So I want to preach tonight from Mark chapter 11.
If you've got it in front of you.
And it is Palm Sunday.
And the first thing that I want to say to you is,
! Despite the fact that Jesus had a large crowd around him,
nobody was really with him.
He was on his own.
I don't know how you find it, but sometimes when I'm talking with people who are going through really difficult times,
and like some of you are, and I can't identify myself with what is being said and what has happened,
I find myself thinking and saying to them,
there's no one who will understand this except Jesus Christ.
And the great thing about Jesus is not only will he understand what you're going through,
but he will be able to help you.
The second thing I want you to notice as we begin, as we read these verses about the walk into Jerusalem,
is that everything's upside down.
All the things that are meant to be impressive are not impressive.
And the things that you think are not impressive are very impressive, as we'll see.
I read of two students in Aberdeen who went to an art show in an art gallery,
and they took with them a one-pound pineapple they'd bought in the supermarket.
They left the pineapple on an empty stand in the art show,
and they were delighted a few days later when they went back
to see that the pineapple had been given its own glass case
and had been made part of the art show.
That's the world that we live in, isn't it?
So suddenly things that are really stupid become serious,
and things that are really serious get treated stupidly.
And so if you've got the passage open for you, there's two headings for tonight.
One is The Lonely Road, and secondly, The Loving Word.
Okay?
The Lonely Road and The Loving Word.
And my hope is that this sermon will help us be anchored,
that this week we won't be like a cork bobbing along in the ocean.
So we're on the road to Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is the point of Jesus' mission.
He wants to get to the city because that is where he's going to be crucified.
And so we read back in chapter 10 and verse 33 that he said to his disciples,
we're going to Jerusalem where I'll be handed over to die.
And even though the way that Jesus rides into Jerusalem is the way to death,
and it should have registered with the disciples, they just don't get it.
And they might have thought to themselves,
he's about to ride in on a donkey,
and it says, doesn't it, in the Old Testament,
that somebody from the tribe of Judah,
and Jesus is from the tribe of Judah,
will eventually link donkey and death together,
but they don't get it.
They might have thought that almost the last book of the Old Testament is Zechariah,
and it says this, it says,
Rejoice, your king comes humble riding on a donkey,
but they've obviously not been reading their Old Testament.
And so they don't remember, and they don't register.
And they don't get what Jesus is doing.
And even though we need the word of God to understand the events which take place,
nobody even seems to remember.
In the incident before, Blind Bartimaeus, do you remember?
He put one and one together, and he made two.
He recognized that someone was coming who was called king,
someone was coming who was called son of David,
and Jesus is acting like this son of David,
so he must be the son of David.
He put one and one together, and he made two.
But nobody here on Palm Sunday does that.
Now, when I think of Palm Sunday,
I don't know what you think of.
There are certain hymns which we've missed singing today, aren't there?
Certain hymns which, if you grew up in a church,
you'll remember those choruses.
You'll remember Sunday school lessons
where you made palm branches
and you put your coats on the ground.
And we think often,
Palm Sunday must have been a day
when people really recognized who Jesus was.
When people got very, very excited about Jesus
and there was lots of faith in Jesus.
And then really strangely,
five days later,
they all turn against him.
And they call for his crucifixion.
And I want to suggest to you
that isn't what is happening.
I want to suggest to you
that actually there's no faith at all here.
Everything is completely superficial.
And I think I can prove that to you.
If you look at the four Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
they all record the coming of Jesus
introducing him on a donkey.
It's a big event.
This is what Matthew says in Matthew 21.
He finishes with this verdict from the crowd.
The crowd said Jesus is a prophet.
And I'm absolutely sure they've missed the point.
They don't say he's king.
They don't say he's the Messiah.
He's just a prophet.
If you go to Luke's Gospel,
chapter 19 records the event.
And then it finishes with this verdict
that Jesus wept.
And he said,
to the people,
if only you'd know
what would make for your peace.
You did not recognize God's coming to you.
And John tells us,
in his account,
in John 12,
the final sentence of John 12,
the disciples did not understand
what Jesus was doing.
And Mark's Gospel,
he records a number of things
they said,
but none of the things they said
really connect to Jesus.
I want you to look at me
with me at this lonely ride for Jesus
and why it's important
that it is a lonely ride.
Because Jesus is doing
a mission on his own
that no one else can do.
And as we look at
these verses,
verses
nine and ten,
some of you might think,
isn't our minister
really,
really clever
to show us things
that we've never seen before?
And where would we be
without our great guide
and guru,
pastor?
I doubt you're saying that.
But I want you to notice
that I'm not going to say anything
that actually
if you carefully read the text
and follow up the references
in the Old Testament,
you wouldn't be able to see yourself.
So first of all,
look at verse nine
of chapter 11.
The people call out,
don't they,
Hosanna.
And that word means save.
And it was the sort of thing
that they called out
when they walked
or marched into Jerusalem.
And it was a very general word
calling out to God
to save us.
And it doesn't say,
does it save us from our sins?
It could be just
save us from our Roman oppressors.
It's a general,
oh God,
save us from our problems.
There's nothing specific
being said about Jesus.
And then in verse nine,
and those who went before
and those who followed
were shouting,
Hosanna.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Now we read that
and we think that
it's speaking about Jesus.
But if you go to the Psalm,
it's not talking about Jesus.
It's talking about the pilgrim.
The pilgrim who is
on his way to Jerusalem.
Blessed is the person
who goes up to Jerusalem.
Blessed is the person
who goes up to Jerusalem
and ends up in the temple.
It's not about Jesus at all.
Then look at verse 10.
Blessed is the coming kingdom.
And that's just
the standard language
of we're looking forward
to something better.
There's no direct link
to Jesus at all.
And the final sentence
of chapter 11, verse 10,
Hosanna in the highest.
Save us.
It's vague.
It's really vague.
It's general.
It's not specifically
related to Jesus.
It's pretty empty.
And so you see,
each of the Gospels
in their own way
are telling us
that Jesus is on
a very lonely ride.
At Palm Sunday,
the crowds don't understand him.
The disciples
don't understand him.
They're just having
standard Passover celebrations.
There's no grasp
that Jesus was the king at all.
Do you think it's possible
for you to be so in the dark?
Do you think it's possible
for people to be in a crowd
and to be saying things
and singing things
that are really orthodox
but actually completely
missing the point
at the same time?
Do you think that's possible?
Think about weddings.
Think about Christian weddings.
There's a hymn, isn't there,
that explains that
Jesus lived and died and rose.
And then there's a reading
from the Bible
that explains that
Jesus lived and died and rose.
And then there's an explanation
of what marriage is.
There's a picture of
Jesus living and dying and rising.
And then there's a sermon,
isn't there,
or a talk.
And they proclaim
that Jesus lived and died and rose.
And then you go to the reception.
And what do people say?
They say,
Minister,
that was a lovely service.
Thank you.
And they pay no attention
to what was being said.
Can I just say,
that was a lovely service.
They were lovely words.
And even though they were singing
and listening,
nothing has gone in.
Think about Christmas.
It's a privilege, isn't it,
that people pile into Christmas services.
And the carols are
so wonderfully full of
rich truth about the Lord Jesus
and who he is,
that he's the King of Kings
and the Lord of Lords.
He's God made man.
He's the saviour of the world.
He's the Messiah.
He's the one who comes
to give second birth.
And we discover very clearly
who he is
and what he came to do.
And people sing
and they listen
and nothing
goes in.
And
well,
think about a normal church service
where people can sing the hymns
and listen to the reading
and confess their sin
and say the creed
and hear God's word
and nothing
goes in.
You see,
it's possible,
isn't it,
to be like the crowds
on Palm Sunday.
To be listening
and saying
but not getting it.
And if we look very,
very carefully
at Palm Sunday,
I think we are meant
to see Jesus is alone
and we are not just meant
to despair at that point.
Because he is alone.
He alone is the answer
to our problem,
the answer to unbelief.
And he's the answer to sin
and he's the answer
to lostness.
And so by the time
you get to Jerusalem
and he is crucified
and he does his work,
the temple of the curtain
opens
and people start
to pour in.
One more little clue
in Mark 11
that this crowd
is not appreciating Jesus
is that in verse 11
when he actually gets
to the temple,
to the meeting place,
that place where people
were meant to meet
with God,
Mark doesn't tell us anything.
There's no red carpet
laid out for him.
There's no people
waiting for him.
There's nobody
talking to him.
It's eerie, isn't it?
He walks in
and he looks around.
And in Mark's gospel
when you read it,
that little phrase
looking around
is always ominous.
It's almost
always ominous.
Whenever it says
he looks around,
what is he looking for?
He's looking for life.
He's looking for faith.
And how many
does he have with him
when he leaves?
Verse 12,
no big crowds.
And so here is perhaps
the loneliest ride
in the universe.
And I want to say this to you
because loneliness
is such a big issue,
isn't it?
It's a big issue always,
but it's a big issue
at the moment.
I quite like being alone.
But being lonely
is different,
doesn't it?
it's when you feel
that nobody
is really connecting
or caring for you.
And loneliness
is when there's
no guarantee
that
if things are going
to get worse
or not,
that there'll be
someone there for you.
That is a terrible feeling.
And you know
that slight panic
that you may be alone
and adrift.
And loneliness
is a very big thing
in our city.
There's lots of loneliness
out there,
isn't there?
And because our world
is told
that there is no
loving Heavenly Father
whatsoever,
it's just you
in an empty universe,
it's no wonder
that there's such
a great deal
of despair.
But God
has two answers,
doesn't he,
to loneliness.
One is his son
who is able
to bring you
and I
immediately
into the Father's
presence
so that you
will return
to him
and he runs
down the road
and embraces you.
And the other
partial answer
to loneliness
is God's family,
isn't it,
that you see
on your screen.
And God's family
is made
up of sinful
people
and imperfect
people.
It's literally
tonight a rogues
gallery.
But it's one
of the ways
that God
builds the bridges
of relationships
in our world,
isn't it?
And we begin
to show some care
and kindness
to one another.
We don't do it
perfectly,
we know that.
But we do it
profitably.
And so that's
the lonely road.
Secondly,
a loving word.
A loving word.
I don't know
what you feel
when you read
the first few
verses of Mark
chapter 11.
I think
when you read
the first few
verses of Mark
11,
you scratch your
head and you
think,
what is this
here for?
Why are we
being told
all this stuff
about a donkey
that's tied up
and you're
going to go
and untie it
and somebody's
going to say
to you,
why are you
untying it?
And you're
going to say
I'm untying it
because of this.
What is that
all about?
Don't you feel
like calling out
I don't get it?
Well,
let me try
and give you
the answer,
I think.
Jesus is giving
his disciples
a reminder
that he can be
trusted
and his words
can be trusted.
and the reason
is if you
look at what
he says,
just look at
chapter 11
verse 2,
he says
to two
disciples,
remember they
forgot in the
Old Testament,
they're not
thinking,
are they?
They're not
registering,
but he wants
to help them.
So he says
in verse 2,
go into the
village in front
of you and
immediately as
you enter it
you'll find
a colt tied
on which
no one has
ever sat.
Untie it
and bring it.
And
the implication
is this,
Jesus knows
what is in
front.
And Jesus
knows what's
around the
corner.
And in the
future.
And that is
a very definite
prediction of the
future that is
going to prove to
be true in a
matter of minutes.
Most of the
promises in the
Bible that we
have, you've
got to wait a
long, long
time for their
fulfillment.
But this
promise to the
disciples is going
to be fulfilled
in minutes.
So the
disciples might
have said to
themselves, he
is amazing.
Or look at
verse 2
again.
Go into the
village in
front of you
and immediately
as you enter
it, you will
find a colt
tied on which
no one has
ever sat, no
one has ever
ridden it.
And so my
reaction to
that would be
don't attempt
to ride a
colt that has
never been
ridden on.
It's going to
be a disaster.
But Jesus is
Lord of all,
isn't it?
So it's no
problem.
Or look at
verse 3.
And if
anyone says
to you,
why are you
doing this?
Well, you
say to
them, the
Lord is
in need of
it and
we'll send
it back
here immediately.
And they
went away
and found a
colt tied
outside a
street and
they untied
it.
So they
turn up,
they start
untying the
donkey and
the people
say, what
are you
doing?
And they
say, dot,
dot,
dot.
And the
owners of
the donkey
say, it's
all yours.
It's all
yours.
In other
words, nobody
may be
listening to
the word of
God, but
the donkey
owners are
listening to
the word of
God.
When they
hear Jesus
needs it,
they say,
it's all
yours.
They cooperate.
And the
fourth thing is
Jesus gives
them in verse
three, the
key to
who he
is.
Can you
see?
He says,
the Lord
needs it.
The Lord
needs it.
I want you
to know that
Jesus hardly
threw the
word Lord
around.
Most of
the time,
you'll know
that Jesus
called himself
the Son
of Man.
The Son
of Man is
one of those
phrases like
Clark Kent
or Peter
Parker, which
means a lot
if you're in
the know,
doesn't it?
But it
doesn't mean
anything if
you're not
in the know.
And the
Son of
Man was
a veiled
way of
saying, I
am significant,
but I'm
not making
it too
obvious.
And here
he says,
though, the
Lord needs
it.
And the
word Lord
is the
word used
to describe
God.
And so
finally, as
Jesus is
entering into
Jerusalem, he
says to the
disciples, go
and speak to
these people
and tell
them that
God needs
the donkey.
Jesus needs
the donkey.
And so
these owners
of the donkey
get the
point.
But I
wonder whether
the disciples
got the
point.
Probably
not.
John tells
us, doesn't
he, they
didn't get
it as they
marched into
Jerusalem.
They hadn't
listened to
the Old
Testament.
They weren't
listening to
Jesus.
They didn't
get it.
Jesus was
on a lonely
ride.
And even
though he'd
given them
a loving
word, he
now this
instruction is
given to
the disciples
and to
me and
to you
to cause
you and
I to say
something like
this.
Jesus
Christ knows
what's in
front of
us.
He is in
charge of
the future.
Jesus
Christ controls
the uncontrollable
and his words
are to be
listened to.
And his
words are to
be trusted
and his
words are
to be
obeyed.
And he
describes
himself as
the Lord.
And we
need to
make a
decision.
What will
our family
do?
What will
we do
about
Jesus
Christ?
That's the
big question.
Will we
just say
he's a
prophet?
In which
case we
press the
point.
Will we
say he's
a good
man,
he's a
religious
leader?
In that
case we
press the
point.
Or will
we say
he is the
Lord?
God.
And our
family is
only going
to be
safe and
sound and
wise and
well underneath
the Lordship
of Jesus
Christ.
And that
is the
decision,
isn't it?
But can
you notice
with me
here there's
a real
contrast.
The words
of men
and women
are really
empty.
The words
of men
and women
in this
passage are
really
empty.
Even the
slogans,
the pious
slogans,
they are
empty.
And if you
don't see
that Jesus
Christ and
his words
are crucial,
not only
the words
of men
are so
empty,
but the
words of
Jesus are
so powerful,
so safe,
so true,
so foundational.
And so
isn't it
true that
you and
I, we
listen to
thousands of
words each
day, most
of which
are completely
useless.
And in a
week's time,
no one will
pay the
blindness bit
of attention.
Just think
of the things
that are said
today,
and there
will be a
complete waste
of space
next week.
But the
words of
Jesus will
be utterly
necessary.
Next week.
And the
week after,
and the
week after
that.
And the
deeds of
men,
they're so
empty.
All these
religious
actions,
all these
waving of
palm branches,
all these
throwing of
cloaks,
there's no
clue as to
who Jesus
is.
But when
you are lit
up by the
person of
Jesus,
suddenly
everything
starts to
make sense.
And you
understand that
your future
is under
control,
and you
have promises
to stand
on,
and his
deeds make
your deeds
worthwhile.
And so
Jesus is on
a very lonely
road,
and he's on
a lonely
road for a
reason.
And he is
the only one
that understands
his mission.
He is the
only one that
can do his
mission,
and within a
week he will
be completely
alone.
He will not
even have the
fellowship of
his father
anymore.
he'll be
on the
cross and
he will
cry out,
my God,
why have
you forsaken
me?
Because he
is going to
experience the
darkness that
our sin
deserves in
order to
give us
freely the
salvation that
he deserves.
And so let
me ask you
tonight,
are you like
the crowds?
A bit of a
song when we
sing?
A bit of a
listen?
A bit of a
song,
but no
change.
Or are you
really hearing
the words of
God that
Jesus is the
King and
the Saviour
and he is
the key to
the future
and the
Lord of
your life?
And you
need to
surrender to
him and
to trust
him.
Let me
tell you what
Jesus Christ
is like.
He goes on
a lonely
road right
to the
end to
make sure
that you
and I
can have
a certain
future.
And he
gives a
loving word
to you.
He's
promised
so that
you and I
can have
a certain
presence.
Right now,
let's thank
him.
Let's bow
our heads.
Let's
bow our heads.
Thank you.