BIBLE STUDY GUIDES

FOR PALM SUNDAY OR PASSION SUNDAY – A

Liturgy of the Palms
Matthew 21: 1-11

Liturgy of the Word

Isaiah 45: 21-25
Philippians 2: 5-11
Matthew 26: 14-27: 66 or Matthew 27: 1-54

5 THINGS ABOUT PALM SUNDAY THAT REMIND US CHRIST IS KING

1. God's Word tells us the people cut palm branches and waved them in the air, laid them out on
the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city. The palm branch represented goodness and
victory and was symbolic of the final victory He would soon fulfill over death.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Cor. 15:55

2. Jesus chose to ride in on a donkey, which directly fulfilled Old Testament prophecy of Zech.
9:9. In Biblical times, it was common for kings or important people to arrive by a procession
riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride them showed that
they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace.

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king
is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a
colt, the foal of a donkey." Zech. 9:9

3. When the people shouted "Hosanna!" they were hailing Christ as King. That word actually
means "save now," and though in their own minds they waited for an earthly king, God had a
different way in mind of bringing true salvation to all who would trust in Him.

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!" Ps. 118:26

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved." Rom.  10:9

4. The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem. In the midst of the praise of the moment, He
knew in His heart that it wouldn't be long that these same people would turn their backs on Him,
betray Him, and crucify Him. His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior.

"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, "If you, even you, had
only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes."  Luke
19:41-42
5. Palm Sunday reminds us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any the mind of man could
ever conceive or plan. Man looked for someone to fight their battles in the present day world.
Yet God had the ultimate plan of sending His Son to fight the final battle over death. This is the
greatness of why we celebrate this week. Because of Christ's ultimate sacrifice, we can be set
free of death.

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he
dies,'"John 11:25

We have so much to be grateful for this week.

The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he's going to do everything he can to try and distract us
away from the true meaning of what this Holy Week means. Don't let him win.

In this Holy Week, may God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most, Jesus
Christ our King...

Let's choose to focus on worshipping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice,
celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in Him alone.

Grace.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15

TEACHING POINTS:

1. Jesus sent disciples to get the colt – Throughout the book of Mark we have been learning
some of the ways which Jesus trained His disciples. One thing that we notice is that He
always delegated responsibilities to them. He did not do everything on His own even though
there were many things that He could do better (such as preaching). Instead He gave them
tasks so that they could be involved. This helped them learn that following Jesus is not a
passive job of sitting and listening to and watching Jesus all the time. It is instead an active
job which requires serving by doing. If you are discipling people, always try to find ways
which they can help. And if you are a disciple (a follower of Christ) always seek ways to
help.
2. Jesus demonstrates His omniscience – Jesus wasn’t just good at guessing. This is a very
specific and very clear prophecy with many details. All of them came true just like He said.
He was telling them to steal the colt or even “borrow” without permission. He knew that the
owner would ask what was going on and the disciples could then get permission and this is in
fact what happened. See Psalm 50:10. Jesus also had friends all over the place. It is likely
that many of these had made Him offers of assistance. So although this seems supernatural in
the clarity of the prophecy, it is also possible that Jesus knew from first-hand experience that
the owners of that donkey were willing to help him.

This is also a reminder that everything belongs to God. The owner of the colt did not resist
offering help or hold back. He offered what he had with an open hand. This is what God
 expects of us as His stewards. If you were the owner would you have offered the colt?
Obviously this is a hard question to answer. A better one is: do you offer what you have now
to God with an open hand or do you hold it back? Everything belongs to God anyway.
Whatever you have has been given to you to manage for God’s glory not for your own
ambitions.

4. Significance of the colt –While Jesus entered as a king, he was not entering as a normal king.
What do you think a typical king would ride? He would probably ride a powerful war house.
Jesus instead chose to ride on a donkey, hardly the appropriate steed for a conquering king.
And yet a donkey portrays meekness and humility. Jesus wasn’t coming to conquer but to
offer peace. Even if in this most triumphant moment we see clearly Jesus’ humility. See also
Revelation 19:11-16. Now Jesus is riding a donkey. But one day He will be riding a white
horse to war. He came in peace. He will come in war.
5. They put their coats on the colt – This was to offer padding since it was an unbroken colt
without a saddle (Jesus was clearly good with animals since this unbroken donkey, which are
notorious for being stubborn, gave Jesus a ride.)

Application: What do you have to offer the Lord? Are you willing to give it? Is there anything
you are not willing to give up for Him? God has made each one of us unique with something
special we can offer to others. Most people did not have a colt to offer, but this one family did
and they were willing to give it up for the sake of Christ. Is there something special you can for
the Lord? Perhaps it is due to your spiritual gifts or your experiences. God has prepared you to
do exactly what He wants you to accomplish for Him. It would be a shame if you missed the
opportunity.

Lord God,

I give you thanks, for you are good, and your mercy is endless. Here I stand, at the start of this
holy week, This week in which your church remembers Jesus’ passion and death, And I am
distracted by many things. Turn my eyes now to the One who comes in your name. The one who
opens the gates of righteousness. The one who answers when we call. I bless you, Lord, for
shining your light upon me, And for sending your son to us, in human frailty. To walk the road
we walk. Open my eyes that I may see him coming, And may praise him with a pure heart. And
may walk in the way of his suffering, And share also in his resurrection. Through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.