Date: March 16, 2008 Palm Sunday
Scriptures: Isaiah 50:4-9; Matthew 21:1-11
Sermon: Listening, Watching, Accompanying
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Here comes trouble!
He’s trouble with a capital ‘T’!
If there’s trouble, she’ll be in the
middle of it.
Such are the stock
phrases that accompany one with a reputation for disturbing the calm and the
status quo. Have any of them applied to
you? Have you applied these phrases to
someone else? Would you have thought to
apply them to Jesus?
When Jesus entered Jerusalem,
scripture says that “the whole city was in turmoil.” What was the trouble? Was it
Jesus? Was it his entrance that created
the buzz, or was the fact that the Passover was beginning and thousands of Jews
had come to Jerusalem to celebrate that great feast commemorating God’s
liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt?
A little over 30 years earlier there
had been another uproar in Jerusalem. When King Herod heard from the
wise men that a child had been born king of the Jews, he was frightened, and
all Jerusalem with him (Matt. 2:3).
His fear prompted the killing of all children in and around Bethlehem
who were two years old or under.
Jerusalem, just a few miles from Bethlehem, was not spared the
infanticide. Surely that place and its
people’s lives were turned upside-down.
There were lots of people in Jesus’
life who considered him a trouble-maker: Jesus had exorcized a legion of evil
spirits from a man who lived among the tombs and sent the spirits into a herd
of swine that rushed down an embankment and drowned in the sea. After the herdsman reported this, the
townsfolk asked Jesus to go away (Mark 5:1-17).
Once when Jesus taught in the synagogue, people were so incensed by him,
they tried to throw him off the brow of a hill (Luke 4:28). Numerous Pharisees and Sadducees sought his
downfall. Did Jesus’ arrival always
cause turmoil? I don’t know about always. I’m inclined to think that the world was and
is a tumultuous place and that Jesus enters right into our midst, undeterred by
the surrounding havoc or by the excitement generated by his presence.
Certainly on this day described by
Matthew’s gospel, the sounds and voices of a bulging population would
drift up to the edge of Jerusalem where Jesus and his disciples arrived
overlooking the city. Trouble with a
capital ‘T’ could break out at any time.
Yet, the voice of Jesus is heard, but briefly. “His only spoken words in this passage are
the opening instructions to his disciples.
Jesus is the centre of the scene, yet the heart of the passage is what
is said by others.”
What is it that others have to say?
1.
The words of the ancient prophet Zechariah are brought to the present,
reminding us that the One about to enter the city of king David is a different
sort of king than his ancestor. King
Jesus, the Messiah, enters not on a war
horse, but humbly on a donkey, a symbol of peace. Jesus is not one who defeats
the enemy by battle and death, but he comes to reconcile people to one another
and to himself by his own death.
2.
The disciples’ actions as they follow instructions proclaim that their
master is one worthy of obedience. What
they find as they complete the task is not merely an item that can be checked
off the “to-do” list, but yet another confirmation of the prophetic words of
Jesus: ‘Go there, and this is what you’ll find.’ And it was so – just as Jesus’ words had
raised Lazarus to life, and cursed the fig tree to die. Here indeed is a prophet of God.
3.
The roar of the crowds that encircled Jesus, ahead and behind as he made
his descent into Jerusalem heaped blessing upon him and declared him the one
who comes in the name of the Lord. Such
an acclamation was not a standard cheer for a hometown hero. These commoners, (the everyday Jewish person)
knew that God had foretold the raising up from among them a prophet like Moses
who would speak in the name of the Lord (Deuteronomy
18:15). Here in Jesus was this One who, just outside
their city, had called on the name of the Lord in the raising of Lazarus. What he had spoken had come true. They had seen with their eyes and heard with
their ears.
Many people in the crowds knew
who was in their midst. At Jesus’ birth,
the angels in the sky sang to those below, ‘glory to God in the highest.’ Now, the people on earth call up to
the highest heaven that even there -- praise and Hosanna for Jesus be
proclaimed.
Yet, not everyone knew, for
some in the city asked the crowds “Who is this?’ The crowds answered, ‘This is the prophet,
Jesus, from Nazareth, in Galilee.
The crowds, get it almost right. Later in the week, the cross, the empty tomb,
and the risen Lord Jesus would reveal a complete answer if they stayed
to see and hear.
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Johnny had to stay, stay home,
that is, from church on Palm Sunday because of a sore throat. When the family got home they were carrying
palm branches.
“What were those for?” Johnny asked.
“They were to wave over Jesus’ head as
he walked by,” replied an older sister.
“Wouldn’t you know it,” grupmed
Johnny.
“The one Sunday I don’t go, Jesus
shows up!”
Despite what
Johnny might think, Jesus always shows up. He shows up whether it’s convenient, whether
we’re ready, or whether he’s invited.
Nothing this day would deter him either.
Knowing the certainty of his death,
Jesus moved forward with God’s plan for him and the world. His courage
was tremendous.
Knowing that the significance of his
riding into Jerusalem on a donkey would not be lost on the rest of the Jewish
people, Jesus as prince of peace is claimed by him and proclaimed
to the people.
Knowing that there was no turning
back, Jesus surely sets his face as unflinching and strong as flint and trusts
for himself the promise
from Isaiah that “it
is the LORD God who helps me.”
We know that Jesus responded that day
with courage, proclaiming himself peacefully, submissively, the Messiah and
saviour of the world and trusting his heavenly Father. But what is our response to entering
this Holy week with Jesus?
1.
First of all, whether we are one who knows that Jesus is Saviour and
consequently have already made him Lord of our life, or whether we’re one of
the many lining up asking, “Who is this?” we need to at least show up to the
parade. Jesus is not to be missed
nor dismissed without having walked with him, broken bread with him, prayed
with him, argued with him, and been loved by him.
2.
Secondly, we need to be prepared for trouble. Yes, Jesus comforts the afflicted, but he’s
also been known to afflict the comfortable.
He lifts up the lowly and brings down the powerful. We are called to decide whether we will align
ourselves wholly with Jesus or with the powers of the world. Our early Anabaptist ancestors in the faith
demonstrated the cost of a lived-out Christian faith that was in contrast to
the worldly power, often at the expense of their lives.
3.
Thirdly, whether in easy times or in troubling times – we are reminded
that Christ is to be praised and blessed, for his lovingkindness is
everlasting.
“In early February 1538, a faithful
Anabaptist Christian named Walter of Stoelwijk was imprisoned and brought to
trial in Brabant, Belgium. For three
years he endured great suffering and torture, yet remained steadfast in the
faith. In a letter written from prison,
he quoted the apostle Paul who wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who
consoles us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians
1:3-4a). Finally on March 24, 1541, he was sentenced
and burned at the stake. Here is the
Prayer of Walter of Stoelwijk:
Merciful Father, look upon me with
eyes of compassion,...
for to You
only...belongs praise and honour....
I commit soul
and body into your divine and gracious keeping:
guide me, through Jesus Christ your
dear Son,
into all things that are well pleasing
to your divine Spirit....
Preserve us by
your divine Word now and forever. Amen.”
[Marlene Kropf
& Eddy Hall, Praying with the Anabaptists: The Secret of Bearing Fruit,
(Winnipeg, MB: Faith & Life Press, 1994), pp.30,31]
May this prayer be ours as well this week as we listen, watch, and accompany Jesus. Amen.