Sunday, March 29, 2026
Palm Sunday
Text: Matthew 26–27
Sermon Audio
As we gather… This year as in previous years we will read Matthew’s Passion account with different readers. Thank you to the volunteers who have helped with this reading. We will have a shorter sermon to accommodate this longer reading. As we take time to reflect on these important last hours of Jesus’ life, let us also consider what kind of king Jesus is. Our service starts on Palm Sunday as the pastor reads the account of the royal procession into Jerusalem. By the middle of the service, we fast forward to Thursday through Friday of Holy Week. What kind of king is this who serves a last meal with his disciples, prays in the garden with his disciples, and is crucified for you? He is unlike any worldly king. Nonetheless, He is the king we need as He comes to be our savior who suffers, dies, rises, and reigns for us.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is the fourth year we have done a dramatic reading of the Passion of the Christ. Can you believe it has been that long? This will be the second time we have read Matthew’s Gospel in this way. There’s something nice about hearing this same old story year after year.
Much like a tour guide likes to point out things you may not have known about a tourist site in your own hometown, I want to take some time to point out some unique contributions that Matthew makes. If we read Matthew, Mark, and Luke each year, these are only details you’ll hear in church but once every three years specifically from Matthew’s Gospel
Although Peter does address what happened to Judas in a cursory way in the book of Acts, only Matthew shows us what happened to Judas after he betrayed Jesus. The chief priests and the elders whose job it was to forgive the sins of the people do nothing to forgive Judas. Judas looks to man rather than to God to address his guilt, and although Jesus would have been pleased to forgive Judas, Judas takes matters into his own hands by taking his own life. If you have ever considered suicide, understand that there’s no sin too big for Jesus to forgive. Your life matters, and your life is precious in God’s sight, no matter how insignificant you may feel.
In Matthew’s Gospel, dreams appear in the most unlikely places. The magi who worshipped Jesus were told in a dream to go back home another way. Pilate’s wife was also told in a dream that Pilate should have nothing to do with this righteous man. Even a nonbeliever can see that Jesus has done nothing wrong. Only Matthew tells us about the dream of Pilate’s wife.
Lastly, I want to point out chapter 27, verses 24 and 25: “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”” Only Matthew tells us of this exchange.
A few items to point out here: first, innocence isn’t as simple as hygiene. Pontius Pilate’s hand washing did nothing. He had the power to spare Jesus’ life, and he chose to do nothing. Soap can’t make you clean.
Second, the declaration of the Israelites: “His blood be on us and our children” is not a declaration of God’s hatred of the Jews. We shouldn’t point to things such as the Holocaust or other atrocities that took place to the modern Jewish people and trace it back to this statement saying, “They had it coming.”
Third, what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. In a twist of irony, the blood of Christ is something that you want on you and your children because it is in this blood that we find forgiveness, life, and salvation. Washing your hands can’t forgive you, but Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection can.
Certainly, every part of this Gospel story is important, and we won’t want to lose even one detail, but as we look at these unique parts of the account, perhaps we can better appreciate the grand story of salvation that the Lord has woven for us. Every detail matters, and there’s always more. John remarks at the end of His Gospel, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” What a blessing that Jesus is our Savior. We will see Him again, and we can ask Him the finer details of this week when we see Him face to face.
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard and keep you in the true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.