Sunday
04/09/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “A different kind of king”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
New Testament
Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel Lesson:
Matthew 21:1-11
“Hosanna
to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:9b, NRSV).
Today, my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, we
celebrate Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the savior of the world entering
triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem. On this day, Jesus Christ enters into
Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna”!
This Sunday, is Palm or Passion Sunday, as we begin this week
which many Christian Churches call “Holy Week”. This is the week in the life of
the church that we begin with Jesus’ triumphant entry into the holy city of
Jerusalem, or “Zion,” as it is sometimes called in the Bible. This Thursday we
will remember the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples, and this
Friday Jesus will give his life up for us. Worry not though, for next Sunday we
will have a resurrection.
The events of this day, Palm Sunday, and of this week go very
quickly. This celebratory day of Palm Sunday, will soon become a cross and a
tomb.
On this our Palm or Passion Sunday though, I wanted to talk
about the significance of how Jesus entered into the holy city of Jerusalem on this
day. In this sense, it is important to realize that Jesus was entering the city
of Jerusalem on this day, during the Jewish holiday of the Passover. This is
the holiday that Jews celebrate the angel of death “passing over” their homes,
and not killing their first born children, when they were slaves in Egypt. This
holiday also celebrates the Jews being freed from slavery in Egypt. Specifically,
this is during the time that Moses was telling the Egyptian Pharaoh to let his
people go, and various plagues were befalling Egypt for not letting the Israelites
go.
For
our Holy/Maundy Thursday service, this Thursday at 7:00pm, we have a reading
from the Book of Exodus. In this reading, we hear the story of the Passover
(Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV). In this story, we hear how the Jews were instructed to
kill a pure and spotless lamb, and then spread the blood of the lamb on their
doorposts (Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV). They did this, so that the blood of the Lamb
would protect them from the angel of death.
This morning during this Palm Sunday, Jews from all the
Roman Empire, and maybe even the world are converging on Jerusalem to celebrate
the Jewish Passover. They are celebrating this holiday where the first born children
of the Jews were spared from the death, and that the Jews were freed from
slavery in Egypt. This was all made possible through the blood of pure and
spotless lambs (Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV).
I find all of this interesting, as Jesus’ cousin John the
Baptist said the day after he baptized Jesus in the gospel of John, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!” (Jn. 1:29b, NRSV).
So Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem
this day, the holy city, “Zion,” on this the Jewish Passover. This day that the
Jews celebrate the angel of death sparring there first born children, because
they were protected by the blood of the lamb.
Then in the gospel of John, Jesus’
cousin, John the Baptist says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world!” (Jn. 1:29b, NRSV). As Christians, this means that
historically we have seen Jesus as the pure and spotless lamb that covers the
doorways not of our homes, but of our hearts, and our souls.
The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords,
the Messiah, the savior of the world enters into Jerusalem this day, as
thousands celebrate the angel of death passing over the first born of all of
the Jews in Egypt, and being delivered from slavery.
Jesus Christ, is the first born, and
the only Son of God, and on this Friday he will lay his life down for us, so we
will never again have to sacrifice a pure and spotless lamb, rub the blood on
our doorposts, and thereby be saved from the angel of death. This Jesus, this
savior, this “lamb of God,” is the new Passover, the new covenant, as Jesus
says when gives the cup to the disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus says at the
last supper in Luke 22:20, “And he did the same with the cup after supper,
saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”
(Lk. 22:20, NRSV).
Jesus Christ, the savior of the world,
comes into the holy city, “Zion,” Jerusalem on this day, as the new “Passover
lamb,” who will soon die for us all.
With all of this said, why did Jesus
enter Jerusalem this day, the way he did? I mean many us probably know that the Jews in
ancient Israel and elsewhere were not big fans of the Romans. When Jesus was
alive, the Roman Empire held sway over much of the known world. They had vast
armies, advanced weaponry and armor, and they ruled ruthlessly. In fact, in
what is now Israel today, the Romans had many soldiers, changed the Jews high taxes
to be paid to Caesar, and controlled everything. The one exception to this
power, was that the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate and others, realized that the
people of Israel were devout Jews. Due to this, the people of Israel demanded
that there traditions, there holidays, and their beliefs be respected by the
Pilate and the other Romans.
This is a big part of the reason that on
Good Friday that the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate and then
told Pilate that Jesus had violated Jewish religious laws. They likely hoped to
push pressure on Pilate using the power of their religion in Judea.
The concept of Messiah or “Mashiach” in
Hebrew then, has historically been that a leader would emerge to deliver Israel.
I mean we all know the Advent Song, “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” that says: “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear” (http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/o/o084.html).
Sounds pretty harsh.
Under Roman rule, the Jews and many others were suffering
from oppression and the injustice. Due to this, many Jews awaited the Messiah,
or “Mashiach”.
Given the depth of who Messiah or
Mashiach was supposed to be in the minds of the Jews, many imagined that the
Messiah that came into Jerusalem this day to the shouts of “Hosanna” would look
like a great military warrior. Surely many thought that if this Messiah, this “Mashiach”
was truly decedent of the great King David, then he will come into Jerusalem
like a mighty warrior. Many probably expected shiny chariots, scores of
soldiers, hundreds of horses, shining armor, and a grand display of military power
and might. Many of the Jews were hoping that the Messiah or “Mashiach” would
come in and kill and over throw Roman Judean Governor Pontius Pilate and the Roman
soldiers. I mean after all this was Passover, a great day. What a perfect day
for a conquering king to enter Jerusalem.
Some of the Jews were let down on this
day by Jesus then, as Jesus was not a warrior king. Let’s relook at this
morning’s gospel reading, so that you can see what I mean. The gospel of
Matthew for this morning begins this way, “When they had come near Jerusalem
and had reached Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent to disciples,
saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will
find a donkey tied, and colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If
anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will
send them immediately” (Mt. 21:1-3, NRSV).
The gospel of Matthew then says, “This
took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell
your daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and on a colt,
the foal of a donkey” (Mt. 21:4-5, NRSV). This gospel reading is quoting the
Prophet Zechariah 9:9.
In Zechariah 9:9 it talks about the
king coming in humble, and how the people will shout and celebrate. Yet the
Messiah, “Mashiach,” the savior of Israel and the world will enter into
Jerusalem, “Zion,” the holy city on this day siting on a donkey? Really? I
thought that Jesus was going to come into Jerusalem like Chuck Norris or John
Rambo? How can this be?
The gospel then says, “The disciples
went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt,
and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them” (Mt. 21:6-7, NRSV).
The gospel continues on by saying, “A very large crown
spread there cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and
spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed
were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:8-9, NRSV).
The gospel reading then ends by saying of Jesus, “When he
entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The
crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee” (Mt. 21:10-11,
NRSV).
So the Messiah, the savior of Israel and world, “Mashiach,”
makes his triumphant entry into “Zion,” Jerusalem, the holy city, on the Jewish
Passover, riding on a donkey with cloaks on it. As he enters the people put
there cloaks in the road as a sort of red carpet, and they also cut palm
branches and lay them down to (Mt. 21:6-8, NRSV). They might have even waived
the palm branches as has become our tradition on this Palm or Passion Sunday.
Then this Friday, Jesus will be tortured, mocked, spat
upon, and crucified. If all of this is true, then how could Jesus be the
conquering Messiah or Mashiach that many of the Jews had hoped for? This was
not a Messiah that was a military warrior, and he was not coming to physically fight
and kill Roman Judean Governor Pontius Pilate. In fact, this Friday Pontius
Pilate will order the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. How then, is Jesus the
Messiah or “Mashiach”?
This is how my sisters and brothers, the Christ, the
Messiah, “Mashiach” did not come to physically kill the Romans he came to spiritually
conquer the Romans, and us. Through his incredible love, God sent his son to
us, God in the flesh. Jesus came to love, heal, and forgive. Instead of killing
and destroying Judean Governor Pontius Pilate and the rest of the Romans, the
savior of the world die for them. Instead of conquering them physically, he
will eventually conquer many of their hearts. Isn’t it a great irony that Roman
Catholic main headquarters, the Vatican, where Pope Francis is, is in Rome,
Italy, where the capital of the Roman Empire once was? The center of the Roman
Catholic Church is where the Caesar lived, who employed Pontius Pilate, who ordered
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Jesus
Christ, the Messiah, “Mashiach,” the savior of the world, comes into Jerusalem
this day, humbly, on a donkey, with palms branches waiving. He comes to the shouts
of “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of
the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:9b, NRSV). He doesn’t come to
physically conquer, he comes to spiritually conquer. He doesn’t come to take
life, he comes to give it, and to give it abundantly. He comes to bring peace, and
not war.
Jesus
Christ, the new Passover, the new covenant, God in the flesh, comes into
Jerusalem this day in the humblest of ways. God incarnate will die for the very
people who are oppressing him and his people, and he will die for us.
This
means that this Friday, Good Friday, we don’t have to sacrifice a pure and
spotless lamb and spread the blood on door posts to ward of the angel of death,
like the Jews of old did. Instead, this Friday, the savior of the world, God
among us, will be the new Passover, the new lamb, the one who will take away
the sins of the world.
So
on this day, on this Palm or Passion Sunday, we do not have a warrior king
coming into Jerusalem to shed blood, instead we have a savior who loves the
poor, loves the weak, believes in justice, and comes in as one of us. Who comes
to not conquer with the sword, but rather to spiritually conquer our hearts. In
conquering our hearts, we are changed, and then through the power of the Holy
Spirit, God can use us to change the world.
This
my friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, in why our mission statement is “to
make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” and this
why the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world.
With
this said, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name
of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mt. 21:9b, NRSV).
Happy
Palm Sunday, happy Holy Week. In the Messiah’s name. Amen.
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