For the next few minutes, put yourself in the shoes of Jesus’ disciples. It’s a Sunday – the day that we Christians call “Palm Sunday” – and things are looking really, really good. It hasn’t been very long since Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from the dead, and that was absolutely mindboggling. You and the other disciples have been there when Jesus has done some really incredible miracles, and on two other occasions He’s even brought dead people back to life. But this time – wow! Lazarus’ dead body had already been in the tomb for four days. His body had already begun to decay. But when Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb, that’s exactly what he did. His body was still wrapped with burial cloths and another cloth was wrapped around his face – but he came walking out of that tomb, every bit as alive as you and me.
The crowds, of course, went absolutely nuts. Following the resurrection of Lazarus, the Apostle John writes: “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.” And today, on this incredible Sunday, the crowds are still there. You can read about Palm Sunday in all four of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each gives his own account of it – and no matter which account you read, the effect is the same. The crowds come to greet Jesus. They spread their cloaks in His path on the road – something done only for a king. They wave palm branches, something done as a celebration of victory. They sing His praises. “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” The disciples surely were taking all of this in – they certainly would have been singing and cheering with the crowds – and after three years of walking from one dusty town to another, it had to feel great! The King was triumphantly entering the holy city of Jerusalem! How could things possibly get any better?
But over the next hours and the next days, everything changed. The cheering stopped. On Sunday the crowds cried words of praise, but by Friday the crowds cried only for Jesus’ death. On Sunday they cheered as the King of Israel rode into Jerusalem. On Friday they jeered as the King of the Jews was nailed to a cross. Suddenly – before the disciples even realized what was happening – everything was spinning out of control. Things turned nasty. Even the hated idol-worshipping Romans got involved. Those joyous shouts of “hosanna” by crowds of worshippers had been replaced by the blood-curdling cries of “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
How could things go so wrong – go so wrong so fast? How could everything spin out of control so quickly?
Spin out of control? Out of human control – yes. But spinning out of God’s control? Not even close.
As we journey together through the events of Palm Sunday, the events of Maundy Thursday, the events of Good Friday, the events of Easter Sunday – we ponder and consider how God was in control of every event, of every action, of every minute of every day. Who told the disciples where to find the donkey that Jesus would ride as he entered Jerusalem? Jesus did. Who told the disciples where to find the room already prepared for their Last Supper, the Supper in which Jesus would give us the sacrament that we now know as the Lord’s Supper? Jesus did. Who knew that he would be betrayed by Judas? Jesus did. Who knew that He would suffer … would die … and would rise from the dead? Jesus knew.
Jesus knew because the Son of God was in control of every event, because He was fulfilling the words of the prophets, because He was fulfilling the will of His Father – the will of God that the sinful but beloved children of His perfect creation should be saved from their damnation. When God created His perfect world, He knew that mankind would sin. So as soon as mankind did sin, He announced His plan to both the tempter and those who had been led into sin: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Spinning out of control? To the disciples, yes. But to God – absolutely not! And for that reason we join the crowds of Palm Sunday in echoing these glorious words: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
Note: this sermon is freely adapted from a sermon text that originally appeared in Concordia Pulpit Resources.
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