In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Karl walks through Matthew 12 — not the triumphal entry itself, but the pivotal chapter that sets it all in motion. This is the first moment in Scripture where a plot to kill Jesus takes shape, and the first time Jesus begins pointing toward his own death and resurrection. It is, as Pastor Karl calls it, the hinge point of Jesus's entire ministry.

At the heart of the chapter is a confrontation with the Pharisees over the Sabbath — a conflict that sounds minor on the surface but carries enormous weight. Through it, Jesus makes a series of audacious claims: that he is greater than King David, greater than the Temple, and Lord of the Sabbath itself. Each claim forces those listening to a decision — either Jesus is speaking blasphemy, or he is exactly who he says he is.

Pastor Karl unpacks why these claims were so explosive in their original context, what the Temple and Sabbath meant to first-century Jewish life, and why Jesus's healings and challenges to religious authority weren't just acts of compassion — they were declarations of kingship.

The message lands on a sobering note for Palm Sunday: the same crowd that would soon shout Hosanna would, five days later, shout Crucify him. And the reason, Pastor Karl argues, isn't hard to find — it's the same reason any of us would.

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