1 Kings 19:18
Psalm 31:9-16
Isaiah 50:4-11
Zechariah 9:9
Luke 19:28-48
Palm Passion Sunday betrayal is what really happened in Jerusalem some
two thousand years ago.
Palm Passion Sunday celebrates Jesus’ triumphful entry into Jerusalem and
His later betrayal and crucifixion.
Are we really celebrating this betrayal, or are we forgetting about the
betrayal of Jesus and the whole of God’s creation which has been going on
since Eden to this very day?
Let’s now take a look at Luke 19:28-48, and see how quickly the praise of
Jesus begins to turn into betrayal.
28. And after He had said these things, He was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem.
This is after Jesus had finished telling them a parable.
29. And it came about that when He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near
the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,
30. saying, "Go into the village opposite you, in which as you enter you
will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it, and bring
it here.
We believe that Jesus, knowing who He was/is, wanted to show the people who He was by fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9…
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
NASB
31. "And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' thus shall you speak,
'The Lord has need of it.' "
32. And those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them.
33. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you
untying the colt?"
34. And they said, "The Lord has need of it."
Even the acceptance of the owners of the colt to allow this to happen points to the fact that many people knew who Jesus was, and wanted to participate in His entry into Jerusalem.
35. And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their garments on the colt,
and put Jesus on it.
36. And as He was going, they were spreading their garments in the road.
37. And as He was now approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a
loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,
38. saying,
"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
But not everyone was rejoicing and praising God, for the seeds of betrayal had already been sown.
39. And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."
We believe that these Pharisees also knew who Jesus really was, but because of the pride of life in the position they held, it was more important to them than the truth.
40. And He answered and said, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"
In other words, even the whole of creation knew who Jesus was, and there was
no way that these prideful Pharisees could silence the truth.
This pride of life in the positions held by the religious leadership is the
basis for betraying not only Jesus, but the people who believed in Him and
followed Him.
This is the same kind of hardness of heart that is presently destroying our
planet, and over 100 billion land and sea animals every year to satisfy
worldly people’s lust of the eye, their lust of the flesh, and their
boastful pride of life when it comes to eating and wearing animal products.
This is just as ungodly as betraying Jesus, and we can see this hardness of
heart in dyeing Easter eggs, in milk chocolate, and in the other things that
people eat and wear for Easter.
They will not really be celebrating Resurrection Day, but rather they will
be celebrating the worldly ways of Easter.
41. And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it,
Jesus wept because He saw all the hardness of heart that existed in
Jerusalem, for the people feared and followed the religious leadership more
than they followed their God and the truth.
Jesus wanted to save the people, but He also knew the intent of their hearts
and souls, and that they were about to reject and betray Him.
42. saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make
for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.
43. "For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank
before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side,
44. and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they
will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize
the time of your visitation."
This happened in less than 40 years.
But none of this stopped Jesus in His mission.
45. And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling,
46. saying to them, "It is written, 'And My house shall be a house of
prayer,' but you have made it a robbers' den."
47. And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the
scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,
48. and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people
were hanging upon His words.
NASB
This is proof to us that the religious leaders fully knew who Jesus was, for
they were letting Him continue to teach in the temple; but they just wanted
to silence Him and betray and destroy Him.
They were following the ways of the devil and not the heavenly will of God,
which is still going on to this very day.
In our opinion this is all a part of this concerted Palm Passion Sunday
betrayal, which we are talking about today.
Hundreds of years before Jesus came upon this earth, these same kinds of
problems were going on; note what we are told in Psalm 31:9-16…
9. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also.
All through history we have been hearing similar things being expressed
about the effect of evil upon people who are trying to truly serve God.
We also believe that these are the same kinds of unspoken feelings that
hundreds of billions of animals feel, for over 100 billion of them suffer
and die every year.
10. For my life is spent with sorrow,
And my years with sighing;
My strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And my body has wasted away.
We hope and pray that the people of the world would come to their senses and realize that it’s their own iniquity that is causing all this suffering and death, and that they would truly repent.
11. Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach,
Especially to my neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
This is what happens to most outspoken peacemaking children of God who
diligently work to end the corruption of creation.
They become a reproach to the worldly people who live around them or know
what they are doing.
12. I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind,
I am like a broken vessel.
Sometimes Godly people feel this way, because they fail to realize that God
has preserved many others who feel the same way.
Remember what the Lord told Elijah when he became depressed from all the
evil he encountered in the world around him in 1 Kings 19:18…
18. Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to
Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."
NASB
We should not allow the evilness in the world to overshadow us, including
those who are part of the Palm Passion Sunday betrayal.
We need to keep focused upon the heavenly will of God and the task that is
before us to help free creation from its present corruption.
13. For I have heard the slander of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they took counsel together against me,
They schemed to take away my life.
This is what happened to Jesus and is still happening to millions of human
beings and billions of animals every year.
It only makes sense that they would come after those of us who are trying to
free creation from its present corruption, and compound their sins against
God.
14. But as for me, I trust in Thee, O LORD,
I say, "Thou art my God."
15. My times are in Thy hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
16. Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant;
Save me in Thy lovingkindness.
NASB
This should be our prayer for ourselves and for those who we are working to
free from corruption.
Now let’s take a look at Isaiah 50:4-11, which is seen as a prophecy about
Jesus and His betrayal, but the prophet also seems to have these same
feelings and thoughts about himself, as if he is Jesus.
4. The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5. The Lord GOD has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
This is our calling to ministry, just as much as it is Isaiah’s and Jesus’, for we are to accept our calling as peacemaking children of God.
6. I gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
This is what happened to Jesus before His torturous crucifixion.
7. For the Lord GOD helps Me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like flint,
And I know that I shall not be ashamed.
This is also something we need to remember when things aren’t going the way we want them to.
8. He who vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand up to each other;
Who has a case against Me?
Let him draw near to Me.
As peacemaking children of God we will face challenges to our ministry just
as Jesus and Isaiah did.
We just need to stand firm.
9. Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
Those who follow the corrupt ways of the devil that causes so much pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death are condemning themselves.
10. Who is among you that fears the LORD,
That obeys the voice of His servant,
That walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
11. Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with firebrands,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the brands you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand;
And you will lie down in torment.
NASB
If we are truly children of God, then we should also feel all the emotions
of the suffering creation, just as the Lord does.
This is not a day of joy and celebration.
This is a day about Palm Passion Sunday betrayal.
It is a day of reflection on this corrupted world, and what each and every
one of us can do to help free creation from its present corruption and end
its suffering.
And while we are reflecting upon these things, think about next week and
what you are going to do and eat.
Will it be a worldly Easter, or a prayerful Resurrection Day?
We pray it will be the latter.
Amen?
Amen!
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