500 years before Palm Sunday, the prophet Zechariah had written, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Daniel, writing in exile in Babylon - 500 years before Palm Sunday - Daniel had prophesized that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem 483 years after the Jews - then in exile - were given permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:24-27) That permission came about 50 years later on March 28, 445 B.C. in an edict given by the Persian King Artaxerxes. (Nehemiah 2:1-8)

Many years ago there was a English lawyer named Sir Robert Anderson. Sir Robert was for a long time the director of England’s Scotland Yard. He was also a Bible scholar. With his mind trained in logic he analyzed the book of Daniel. Starting from March 28, 445 B.C. - the date of King Artaxerxes decree - he counted forward - making adjustments for differences in calendars and other variables. He determined that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D. - just as Daniel had said - exactly 483 years after King Artaxerxes decree.

Jesus is riding into Jerusalem and God is moving in human history. Palm Sunday is foremost a fulfillment of prophecy - a declaration - a coronation - of who Jesus really is - God’s Messiah.

On Palm Sunday, close to 3 million pilgrims from all over the Jewish Diaspora are gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Festival - commemorating God’s salvation of His people from Pharaoh - from bondage in Egypt. As Jesus enters, they cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)

The words come from Psalm 118:25,26. “Hosanna” meaning “save.” “Son of David” meaning Jesus’ anticipated role as King. “Save us Jesus. Be our King. Restore David’s kingdom.”

Given all that, it’s obvious from reading the Gospels that this crowd - and even the disciples - didn’t get it. They were so focused on themselves - and what they thought Jesus was going to do for them. Somehow, they missed the earlier verses of Psalm 118 - verse 22: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” “The stone” - Jesus - is rejected - crucified in our place - offering us salvation from our sins. Jesus becomes “the chief corner stone” - the beginning of the church - the beginning of what God desires to do in our lives. They completely missed the point of what was being offered to them - the personal implications for their own lives.

We need to be very clear about this. Often we hear this Palm Sunday message - the Jews welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday and they crucified Him on Good Friday - so we need to welcome Him into our hearts. Don’t reject Him. Accept Him. That’s true. But, we need to go farther - to get beyond Palm Sunday into the life that Jesus offers us.

Please turn with me to Matthew 21:18-22. Matthew 21:18-22 takes place on the day after Palm Sunday. Its Monday morning. Jesus is returning to Jerusalem from Bethany where He had spent the night.

Matthew 21:18: Now in the morning, when He - Jesus - was returning to the city He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all these things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive.”

Jesus is teaching a practical lesson to the disciples - and us - of what means to go farther - to live this life that God is offering us in Jesus. In verses 18 and 19, Jesus is practical - God expects us to produce fruit - produce or experience God’s judgment.

The time of the Passover was not the season for figs. (Mark 11:13) Which seems strange. Why would Jesus curse a fig tree that was doing what seemingly it was suppose to be doing? Growing by the side of the road and not producing figs. I’ve been thinking about this and doing some research.

What I’ve found out is that some kinds of fig trees produce two crops each year. Around March and April - the time of the Passover - they produce a light crop of small figs - an indication of things to come. Then in late summer - which is really the season for figs - these fig trees produce a larger heavy crop. This fig tree was all leaves. It hadn’t produced fruit. It wasn’t producing. It had no potential to produce. So Jesus cursed it.

The fig tree is symbolic. It represents the nation of Israel. Israel had the leaves of a fig tree - the outward appearance of being God’s people. But, they hadn’t produced fruit. They hadn’t responded to God’s work in them and His expectations for their lives.

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me - and so produce fruit - he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” (John 15:5,6)

If we really “get” Palm Sunday - the implications for our lives - it means that we need to receive Jesus as our personal Savior - to personally accept His offer and work of salvation for us on the cross. Then - abiding in Him - Him living in us - we should produce fruit.

I recently read what I understand is a true story about a young virtuoso pianist in England. At the end of his first concert the audience leaped to their feet and cheered wildly. When this young pianist walked off the stage, and the concert manager said, “It’s a standing ovation! Go back out and play an encore.”

The young man replied, “No, I can’t.”

The manager exclaimed, “Listen to the crowd. They love you! They want to hear you again.”

He said, “Not everybody is standing. There’s one man in the balcony who has remained seated.”

“What do you mean, one man?” Said the concert manager. “So what?”

The pianist said, “That man is my teacher.”

How easy it is to produce leafs - acts of righteousness - advertising that we’re one of God’s people - when inwardly we really don’t personally know Him. When inwardly we’re spiritually barren. How easy it is to get caught up in the excitement of a crowd - carried along by the expected - the familiar - the acceptable things - to act like the church. But, is Jesus pleased with the fruit we’re producing with our lives? Would He give us a standing ovation?

Going farther - beyond Palm Sunday - means that our lives produce fruit that’s pleasing to God. Second - in verses 21 and 22 - Jesus very practically - reminds us that to produce that fruit we must rely on Him.

I knew a man - associated with his local church - a man in whose house we were having a Bible study - a man who one night very proudly showed me his “Five Year Sunday School Attendance Pin.” Imagine this - when he was a child - for five straight years he hadn’t missed a day of Sunday School - not one day. He was very proud of it. And yet, that night - listening to this man - now in his late 70’s - listening to him share about his life and what had transpired since those Sunday School days - it was sadly evident that this man had no idea of what God could do in Him and through Him.

In Matthew 21:21 - Jesus is talking about faith. Faith in Him. Faith that moves mountains. No circumstance or situation is too large - or too massive. Any barrier - any obstacle - to the forward march of His people is blown out of the way. In verse 22, Jesus is talking about prayer. Prayer offered through Him - prayer that empowers ministry - empowers us for ministry for God. Prayer that empowers our lives.

God wants to do the miraculous in our lives. He wants to produce in us changed lives - empowered lives. God desires to conform our hearts to His - to produce in us the fruit of Godliness - righteousness - Christ likeness - the fruits of Godly love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22) God wants to mold us into Godly parents that produce the fruit of Godly children. He wants to shape our character to produce in us the fruit of His power and grace and love - that will transform our homes and work places and community. His desire is to flow through us to produce the most valuable fruit - to eternally impact the lives of men and women - boys and girls - leading them to salvation in Jesus Christ.

Who was this man who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey 2,000 years ago? He is the great I Am. Jesus - the Son of God - the Messiah - the King of kings and the Lord of lords - the Almighty Creator - the Savior of mankind. Jesus who offers to us salvation from our sins - eternal life - peace with God. This Jesus calls us to give our lives to Him that He would produce fruit in us and through us. Fruit that we can never produce on our own.

That’s going farther - beyond Palm Sunday - and beginning to live the life that God offers us in Jesus Christ.