THE COMING OF THE KING

9.00am and 10.30am Sunday 4 April 2004

Rev Des Botting

Readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Luke 19:28-48

Today is Palm, or Passion, Sunday, the day that marks the beginning of the last week of the life of Jesus. On this day, in an act of tremendous courage and daring, knowing full well that the Jewish leaders had put a price on his head[1], Jesus declares that hes come as Israels King. There could be no mistake about it. Every Jewish person knew that when the Messiah would come it would be like this. Had not the prophet Zechariah said so 400 years before? Everyone in Jerusalem, celebrate and shout! Your king has won a victory, and he is coming to you. He is humble and rides on a donkey; he comes on the colt of a donkey. I, the LORD will bring peace to nations, and your king will rule from sea to sea.[2] This was what the people had been waiting for. For 400 years the prophetic voice had been silent in Israel and many began to wonder if God would fulfill his promise. Now it was alive again. John the Baptist had shattered that silence. When he appeared, preaching the need for repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, a sense of expectation began to fill the land. People from all over the country had flocked to hear him. Many responded to his message, put their lives right with God and were baptized. Those whod despaired of their future and the future of their nation were given new hope. God hadnt forgotten his promise nor forsaken his people. (Blank screen)

And then Jesus appeared. His teaching was like nothing theyd ever heard before. He made Gods truth so clear and plain that even the simplest among them could follow his words. Theyd never heard teaching that had such authority. But it wasnt only his teaching. The healings he performed were amazing. Whod ever heard of a person born blind being able to see again, and yet Jesus had done this. The lame walked. The dumb spoke. The deaf heard. The captives were freed. Even close to Jerusalem, the impossible had happened. A person had been raised from the dead. Four days Lazarus had lain in the tomb before Jesus arrived at Bethany. He came to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried and commanded that the stone be rolled from the entrance. Martha had tried to remonstrate with Jesus saying thered be a stink since the body had been there for four days. You can almost imagine what the smell of a decomposing body would be like in a country as hot as Palestine. Then with a loud shout, Jesus had said, Lazarus, come out! They could hardly believe their eyes when Lazarus shuffled out still bound in the strips of burial cloth. Such things had never happened before. No wonder they praised God because of all the miracles they had seen. [3] The number of people whose lives had been touched by this one man were far too many to ignore, and so everyone was saying, Surely this must be the One weve been waiting for. (Blank screen)

Now as Jesus was approaching Jerusalem for the last time, they came to greet him. This was a very significant event. All four Gospel writers tell us about it in their own way. Luke, for example, doesnt mention the palm branches, as the other three Gospels do, but he does say that people put their clothes on the road in front of Jesus. This was how the Jews welcomed famous people into their towns. Both clothes and/or branches were used on such occasions.

Nor does Luke use the word Hosanna, which is a Hebrew expression meaning Save!. He uses words close to those of the prophet Zechariah when he described what would happen. Like Zechariah Luke has Jesus disciples acknowledge him as their king. They shouted, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord![4]

Again, only Luke includes the words, peace in heaven and glory to God which takes us back to what the angels said at Jesus birth, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those whom he favours.[5] Only Luke tells us about the Pharisees in the crowd saying to Jesus, Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting! And Jesus reply, If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting. [6] It would seem all creation joined in the celebration, for it too longs to be set free from decay and share in the glorious freedom of (Gods) children.[7] Jesus coming will eventually accomplish that.

Only Luke has the poignant scene where Jesus wept over the city. He expresses Gods heart cry for His people when he says, If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes.[8] The tragedy of it was that Jerusalem, part of whose name means peace,[9] would never know the peace He had come to bring. Jesus had come into his own world, but his own nation didnt welcome him.[10] They had no room for a Messiah such as he. Like the rebellious tenants of the vineyard of whom we read in the next chapter of Luke, they refused to have this man as their king. And as we saw two weeks ago, their doom was foretold, because they didnt see that God had come to save them.[11] He lamented their lost opportunity. It would never come again.

There are several things we should note from this passage as we prepare to celebrate Easter this year. This passage reminds us again of

WHO Jesus is - our KING! Although we humans didnt honour him and the only crown we gave him was made of thorns, we know from his resurrection that he has been given a name that will be honoured above all others, and that at that name everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.[12] His glory cannot be compared with any other. Several times in scripture we are given a glimpse of his true greatness. Isaiah had such a vision when he was in the temple. He saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted and the hem of his robe filled the temple.[13] Although this vision made him so very conscious of the sinfulness of his words and of all those around him, he said, I have seen the King, the LORD All-Powerful.[14] Daniel also had such a vision. Listen to his description of what he saw. on the twenty fourth day of the first month, I was standing on the banks of the great Tigris River, when I looked up and saw someone dressed in linen and wearing a solid gold belt. His body was like a precious stone, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming fires, his arms and legs like polished bronze, and his voice like the roar of a crowd.[15] Johns vision in Revelation is very similar. He writes, There with the lamp stands was someone who seemed to be the Son of Man. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet, and a gold cloth was wrapped around his chest. His head and his hair were white as wool or snow and his eyes looked like flames of fire. His feet were glowing like bronze being heated in a furnace, and his voice sounded like the roar of a waterfall. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person. But he put his right hand on me and said, Dont be afraid! I am the first, the last and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and the world of the dead.[16] Jesus is our glorious king. Theres no one more worthy of our worship and praise. Just by being here this morning were honouring him and shoeing the reverence and respect he deserves. This passage also reveals to us
How deeply God LOVES us. He came in Jesus to save us. When Luke tells us that he cried, the word would be more accurately translated wailed. It was an audible weeping. These were Gods tears for his people. There was no hardness of heart in Jesus. Note the contrast here in this scene between the joy of the crowd and the sorrow of Jesus. The disciples were caught up in the hype of the moment, but Jesus could foresee what lay ahead. It was same when he carried his cross to his crucifixion. He said to the women who were crying and weeping for him, Women of Jerusalem, dont cry for me! Cry for yourselves and your children.[17] He knew the terrible things that were in store. (Blank screen)

God still warns his people. Demos Shakarian in his book The Happiest People on Earth, the story of how the Full Gospel Businessmens Fellowship begun, tells how a prophet from among his people in Armenia, Turkey, prophesied that there would come a time when the Armenian people were to leave their country and migrate to another land to escape an awful tragedy that would befall them. The prophet who couldnt read or write drew a picture of where God had shown him they were to go and when they studied a map of the world it was very clear that it was to California. Then in 1910 the prophet said it was time to leave. Many Armenians did go to California, Demos Shakarians family among them, but large numbers chose to stay not believing that any harm would befall them. How wrong they were for very soon after that the Turks killed over one million Armenians.

Jesus warned his people here, too. Two chapters further on in Luke he said, When you see Jerusalem surrounded by soldiers, you will know that it will soon be destroyed. If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. If you are in the city, leave it. And if you are out in the country, dont go back into the city. This time of punishment is what is written about in the Scriptures.[18] He was telling them how they could escape from what was to happen. Many did, but over one million Jews died in the siege of Jerusalem because they did not heed his warning. There is an ignorance that is innocent. But there is also an ignorance that is culpable. The Jews has to live with the consequences of their rejection of their Messiah.

It is the same for us, too. The apostle Paul says, We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of Gods kindness to you. In the Scriptures God says, When the time came, I listened to you, and when you needed help, I came to save you. That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved.[19] And again in Hebrews, We must give our full attention to what we were told The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved. So if we refuse this great way of being saved, how can we hope to escape?[20] Jesus weeping over Jerusalem shows us how deep is Gods love for us. The third thing we learn from this passage is

What Jesus came to DO. He came to bring peace, the peace that can be found only in Jesus. He came to reconcile us to God. This is what the Hebrew understanding of peace is all about - it is peace between the Creator and the creature. Having peace with God, enables us to know the peace of God. (Blank screen)

The following is a true story from Germany. It is called: A Sermon in Death. Catholic priest Stephan Schmidt was on a routine visit to the hospital. An 87-year-old woman from his parish was dying, and wanted to see him again. She thanked him for his sermons, through which she had reached the decision to give her life to Christ three years earlier. "I know where my journey takes me," she said. She died three days later. Witnesses report that her death was peaceful, and that she was looking forward to seeing heaven. "Jesus, Jesus!" were her last words - "her sermon in death", as Schmidt says. A few days later, Schmidt's telephone rang. One of the clinic's doctors called, because he had never seen anyone die so peacefully. "What did this woman have which I do not?" he asked. "I can tell you exactly what it was," said Schmidt, inviting the doctor to a church service in the area. During the service, which included prayer for the sick, the doctor was himself healed, to his great surprise. The service, the healing and his conversation with Schmidt made such an impression on him that he decided to give his life to Jesus while driving back home. He was in such a hurry to do it that he stopped on the side of the road with his warning lights on. The two of them prayed joyfully to Jesus. Suddenly, a Police car pulled up behind them. The officers checked the car and their papers, and asked what they were doing on the side of the road so late. "Praying!" they answered. The police were suspicious, so tested Schmidt and the doctor for alcohol - the result was of course negative. Before they left, the doctor told one of the policemen, "Young man, I hope you too will someday experience something as wonderful as I have this evening!" A few days later, Schmidt's telephone rang again. This time, it was the policeman, who asked "Listen, what did the doctor have which I do not?" "I can tell you exactly," said Schmidt, and invited him to the next service. The policeman came, along with his girlfriend. "It is amazing what repercussions a peaceful death in Jesus can have!" says Schmidt.

Paul expresses this very well when he says, Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.[21] Jesus through the cross has broken down the barriers that separate us from God and from one another. His peace isnt fragile like the peace this world gives.[22] Its a peace God blesses us with because we belong to Christ Jesus, a peace no one can completely understand, a peace that controls the way we think and feel.[23] This is his gift to us, which we must first receive as we are reconciled to God, and which we must share as we tell others of what God has done for them.

[1] Cf. John 11:57

[2] Zechariah 9:9, 10b (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)

[3] Luke 19:37

[4] Luke 19:38

[5] Luke 2:14 NRSV

[6] Luke 19:39, 40

[7] Romans 8:21

[8] Luke 19:42 NIV

[9] cf. Hebrews 7:2

[10] John 1:11

[11] Luke 19:44

[12] Cf. Philippians 2:9-11

[13] Cf. Isaiah 6:1 NIV and NRSV

[14] Isaiah 6:5

[15] Daniel 10:4-6

[16] Revelation 1:13-18

[17] Luke 23:28

[18] Luke 21:20-22

[19] 2 Corinthians 6:2

[20] Hebrews 2:1-3

[21] 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

[22] John 14:27

[23] Philippians