generous when you feel uncertain about how you’re going to meet your bills. Living in the Kingdom may keep your heart open when life hasn’t turned out the way you expected, and you’ve been burned more than once. The Kingdom of God is not a blueprint for an easier life. It’s a way of being that reflects the heart of our King through the power of the divine Holy Spirit.
Jesus invites us to live as citizens of that Kingdom, (1) to speak truth, even when it’s costly, (2) to love our neighbor, even when it’s inconvenient, (3) to let go of control, even when we’re afraid, (4) trusting in the safety of being in the center of Jesus’ love, because Jesus will never fail or forsake us.
This is the Kingdom Jesus came to establish. It is not a kingdom of power and prestige, but a kingdom of presence, sacrifice, and love. This is the hard truth Palm Sunday places before us: Will we follow this King Jesus, even when He doesn't come the way we expected? Will we trust this Kingdom, even when it asks more of us than we planned to give, or when we’re called to surrender our way for Jesus’ way?
We are invited to a spiritual exercise, to shout Hosanna, and pray for Jesus to reign and be the center of our life.
On Palm Sunday, we held a palm branch, just like the crowd did that first Palm Sunday. However, we didn’t hold these palm branches as props in a parade. We held them as a question. Will I lay this down for the true King Jesus actually is, not my preferred version of a King? Will I lay down my timeline, my assumptions, my desire for control, and let Jesus take His rightful place? The crowd once shouted “Hosanna,” but many were hoping Jesus would fit their expectations. On this Palm Sunday, Jesus invites us to lay down those expectations and lift up a different kind of Hosanna. That shout of Hosanna is not just “save me from this.” The shout of Hosanna should also mean “Jesus, reign in me. Be the center of my life.”
You are invited to do the following simple, but meaningful spiritual exercise if it reflects your heart today. If you desire to acknowledge Jesus as your King, the center of your story, and the center of your joy, then you are invited to hold a palm in front of you with your palms open and arms extended as a sign of surrender. As your Hosanna prayer say, “Jesus, you are the center of my story. Be the center of my thoughts, the center of my plans, the center of my worship, the center of my life, the center of my joy.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
-How is Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday promoting holy power of humility and healing while it is a revolutionary protest against powers the world celebrates including revenge, ambition, and being served?
-In what ways is living in Jesus’ Kingdom surrendering our expectations away from what we would normally choose? How will we follow this King Jesus, even when He doesn't come the way we expected, when Jesus’ Kingdom asks more than we planned to give, or when we are called to surrender our way for Jesus’ way?
-What is your understanding of the kind of King Jesus came to be? What tensions and disconnects do you feel between the nationalistic, militaristic notions of a King and the justice, mercy, and love of the King that Jesus came to be?
-What are examples of Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament scriptures? How do these Messianic prophecies inform you in answer to the question, “What did Jesus come to do?”
-For your life journey as an apprentice following Jesus, in what ways should you act in bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom for the captives, giving sight to the blind, and setting the oppressed free both with a literal meaning of the poor, captives, blind, and oppressed and a figurative spiritual meaning?
Speaker: Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Scripture: Matthew 21:1-9, Matthew 4:23
Sermon Quick Summary
Jesus, Hosanna, is at the center of it all. Imagine you are there on Palm Sunday in the crowd excited about Jesus. The Tension and Disconnect of Palm Sunday is that the crowd was right to call Jesus King, but they were wrong about what kind of King Jesus came to be. There are many Messianic Prophecies included throughout the Old Testament scriptures passed down from generation to generation. Many who waved palm branches in praise that day would later shout “Crucify Him” because Jesus didn’t play the part they wanted Him to play. The truth of Palm Sunday asks each of us a hard question: Are we worshiping Jesus for the King Jesus comes to be as declared in Luke 4:18-19? Or the King we want Jesus to be? The mission of Jesus (review Luke 4:19) was literally and figuratively. 1) To bring good news to the poor. 2) To proclaim freedom for the captives. 3) To give sight to the blind. 4) To set the oppressed free. Jesus came to establish the reign of God. It is a Kingdom marked by justice, mercy, healing, hope and love that embodied the Kingdom of God in what Jesus did. The crowd missed that Jesus wasn’t doing signs to impress them; Jesus was revealing the very essence of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that day, Jesus was moving forward with the revolution He had already begun that would find its fulfillment at the cross and its power in the resurrection. Jesus came to save them not just from Rome, but also from sin, from brokenness within and without, from eternal death. Jesus came to save not just a nation, but to save all people from the inside out. The people shouted “Hosanna,” believing they were welcoming a king who would change the world. Jesus, their King, does change the world, but not in the way they imagined. Today, those who truly understand who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do still shout, “Hosanna.” Our shout in our lives today should also be “Hosanna in the highest.” Living in Jesus’ Kingdom is a call to surrender our expectations. Jesus invites us to live as citizens of that Kingdom. (1) To speak truth, even when it’s costly. (2) To love our neighbor, even when it’s inconvenient. (3) To let go of control, even when we’re afraid (4) Trusting in the safety of being in the center of Jesus’ love, because Jesus will never fail or forsake us. We are invited to a spiritual exercise, to shout Hosanna, and pray for Jesus to reign and be the center of our life.
Jesus, Hosanna, is at the center of it all.
Today is Palm Sunday, and Jesus literally is at the center of it all. The cheers and also some jeers are all about Jesus. What that meant for Jesus to be at the center on that particular day would depend on who you asked, what they believed was happening, and what they were expecting to happen. Last week, we began our series, “Journey to the Cross.” Minister Tony DeGruy wrestled with the question, “Who is Jesus?” Today, we continue the Journey to the Cross series with the question, “What did Jesus come to do?” We begin to glimpse the answer as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Let’s relive the story through Matthew’s eyes. Matthew 21:1-9 declares, “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.’4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 ‘Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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 heaven!”
Imagine you are there on Palm Sunday in the crowd excited about Jesus.
You are invited to use your holy imagination for a moment. Shut your eyes if you want to: hear the sounds, see the sights, feel the energy. Jerusalem is buzzing. It’s the week of Passover, one of the holiest times of the year. Pilgrims are flooding into the city, filling the narrow streets with a combination of anticipation, tension, and sacred reverence. In the midst of the crowds though, something different is happening. Jesus, a man from Nazareth in Galilee, is entering the city in a way that grabs everyone’s attention. Palm branches are waving. People are laying their cloaks on the road usually only done for royalty. Shouts are ringing out across the hills: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
This isn’t just a random gathering. These people are gathered and excited because they believe their long-awaited Messiah has finally come, the King they’ve been waiting for. Imagine yourself in that crowd. You’ve heard the stories. Maybe you saw Him heal someone. Maybe you tasted the bread and fish that He multiplied. Maybe you have your own burdens and your own hopes. You're thinking that this is the moment we’ve waited for, that the Messiah is here!
The atmosphere is electric, and the energy is palpable. But underneath it all, something doesn’t quite add up when you think about it. This King is not riding in on a horse. This King is not surrounded by soldiers. This King is riding on a donkey. That has to mean something. And it does!
The Tension and Disconnect of Palm Sunday is that the crowd was right to call Jesus King, but they were wrong about what kind of King Jesus came to be.
They wanted a conqueror, someone to overthrow Roman oppression, to restore Israel’s power, and someone who would fix everything in their external world.
Messianic Prophecies include many throughout the Old Testament scriptures passed down from generation to generation.
They were right to expect a Messiah who would bring change. The scriptures had promised it. The prophets had spoken of a coming King who would reign in justice and righteousness. Isaiah spoke of a child who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) like we sing about every Christmas. Jeremiah prophesied of a Righteous Branch from David’s line who would reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land (Jeremiah 23:5). Even beyond Isaiah and Jeremiah, the crowd’s expectations were shaped by centuries of prophetic hope through lived struggles. Zechariah spoke of a day when the Lord would come and dwell among His people (Zechariah 2:10), Later Zechariah spoke of a king who would come “righteous and victorious, lowly, and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Daniel prophesied about the Son of Man who would be given dominion and glory and a kingdom that would never pass away (Daniel 7:14). On that famous day of Palm Sunday, this was not a crowd with abstract hopes; rather they were survival truths and promises passed down generation after generation, especially during seasons of exile, occupation, and despair, similar to the challenges the Children of Israel faced at Palm Sunday. Then woven into all of this was the memory of the Exodus, the defining salvation event of Israel’s story. Just as God had delivered them from Pharaoh, they believed the Messiah would deliver them from Caesar.
The palm branches they waved weren’t just celebratory; they were political. To wave a palm branch was to say, “We believe our King is here, and He’s going to win.” When they shouted, “Hosanna, save us now,” they weren’t just quoting a Psalm. They were crying out from national longing and generational pain with confidence that the time for victorious change had finally arrived.
But Jesus came to address something bigger and deeper. Jesus came to usher in a Kingdom of compassion and love for the now and the “not-yet,” not of politics or geography. Herein lays the problem for the crowd that day. Jesus did not meet their expectations
Many who waved palm branches in praise that day would later shout “Crucify Him” because Jesus didn’t play the part they wanted Him to play.
This is important to grasp. This same crowd who on Palm Sunday is yelling “Hosanna”, in just seven days will change their yelling to “Crucify Him!” Yes, it is true that the religious leaders who plotted to kill Jesus instigated the movement. Yes, it is true they may have gotten caught up in crowd mania. However, for many Jesus simply didn’t turn out to be who they thought Jesus would be.
If we’re honest, many of us know what that feels like. We’ve had times when we expected Jesus to fix something quickly, to open a pathway for us, to make a situation right, or to grant what we believed to be a reasonable prayer request. When things didn’t happen the way we wanted or expected, we may have felt confused, disappointed, or maybe even angry.
The truth of Palm Sunday asks each of us a hard question: Are we worshiping Jesus for the King Jesus comes to be as declared in Luke 4:18-19? Or the King we want Jesus to be?
To understand what kind of King Jesus is, we need to go back to understand why Jesus came. We have to go back to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a flashback of about three years. Let’s look at the moment Jesus stood up in His hometown synagogue and publicly declared His mission: Engage your imagination again to visualize the scene and imagine you are there.
Luke 4 tells us Jesus was worshiping in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth that day. Jesus was surrounded by familiar faces: people who had watched Him grow up, neighbors, extended family, and even old teachers. As was His custom, He stood up to read. That day, He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus didn’t just read at random. Luke informs us that Jesus found the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 quoted in Luke 4:18-19. Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19).
Then the scripture says He rolled up the scroll and said, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Luke 4:21). This was a bold claim. Jesus was making a declaration. He wasn’t just a good teacher. Jesus was saying that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
The mission of Jesus (review Luke 4:19) was literally and figuratively, 1) to bring good news to the poor, 2) to proclaim freedom for the captives, 3) to give sight to the blind, 4) to set the oppressed free.
From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus made it clear: Jesus came to establish the reign of God on earth. He didn’t come to launch a political revolt. Jesus came to bring a Kingdom where captives are released, the blind see, and the broken are restored.” Jesus didn’t come to build a worldly empire.
Jesus came to establish the reign of God. It is a Kingdom marked by justice, mercy, healing, hope and love that embodied the Kingdom of God in what Jesus did.
This exactly answers the question posed by the sermon title, “What did Jesus come to do?” Jesus established God’s Kingdom on earth and showed us what the Kingdom is like. In Matthew 4:23 we get a broader view of how Jesus lived out this mission: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
Jesus didn’t just announce the Kingdom. Jesus embodied the Kingdom in everything Jesus did. His teaching, His healing, and His compassion was a living demonstration that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
The Kingdom is rooted in mercy, truth, healing, and transformation. It is not a political kingdom built by force. Lives were continually touched, and lives were continually changed. The people had seen firsthand what no one had ever done. They had watched Jesus touch a leper and make the leper clean. They had seen Jesus give sight to a man born blind. They had heard Jesus speak to a paralyzed man and then watched the paralytic rise and walk. They had been among the thousands fed by Jesus with five loaves and two fish, with more than enough to go around. Some had seen Him walk on water. Others had watched Him cast out demons with nothing more than a word.
Just days before this entry into Jerusalem, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. After four days in a tomb, Lazarus came out alive. That miracle alone sent shockwaves through the region. People came to Jerusalem not just to worship, but to see Jesus, and to see Lazarus.
Is it any wonder they shouted “Hosanna!” as Jesus entered? They had seen signs that only the Messiah could do.
The crowd missed that Jesus wasn’t doing signs to impress them. Jesus was revealing the very essence of the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus healed the sick, He was showing a Kingdom where brokenness doesn’t get the last word. When Jesus welcomed outcasts, He was showing a Kingdom where everyone has a place at the table. When Jesus forgave sins, He was revealing a Kingdom where grace flows freely, and you can always repent and come back to God. When Jesus challenged the religious leaders, He was exhibiting a Kingdom where truth speaks louder than tradition or religiosity. When Jesus washed feet, He was introducing a Kingdom where true greatness is embodied in humility.
Every word, every miracle, every table He sat at was a signpost that the Kingdom of Heaven is here. The signpost is not defined by borders or armies, but by the reign of God’s presence marked by justice, mercy, love, and truth impacting this broken world at every turn.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that day, Jesus was moving forward with the revolution He had already begun that would find its fulfillment at the cross and its power in the resurrection
Now that we’ve seen that Jesus came to establish a Kingdom generated by love without the borders or barriers, we can gain even deeper insight as to what’s happening in this Palm Sunday moment.
Jesus approached the city. Jesus instructed His disciples to bring Him a colt. This was not random, but it was intentional. He wasn’t on a warhorse. He wasn’t riding in a chariot. He was riding a humble animal of peace. Humility in the Kingdom of God characterizes the donkey. The prophecy we mentioned earlier makes this distinction, “See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
The crowd didn’t seem to notice the contrast. They were caught up in the momentum, the movement, the hope, and the hype. They shouted, “Hosanna!” which means “Save us now!”
But what were they hoping to be saved from? They longed for deliverance from Roman oppression, from unjust systems, from economic hardship, and from fear. They weren’t wrong to want deliverance, but they misunderstood God’s method. They misunderstood what Jesus came to do.
Jesus came to save them not just from Rome, but also from sin, from brokenness within and without, from eternal death. Jesus came to save not just a nation, but to save all people from the inside out.
Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was a kind of parable or statement that is a protest against every kind of power the world celebrates. Power that dominates, demands, and destroys is not the power of Jesus. By contrast, Jesus offered a different kind of holy power that is humility and healing. Jesus was not the King they expected or wanted, but Jesus was the King they needed.
This brings us back to the question raised earlier for us to ponder. Are we worshipping the King Jesus is, or the King we want Jesus to be? Palm Sunday is not just a celebration of who Jesus was on his journey to the cross. Palm Sunday is a call to recognize who Jesus truly is for all times.
The people shouted “Hosanna,” believing they were welcoming a King who would change the world. Jesus, their King, does change the world, but not in the way they imagined. Today, those who truly understand who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do still shout, “Hosanna.”
Although Hosanna literally means “save us now,” it was also an exclamation of praise. We cry out not only in the midst of desperation, but also praise in recognition that Jesus is the One who saves even if not in the way we expect. Jesus saves in joy and in sorrow, in certainty and in confusion, on the mountaintop and in the valley.
When we truly understand what Jesus came to establish the reign of God’s Kingdom, Hosanna becomes a prayer for every season of our lives. Please click this link to watch this brief video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zdfqv4NH2NVb45DZyXOzLQKXvKCK0JQE/view?usp=drive_link
Our shout in our lives today should also be “Hosanna in the highest.”
The video reminds us that Hosanna isn’t just something we shout when life feels good. Rather, Hosanna is a prayer we carry with us in joy, in sorrow, in trust, and even in uncertainty.
However, that’s only the beginning. Palm Sunday invites us to do more than lift up praise. Palm Sunday calls us to consider what the prayer “Hosanna in the highest” really means in our lives today.
Living in Jesus’ Kingdom is a call to surrender our expectations
Jesus’ Kingdom is a call not just to shout praise, but to surrender our expectations. Living in Jesus’ Kingdom is still not what we’d naturally choose. The Kingdom is forgiveness instead of revenge. The Kingdom is peace instead of anxiety. The Kingdom is humility instead of ambition. The Kingdom is serving instead of being served. This is hard stuff! The Kingdom of God is upside down from the kingdom of this world.
What’s more, Jesus’ Kingdom isn’t just something we enter one time and we are done. Jesus’ Kingdom is something we learn to live in day by day. Each day may have its own challenge. Challenges might look like choosing to forgive someone who hasn't apologized, or show kindness to a person who sees the world completely differently than you. It might look like being generous when you feel uncertain about how you’re going to meet your bills. Living in the Kingdom may keep your heart open when life hasn’t turned out the way you expected, and you’ve been burned more than once. The Kingdom of God is not a blueprint for an easier life. It’s a way of being that reflects the heart of our King through the power of the divine Holy Spirit.
Jesus invites us to live as citizens of that Kingdom, (1) to speak truth, even when it’s costly, (2) to love our neighbor, even when it’s inconvenient, (3) to let go of control, even when we’re afraid, (4) trusting in the safety of being in the center of Jesus’ love, because Jesus will never fail or forsake us.
This is the Kingdom Jesus came to establish. It is not a kingdom of power and prestige, but a kingdom of presence, sacrifice, and love. This is the hard truth Palm Sunday places before us: Will we follow this King Jesus, even when He doesn't come the way we expected? Will we trust this Kingdom, even when it asks more of us than we planned to give, or when we’re called to surrender our way for Jesus’ way?
We are invited to a spiritual exercise, to shout Hosanna, and pray for Jesus to reign and be the center of our life.
On Palm Sunday, we held a palm branch, just like the crowd did that first Palm Sunday. However, we didn’t hold these palm branches as props in a parade. We held them as a question. Will I lay this down for the true King Jesus actually is, not my preferred version of a King? Will I lay down my timeline, my assumptions, my desire for control, and let Jesus take His rightful place? The crowd once shouted “Hosanna,” but many were hoping Jesus would fit their expectations. On this Palm Sunday, Jesus invites us to lay down those expectations and lift up a different kind of Hosanna. That shout of Hosanna is not just “save me from this.” The shout of Hosanna should also mean “Jesus, reign in me. Be the center of my life.”
You are invited to do the following simple, but meaningful spiritual exercise if it reflects your heart today. If you desire to acknowledge Jesus as your King, the center of your story, and the center of your joy, then you are invited to hold a palm in front of you with your palms open and arms extended as a sign of surrender. As your Hosanna prayer say, “Jesus, you are the center of my story. Be the center of my thoughts, the center of my plans, the center of my worship, the center of my life, the center of my joy.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
-How is Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday promoting holy power of humility and healing while it is a revolutionary protest against powers the world celebrates including revenge, ambition, and being served?
-In what ways is living in Jesus’ Kingdom surrendering our expectations away from what we would normally choose? How will we follow this King Jesus, even when He doesn't come the way we expected, when Jesus’ Kingdom asks more than we planned to give, or when we are called to surrender our way for Jesus’ way?
-What is your understanding of the kind of King Jesus came to be? What tensions and disconnects do you feel between the nationalistic, militaristic notions of a King and the justice, mercy, and love of the King that Jesus came to be?
-What are examples of Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament scriptures? How do these Messianic prophecies inform you in answer to the question, “What did Jesus come to do?”
-For your life journey as an apprentice following Jesus, in what ways should you act in bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom for the captives, giving sight to the blind, and setting the oppressed free both with a literal meaning of the poor, captives, blind, and oppressed and a figurative spiritual meaning?
Posted in Journey to the Cross & Beyond
Posted in Matthew 4:23, Matthew 21:1-9, Hosanna, Palm Sunday, King, palm, Luke 4:18-19, Kingdom, donkey, surrender our expectations, What Did Jesus Come to Do?, messiah, heal, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 2:10, Zechariah 9:9, Daniel 7:4, Jesus, the King Jesus is, the King we want Jesus to be, Messianic prophecies
Posted in Matthew 4:23, Matthew 21:1-9, Hosanna, Palm Sunday, King, palm, Luke 4:18-19, Kingdom, donkey, surrender our expectations, What Did Jesus Come to Do?, messiah, heal, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 2:10, Zechariah 9:9, Daniel 7:4, Jesus, the King Jesus is, the King we want Jesus to be, Messianic prophecies
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