Palm Sunday 2005
Jesus and Alexander: Two Kinds of Leaders
by Dr. Joseph B. Fuiten,
Cedar Park Assembly of God
March 19, 2005

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:37-44 Page 744
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 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. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." (NIV)

Palm Sunday represented the high water mark of Jewish hope that Jesus was the Messiah. The oppression of Rome was matched by the power of Jesus. His miracles of healing the blind and sick, of feeding the thousands, and raising the well-known Lazarus from the dead, all pointed to one thing. Israel needed her Messiah and Jesus was it.

It helps to understand life in Israel, and their approach to public events. The people were big on shows and entertainment. There was the hippodrome for horse races and the gymnasium for workouts and competition. A few miles west was the capital, Caesarea, with its big coliseum. In the north, at Beth Shean, there was the same thing. Plays and sporting events were popular. Herod the Great had his spectacular buildings, including the stunning Temple. The people loved things exciting and visual. They were nearly as bad as Americans when it came to big events.

On this occasion it appeared to them that a big one was in the offing. The City was filling up with tens of thousands of people for Passover. The incoming crowd was bringing incredible reports about Jesus. Reports of miracles, demons being driven out, the crippled walking. Even the dead were raised. The prophet of Nazareth was increasingly viewed as the Messiah.

For a Jew, the dream of the Messiah stirred his very soul like nothing else. His religious passions were stirred, because God was visiting his people. His political and nationalistic feelings also rose. After 700 years of oppression by one group of foreigners after another, they were ready for a change.

If this was the Messiah, this meant the House of David would rise again. It reminded them of the day when Israel was free; its borders wide; its armies feared; when kings begged for mercy; and queens traveled to its wisdom.

When Messiah came, there would be no Roman troops in Antonia fortress overlooking the Temple. There would be no Roman tax collector. The wretched Greek gym with its naked competitors would no longer corrupt the youth. At once, he would overthrown Roman occupation AND Greek culture. It would be Israel’s day.

These Jews were Hebrew, but they were also Roman and Greek. They spoke Greek. Greek culture was everywhere dominant. It affected hair styles, clothing, language, even the way they thought about things. For three and a half centuries the Greek influence had dominated. Even the Romans could not change that. Ever since the days of Alexander the Great, they had also been Greek.

They knew the story of Alexander the Great. When he came to Jerusalem he was already king of the Greeks, and Pharaoh of the Egyptians. In 331 BC he drove the hated Persians out of the area. The world was falling at his feet the day Alexander entered Jerusalem. God had given Alexander a dream about Jerusalem, so he spared them. Instead he rode into the city as a hero, a liberator, a Simon Bolivar, a George Washington. He was also a savvy entertainer. He knew the minds of these Hebrews, and he played them like a violin. What an entrance it was!

At 29 years of age, he was in the peak of his physical prime. But long before he arrived, the stage was set. First, 2,000 mounted lancers rode through the City, their lances pointing to the sky. The thunder of their hooves shook the ground. Then 2,000 trumpeters arrived row after row. Their mighty blasts bounced off the stone walls and streets of the city, echoing back even from the Mount of Olives. Their brilliant sound sent a chill down the spine. Next came 500 shinny chariots, polished and reflecting the noon-day sun. The choking dust and the rumble of their wheels only accented their power. Then hundreds of swordsmen with weapons raised marched along followed by 39,000 regular foot-soldiers with spears and bows. Their crimson suits and the heavy tramp of their boots vibrated the ground.

Another large group of trumpets heralded the grand master himself. In rode Alexander the Great astride a great white stallion. The Brass helmet on his head sat like a crown. The bright red cape hung from his shoulders. It was a dazzling display of pageantry and power. Alexander set the pace for every conqueror who would follow.

Decade after decade the story was retold and even grew in splendor. But the story was always used by way of comparison. Even Alexander the Great was not as great as the Messiah.

Every Jewish boy and girl dreamed of being there when the Messiah came. They dreamed of cheering, shouting, and clapping. Their minds knew Alexander, but their fantasies were wild about the Messiah.

On this day in Jerusalem, word was out that Jesus the Messiah was just outside town and he was getting ready to enter. From every quarter they came. From the gym, the secularists came. The Temple mount emptied as the greeting crowd swelled.

Centuries of pent-up patriotism merged with the pride of religious devotion. This was their king, their liberator, David’s favored son.

But Jesus also grew up on the diet of such stories and wanted to use the occasion to teach a lesson on leadership and power. He wanted no chariots, no trumpets, no perfumed or flower strewn path like Alexander had when he entered Babylon. No exotic caged animals or Royal singers, but an entirely different style.

Jesus wanted to show a kingdom that was “not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.” Instead of a white stallion, he chose a small donkey. There was no jewel encrusted saddle, but a simple coat thrown over the animal.

Suddenly, there he came. The crowd erupted spontaneously. All their dreams and fantasies came flooding back, so they yelled and cheered. The sweaty coats of the common man came off, filing the path with its own kind of aroma. Palm branches were stripped from trees. The secular Jew was thinking of Nike, but religious Jews were thinking of the victory of the Messiah and his coming kingdom.

With the shout of the people, no trumpet blast was needed. ". 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" They could not have been silent or the rocks would have erupted.

The contrasts between Alexander and Jesus couldn’t be more striking. Both Jesus and Alexander died at age 33. One lived for himself, the other died for all. The Greek died on a throne, the Jew on a cross. One led vast armies, the other walked alone. The Greek shed blood, the Jew gave his blood. One made slaves, the other set people free. The Greek conquered every throne, the Jew every grave. One died in Babylon, the other on Calvary. The Greek won the world in life, but lost it in eternity. The Jew gave his life, but won it for eternity. The conqueror is dead, but through the other, death is conquered.

Even within Palm Sunday itself Luke shows us two conflicting visions. Palm Sunday is Christ’s greatest earthly day, at least measured by temporal terms and values. The people are almost all with him and it is a happy scene. I can imagine that Jesus was smiling broadly and waving to the crowd. It was a great day for everyone. Although Jesus lived in the present, responding with the right emotions to the present moment, he also saw the future. About halfway down the side of the Mount of Olives, with the Temple in full and glorious view, Jesus saw into the future. His actions reflected a kingdom moment. Jesus understood that time passes and today is not forever. The friendly crowd would soon be a hostile crowd. But that too would quickly pass. Within 40 years after the Triumphal Entry, the temple itself would become a smoking pile of rubble. The beautiful city will be awash in blood and tears. Jesus sees those moments in his mind and he is suddenly deeply touched by their future pain.

Palm Sunday is a day to rejoice. We look back on what happened and it moves our hearts. The temporal triumph of Jesus on Palm Sunday is only the prelude for the great physical and spiritual victory of Easter. These are two spectacular Sundays of victory separated by a terrible week. You also will have your weeks of pain. Thank God we can look forward to a great resurrection, to the great day of the Lord.