Palm Sunday is a day we generally associate with excitement, celebration, joy, happiness. But, Palm Sunday is also a day when Jesus expressed both anger and sorrow, because things were not as they should have been.

We envision palm branches and cloaks being laid down before the Messiah as He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There was a sense among the multitudes (and even among the disciples to some degree) that Jesus would give the call, the charge. He would establish the kingdom of God then and there! As a result, excitement began to build.

The city was overflowing with pilgrims who were visiting for Passover, and the name of Jesus was on everyone’s lips. His popularity had swelled to its highest point yet. And as He made His way into the city on a donkey, the celebration began.

Now, riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey was definitely an attention-grabber. It had great symbolic meaning to both the Romans and the Jews.

When the Romans returned from a battle, the general would ride into the city in a triumphal procession, declaring himself as the conqueror. In the minds of the Romans, this is what Christ was doing.

But the Jews, being familiar with Scripture, would have recognised this as a fulfillment of messianic prophecy:                              

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9 NKJV).

And still some would have thought Jesus had been ministering in the background for the most part.                                    

When the multitudes wanted to make Him king, He resisted their advances. He would often say that His hour had not yet come, referring to the hour of his betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection.

But now His hour had come. He was deliberately doing something to force the hands of the authorities. He wanted to do something dramatic, something that would get the attention of the people, something that would say, “Alright, let’s go! I’m ready!”

You see, Jesus was in complete control of the circumstances around him. He wasn’t going to the cross as a victim but as a victor. It’s not that everything was going well on Palm Sunday and then suddenly fell apart. Everything was always going according to plan. The divine plan.

Jesus, much to the shock of everyone who observed it, was weeping. Being God, He knew the future. He knew that Jerusalem would face utter destruction in 40 years. He knew that Titus and the Roman legions would march into Jerusalem AD 70, and slaughter more than 600,000 Jews. Their beloved temple would be burned to the ground and dismantled stone by stone, exactly fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that day (see Luke 19:42–44).

Yes, Jesus was sad. But He was also angry. Luke’s Gospel tells us:

“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, ‘The Scriptures declare, “My Temple will be a house of prayer,” but you have turned it into a den of thieves’.” (Luke 19:45–46 NKJV).

I don’t know about you, but I love this image of Jesus. So often in religious art, Jesus is portrayed as anaemic and weak. He doesn’t look like He could turn over a stick, much less a table. But the Jesus of the Bible knew indignation, even anger, when something wasn’t right. And the problem this day was that people were being kept away from the Temple.

When people arrived with their sacrificial animals, they were told something was wrong with the animal, and they had to buy an “approved” animal at an inflated price to be able to approach God. They were being ripped off! Not only that, but when non-Jews came to the Temple to worship God, they were kept at arm’s length.

So Jesus did something dramatic. He turned over their tables and drove them out. Jesus cleaned house because things were a mess. He was basically saying, “Don’t turn people away when they’re coming to find God.”

The church today is a place to worship, to learn, and to use our gifts. But let’s not forget that it’s also a place for people to find God. The church isn’t a museum for saints. It’s a rescue centre and a beacon to all who are perishing. A place where all people should feel welcomed and loved.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day, the crowds misunderstood why He had come. They wanted Jesus on their own terms. They wanted a deliverer and a Messiah who conformed to their plans and expectations. They wanted Jesus to destroy Rome, but not their cherished sins or their hypocritical, superficial religion.

The same can be true of us.            

We can celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter, but does it really impact us?  We can celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, yet continue to live as though He were still dead. We can sing the praises of a Jesus who will bring us success, prosperity, and personal happiness, but then recoil from the one who requires obedience, commitment, and sacrifice.

Jesus will not be Lord on our terms. He is Lord on His terms. He will not be what we expect Him to be. He will be what He is. It is us who need to adapt and adjust to His plan and purpose for our lives.