God's Word is true from the beginning to the end. At the center of His Word is the account of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, which the whole world will remember over the next few days, beginning with this weekend in Palm Sunday. Here on Encounter God's Truth, we want you to celebrate the wonderful things that happen on both Palm Sunday and, of course, Easter, Resurrection Day, when we rejoice in the power of Christ to rise from the dead. I'm your host, Wayne Shepherd, and it's my joy to introduce a very special guest Bible teacher who can help us do that, Dr. Woodrow Kroll. Many of us got to know and love him during his 23 years as president and senior Bible teacher for the international radio broadcast, Back to the Bible. Well, today, Dr. Kroll serves the Lord through Woodrow Kroll Ministries and as a teacher for the Helios Projects, by which he provides biblical training to pastors all around the world, many of which have no formal theological education. We're so glad to have Dr. Kroll with us this week to help us remember the importance of Palm Sunday as Hosanna Day of Praise. He'll do this by taking us on a tour, describing Palm Sunday as the acts of a play recorded by the four gospel writers. As we explore the gospel narratives regarding these monumental events, Dr. Kroll will ask and answer the classic questions, who, what, when, where, and why. So it's my privilege now to introduce our guest speaker, Dr. Woodrow Kroll, and the message he's prepared just for us here on Encounter God's Truth, called Hosanna Day of Praise. Palm Sunday is all about proclaiming Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Israel. It's about joy and rejoicing. Now today, Palm Sunday, We want to explore the joy of proclaiming Jesus as King, just as the crowd did that first Palm Sunday. So, how should we go about it? Well, the 16th century English rhetorician Thomas Wilson wrote a book titled The Art of Rhetoric. It was published in 1560, just 43 years after Martin Luther in the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Here's what Wilson wrote. Who, what, and where? By what help? By whose? Why, how, and when do many things disclose? Did you recognize anything in Wilson's little saying? He's the guy who invented the five Ws that reporters used for many years. Well, before some reporters became political operatives in disguise. The five W's are who, what, when, where, and why. Now, what if we applied these five W's to the gospel's Palm Sunday narratives? First is the who question. Now, if this were a short play, who would be the actors in the play? John 12, 12 says the next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So the short answer to the who question on Palm Sunday is, this day when Jesus is entering Jerusalem, the crowd was made up of Jewish people who had come to Jerusalem for Passover. But that begs another question I often hear, and maybe you've asked it yourself. If the crowd was shouting, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, on Sunday, how can the crowd be shouting, crucify him, crucify him, only four days later? Now, many critics of the Bible have seized upon this in their attempt to prove the Bible is inaccurate, that's not historical. But the answer is simple. These are two different crowds. These are not the same people. If we read the Bible carefully, we learn that the crowd calling for Jesus' crucifixion was made up of Jews from Jerusalem, Jews who had been agitated by the Roman leaders, the religious leaders of Israel, Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, revved up to call for Jesus' death. This crowd was a Jewish crowd. It was Caiaphas's crowd. But the crowd who yelled, Hosanna, when Jesus entered the Holy City, this was Jesus' crowd. They had come mainly from Galilee. They had witnessed Jesus' miracles in Jericho, and they ascended the mountain to Jerusalem with Jesus. Now, Luke makes this abundantly clear in Luke 19.37. Listen to this. And he, Jesus, was drawing near. Already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. His disciples. John 12, 17 further identifies them, saying, So let's go easy on those who rejoiced at Jesus' arrival for Passover. They're not the same people who called for His death. That crowd hated Jesus. This crowd loved Him. Well, that's the who question. Next in line is the what question. Who? What? What is happening here? What was going on? Now, each of the Gospel narratives record this story, and each of them refers to Jesus as King. Matthew does it eight times, Mark six times, Luke five times, and John a whopping fifteen times. Since the Gospels are written by eyewitnesses or near eyewitnesses, let's let them tell their own story. Does that make sense? Here is Matthew's account of Jesus' triumphal entry. Matthew 21. Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphagi, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone asks anything or says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. Now, this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The disciples went and did as Jesus directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and Jesus sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, saying, Who is this? And the crowd said, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. Now this narrative is jam-packed with information to help us understand why we call this Palm Sunday. Jesus spoke to two of his disciples, probably Peter and John. He told them to go into the village that was before them, and there they would find a donkey and a colt. Jesus said, untie them and bring them to me. Now, I don't know about you, but this sounds a lot like donkey napping, doesn't it? He didn't intend to keep them. Besides, knowing the two disciples would likely be confronted by the donkey's owner, Jesus prepared them with an answer. Matthew 21, three says, if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, the Lord needs him and he will send them at once. See, once the owner knew the donkey and the colt were for Jesus' use, Master knew they would be given up willingly. So, follow with me Matthew's account of the what question. What took place here? Well, think of this as a four-act play, a short play with four acts. Here's act number one. The two disciples brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus, and as something of a crude saddle, they put on them their cloaks. Some in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, not to soften the path for the donkey, but to express their sincere worship of Hosea, the one who comes in the name of the Lord. And others, the Bible says, cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Now, this is why we refer to this day as Palm Sunday. Presumably, they would cut down fronds from palm trees and cast them on the Palm Sunday street in front of Jesus. That's Act I. Here's Act II. The crowds divided themselves, with some walking in front of Jesus and others walking behind him. Jesus of Nazareth was completely surrounded with devoted followers. Somehow it seems Jesus is always in the middle of people, doesn't it? These crowds shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Now, you'll notice that the Gospel writers all express the same sentiments, but in different words. These are not discrepancies. Nothing of these four gospel accounts of what the crowd shouted contradicts another account. Nothing refutes another account. The evangelists simply record what they remember was said by the crowd, and God's Holy Spirit moved them to write it down. But let's continue exploring that what question. We've seen two acts in this short play. Now here's act three. From Luke's account, we learn some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. He answered them, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. These straight-laced, stone-faced Pharisees. These nitpickers of the Jewish law, these cold-hearted religionists who love the formality of religion rather than the true worship of God, they are the ones who tell the Son of God to quiet the crowds. But Jesus won't stop them. Jesus said that if this crowd was stifled and silenced, God had a backup plan. He would cause even the lifeless stones, of which there are many in Israel, He would cause them to cry out and exalt Jesus, the Son of God, King of Israel. Okay, Act 4. Matthew 21, verses 10 and 11 indicate, And when he entered Jerusalem, The whole city was stirred up, saying, who is this? And the crowd said, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. Now that sounds pretty clear and direct, doesn't it? Disinterested crowds never ask, who is this of Jesus? Until they see some miracle or a massive demonstration like Palm Sunday. The Gospel authors give us one final bit of information that will help you and me better appreciate what Palm Sunday is all about. The last verse of the account in John 12 says this. So the Pharisees said to one another, you see you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after you. That sums up the importance of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. You can always hear this program again or share it with a friend when you visit us at sermonaudio.com slash Whitcomb, where you'll find all the previous Easter programs that we've done, along with many other sermons for this season by our regular teacher, Dr. John Whitcomb. Right now, let's go on and finish our lesson. Here's more from Dr. Woodrow Kroll. Well, we've thought about the who question and the what question of poems. The next W is the where. Where did this noisy crowd surround Jesus and proclaim his glory? Matthew says it was when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphagi, to the Mount of Olives. Luke 19.29 also identifies the place as near to Bethany and Bethphagi at the mouth that is called Olivet. And both Mark, Mark 11, and John 19 confirm what Matthew and Luke say. So all four gospel narratives identify the same place. Now, Bethphagi was a tiny village on the road from Jericho up to Jerusalem. It was at the limit of a Sabbath day's journey from Jerusalem, 2,000 cubits, or about 3,000 yards. So the short answer to the where question is this. Jesus was on the upper end of the Jericho Road, coming over the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem's famed Eastern Gate. But you know what? That quickens another question in my mind, maybe yours also. Where would this crowd get the branches they waved and laid before Jesus on the Palm Sunday Street? You know, you often see scenes from artists showing a crowd hacking down branches from the palm trees lining the Palm Sunday Street. But this is not the Mount of Palms. It's the Mount of Olives. The whole mountain was covered with olive trees. There wasn't a palm tree in sight. But Mark answers our question. After saying, the crowd spread their garments on the road in front of Jesus, Mark 11, 8 goes on to say, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut down from the fields. Well, there it is, the answer to our question in black and white. The answer to the where question is on the Mount of Olives, just east of the Holy City, And that brings us to the when question. When did Palm Sunday, this crowd, accompany Jesus into Jerusalem? Well, it was the spring of the year in Israel, just the beginning of the barley harvest. Israel celebrated seven annual festivals, or feasts. They were Spring Feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Feasts, and Pentecost. And then there were three Fall Feasts, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, or Booths, Sukkot. The feast in question here is the annual Passover, the most important feast of the year. Now, think about this. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Sabbath. His death occurred at 3 p.m. on that Friday, and it coincided exactly with the hour Jerusalem's priests began slaying the Passover lambs for the great sacrifice. Jesus was buried just before sunset on the first day of the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread, and he rose from the dead on Sunday morning, which just happened to be 16 Nisan, the beginning of the Feast of Firstfruits. Ah, my friends, there's too much here to be a mere coincidence. This, this is the eternal plan of God. And that leaves us with only one question left, the why question. Now, the why question is usually the most difficult to answer. Why was Jesus on that street that Palm Sunday? Why did he enter Jerusalem on this day, at this location, at this time of year? Jesus told his two disciples to go into the village to retrieve a donkey and a colt. But why? Why a donkey and its colt? Why not a mare or a stallion? Jesus was about to be proclaimed the King of Zion. Wouldn't a horse be a more appropriate animal than a donkey? Well, actually, no. See, horses were in short supply in these days of Jesus. Remember, the Roman army was in charge of the land at this time. and they grabbed up every horse they could for their army. Most Jews living in Galilee or Judea had no horse, but they did have a donkey or two. Not all donkeys are alike, and not all colts are newborns. Don't think of this donkey's colt as you would a newborn giraffe struggling to keep its legs under it. That's not what's going on here at all. The average donkey colt does not completely mature until the first three years of its life. So in a three-year-old donkey, it could still be considered a colt. And donkeys were not all the same size. There were miniatures donkeys that typically would weigh up to 400 pounds or so, and they could carry a load of about 100 pounds. There are medium-sized donkeys that weigh about 500 pounds and can carry up to 125 pounds. Ah, but then there are those big boys that stand 14 hands high, or about 4 1�2 feet, and weigh up to 1,000 pounds. A donkey of this size can carry as much as 250 pounds. So a two- or three-year-old donkey colt could easily carry a man of 185 pounds. But while this helps us understand that Jesus was not guilty of animal abuse, it doesn't answer the why question. Why did Jesus enter Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a horse? Horses were impressive, were showing, sometimes a source of pride. Horses were animals of war. Donkeys were animals of peace. Horses were high and mighty. Donkeys were humble and lowly. But what was the purpose of Jesus' entrance in this manner? I think the answer is right there in what the crowds were shouting on Palm Sunday. Matthew commented that the reason the crowd shouted what it did was because it was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9-9. Now listen carefully. 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. Everything the prophet Zechariah proclaimed about the coming king fits Jesus to a T. And it's confirmed by Matthew 21 and John 12. Jesus flawlessly fits every unique detail of this man's prophecy, Zechariah. It's not like the local palm reader who tells you you're going to meet a tall, dark, and handsome man. That could be anybody. Zacharias' prophecy is ultra-specific. Things unfolded on Palm Sunday as they did, because this crowd was captive to the eternal plan of God and the fulfillment of divine prophecy. It was Palm Sunday. The crowd was enthused at Jesus' entrance into the holy city. They responded with shouts of praise, the laying of their garments in Jesus' path, the waving and placing of the palm fronds on the street before him. It was joy all around and celebrating on Palm Sunday. Friday? Well, Friday was a different story. all their praises, all their hopes that Jesus had come to establish David's kingdom in Israel, they all came crashing down when he was nailed to that cross. Palm Sunday teaches us much about the character of our Savior. Jesus was the humble and lowly king. He was the one who, for our sake, humbled himself to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Remember earlier when I said how many times the Gospels referred to Jesus as King? Well, I didn't mention anything about the two times Jesus is called King in the book of Revelation. Revelation 17 speaks of God's enemies with this promise, and the Lamb will conquer them for He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. And that expression is repeated in Revelation 19. Now don't let those words slide by you. This is Palm Sunday. Let's spend today shouting praise to the Lord, because Friday is coming, friends. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is a day for us to celebrate, and we should shout to the Lord on Friday. Something very different is going to take place. Let's spend today shouting praise to the Lord. Let's recognize Him in our lives as this crowd did, the followers of Jesus. Enjoy today's rejoicing because next week we'll think about Friday and God's promise of another Sunday on the third day. God bless you. We're so grateful for ministry friends like Dr. Woodrow Kroll, and we'd like to thank him for providing this very special holiday series for us here on Encounter, God's Truth. To find more information on our ministry, visit us this Passion Week at whitcomministries.org, and check for updates and encouragement at facebook.com slash WhitcomMinistries. Now for all of us at Whitcomb Ministries, I'm Wayne Shepherd. Join us next time on Encounter God's Truth when Dr. Woodrow Kroll concludes a series prepared specifically for us with a distinctive message for Resurrection Sunday titled, The Big Question of Easter. Have a blessed Palm Sunday.