The Symbol He Chose

In one paragraph

Palm Sunday at First B Jackson opened with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, walked through all three synoptic gospels side by side, and closed with the cursing of the fig tree on Monday morning. The message centered on a contrast between the symbol the crowd chose and the symbol Jesus chose for himself, and what both reveal about what the crowd expected versus what Jesus actually came...

Read together

1. Zechariah 9:9 quoted to show the prophecy of the king coming humble on a donkey, fulfilled by Jesus' entry into Jerusalem
2. Matthew 21:1-5 the triumphal entry account, Jesus sending disciples to fetch the donkey and colt
3. Mark 11:1-11 the triumphal entry account, noting the colt had never been ridden
4. Luke 19:28-44 the triumphal entry account, including the Pharisees' objection and Jesus weeping over Jerusalem
5. 1 Maccabees 13:49-53 the Maccabean victory where Jews entered Jerusalem with palm branches, establishing the nationalistic symbolism of palms
6. Psalm 118:25-26 the source of the crowd's Hosanna cry, meaning save us now
7. Psalm 8:1-2 Jesus quotes it in response to the chief priests objecting to children shouting Hosanna
8. John 11:35 Jesus wept, cited as an example of Jesus crying out of individual grief for Mary and Martha
9. Jeremiah 8 no figs on the fig tree, used to show the fig tree as a symbol of unbelieving Israel
10. Hosea 9:10 Israel likened to early fruit on the fig tree, then turning to Baal Peor
11. Joel 1:7 the fig tree made a stump, used as another prophetic symbol of Israel
12. Micah 7:1-8 a picture of fruitlessness and evil generation, turning to the declaration of waiting on the Lord for salvation

Talk about it

1. The preacher described the crowd waving palm branches as a symbol of military victory and national pride, while Jesus chose to ride in on a young donkey as a symbol of humble, peaceful service. Where in your own life do you find yourself wanting God to show up in a way that fits your expectations rather than His?
2. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying the people had not recognized 'the conditions that make for peace' and had missed 'the time of their visitation.' What do you think it looks like to miss God moving in your own life because of preconceived ideas about what He should be doing?
3. The preacher warned that if we demonize the Pharisees to the point we do not recognize ourselves in them, 'the enemy is us.' In what ways do you see the temptation toward religious ritualism or pride showing up in your own faith?
4. The Old Testament passages from Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, and Micah all use the fig tree as a picture of a faith that has stopped bearing fruit. What does genuine spiritual fruit look like in a person's daily life, and what tends to crowd it out?
5. Micah 7 turns on the phrase 'but as for me' and describes someone who keeps watching and waiting for God even in a dark and corrupt time. What does that kind of patient, deliberate watching for God look like practically, and what makes it hard to sustain?