Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Palm/Passion Sunday - 03/20/16 Sermon - “People see him, and know the Messiah has come” (“Why Jesus is the Savior” series: Part 6 of 6)

Sunday 03/20/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “People see him, and know the Messiah has come”

(“Why Jesus is the Savior” series: Part 6 of 6)          

                            

Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 50:4-9a

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Gospel Lesson: Luke 19:28-40

          Hosanna! hosanna! Save us! Rescue us! Savior! Help us! These are the words, these are the feelings, and these are the expressions of this Palm/Passion Sunday. On this day, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords enters into the ancient and the holy city of Jerusalem. This city, sometimes called “Zion” in scripture, is the city where the great temple once stood. This is also the city where Jesus Christ enters in with great triumph on this day. As Christ enters into Jerusalem on this day, a massive crowd has gathered to greet him. As he enters in, they shout “hosanna,” or in the Hebrew “hoshanna”.

          Today, in most Christian Churches we celebrate what we know as the beginning of “Holy Week”. This Holy Week, which starts today, will go through this Saturday night. In some Christian Churches in fact, on this Saturday night they will celebrate with an Easter Vigil service, late Saturday night, as Saturday night then becomes mid-night or Easter Sunday morning, when the service has ended.

          The great thing about this week that we call Holy Week, is that it starts today with Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Today is a joyous day where Jesus Christ comes into the great and ancient city of Jerusalem, and the people are desperate to be saved. Yet I wonder, what were the individual and the personal desires of all of the people who shouted “hosanna” on this day? By this I mean, what were there struggles? What were there sufferings?

While just like many of us here today, those people on that first Palm Sunday desired to be saved from sin, and desired salvation and eternal life with God. Many people, I believe on that the first Palm Sunday, this Palm Sunday, and every Palm Sunday, were and are also asking Jesus for more than just heaven and forgiveness. Perhaps we hurt, or perhaps suffer. We are calling for Jesus to not just save our souls, but also to save us from our hurts and our present circumstances.

In looking at that the first Palm Sunday, almost two-thousand years ago, the people in Jerusalem were largely poor. These people, in general, had very little, as an empire occupied there country. This empire, the Roman Empire taxed them extensively. The appointed Roman Governor over Judea, Pontius Pilate, ruled with great tyranny and oppression. This same Pontius Pilate will be the one who orders Jesus’ crucifixion this Friday, or “Good Friday”.

          The people on that first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem were probably overworked, under paid, were probably tired, and probably had very little. Not only this, the oppressive Roman Empire often takes whatever little bit that they might have left. In addition to this, there are many oppressive kings that act as puppets for the Roman Empire, like King Herod Antipas. King Herod Antipas, is the king who will examine Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. It would seem that Pontius Pilate and King Herod Antipas are very much not for the people. Is Jesus for the people?

In many ways then, while Jesus enters into Jerusalem today on the holiday of the Passover, it would seem that many of the people were desperate. These people see Jesus entering in on a colt, the foul of a donkey. Many of them are probably recalling the scripture from the prophet Zechariah. In Zechariah 9:9, the prophet Zechariah writes of the coming Messiah, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9, NRSV).

Many of these Jews had gathered for this holiday of the Passover, and many of them probably know of Zechariah’s prophecy of the Messiah coming into Jerusalem on a donkey, a colt. Yet maybe most of those people on that first Palm Sunday had never even met Jesus before. Perhaps they had just heard some about his healings and his miracles. Perhaps they don’t fully understand that he is the Son of God, yet they are desperate. Maybe some thought, could Jesus be the one that the prophet Zechariah spoke of? If so, can he save me? Can he heal me? Can he make my life circumstances any better? Well some of the Pharisees did not like the fact that so many were shouting and praising Jesus, when Jesus entered the city. Jesus said to these Pharisees, “I tell you, if they were silent, the stones would shout” (Lk. 19:39-40, CEB). The people are desperate. The people that greeted Jesus Christ, were very much like us. Most of them were just regular people. People who worked hard, people who dealt with illnesses, family struggles, and sometimes were just trying to put food on the table. With great anticipation they shouted “Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens” (Lk. 19:38, CEB).

          For some of the Jews, they were hoping that the Messiah, that Jesus Christ would be a conquering king, covered in armor, like the great King David. Those persons wanted the Messiah to come into Jerusalem and militarily defeat the Romans, and kick them out of Israel. Yet today, Jesus Christ enters the holy city, humble and full of love. You see, Jesus didn’t come to kill the Romans, but he did come to change them, and to change us. The power that Christ brings into Jerusalem today is not that of the sword, not that of the shield, but that of the power of love and forgiveness. These people, like many people today are living under great oppression, and have great debt. Perhaps some of them have cancer, sickness, and or other health problems. So they shout “hosanna! hosanna!” For they, like some us, need to be delivered. They, like us, need hope. This is why I often say that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. For we need hope, do we not?

          With this said, I wonder how many of us have ever shouted the word “hosanna,” without using the word “hosanna”? How many of us have ever wanted God to save us, or to deliver us from something?

Are we so different then from those folks who went to celebrate the Jewish holiday of the Passover almost 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem? Do we not have our own struggles, hurts, worries, and pains? So my sisters and brothers, we shout “hosanna! hosanna!”

          I find that sometimes in this era that we live in, we look for leaders that we think will be like the Messiah, like Jesus Christ. We look for political leaders that will promise us everything, often to not deliver on those promises. Jesus, the Messiah came to love, heal, and forgive. The gift of who Jesus Christ, is like a wildfire of love, and when that gifts spreads, the world is made better. Jesus Christ does not enter into the holy city today to conquer to Romans, rather he enters to conquer our hearts and our souls. He comes to change us, not kill us. He comes that we may have new life, and have it abundantly, not to take it from us. He comes so that we may change how we are living, so that we can create a world of love, mercy, and justice. So we cry out, “hosanna! hosanna!”

          In our country today, when young people that graduate from college and owe tens of thousands of dollars in student loans and then cannot find a high enough paying jobs to pay their bills, we cry out “hosanna! hosanna!” When people live in countries that are ravaged by war, disease, and violence, we cry out “hosanna! hosanna!” When people live under brutal governments that are corrupt and they suffer because of it, we cry out “hosanna! hosanna!”

          As many of you know, the past five weeks, I have been preaching a sermon series on “why Jesus is the savior.” For if we shout “hosanna,” how do we know that this Jesus is truly the savior, the Messiah. Well we know that in the gospels that Jesus “outsmarted and resisted the devil” in the wilderness for forty-days. We know that Jesus “threw out demons and healed people.” We know that Jesus “spoke with power and truth.” We know that Jesus “loves and cares for all people.” We know that Jesus “was anointed.” Today we know that Jesus enters into the holy city of Jerusalem, and “People see him, and know that the Messiah has come.” They don’t have all the answers. They don’t know everything, but they want to believe. They have hope. They have hope in Jesus Christ.

          Do these people on that first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem fully understand who Jesus Christ is? No, I don’t think so. Do we fully understand everything about Jesus Christ today? No, I don’t think so. Will we ever fully understand everything about Jesus Christ, while still on this earth? No, I don’t think so. Do we know everything that there is to know about God? No, I don’t think so. Yet when we see Jesus Christ, it is then, in our hurts, in our pains, in our trials, and in our sufferings, that we cry out, “hosanna! hosanna!” This is the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the hope of the world.

          Much like the first people that greeted Jesus as he entered into Jerusalem on this day, on that first Palm Sunday, what are our own reasons for shouting “hosanna”? Perhaps we desire forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Yet I wonder if Christ were to enter into this town or city today, and if we saw him on a donkey or colt, and if we truly believed in who he was, and what he could do, why would we shout “hosanna”? Would our own “hosanna” really mean, “Lord help me with my finances, as I am having trouble making ends meet?” Would our own “hosanna” really mean, “Lord I or someone I know has cancer, and I ask for your healing, your love, and your power”. Would our own “hosanna” really mean, “Lord, I am a person that lives all by myself, and I sometimes get so lonely. I pray for you to help me feel closer to you in those moments”. Would our own “hosanna” really mean, “Lord I am struggling in my life and or with my job, and Lord I need your help”.

          My sisters and brothers, in addition to salvation and heaven, what are our “hosannas” this morning. Where do we cry out to Jesus Christ, saying “save us”?

What I would like us all to do for a few moments is to think about where need to shout to Jesus this morning. I am not asking you to say or to name what your own “hosannas” specifically are. Instead, I am just asking you to think about it for a minute. Let’s imagine that Jesus comes down this street on a donkey, a colt, and we believe that in him and through him all things are possible. How do our “hosannas” sound?

          I would then invite you in a moment to say with me, “hosanna, hosanna,” but I would ask you say it while really giving to Jesus those things that burden you.

          All together then, let us say as a family, whatever we need God’s help with. Let us say together, “hosanna! hosanna!”

          I found a good quote from Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, that I want to share with you. It says, “Contradictions, sickness, scruples, spiritual aridity, and all the inner and outwards torments are the chisel with which God carves His statues for paradise” (Quotable Wisdom, The Saints).

          My brothers and sisters, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, is a time of great trial for Jesus in many ways, but it is also a time of great hope for Christians, as we hope in God, and as we hope in what God is doing in each us. As we hope that God brings us together as this church, as this family, and as this community, so that through God we may change the world. For this is the gospel of hope, the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why we all, for similar and yet different reasons, on this day say, “hosanna! hosanna!” Praise be God and amen.