The Triumphal Entry of Jesus – Proclaiming the Righteousness of God

We are celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem once again.

It is well-known as “Palm Sunday” so-called because when Jesus rode on to Jerusalem, people carrying palm leaves, some waving and others spreading along the ground, greeted him.

To be exact, it was John who specified that “they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him” (John 12:13). Matthew (21:8) and Mark (11:8) mentioned that the people got leafy branches of trees.  Luke only said “cloaks” that the people spread on the road as Jesus enters Jerusalem (Luke 19:36).

Whether you would like to call it “Palm Sunday” or “Cloaks and Branches Sunday” is not the focus of our reflection.

Here, we see Jesus proceeding on a critical mission to enter Jerusalem.

Jesus proclaimed the righteousness of God

Jesus entered enemy territory.  Word was out that anyone who would see Jesus must report to the priestly authorities so that they would arrest Jesus.

Jerusalem was the seat of the religious hierarchy.  Jesus pushed through because God called upon him to proclaim His righteousness.  Where is righteousness fitting to be declared than among unrighteous people?

What we need today is COURAGE TO PROCLAIM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. 

It begins when we have been put right with God from within ourselves.

How?

Romans 3:21-31 explains how we have been put right with God in Jesus Christ.

Yes, we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, Romans 3:22 points out:

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Romans 3:22 (NLT)

And because we have experienced the righteousness of God, we aren’t comfortable seeing unrighteousness done before us. We become restless, and the only way we can relax is when we have proclaimed what is right. 

What hinders us to seek and proclaim God’s righteousness?

However, some of us tend to only focus on seeking the “Kingdom of God” but aren’t really keen on finding and proclaiming “His righteousness”, as the first statement in Matthew 6:33 mentions.

I have thought of three things that hinder us from seeking and proclaiming God’s righteousness.

1. Proclaiming God’s righteousness puts us outside of our comfort zone

Seeking and proclaiming God’s righteousness will not only take us out of our comfort zone, but most of us dread the thought that we would be making others uncomfortable.

Yes, we are uncomfortable to think that our proclamation will cause others to be uncomfortable.

Our thinking would be like…we have everything we need, live in a peaceful and secure community, why should we bother?

2. The world and some believers accuse us that we aren’t righteous enough

“Oh, let us leave them alone because we too are sinners” is the statement that we would often hear from Christians discouraging Christians from speaking what is right and just before God.

Going through the triumphal entry narrative in Luke 19:28-44, we read in verses 36 and 37 that

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus to rebuke His disciples, but Jesus replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (vs. 39-40).

Not everyone in the crowd of disciples is righteous enough based on the Pharisees’ standard (or on the world’s standard), for they told Jesus to rebuke His disciples. The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t stop them from proclaiming God’s righteousness.

Clearly, it’s not the world or some ignorantly righteous persons who call the shot when it comes to who would proclaim God’s righteousness. It is Jesus Christ alone!

3. We are compromising and serving two masters

A lot of us today are what we call TIRED AND WEARY Christians.  What causes it is “SIN. 

The most tiresome part of sin is when the Christian compromises. 

TO BE LUKEWARM is the most tiresome thing to a true Christian. 

Serving two masters will eventually wear us out.

We cannot serve both God and money, Jesus said. We need to serve the one and only Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us to take off all that hinders in the race that we are running.

Therefore, since such a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. 

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

(Hebrews 12:1-3)

He also exhorts us to not conform anymore with the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

How can Jesus’ triumphal entry lead us to our COVID-19 Lockdown triumph?

I want to close this blog post (call this a sermon, if you like) with some reflections on the relevance of the triumphal entry of Jesus to our present COVID-19 lockdown situation.

The COVID-19 lockdown has led and confined us into our own “Jerusalem”

Remember when we read Acts 1:8, where “Jerusalem” is mentioned, we would interpret it as starting our witness in our own place. Yes, “Jerusalem” could be our hearts, homes, and families.

I don’t know if you have this saying in your culture that says, “Clean your backyard first before cleaning the backyard of others.”

Then we have Jesus Christ saying in Matthew 7:5, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Therefore, let us welcome the Lord Jesus Christ into our own “Jerusalem”, but unlike the people in Jesus’ time who welcomed him with outward objects (palm leaves, leafy branches, and cloaks), let us welcome him with all of our hearts, mind, and soul.

The COVID-19 lockdown is a grim reminder that if we choose to remain silent, “the stones will cry out”

Okay, I must admit I might appear like a doomsday prophet here. Some theologians will challenge my statement based on a deeper hermeneutical basis.

My reflection is a simple analogy here. As I’ve mentioned previously, many church people are satisfied with seeking His Kingdom but not really keen on seeking His righteousness.

Not many are proclaiming the righteousness of God because it’s easy to raise and clap hands in worship, recite our prayers, sing and shout praises, play the instruments within the comfort of the church.

Isn’t the COVID-19, the new coronavirus strain disease, with no known cure as of writing, the cause of the pandemic, resulting in the current lockdowns or community quarantine, has made us more prayerful, more trusting and more dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

Since the start of the corona pandemic, where the number of positive cases and deaths are announced, I have witnessed the flood of posts on social media channels (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Mix, etc.) about the righteousness of God.

I wish I had the social media analytics. Still, I can confidently say that God’s people calling out to God, showing kindness and encouraging one another in this pandemic moment have become exponentially more viral than the coronavirus.

A virus, a microscopic non-living organism like a non-living stone, has caused God’s people to proclaim His righteousness louder than ever before.

As we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, let us once again shout with louder voices starting within in our own “Jerusalem”:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”