Triumphal Entry

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0:00 Well, I'm glad that you found some time to think about the story of Scripture together with us this morning. And as I mentioned, we're going to look at the story of the triumphal entry. You know, it must have left an impression on that first century church because each of the four gospels includes an account of the triumphal entry. And that's not true of every story in the life of Jesus. So, so, Luke, getting all of this story, his second hand, includes the story of the

0:36 triumphal entry. Even John, writing the story of Jesus very late at his old age, includes a story of the triumphal entry. So this triumphal entry, this movement of Jesus into Jerusalem for that last class of a month, really made a mark on that first century church because they all were born. And so, we could read it from all four, but it has the time for that.

1:07 So, let's look at Luke chapter 19 together. And we'll just look at this story and remember that Jesus has like this sort of long walk towards Jerusalem. We've talked about this before. There's a story when Jesus is young, where his parents are leaving Jerusalem and they lose track of Jesus for several days. And we talked about, that's not because they're negligent parents.

1:37 It's because that the groups of people walk in families, large groups up to Jerusalem for the high-quality days, and then back home after the festivals are completed. And so, you can imagine in the scene where Jesus is moving up to Jerusalem for the Passover. And if you read the stories, all of the paths, like a long walk, in John's account he raises

2:07 Lazarus on his way into Jerusalem. In Luke's account, in several accounts, he heals a man named Bartimaeus of blindness as he walks by Jericho and then into Jerusalem. So, this crowd of families and people is growing as they move towards Jerusalem and watching Jesus confirm miracles, perform miracles along the way. And so, it's true that this forms into almost like a welcoming party for Jesus on his way

2:42 into Jerusalem, coming down Mountbollocks and then moving up into the city. It's true that it forms kind of a welcoming party where they start singing songs and calling out praises, but it's probably not true that this is the only large group of people entering Jerusalem at this time. Most people probably came into Jerusalem and came in family groups, going up for the high festival days of Passover. And so, you can imagine that Jesus' crew is calling attention to itself as they move

3:14 to the city to celebrate the stress of the day. And so, it goes, and when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. And when he drew near to Beth page and Bethany at the Mount that is called Olivet, he sent to his disciples saying, this is where he tells them to go get a special cult for him. And he tells them exactly how to happen and it does happen that way. And then, if you skip down to verse 34, they said, the Lord has needed it and they brought it to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the cult they set Jesus on.

3:45 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the ground. And as he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. For all the mighty works they had seen, say you. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

4:15 And some of the Pharisees said in the crowd, said to him, teacher, rebuke these disciples. And he said, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. There's a unique reason or very specific reason that the Pharisees, the church leaders wanted Jesus to rebuke the lawless followers who were, who were praising him. It's because to receive praise from people like that would be a recognition to them. If you think back to the stories of Scripture that you may have heard, when John the Baptist

4:45 is baptizing people on the Jordan River and they say, are you the one who is the come which shall we expect from the other? This is the one who is the come, I'm not even pointed out in tight of sandals. This is, don't worship me. Even the angel Gabriel at the time appears and tells you to get up, he refuses to receive worship. It's significant that Jesus allows people to receive to worship him, that he receives their worship. And in John's account, gospel, they actually explain, Hosanna, Son, David, save us, promise

5:17 to deliver in King. And so the religious leaders are like, hey, Jesus, do you realize what they're saying? Rebuted them and tell them that's not appropriate. But I'm going to call you that and Jesus almost uniquely in this time. When you read the stories of the gospel so often, Jesus is telling people, hey, be quiet, don't tell folks what happened. It's called the Messianic Secret.

5:47 But right here he puts aside the Messianic Secret. And when the religious leaders come to him and say, hey, tell these people to be quiet, they're not appropriate. He's like, look, if these will be crap, at this point in the earth will call out praises to God. It cannot be stopped. I was trying that question at the beginning to recall the time when I was so excited that I couldn't be stopped.

6:17 That my exuberance couldn't be contained. We've talked about it before, but I feel like it's so easy to mute all of our Christians.

6:47 You know, I have friends who are good counselors. I am not a good counselor. People want to meet. I tell them, like, I meet with you a couple of times and remind you of what the gospel is, but I'm not a counselor. But I have gone through and have counseling to learn that you cannot mute only selected emotions. I mean, if there's an emotion that you don't want to feel, and so you come up with a way

7:19 to hide and recover over that, like you don't want to feel loneliness. So you come up with a way to cope with your own loneliness so that you actually don't feel lonely anymore, not because of companionship, because you've muted, then you will mute all of our Christians equally. You can't take out from that. So if you don't want to feel sadness and you mute your exposure to sadness, you shut yourself down to sadness, you also shut yourself down to joy.

7:55 The first thing that occurred to me is I read the story of the trial for entries. I want to feel that kind of exuberance for someone. Where the, where nothing could keep you quiet, want to feel that kind of joy or expectation or hope or something.

8:27 And I feel a deep sense of kindred, these people, because I, for a few moments would like to make it in their place. In John's kind of gospel, what they say, would say, would say, and in Luke's here they say, the name of the Lord, this would be really particular language.

9:00 The king who comes in the name of the Lord, the king who's promised to come and deliver us. In John's account, you remember the word Hosanna, and then the king who comes in the name of the Lord might have been called the son of David. And so if you remember, since they were saying that son of David, they are crying out and this response of the people is not like calculating. They're not, it does not seem that they're like, oh, today is Palm Sunday.

9:36 And so our proper action at this point in time on a Palm Sunday, this is when we, this is when we celebrate Jesus and to read Jerusalem. And so we will take the posture of praise and cry out, save us son of David, bless this the one who's coming. No, they are, it's coming out of them because they've seen the great deliverance. They can't control it. It's not a calculated response.

10:06 It's an emotional response. And I think that that is like so aspirational. I want to have emotional responses to Jesus. I would love them. And as I thought about man, Jesus give me an emotional response to you. Any kind of emotional response to me. Because I know that, that any, like even anger or frustration, if I allow the feel anger

10:36 or frustration towards the God that opens me up to possibly also feeling joy and deep acceptance or open me up to feel something. I thought of this story earlier in Luke. If you want to look there, it can be, I know how to understand, but there's a section that I think is really appropriate for the conversation you've been having on planets

11:06 in Luke chapter four. And in Luke chapter four, going down to verse 16, just at the beginning of his ministry, before he was done much. And it says that he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and it stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, he took the scroll of the prophet Isaiah that was

11:37 given too many unroll the scroll and find a place where it is written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives. He has sent me to the recovering sites of the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. I was thinking, what would the people in the trial for entry, what would they be celebrating? It's not only save us from what, but also praise God for having saved us.

12:12 What are the things that, at first, the reason the religious authorities were so frustrated is because they were worried that the people were hopeful that Jesus would throw off unjust government. That people would no longer be subject to the rule of this unjust occupying government. And Jesus has sent very big news in his ministry.

12:42 The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has no idea to proclaim good news to the poor and liberty to the captives. This is the thing he is doing and they are excited about at liberty to the captives that Jesus might say people from unjust rule or authority from injustice. Where is that? That Jesus might liberate people from the bondage of poverty. That they were excited.

13:13 Remember the story where he meets the leper on the outside of the camp. That he can't even come into town with segregated ostracines. That he takes the women and raises her son, the widow, and raises her son so she can have place and culture against him to provide for her. Good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and then recovery of sight to the blind. He said it literally those who are oppressed and were claimed to be the words of faith.

13:46 He said in Nazareth, the very beginnings of the ministry, this is what he would do. And then this is what he does. It's no wonder they are so excited. Verse 20, and he rules up the scroll and gave him back and then attended sat down. The eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on him and they began to say to them, today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and also welcomed in the marvelous and the gracious words that were coming from his mouth and then they said, this is not Joseph's son. And they said, wait a minute.

14:16 Douglass, you will, Jesus said to the Douglass, you will quote to me this proper position. You need yourself. What we have heard you did in the burning dude here in your hometown. He said, truly no proper is acceptable in his hometown. Then he goes on, remember, he told the story about the women of the widow that he provided for through Elijah. And he says, truly I say to you, no problems except for in some town, but it truly tells you there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the habits were shut up. Three years and six months and a great band came over.

14:47 And Elijah was sent to none of them, but only is there a bad sign. He tells another story about a time when they were in luck rules, but he healed a leper that wasn't an Israelite. And the Israelites get so mad because they're saying the problem of here in Nazareth is the same problem that has been throughout the people of God throughout all time, that there's a sense that they don't need God. And so they get mad at anything wrong about the way they want to stone to death.

15:21 And he has to kind of sneak through the crowd and escape Jesus their Savior. They are content. What would Jesus have to offer me? He's just a son of a carpenter, a kid from the hometown, a problem with the people in Nazareth is the same problem of the Pharisees. What could this guy actually do for us? And they were shut down and hopeless.

15:58 And when people are shut down and hopeless, when they have shut themselves off from their need or their deliverance, when they kind of are learning to make do, make do with what they can imagine and what they can imagine and what they can imagine. And so they're not going to be able to do that. And so they're going to be able to do that. And so they're going to be able to do that.

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17:31 And so they're going to be able to do that. And so they're going to be able to do that. And so they're going to be able to do that. To believe that this morning. I don't know what the long history of your trajectory with the gods. But I think if there's a lesson for us in Paul Sunday, it is in the power of genuine emotion.

18:03 I will be praying for you all today that you have the courage to mind your authentic emotion with respect to God. Not what you are told to believe. Not how you are told to act with respect to God. But what do you actually think about the God? And then having mind that emotion, go to the God with the ask.

18:37 I was thinking about stories where God did work with folks who were angry with them. And first thought that came to mind is as an hands on the cross, the ones who crucified them. He asks for their forgiveness as well. Look, and I'm telling you, you can be angry with them. And you can be in love with them. These things when they are surfaced with genuine emotion, God is real and gracious. He brings you to Himself on the purposes of your salvation.

19:10 It's when you are so satisfied. Even sanctimonians that you leave God behind, that you quietest disciples that you protect the status quo. God has salvation for you. You feel this deliverance here.

19:44 And hey, Lord, thank you for your gift of your son. The story of his entry, the testimony of his followers, and the words of his name, announced in the formulation that he has come to your holy city, awaiting that emotion. It's a quaintness with our need for you. Resolve us of our self satisfaction, self-righteousness.

20:18 Remove from us the pride that was in our last two years. In order that we could receive the gift of life from you. Jesus gave me the pride.