It’s Palm Sunday, which is one of my favorite Sundays of the year because it’s a service of great joy. On this Sunday we focus on the parade of praise into Jerusalem that had Jesus as its Grand Marshal. Now, some 2,000 years later, many of us who are followers of Jesus feel that He was getting the respect, praise, and honor He deserved. Most people love a good parade, and this parade was as good as they get.

What do you do after a parade? Jesus did something that caught everyone by surprise. The morning after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple and kicked out some people — and some animals, too! The gospel writer Matthew kept these two events together in his gospel, so we’re going to do the same, seeing what we can learn from these two very different but connected events.

THE PARADE OF PRAISE
Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, where He could see the entire city of Jerusalem. He had been in the city many times before, but today would be different. He had recently raised His friend Lazarus from the dead, and the city was abuzz with that news. For some time the people had been in heightened anticipation of the possibility that the Messiah would come soon. Many people thought that Jesus might be the Messiah — as indeed He was. Jesus had also totally annoyed the religious leaders of His day, and they wanted Him out of the way, so things were definitely coming to a head. What Jesus was about to do would push things to the breaking point.

Jesus asked two of His disciples to go to Bethphage, a nearby tiny suburb of Jerusalem, to get a donkey for Him to ride into town. The prophet Zechariah had predicted that this would be the mode of transportation for the Messiah when He entered the holy city of Jerusalem. Matthew quoted the fulfilled prophecy: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matthew 21:5) The symbolism did not go unnoticed. The people began to celebrate, grabbing palm fronds and waving them and tossing their coats in the path of Jesus’ donkey, shouting such things as “Hosanna.” Matthew recorded that “the whole city was stirred.” (Matthew 21:10) In fact, in the temple area the next day the children were playing “Palm Sunday parade.” Matthew wrote about “the children shouting in the temple area, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’” (Matthew 21:15)

Jesus rightfully claimed to be Messiah and king, but He eventually was placed on a cross wearing a crown of thorns instead of on a throne wearing a king’s crown. When we look back on what we call “the triumphal entry” we feel good that at least for a time, Jesus got the honor that was due Him. What about our time now? That’s what should really be of interest and concern to us. What Jesus really wants is to be our King and Lord.

YIELDING LEADERSHIP TO JESUS
Jesus gave an invitation to those who eventually became His disciples. It was a simple request: “Follow me.” He was recorded by Matthew as having said it five times. The image of the crowd’s going with Him to Jerusalem illustrates exactly what He wants, which is that people follow Him.

Following someone means going where that person wants to go instead of where you want to go. Following Jesus means giving leadership of our lives to Him. That means that we commit to living His way, not our way, and that we serve Him, not ourselves or anyone else. We let Christ be in charge of our lives. Will He be our first priority or not?

Not long ago a young man named Hemant Mehta sold his soul on eBay. He’s an atheist, but he was willing to be convinced of God’s existence. On eBay he offered to go to a number of houses of worship that were suggested by the highest bidder. The winning bid was $504, from a Christian organization. The organization suggested a list of churches he was supposed to attend, and he eventually ended up attending 30 churches. He had many observations to make, including one that fits what we’re talking about: that Christ should be number one in our lives, our King and our Lord. He wrote, “We’re to love God more than our family? I can’t imagine people prioritizing God before their wife, or their children, or their parents, even if everyone in the family believed in the same religion. Faith might be important, but is it so important that if someone had to choose between family and faith, he or she would tell their family they came in second place?” (from his book I Sold My Soul on eBay) The answer to his question is “Yes!” I’m not making this up: Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

We’ve all seen signs, usually at a restaurant, that say, “Under New Management.” They mean to imply that if you last ate there under the old management and you weren’t satisfied, you ought to try it again because it’s now under new management. Management makes all the difference in our lives — even more than with restaurants. Jesus calls us to put our lives under new management: His management.

Jesus reassures us, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39) We often want to do things our own way, giving in to our own interests, desires, and wishes. Jesus reassures us that we’re going to gain a lot more than we’re going to lose when we decide to live for Him rather than for ourselves. We’re challenged to do what the apostle Paul did. He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) As best-selling Christian pastor and writer Rick Warren put it, “Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes?” Hold that Palm Sunday parade in mind. Picture yourself as part of it, following Jesus.

THE AMAZING TEMPLE
The next big event in Jesus’ life after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem was His going to the temple and cleansing it. Matthew compressed the events, as if Jesus’ cleansing of the temple happened right after the Palm Sunday parade. The gospel writer Mark made it clear that Jesus left the city that evening; He went back to the temple in Jerusalem the next day, and that’s when He cleansed it.

The temple was a magnificent structure; King Herod had begun building it in 20 B.C. In the gospel of John, Jesus’ adversaries tell us how long it had taken to build it: “The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple.’” (John 2:20) Most scholars believe that the basic structure was actually built in about three years, but that additions to it were continued, probably past Jesus’ time on earth. However, it was a reasonably new structure — only about 50 years old — when Jesus entered it that day.

What really angered Jesus was that the temple looked and sounded like an outdoor market and smelled like a barnyard. The temple was divided into different areas. Only the Jewish men could go into the inner area near the holy of holies. The next area was for the Jewish women; it was called the women’s court. Outside of that area was the Gentile court, which was as far as any Gentile could go.

In the Gentile court the merchants sold the doves, lambs, and other animals for sacrifice. (You could bring your own sacrificial animal with you, but who wants to travel with a sheep for miles and miles?) The prices the merchants charged were exorbitant — sort of like when you have to buy aspirin in an airport or a candy bar at a movie theater. There were also money changers there. You had to pay the temple tax with the temple coin, which was the Tyrian shekel, and the currency exchange rate cost you dearly. Another bad aspect was that it was so difficult for any Gentiles to worship God in the midst of all the merchants, noise, and mess.

Jesus was angry, and He went through the temple court, disrupting everything that was going on. He declared, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:13)

CLEANING OUR OWN TEMPLES
Jesus viewed His own body as the temple of God, too. He said on one occasion, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19) We’re told in Scripture that we’re temples of God: “Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

It stands to reason that if Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem and cast out what He didn’t like, He’ll also find whatever is in us — His current temples — that He doesn’t like, and He wants to cast that out, too. Jesus is our friend; He has unconditional love for us and accepts us as we are. However, it’s important to realize that He’s holy and perfect, and if He’s going to dwell in us there are some “internal furnishings” that He’ll want to get rid of. In other words, when we let Christ take up residence within us and we give leadership to Him, He’ll want to do some housecleaning.

What’s one of the first things you do when you take possession of a new house, especially one that has been lived in before? You do a major cleaning. Who wants to live with the previous owner’s dirt? You wash the house and you paint it. Jesus feels the same way, and it’s an ongoing process on His part. He wants to upgrade and make home improvements where He lives — which is in us. That’s why a good prayer is what King David prayed when he knew that he had made some big mistakes: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalms 51:7)

THE PAIN IN THE TEMPLE AND OUR PAIN
Jesus did something else to cleanse the temple: He found hurting people there. The beggars in the Gentile court were imperfect; some had diseases that made them ceremonially unclean, and this was as close as they could get to the temple. The record states that “The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.” (Matthew 21:14) Usually this detail is overlooked in the retelling of the cleansing of the temple, but Jesus also healed hurting people there. He still does that!

What’s hurting you? What’s a great pain in your life? What’s debilitating to you? In what way do you feel that you need the touch of Jesus? The same Jesus who was angry at the sinful use of the temple also showed compassion. We all need His cleansing and compassion in these temples that Jesus calls home.

After reflecting on the remarkable series of events that happened from what we call Palm Sunday through Monday, it’s clear that we need to accept the call of Jesus, giving Him leadership of our lives. We need to accept His cleansing of what isn’t appropriate for Him. What might that be in your life? Ask for His help in cleansing you, because we’re temples of His living presence. We need His compassion because we’re all hurting, wounded people. He wants to make us better! Be open to His healing touch — and begin to believe more strongly that you’re receiving that touch.

Jesus offers us so much; let’s receive it today!