13 April 2025

Sunday 13th April 2025  -   PALM SUNDAY - Jess Jephcott 

Readings: Matthew 21:1-11 (The triumphal entry) & Matthew 26:36-46 (Gethsemane)

With our leader, Martin, away this Sunday, he asked me to stand in for him on this Palm Sunday. He will be back with us next week, for Easter Sunday.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, grant us the blessings of peace and serenity on this holy day. May our hearts be calm and our minds be at ease as we celebrate Your triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Amen

Our first reading, read for us by Sue came from Matthew 21. It speaks of how Jesus and his disciples were travelling to Jerusalem for the ‘Great Sabbath’ prior to Passover, something that all Jewish males were required to do. We heard that Jesus had instructed two of his disciples to go to a nearby village and to find a donkey and her colt and to bring them to him. This fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah, chapter 9 v9. They then placed their cloaks on the donkey, for Jesus to sit on. People from the gathered crowd also spread their cloaks on the ground and others cut palm leaves to spread on the road.

‘Hosanna to the Son of David’, went the cry. ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and they asked, ‘Who is this?’ The answer came, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.’

Of course, this greatly annoyed the Pharisees who had been watching closely.

The Date Palm was commonplace in the Israel of Bible times – standing tall and stately at up to 50 feet in height. In Israel and throughout the Roman world, the waving of palm branches symbolised two things, joy and victory.

Laying down palm branches then was like ‘rolling out the red carpet’ today. Roman generals returning from a successful campaign would have them strewn before them. Kings would ride into their capital city over them.

Staying with Matthew’s gospel, I want to take us through some of the happenings during the week that followed, a week like no other week, where we learn that Jesus was to do much more in the days that followed.

We learn that he entered the temple courts in Jerusalem and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves. He said to them, ‘It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.’

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple and he healed them. Children were shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’.

Jesus went on to speak in parables, the Pharisees and teachers believing that Jesus was talking about them, through these parables.

The chief priests and the teachers of the law were indignant. They were looking for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd who held that Jesus was a prophet. Matthew 21:45. They tried many ways to trick him, to trap him in his words. In one instance, as given to us in Matthew 22:15-22. They praised his integrity and then asked Jesus, ‘is it right to pay the poll-tax to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” With this reply they let him be and went away.

Jesus seemed to almost go out of his way to vex the Pharisees, often pointing out their ignorance of the Scriptures, or the power of God.

From Matthew 22:34- 40, we learn, ‘Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

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Chapter 26 The Plot Against Jesus

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” He knew what was going to happen. Did the disciples believe him? How did they react to this?

V6 Jesus Anointed at Bethany

We read that Jesus stayed in nearby Bethany, at the home of Simon the Leper. Whilst there, a woman came to him with a jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head, as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor will always be with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

V14 Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

One of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.

What was Judas thinking? Why did he do this to his master?

V17 The Last Supper

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

V26 Communion

Of course, this story is engrained on all our hearts, a story that we recount every time we take communion. It goes:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Later, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

V31 Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

During the Last Supper, Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Jesus was quoting from Zechariah 13:7.

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” But Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

V36 Gethsemane

Our second reading, read for us by Marie-Helène, came from Matthew chapter 26, starting from verse 36. It told us how Jesus had gone with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and how he had said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

When he returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. This happened three times as Jesus went away to pray, returning each time to find the disciples sleeping.

V47 Jesus Arrested

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Why did Judas betray Jesus? Was it really for the money, or did he see it as a test for God who would surely save his son? His motive is unclear, but his act of betrayal was complete. What must the other disciples have felt in this moment? Judas, let’s remember, wasn’t just an acquaintance, or even a friend; he was one of them. They had all been training under Jesus for three years.

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

So, we started our story with adoration by the people, as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. But that adoration turned to condemnation. After his arrest, his followers abandoned him. As Jesus had said, strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

V57 Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence that would count against Jesus. But they did not find any, although many false witnesses came forward.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

V69 Peter Disowns Jesus

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You  were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately, a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the words that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

As with Judas, he too had betrayed Jesus, just as Jesus had predicted. Why did he do it? Matthew tells us that, when Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he  was filled with remorse. He gave the money back to the chief priests and elders  and went away and hanged himself.

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Isaiah 53:5, this verse from Isaiah has traditionally been understood by many Christians to speak of Jesus as the Messiah. Also, this chain of events was prophesied by King David, in Psalm 22, written many centuries before Jesus' death and resurrection.

On the day we know as Good Friday, Jesus was taken before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, whereupon he was condemned to death by crucifixion.

Martin will continue with this incredible story next Sunday.

A closing prayer.

"Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came not as a conquering king but as a humble servant. On this Palm Sunday, we celebrate His victory over sin and death, paving the way for our salvation. Help us to live in gratitude for His sacrifice, reflecting His love and grace in all that we do. Amen."