The reading
Luke 19:29-4
When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the
place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village ahead of
you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been
ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If
anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?' just say this, "The Lord
needs it.' " So those who were sent
departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners
asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord needs it." Then they brought it to Jesus; and after
throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their
cloaks on the road. As he was now
approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the
disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of
power that they had seen, saying,
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to
him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." He answered, "I tell you, if these were
silent, the stones would shout out." As he came near and saw the city, he wept over
it, saying, "If you, even you, had
only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are
hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days
will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and
surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and
your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon
another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from
God."
The message
Today, we hear of Jesus Triumphant entry into
Jerusalem, the great Palm Sunday parade (although Luke makes no mention of Palm, instead its coats on the road). This was an event fit for a king. Recently, the only event I can think of
witnessing even close to it was Pope Francis visit to New York a few years ago.
There were large crowds, a lot of conversations and discussions, words and
messages shared on social media, news and repeated around the world. There were people waiting, trying to get good
spots, places of honor and invitations to special events. Not everyone watching or in the crowds were
Roman Catholic, some were not even Christian. People
heard and saw a lot of the things Pope Francis was doing, the way he has
challenging all people of faith to be people of faith and how he was humbly and
lovingly doing the work of being probably the world’s most powerful and
significant religious leader. People
wondered what he might change, ordaining women, the church’s stance on
Homosexuality,
This morning, I want to talk about how Jesus gets to
the gate of Jerusalem. After weeks of hearing and talking about Luke’s reports
of Jesus making his way towards Jerusalem, he is there. Along the way, Jesus is
teaching, healing, proclaiming forgiveness, demanding obedience, announcing
God’s love and God’s welcome. Rumors
that this was no ordinary healer and teacher, that this was the Messiah, the
long promised savior who would restore the people of God, were widespread.
This starts before the journey to Jerusalem, it
starts with reports and accounts of Christmas, the stories of Jesus birth. This
was an event packed with the fulfillment of prophesies about the messiah, the
appearance of a star (the ancient sign of a very important birth) , the visit of the mysterious and powerful magi
who bring gifts symbolic of kingship, worship and death. The people in the crowds that first Palm
Sunday knew some of these things.
perhaps they heard Mary’s song
“My Soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior”,
perhaps they heard reports of angels telling Mary ” do not be afraid for you
have favor with God”, perhaps they knew one of the shepherds who heard the
angels sing “Glory to God in the highest
heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors”. Maybe they knew Simeon and heard him talk about
what happened when Jesus was brought to the temple , what caused him to sing
out “ Now, Lord, you let your servant go
in peace: your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people; Right after this, things are quiet for 30
years, other than an occurrence at the temple when Jesus was 12 years old and teaching, we
get no reports.
About 20 years after the incident in the temple, another
man with a great following is at the height of his ministry. John the Baptist is preaching repentance and
offering baptism. John, at Jesus insistence, baptizes him. Right then and
there, the voice of God says “this is my son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased”. After this Jesus faces temptation in the
wilderness, where he endures all Satan can throw at him through prayer and
trust in God’s word. Then Jesus starts
his public ministry, gets rejected in Nazareth and starts to call disciples by
fishing miracles. Then Jesus casts out demons, heals the sick and lepers,
restores the outcast, forgives sins, and telling people God’s kingdom has
plenty of room for everyone, room for them, room for the people they love, room
for the people they hate or view as lessor human beings.
Jesus also confronts the religious authorities about how they are fulfilling their responsibilities to God and community.
Now comes one of the big moments, what today we call
“the sermon on the mount”. After this, Jesus returns to teaching, healing,
welcoming and proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of
God. His 12 are still with him and
others too, including the women who will first see the empty tomb and first
announce that Christ is Risen. He calms
the storms, showing his power over all things.
He sends out his followers, covering more ground, bringing the good news
of the kingdom of God to more places.
Then Jesus is transfigured, on the mountain top with just a few
followers, literally showing the glory of God that rests in him.
Then it all changes, Jesus sermons get darker, about
the end times, about hell and judgment, His demands get more intense, more consuming,
more challenging to the ways things are.
Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem, starts to talk about his suffering,
death and resurrection. His words are dismissed,
ignored, misunderstood. Jesus tells 2
profound parables or teaching stories, the good Samaritan and the prodigal
son. Each one teaches that God is not
fair or Just, God is something better, God is merciful and compassionate. Jesus
continues his path to Jerusalem.
These things are what led this crowd to shout out , to
praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had
seen, what led this crowd to say, "Blessed is the king who comes in
the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!". This is what led them to say these things so
loudly the religious authorities got scared, for their own power but also
afraid these sort of words would get a lot of unwanted attention, would cause
Rome to see rebellion, to see that many people praising a man who had nothing
to do with Rome or the religious leaders, a man who, if he asked, the people
would make him king or high priest. It
is clear that these people will do anything he says (and that’s a scary moment
for people in authority) This was a joyful and dangerous scene.
Come on back Thursday to find out how we get from here to the betrayal in the garden. (hint, it has to do with fear and messing with people’s income
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