March 28, 2021

Palm Sunday

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK

Liturgy of the Palms (March 28, 2021)

• Psalm
  • Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
• Gospel
  • Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16

Liturgy of the Passion (March 28, 2021)

• First reading
  • Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm
  • Psalm 31:9-16
• Second reading
  • Philippians 2:5-11
• Gospel
  • Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39, (40-47)

Gospel reading from John
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of t hose at the table with him.Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)

Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Sermon
Today Pastor Stevenson poses the question “What did Palm Sunday mean to Jesus?” There is a clue in Zachariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, Daughter pf Jerusalem. See, your kIng comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This verse is referred to in both Matthew and Luke. Jesus was familiar with these prophesies of God. Jesus sent two of his disciples to “fetch a colt,” and He rides this colt into Jerusalem. One other time in the history of the Bible a colt was ridden by a new personage. This was KIng David when he had grown old and needed to decide on his successor. One wife Bathsheba reminded him that he had promised to have their son Solomon be the one. David then had a mule gotten for Solomon to ride. So Jesus knew what it meant. He rode the colt into Jerusalem so that all would know who he is. We can only speculate His true meaning. But the key is that God is in control. The gospel by Mark is telling us that Jesus understood this. We recognise that Jesus Christ has come.

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