Palm Sunday 2024: Spring Cleaning

Introduction

In the Hitchcock thriller Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart plays a photographer who broke his leg and stays in his apartment all day.

My hope for today’s sermon is to explain why Palm Sunday is important for Christians. I want us to see that Palm Sunday is more than just the Sunday to get us ready for Easter.

Sermon Text

When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’ ” So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard it. They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!” The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching. Mark 11:1-18

Let me begin with 2 questions:

First, Why was Jesus first stop, the temple (v. 11)? Why not Herod’s palace or Pilate’s throne room? Second, Why did Jesus turn tables and keep people out (vv. 15-16)? Doesn’t Jesus want people to come to church?

Why did Jesus Go to the Temple first? Because God examines His house (Mark 11:11, 15-16)

So, Jesus enters Jerusalem as the promised King and takes a stop at the temple. During this week, most of His preaching either happens at the temple complex or is about the temple (being destroyed).

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus overturning the tables occurs in the last section of each gospel account. But in John, Jesus cleanses the temple in chapter 2:13-25. Some scholars believe John wasn’t as interested in accurately depicting the time so he just arranged the miracles of Jesus randomly. I disagree with that. I believe John wrote his gospel last already knowing about Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And He wrote about things that Matthew, Mark, and Luke didn’t. I believe Jesus turning the tables in John 2 was the first time He inspected the temple. He likely did this early in His ministry and 3 years later He inspected the temple a second time. If this is true, why did Jesus inspect the temple once at the beginning of His ministry and a second time right at the end of His ministry?

This is why we read Leviticus 14:33-42 in our scripture reading. Jesus, the High Priest of the New Covenant, inspected God’s house for leprosy twice as He was supposed to. Old Covenant leprosy was probably different that what we think of leprosy today. In the OT,  leprosy can get on clothes and in this case people’s homes. It was some sort of physical indication of uncleanness. In the old covenant, uncleanness was avoidable. Even the most devout scribe had to be unclean from time to time. For example, if you had a funeral for a relative, you were unclean. Most uncleanness only lasted until the evening and was eliminated with washing. And uncleanness only prohibited you from going to the temple. This trained the people to examine themselves before they enter the presence of God.

When Jesus examined His father’s house, He found spiritual leprosy infecting the people. What was the spiritual leprosy? It is very likely they were extorting worshippers through the currency exchange. It was obvious they were prioritizing their own comfort. You didn’t have to bring your own sacrifices to the temple, you could just buy one at the temple. Their comfort separated the Gentiles from the people of God and the worship of God. The court of the Gentiles, the largest portion of the temple, was now filled with the Jew’s sacrifices. The comfort of the Jews pushed out the Gentiles.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He doesn’t get unclean. He makes things clean. Uncleanliness is unavoidable in a fallen world. What made the sin of temple horrendous was that they chose their sin over Jesus. Jesus gave the Sanhedrin 3 years to repent of their evil false worship, but they did not repent.

Why did Jesus Turn tables and keep people from the temple? Because God cleans His house (Mark 11:17-18).

Because it was too late to do anything on the first evening, Jesus waits until the next day to enter the temple again. We can see with his curse of the fig tree that the temple will also be cursed. He enters the temple and immediately drives out all commerce in the temple (those buying and selling).

After Jesus overturned the tables and stopped commerce in the temple, He preached on two passages of Scripture. He preached on Isaiah 56:1-8 and Jeremiah 7:1-15. He said God’s intent for the temple was to bless (read Isaiah 56:1-8). Notice, God’s house was intended to be a house of prayer for everyone. The entire purpose of the temple of God is to bring life (like Eden give the tree of life) and to grant forgiveness of sins to the nations (Ex 19:6). So, why was Jesus barricading people from entering the temple (v. 16)?

Because God’s house was no longer operating on His terms. It was like God owned a vineyard, and His servants decided to steal the vineyard from Him (Mark 12:1-11). So, God sent His son as witness telling the thieves (the Sanhedrin) to give back to God what was God’s. You see, God designed His house to be a place where you brought your sins to leave them there. True worshippers treat God’s house like the county dump for their sin (yes, I said that!). You bring your dirty rotten sin to God and you leave cleaner than you did before. False worshippers treat God’s house like the bank of their sins. They went to the temple to buy and sell, to invest and deposit. God created His house with an entire wing devoted as an emergency room for sinners. But the doctors and nurses went rogue and turned that wing of the house into a bank for the cartels.

Christ, the True Temple of God

The reason we read all of Hebrews 9 this morning was to show you that the old covenant temple was a blueprint for the real deal. You were to look at the blueprints in the Old covenant and see what Jesus in the New Covenant would bring. When He entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He saw people sacrificing the blessing of the nations in order to accumulate sin. While the purpose of God’s temple has always been to destroy sin and welcome the nations.

Jesus is the true temple of God (John 2:21), and the great high priest of God (Heb 10:11-12), and the sacrifice of God (Heb 10:10). So when He entered Jerusalem, he spent the entire week correcting everyone on what God’s kingdom is about and what the purpose of the temple is. That message resonated with most of Jerusalem except for those who wanted their sin more than a savior.

By Friday morning, the scribes and priests ran a sham trial for Jesus, convinced Pilate to crucify Him, and mocked Him until He died. But in an irony of ironies, these evil men, by their own willing hands, offered up the one true sacrifice for sins. Their plan to destroy Jesus was God’s plan to save the world. Their plan to preserve the old covenant temple brought about the elimination of the old covenant temple. On Friday morning, the veil was torn in two (Matt 27:51). On Friday morning, Jesus ended the old covenant with His perfect sacrifice for sins. And on Sunday morning, He brought back a new covenant and a new temple that will never die.

What does this mean for us? We are God’s Temple

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not bedisappointed.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:4–10

Although God illustrates certain things with the family and the state, His temple on earth is the church. We are God’s temple. When we gather together to obey the commands of Jesus, we are the representation of the highest heaven on earth. Do we welcome people here? The temple in Jesus day would say they were very welcoming. They wanted so many people to come and worship God that they provided everything you need right in the temple complex. They desired so many people to worship that they made worship in the temple as comfortable as possible. And according to Jesus that is unwelcoming. Although people were attracted to the temple for it’s beauty and Jews were drawn because of its comforts in worship, they were not worshipping God the way He commanded. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus proved His temple was better because the children were shouting (Matt 21:15-16). In America, we want adult worship to be comfortable so we exclude children from worship. It’s inconvenient to have children worship with us. It’s uncomfortable to stand and sing. It’s  inconvenient to hear the sharp passages of scripture explained. It was also inconvenient to bring your own sacrifices and exchange money outside of the temple. But according to Jesus, worship that is truly welcoming is probably inconvenient and uncomfortable. Why?

Because God is doing something greater when we worship like a church. Right worship brings people to God. God forgives. God cleanses. You are God’s temple. Are you clean? Then why do you hide your sin from God? Are you forgiven? Then why do you refuse to forgive others of their sins?

Palm Sunday is not merely a prep Sunday for Easter. It’s more than that. It shows us why Jesus endured the cross and the grave. It’s because He wanted to make His house clean and He wanted you to be there with Him.

Conclusion

In Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart spends most of the movie trying to convince his friends that his neighbor is a murderer. They think he’s too bored and is making stuff up.  If I asked you what was the mystery of God in the Bible, you would probably have one of two answers.  Some of you would think it referred to you some deep spiritual knowledge while others would think that it refers to secrets about the end times.

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who werefar away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. Ephesians 2:11-3:13