"OUR SOON COMING KING"

9.30am Sunday 5 April 2009

Readings: Mark 11:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-9a TNIV

Over thirty-nine years of ministry I can only remember having three Easter weekends off, in 1974 when we were in the process of shifting between parishes, in 1989 when I was on Study Leave, and in 2001 when we took some time off after Bradley and Soo's wedding to canoe down the Whanganui River. It is the second Easter that stands out because we were given the use of a caravan and went to Hahei for the weekend, parking the caravan just one sand dune from the beach. We did go to a service at Whitianga on Easter Sunday, but the weekend seemed empty without the usual preparation and involvement in services. And yet for the majority of New Zealanders, that is what Easter is; a holiday weekend devoid of any religious content apart from hot cross buns and Easter eggs. Now you can buy hot cross buns all year round so their significance to Easter is negligible. Yet the events that took place on Good Friday and Easter Sunday were events of cosmic significance. "...God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them."[1] That first Easter weekend is the pivotal point in human history. The world since that time has never been the same. And it is crucial that we pause to reflect on its meaning and relevance to us today. I cannot imagine what life would be like without Easter - to be "...separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world,"[2] cast adrift on the ocean of life, tossed about in every storm with no anchor to hold me steady. It is good for you and me, therefore, to listen again to the story of those last days in Jesus' life, and allow its message to penetrate even deeper into the recesses of our hearts and minds. We do not have to try to understand it all, for on this side of eternity we never will, but as we expose our lives to its truth and allow God's Spirit to teach us, we will come to appreciate more and more the wonder of God's grace. So let us begin our journey to Jerusalem for 2009, a journey that will take us through Palm Sunday, which is our focus for this morning, to the events of Good Friday as we follow the Stations of the Cross in Scripture, and eventually arrive at the empty tomb on Easter Sunday and rejoice that he is risen indeed!

As we have been following Mark's account of the life of Jesus we will follow his account of these events as far as we can, and draw on the other Gospels where necessary to fill out the story. Jesus has passed through Jericho where he stopped to restore sight to blind Bartimaeus, and has now come "to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives."[3] Both these villages were on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Most probably Bethphage means 'house of figs' and Bethany 'house of dates' as these grew in this area. They must have been very close to Jerusalem, as Bethany was one of the villages that according to Jewish law was within the limit of a Sabbath day's journey from Jerusalem, that is, less than a mile; and Bethany was one of the recognised lodging places for pilgrims to the Passover festival when accommodation in Jerusalem was full. At this point Jesus gives instructions to two of his disciples to fetch a colt, the foal of a donkey, on which no one had ridden, from the nearby village. We may wonder how Jesus knew that there would be a colt tied there, and why its owners were willing for him to use it. It is helpful to remember that while the first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke mention Jesus visiting Jerusalem only once after his baptism, we know from John's Gospel that he visited it regularly, probably for all the main Jewish festivals. And, in fact, if we look closely at the other three there are inferences to this. For example, how would he have had opportunity to befriend Mary, and Martha and their brother Lazarus at Bethany had he not been to that area several times. However, while it would not have been impossible for Jesus to have had supernatural knowledge of the colt's whereabouts, the above explanation is more likely; and further because Jesus was not the kind of person to leave things to the last minute. There was a very clear purposefulness about his life and an acute sense of God's timing from the beginning of his public ministry until his death. On more than one occasion he said, "My time has not come." He knew what he was going to do and so had made arrangements on a previous visit for the colt to be made available when its owners received the message - "The Lord needs it..." now.

When they brought the colt to Jesus they spread their cloaks over it and Jesus sat on it. Now while today donkeys are generally looked upon with amusement with their big ears and raucous cry, in Bible times the donkey was not a despised animal. It was the beast of kings. When a king went to war he rode on a horse. When he came in peace he rode on an ass. By riding this colt into the city of Jerusalem Jesus was declaring who he was to the nation. He was acting out a parable which, in fulfilment of Zechariah's prophesy given some years before, heralded the arrival of Zion's King - "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots of Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth."[4] Jesus came as Israel's king - but not the king Israel was expecting, who they believed would drive out the hated Romans. He was coming as the King of peace.

Mark has his own unique perspective on the events of Palm Sunday. In Matthew and Luke the triumphal nature of Jesus' entry is emphasised. They have Jesus clearing the temple courts of those who were buying and selling on the same day as he entered Jerusalem. In Mark however, the cleansing of the temple happens the following day. Mark's depiction of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is triumphant only for his followers. They have not yet understood the nature of his kingship and his destiny as the Son of Man. Mark stresses the lowliness and humility of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, not its triumphal nature. Note also that in Mark's account Jesus rode in silence. Not a word came from his lips, while all around him people were shouting. For Mark Jesus' coming into the city is an entry into suffering and death. The word "Hosanna" that was on the lips of those who went ahead and followed him into the city, simply means, "save now!" Jesus would surely save his people, but not in the way they expected. After his crucifixion the dreams and hopes of his followers for a new tomorrow, a different future were dashed, because they did not understand the way in which their hopes would be realised. It took some time, even after his resurrection, for them to understand the full scope of God's redemptive work in Christ, but when that happened they saw a far more glorious future than they had ever dreamed possible. God's ways are so much higher and better than ours.[5]

We can understand how difficult it must have been for those disciples. They were caught up in something much bigger that they knew, and in which they would have a crucial part to play. However, at that time they were muddled in their thinking because they could not shake off their mistaken concept of the Messiah, who he would be and what he would do. But are we not also guilty of the same muddled thinking? Do we really understand the full scope of God's redemptive plan for the world? Can we fathom the depths of his love and find out how he will unite all things in Christ? Are we not dull of heart and understanding, even as his disciples were? Surely we too are slow to catch the meaning of his words, and only have a vague understanding of how things will be at the end of time. It is incomprehensible to the human mind. We can only gain glimmers of the truth of the glory of God and the work he has done and is doing through Christ. Paul caught something of its meaning when he wrote, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived - these things God has prepared for those who love him..."[6] And, "Now we see but a poor reflection in a mirror; then we shall see face to face."[7]

As Jesus rode down the slopes of the Mount of Olives this would have been the view that greeted his eyes, except that for the golden dome of the Blue Mosque on the temple mount he would have seen the Holy of Holies. What depths of sadness he experienced as he looked ahead to the end of that week when instead of shouts of welcome there will be shouts of condemnation as he is rejected as their king. He sees the cross, and still further into the future to the temple's destruction in 70 AD. Luke tells us, "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come ... when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone upon another, because you did not recognise the time of God's coming to you."[8] That last phrase is very sobering: "...because you did not recognise the time of God's coming to you." How vital it is that we remain vigilant and alert to the signs of his second coming, and that we work and witness with all diligence while God's day of grace is with us. We have this space of time in which to make Jesus Christ known. We can all have a part in this.

At Power Plant this last week we were challenged to renew our commitment to pray for people to come to faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of our church and its people. If it is true, as William Temple, the late Archbishop of Canterbury said, that "the church exists solely for the sake of non-members," then we must be diligent in praying for people to become followers of Christ. This is our reason for being. It is what our church's vision is all about - "being a Spirit-filled community winning followers for Christ locally and globally." We were reminded of one of the ways we can do this through "The Salvation Prayer Book." This may be new to those who have joined the congregation in more recent years. Some time ago members of the congregation were encouraged to write in this book the names of family members and friends whom they wanted to become Christians. Those taking the 'Prayer for Others' each Sunday were to include this in their prayer. We have not been consistent in doing this, and I am just as guilty as others. If we are to be obedient to Christ's command "to make disciples of all nations"[9] then we must begin by praying for those who are lost. If we want specific answers, our prayers must be specific also, that is, naming those we want to see follow Christ. It is time that we updated this book, and so those of you who have submitted names will be given your list for checking. Please feel free to add or remove names as appropriate, and others are welcome to put names there as well. We want to encourage each other to be more intentional and accountable about obeying Christ's mandate to his church and in fulfilling our church's vision. The prayer points Rick Warren gave us in 40 Days of Community last year provides a very helpful framework. He provides four things we should pray for on a daily basis:

1.      That we pray each day for opportunities to share our faith.

2.      That we pray for prepared hearts in those with whom we share.

3.      That we pray, using the old terminology, for a 'passion for souls.' That is, to have the same compassion and concern for the lost that Jesus had. In other words, that we become more and more like Jesus.

4.      That we pray for the exponential growth of Christ's church.

The word that was given to one of our Power Plant members last week was this: "In the heat of battle your prayers are essential for the saving of souls and the building of my church." This leads naturally to the final point we can take from this passage in Mark this morning, which is the realisation that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was under no allusions as to what lay ahead. He was engaging the forces of Satan in a cosmic conflict. There was only one way in which he could break our bondage to sin and death and make forgiveness possible, and that was through the cross. There was no other way to free us from the penalty and power, and one day from the presence of sin, but to disarm the forces of darkness that were responsible for bringing sin into the world. Our salvation could be secured no other way. He had to drink from the cup the Father gave him, and drink it all.

The battle still wages for the souls of humankind. It is a spiritual battle that cannot be fought with physical weapons. They are impotent against our foe. As Paul tells us in Ephesians, we must put on the full armour of God and take up the weapons God has provided, his Word and prayer. Victory is assured, but the fight is far from over.

The Word for Today devotion last Wednesday was based on this passage in Ephesians. It said: "The size of the prize determines the severity of the fight," and then went on to encourage endurance in the fight. It said, "Your enemy is relentless; you must be, too. When it comes to prayer, your persistence over comes his resistance." Jesus relentlessly pursued the way of the cross. Nothing would deflect him from that path. As our reading from Isaiah put it, "Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame."[10] We must do likewise, moving obediently forward, and trusting God for the outcome. Endurance is the key. "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."[11]

It was appropriate that the King of peace enter Jerusalem whose name means 'possessor of peace.' The question I leave you with this morning is, Do you possess the peace that only Jesus can give through his reconciling work on the cross?