A Palm Sunday hymn titled, “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty” closes with this punctuating stanza: “Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain, Then take, O God, Thy pow’r and reign.” That one little hymn stanza really is a paraphrasing of today’s Epistle Reading understood in the context of five important days: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and Ascension Day. Paul writes in Philippians, “Christ Jesus, though He was in the form of God, didn’t count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

On a donkey, Jesus rides into Jerusalem amid a crowd full of total majesty and awe. This day is referred to as His triumphal entry. The Lord—the King—enters His city to claim the throne of David. Jesus doesn’t ride a mighty war-horse as an emperor might. He’s not luxuriously paraded. This is a humble victory parade. Riding a donkey’s colt, Jesus enters the holy city in lowly pomp, with palm branches and the outer coats of His loyal followers serving as the royal carpet. The distinction must, must, must be made that Jesus triumphs not by defeating His enemies militarily, but through humbling Himself to the point of death on the cross. He sacrifices Himself.

The Palm Sunday crowd escorts Him into Jerusalem shouting a royal proclamation: “Hosanna! Save us Now! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” Today we have joined our voices to those among the crowd. We call out to the Lord for deliverance, pleading to Him for mercy, crying out to Him for salvation.

And yet, just a few days after the Lord’s triumphal entry into the city, Roman soldiers usher Him out of Jerusalem with a crowd shouting, “Away with Him. Crucify Him. Crucify Him.” At times, we have also joined our voices to this crowd when we sin against the Lord in our desires, thoughts, words, and deeds, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. The sin of the whole world—the sin of you and me—was the reason for Jesus’ obedience to the point of death, His death on the cross. He died to take away our sin.

Very, very quickly for Jesus’ followers, the triumphant parade of Palm Sunday turns into the horror of Black Friday. He humbles Himself unto a horrible, shameful death—stretched out; nailed to a tree; and left to a slow, agonizing death. He’s even forsaken by His heavenly Father. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” looks more like another Scripture passage, “Cursed is the one who is hanged on a tree.”

The curse that Christ endures on the cross though, is a blessing for lost and condemned sinners such as you and me. Nobody understands it at the time, but Jesus makes that cross a throne. Jesus doesn’t wear a beautiful, golden crown of royalty. He wears a crown of thorns. But that crown of thorns is the crown of our salvation. Therefore, it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord acts as the noblest King, saving His creation from the terribleness of sin, the curse of death, and the punishment of eternity in hell. So, when Christ Jesus is lifted upon the cross, He draws all people unto Himself. He is the glorious Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Dying for the sins of the world—substituting Himself in the place of all sinners even though He Himself committed no sin—Jesus reveals Himself to be the Savior from sin, death, the devil, and hell. Bowing His head, He declares all to be finished. Through His death, you now have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation from all evil. Christ Jesus accomplishes the mission for which He was sent.

Therefore, God has highly exalted Him, giving Him the name above every name. Jesus lives up to His name, which means “the Lord saves.” Jesus is the risen and ascended Lord, the world’s Savior, Redeemer, and Judge. The shouts of praise from the Palm Sunday crowd to which we joined our voices will echo even louder one week from today as we celebrate the blessed, glorious reality that Christ has triumphed over death. “Death no longer has dominion over Him” and “God… gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today we leave this place singing the praises of Him who died and was raised with another hymn on our lips, “Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name.” Amen.