Luke 19:28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ³⁰ "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'" ³² Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" ³⁴ They replied, "The Lord needs it." ³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 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."

We've all heard it. Most of us have done it. Call it bravado. Or trash talk. Players jawing at each other. It occurs often in professional sports, in the NCAA tournaments, and it even happens at the high school level. At a recent soccer game involving Mountain Pointe High and another team, one player hammered another with an expletive-filled diatribe. "Give me the (expletive) ball," one player said. "You guys are so overrated." The opposing player had a one-word response: "Scoreboard," referring to a score that favored Mountain Pointe. The players? Girls.

Almost everybody does it. Sports teams. Video gamers on line. Reality TV. Even chess players do it. Adults. Teens. Kids. Professionals. Amateurs. Businessmen and soccer moms.

Trash talking is what the Pharisees did to Jesus the day He rode into Jerusalem. The Pharisees loved to trash talk Jesus. They trash talked Jesus when He associated with the serious sinners (Matthew 9:11). They trash talked Jesus for not obeying their man-made laws (Matthew 9:14). They trash talked Jesus and His disciples for the way they remembered the Sabbath (Matthew 12:2). They trash talked the Lord and His followers for the way they kept traditions and washed their hands (Matthew 15:2). They trash talked Jesus for the stories He told (Matthew 21:45-46).

No, trash talking the Lord of life wasn't a new thing for the Pharisees. That's why it's not surprising, as Jesus enters Jerusalem in a triumphant Palm Sunday procession, the trash talkers are there. Let me paint a picture of what was happening.

First, there was a crowd following Jesus from Bethany into Jerusalem. The crowd from Bethany knew that Jesus had called Lazarus out of the grave. They were enthused – pumped up. Another crowd was coming from Jerusalem. For some in the crowd, Jesus was a wondrous worker of miracles and signs. For some, He was a great teacher. To others, He was the one who reunited their family or healed old hurts or forgave somebody's sins. To some, He was a political deliverer, the rightful wearer of David's crown. It would be wrong to assume that the crowds understood Jesus to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world. But whatever their opinions, the people were cheering Him. They were worked up. They were enthusiastic.

Someone called out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and the words were picked up by the crowd. Soon, there was an impromptu vocal chorus all yelling, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" "Hosanna in the highest!"

Although they may only have had one coat to their name, they gladly laid that coat before Jesus' path. It was as if they wanted to roll out a multi-colored red carpet. Others plucked palm branches and placed them on the road as well. Can you see this enthusiastic, magnificent mass of humanity struggling, straining, stretching to get close to the prophet from Galilee?

Then, in the midst of the commotion and clamor, lo and behold, here come the Pharisees with their trash talk. While everybody else is cheering, rejoicing, and praising, some of the Pharisees work their way through the crowd walking side by side with the disciples and shout above the din to Jesus. They say, "Master, rebuke the disciples." In other words, they're saying, "Can't you get your people to tone it down a bit? Can't you get them to be quiet?"

Strange, isn't it? These same Pharisees who sewed tassels on their clothes so everybody would know who they were, are now asking Jesus to tone down His entry into the holy city. Trash talk. These same men who liked to stand in the temple's public places and pray, who did their devotions with a loud voice, who made sure everyone knew exactly how generous they were to the temple, now wanted the crowd to be intimidated, now wanted the people to retreat. It was trash talk. The Pharisees were jealous of the popularity of Jesus. He had come to save the world from sin. He had come to save us from ourselves. He had come to free us from death and damnation. His coming should have been welcomed. But to the trash talkers, the crowds' "hosannas" were like fingernails screeching across a blackboard.

I'm pleased to tell you that, on that Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the trash talkers and not the people of praise were silenced. The people continued to sing their songs to the Savior. The Savior continued to ride into the city of the trash talkers.

Yes, that day the trash talkers were silenced. But it was really only for that day. The trash talkers are still around. Pay attention to the media. You will soon hear the trash talkers speaking against the Savior. The trash talkers can be found in our courts where prayers are hushed, commandments are concealed, and Christianity is criticized. We can hear the echo as the trash talkers are saying, "Jesus, calm down Your disciples." They say it in our schools. The trash talkers take the textbooks and rewrite them so the centuries are shown to be without Christ or Christianity. B.C. – Before Christ is changed to B.C.E. – Before Common Era and A.D. – Anno Domini – The Year of Our Lord is changed to Common Era.

You will have to look hard to find a textbook that honestly states that the Civil War was fought for reasons of Christian conscience and because many believers were rightly convinced that Jesus loves all people – no matter their skin color. You will hear how Columbus sailed the ocean blue to make money from the orient's silks and spices. But what these books omit is something Columbus freely confessed in his diary. He sailed to share the Savior with the lost of the world. Sex changes, perversions, alternate lifestyles are all presented as normal or as Seinfeld would say, "Not that there’s anything wrong with that." Yet any Christian, like Super Bowl Champion coach, Tony Dungy, who speaks out for Christian values and morals, is lambasted and disparaged in the media.

Television's trash talkers seldom share that the desire to serve Jesus is what motivates scientists around the world to find medical cures and breakthroughs to combat disease. Trash talkers minimize every contribution made by Christians in the name of Him who has come in the name of the Lord, and make the most of every mistake made by a minister or church member.

Today's trash talkers have the same motivation and the same agenda as those people who tried to have the "hallelujahs" and "hosannas" stopped. They would cloud your eyes so you cannot clearly see the Savior and the sacrifice He has made for you. They would have you believe that Jesus is fake, false, and foolish. They would have you think Jesus is insignificant, irrelevant, and immaterial. They would have you think that they have the answers you seek, the salve that will soothe your sinful soul, the solution to your loneliness and lostness.

They don’t. Go to the Racine library. Go to Barnes and Noble. Look for help that can give you the answers that your heart seeks, for which your soul searches. Go to the most acclaimed institutions of higher learning. Sit at the feet of the most learned lecturers and you will only find band-aids that may partially protect you. You may discover short-term remedies that can provide temporary relief. But only Jesus, only He who comes in the name of the Lord, can give you ultimate happiness, final forgiveness, permanent peace and a perfect paradise. Only the blood of Jesus who rode to His death can give you that. Jesus is the truth, the whole truth, the only truth.

Do you think that day when He heard those hosannas, He didn't know what awaited Him at the end of that road? Do you really believe that He, who could look into the hearts and minds of men, could not see the cross that was waiting for Him? He knew of the hate. He knew of the lies. He knew of the trials. He knew of the pain. He knew the nails, the crown of thorns, and the spear. Yet, He rode on so He might take your place; so you might live. He gave up His life so you might be saved. He was willing to suffer so you might be free from the oppressions, the depressions, the doubts and discouragements of life. He came to die, to rise, to be your Savior and Lord.

He is there for us to talk to when we're down. He is by our side when troubles arise. He has taken burdens from us that would have crushed our spirits. We don't deserve it, but He has saved us.

The world would be more comfortable if we were to be quiet about the Savior. But the news we have, the Good News of the King who has come in the name of the Lord, is too good to be silenced by trash talkers.

Look at Jesus. See Him. No, don't see the Jesus the trash talkers hold up. But really look and see His nail-pierced hands ready to lift up those of you who are crushed. See that face, beaten and bloodied, looking at you. Those eyes want you to find true and everlasting happiness. Look. And if that face and those hands are too much for you to see, look at those around you who have seen Jesus. See how they have been changed.

See the Christian parents, who having had a child die, donate organs and eyes so that others might live and see. See the older folks, living on a fixed income, who regularly contribute to their church so you might hear and believe in Jesus' love. See the grandparents who support Christian schools so other people's children might be educated. See the Christian widows and widowers who are able to find forgiveness for the murderers of their beloved spouse. See the countless, caring Christians who visit nursing homes and hospitals to speak a word of compassion to someone else's relative. The world ignores these people and their stories remain untold. But these people who know Jesus are there.

Many of you have seen the movie "Titanic" or possibly the countless TV specials made about that doomed ship. In most of these presentations, no expense is spared to make sure the recreation is accurate and matches the original. Carpets match. Woodworking is precise. But all too often, the storytellers forget to share the spiritual side of what happened on that ship. If you look closely, you will see the story of the Savior told again and again, in the lives of those who were there. One after another, time after time, Christian men, motivated by the love Jesus had shown them, looked their wives in the eye and said, "I love you" and put them into a lifeboat. They knew they would never see their loved ones again--not in this world. One after another, time after time, fathers, Christian men, motivated by the love of Jesus, patted their children's heads in blessings and with a prayer, sent their little ones to be rescued, while they prepared to die. Motivated by Jesus on the Titanic, nine women were saved for every man.

And without Jesus? In 1996, a boat carrying thousands of passengers sank off the shores of Indonesia. Like the Titanic, hundreds died. Like the Titanic, there were not enough lifeboats. But without faith in Christ, without this example of care and compassion, women and children were pushed aside so the men could be spared. There is a difference. The world's trash talkers may put down Christ and His people all they want, but Jesus makes a difference. Am I prejudiced for my Savior? I am. Am I proud of Him? You can count on it.

After the English conquered Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, they planted their flag at the summit. One mountaineer from another country trash talked the event and challenged, "Well isn't this just one of many typical English glory ventures?" Hearing the trash talk, the British ambassador replied, "I'm not qualified to give an official opinion, but I can say this: If you don't like the flag flying up there, why not climb up and take it down?"

To the world, the trash talkers who would silence Jesus and the praise His people give, I can only say this: "If you don't like the flag of Jesus flying at the top of our lives, why don't you go where He went and give us something better to believe in. Why don't you live a perfect life for me, carry my sins for me, climb up on the cross for me, and take His place." Until you can do that, everything you've got to say is trash talk. For me, I will continue to give my shout for the Savior. Amen.