Mar. 29, 2026

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday) (March 29, 2026) — Pastor John Custer

Introduction - This Sunday marks the start of the Holy Week, the week leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, which occurred one week later.  There is an important message for us today in this event.  One which, if we observe it, will free us from one of the major bondages we have all been captive to since the fall of man—fear.  

The Jews who became the first Christians had long learned to fear their Roman overlords.  The Roman Empire had spread from one end of the Mediterranean basin to the other and far beyond, reaching into parts of Europe and Asia.  By the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was an occupied city run by a local governor who was a roman puppet. This fear was a major motivation for the praises given to Jesus by the Jews who hailed him as the new liberator and king who would destroy the Romans and free them from foreign rule.  

Matthew 21:1-17 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them on immediately.” 4Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: 5 “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, HUMBLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.’” 6The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on the cloaks. 8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,“Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;  Hosanna in the highest!” 10When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” Cleansing the Temple 12 And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13And 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.” 14 And those who were blind and those who limped came to Him in the temple area, and He healed them. 15Bu t when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant, 16and they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘FROM THE MOUTHS OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?” 17And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.  NASB

The crowds hailing Jesus had plenty of things to fear.  Roman rule was increasing in severity and cruelty over a 200 year period from the Roman takeover of Palestine in 63 BC to the Empire-wide Jewish wars of 135 AD, when Jewish leader Bar Kokhba was killed and all Jewish rebellion stopped.  Remember that after Jesus was born, it was the ruling Herod, Herod the Great, who ordered all male children 2 years and under to be killed.  

They expected Him to save them (the real meaning of “Hosanna!”), overthrow the Romans in a military campaign, and return their lands to their ownership.

Jesus’ approach to rulership wasn’t what they expected.  The symbol Jesus chose for this ride into the heart of Jerusalem was a donkey’s colt, which secular kings sometimes rode to demonstrate an intent, when their mission wasn’t military, in which case they would have employed a horse.  Jesus would change the world through humility, patience, and love.  He would confront evil, not in the form of a government, but in the hearts of all men.  He would change the world by changing hearts, not governments.  By the end of one week after Jesus was hailed as the new King, some of the very same people were urging the Roman authorities to “Crucify Him!” because they were so disappointed that He had not miraculously toppled the Roman government.  

What is your expectation for Jesus in regard to the things you fear?  We all have situations and things we fear and want someone more powerful than us to change: an ailing body, an unloving spouse, poverty, overwhelming responsibilities, difficult neighbors, adversarial acquaintances, governmental injustices, disobedient children, etc.   Do you simply want Him to straighten out everyone and everything around you? If you do, you’re thinking like the “Hosanna" crowds.  Here’s a bit of wisdom about How God will conquer everything you fear about your life:

1 John 4:18-21 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19We love, because He first loved us. 20If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister. NASB

How does this “love driving out fear” thing work?  When I was a much younger pastor, a young married couple with several small children came to me and wanted counseling for a condition we call agoraphobia, a panic from being in a crowd of people.  It unexpectedly appeared one day as the mother was driving the kids to a local mall.  She suddenly couldn’t breathe and had to turn the car around and go home.  This recurred, so by the time I met with them, they were very frightened.  I’m obviously not a medical professional so I drew upon the Scripture above, although I could not see how it would even work.  The solution involved knowing that the real problem isn’t fear or the objects feared.  It was a lack of love.  (Love is the prioritization of the well-being of another person through selfless, sacrificial, unconditional acts). She examined the areas of her life in which she was failing to give biblical love and began disciplining her children, showing love to her husband, serving others at church, etc. At the start of the third week, they showed up in my doorway smiling.  “It’s all gone!” they said.   

This experience showed me how powerful love is and that it is much more powerful than fear.  This counseling experience involved the small scale of one human learning to love others near to her.  In the succeeding years I have learned to apply this to God and His interests in wider ways.  I began to think “what if I learn to give God, not just others, the love he wants, becoming more interested in satisfying His needs than I am in satisfying my own?  What would happen? 

Here’s another biblical life-changer principle teaching us what God wants:  

John 21:15-17 Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you ]love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep. NASB

This might be the strongest statement in the whole Bible concerning how God wants us to love Him, because Jesus repeated it three times!  In Bible language, things repeated three times were unchangeable and determined.  It is evident that God wants older Christians to shepherd (guard, guide, provide spiritual nourishment to) younger ones.  We know this wasn’t only to Peter, was it? The apostles were only three and a half years old in the Lord.  In fact, it is to all Christians who are even a little spiritually older than another.  

How do I tend or shepherd or feed the flock?  It’s very, very simple:

Luke 16:8-9 the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it is all gone, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.  NASB

Conclusion:  This is so much different than taking part in a revolution or uprising! Just hanging out with some good people is the start.  The rest happens pretty naturally.  The devil gathers little groups of people together through self-interest, sin, and secrecy.  His people have learned what works, but it only works so long.  We gather little groups of people through true love. After 43 years of pastoring, God has gathered together the finest people I have ever known into an amazing, loving, organism of credit to Jesus.  This works! Let’s not be the “Hosanna, save us!” people pictured earlier in this teaching. Be smart and make friends and your life-long fears will leave!