Palm Sunday: 1,992 Years Later
Palm Sunday 1,992 Years Later
INTRO________________
- 1,992 Years ago, a man entered into a city called Jerusalem riding a donkey while
people laid their clothes and palm branches on the ground in front of Him.
- Why does it matter? Because, that same man, claimed to be God and the one of
whom was foretold who would take away the sins of the world, who would reconcile a
lost world to the Creator God.
- Seemingly insignificant was this event to the world. But upon examination, this was
one of the most significant events in all of history and is part of the most pivotal weeks
in all of humanity.
-Why is it so significant and why is it so relevant to us today, right now? Why are we still
talking about it and this man nearly 2,000 years later?
This same man made a statement that we have recorded in Matthew 24:35: “Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
John 5:36-39, this man claims to be the one the entirety of scriptures is all about:
“...For the works which the Father has given Me to finish - the very works that I do -
bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me,
has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not
believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and
these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may
have life.”
If the first claim we discussed has stood the test of time so far, as in, we are still talking
about Him today, then is it not reasonable to consider the validity of the second, that the
scriptures talk about Him and the things He would do? If they align, then would it not
stand to reason that this man who claims to be God is worth trusting? Because if
everything He has spoken is true, proven by the things that this Man did, then we can
trust when He says that those who trust in Him will live forever.
*the Bible talks about faith. But what is faith? I’m learning there are many ways to
answer:
1. Faith is the conduit by which God delivers his grace & salvation.
-Ephesians 2:8-9 “By faith through grace you have been saved, not of works, lest
any man should boast.”
2. Faith is trusting that God is who He says He is & that His Promises (Word) are true.
-Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
3. Faith is seeking God in His Word that you may know who He is and have a
relationship with Him.
-Jeremiah 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me
with all your heart.
*Faith is the assurance of God’s sovereign Hand in your life because of His
unwavering faithfulness in keeping His Word.
He has not failed you or me up to this point, right? We are still breathing, are we not?
He has delivered us through each and every day and night until now. We can be certain
that He will come through for us when we trust in Him, because He has proven that His
Word is true.
Illustration: Barreling through a wave. “Only a surfer knows the feeling”. There’s
nothing quite like it. There’s nothing quite like hitting a homerun.
*There’s nothing quite like realizing that God’s Word is True.
When that happens, we learn His heart for you and for me, and we increase in the
assurance of our Faith.
PART 1___________Matthew 21:1-11
This Jesus fulfilled prophetic scripture (Verse 4):
Zechariah 9:9, writes that Messiah the King would be riding on a donkey, 500 years
before this would happen.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your
King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a
colt, the foal of a donkey.
Psalm 118:25-26, David writes concerning the praises that the people would be
shouting at this event, 1,000 years before it takes place.
“Save now, I pray, O LORD: O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
Daniel 9:24-26, Daniel writes concerning the precise day that this event will take place.
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the
transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore
and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two
weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;’
*Side note: Daniel treats the rest of verse 26 as separate from the 7 and 62 weeks. It’s
the 70th week, and that is still yet future.
Concerning this prophecy of Messiah the Prince, a man named Sir Robert Anderson, in
his book, “The Coming Prince”, calculates the exact historical timeline that this took
place.
Using a Babylonian Calendar, 69 weeks, or 69 times of 7 equals 483 years. In
Nehemiah 2, we have recorded the decree from King Artaxerxes on March 14, 445 BC
to restore and build Jerusalem. 173,880 days (which is 483 years) from the day is April
6, 32 AD; that is the day Jesus would enter Jerusalem on a Donkey. And that same
week, is the week that Messiah would be cut off for our salvation, the same week Jesus
was crucified to pay for our sins, just as the Word says.
So we have here, 1*how the Messiah would enter, 2*what the people would be saying,
and 3*the exact day that this event would take place. Three prophecies fulfilled
simultaneously in the person of Jesus Christ.
What is the probability of prophecy being fulfilled?
Peter Stoner’s Book, “Science Speaks” contains probabilities concerning scriptures
being fulfilled.
Scholars estimate that there are ~1,817 prophecies in the Bible.
Stoner breaks down the probability for just 8 prophecies fulfilled in the person of Jesus
Christ.
Peter Stoner calculated the probability of just 8 Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
As you read through these prophecies, you will see that all estimates were calculated as conservatively as
possible.
1 The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
The average population of Bethlehem from the time of Micah to the present (1958) divided by the
average population of the earth during the same period = 7,150/2,000,000,000 or 2.8×10^5.
2 A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).
One man in how many, the world over, has had a forerunner (in this case, John the Baptist) to
prepare his way?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1×10^3.
3 The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
One man in how many, who has entered Jerusalem as a ruler, has entered riding on a donkey?
Estimate: 1 in 100 or 1×10^2.
4 The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
One man in how many, the world over, has been betrayed by a friend, resulting in wounds in his
hands?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1×10^3.
5 The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
Of the people who have been betrayed, one in how many has been betrayed for exactly 30 pieces
of silver?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1×10^3.
6 The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13).
One man in how many, after receiving a bribe for the betrayal of a friend, has returned the
money, had it refused, and then experienced it being used to buy a potter’s field?
Estimate: 1 in 100,000 or 1×10^5.
7 The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
One man in how many, when he is oppressed and afflicted, though innocent, will make no
defense of himself?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1×10^3.
8 The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).
One man in how many, since the time of David, has been crucified?
Estimate: 1 in 10,000 or 1×10^4.
Multiplying all these probabilities together produces a number (rounded off) of 1×10^28. Dividing this
number by an estimate of the number of people who have lived since the time of these prophecies (88
billion) produces a probability of all 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of one person.
That probability is 1in 10^17 or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That’s one in one hundred quadrillion!
We have these recorded for us in the scriptures. A man who claimed to be God, a man
named Jesus Christ, who fulfilled these and many many more. All of them in fact.
God is trustworthy. His Word is true. He fulfills the things He says He will do. What’s it
going to take for you to believe?
Read: Judges 6:36-40
Gideon asks of the Lord for a sign. What’s it going to take for you to believe?
PART 2______Mark 11:1-11
There are two main differences I see between Mark and Matthew:
1. The conversation that the disciples have with the owner of the Colt.
Why is that worth pointing out? And why is it that Mark includes it?
Primarily because Jesus had said beforehand that it would happen. Matthew doesn’t let
us know that what Jesus said would happen actually took place. They just found the
donkey and brought it back. But Mark lets us know that there was indeed someone who
stopped them from taking the donkey.
What else happened? They answered just as the Lord had commanded, “the Lord has
need of it.” And the response? They let them go.
*The disciples put His Word to the test. “Just as He commanded”.
*They found His word True because they did exactly what He said.
So often we don’t naturally trust people. As humans, we definitely understand the fallen
nature of people and so tend to just not trust others. It’s risky. And as time has proven
for many of you, when you trust people, sometimes you get burned.
But at some point, you stepped out in faith and trusted someone with whatever it is.
And then they came through for you.
You assumed noble intent and let go. And now you find them trustworthy.
Malachi 3:8-10
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say ‘In what way have we
robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed
Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
food in My house, and try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open
for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be
room enough to receive it.”
God desires that we put what He says to the test. Find out if His Word is true!
Similarly, God puts you and I to the test to see if what we say is true. To see if what we
say aligns with our hearts, with what we do.
Actions speak louder than words, but the pen is mightier than the sword??? HA!
God tests us in a way that draws out our faith.
Conclusion__________Luke 19:28-40 and John:12-19
Differences in Luke:
1. “Laid their clothes” * no mention of branches
2. Descent from the Mount of Olives” * Same place Jesus will descend to at His second
coming (Zech 14:4, Rev 19)
3. “Stones would immediately cry out”
4. Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem - related to Mark’s account with the branches not
bearing fruit?
Differences in John:
1. Palm branches, why we call it “Palm Sunday”
2. More than just His disciples, it’s great multitudes
3. John 12:16
“His disciples did not understand these things at first: but when Jesus was glorified, then
they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done
these things to Him”
Even if you don’t understand what God is doing in your life right now, remember all of
the times you have seen Him come through for you.
Faith is not being able to know what’s ahead; faith is being able to look back at
God’s faithfulness and then stepping into confidence that He’ll come through
again.
Conclusion__________
*God makes a promise to us in Romans 8:31-39.
He proved to us His love for us and there’s nothing that can separate us from
that.
John 14:29-31, “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to
pass, you may believe...
We have assurance of faith. What’s it going to take for you to believe?