Palm Sunday

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0:00 Okay, we are turning the corner here on going through the story of Scripture. We're right here. We just read chapter 25. Kendall was pointing out to me. She's reading ahead, which is good because she's got the kids stuff. This next week, if you're reading along, you're going to read two chapters, chapter 26 for Good Friday and chapter 27 for Easter. We're going to be up here to commemorate Good Friday together,

0:33 and then obviously we'll celebrate Easter together. So we read chapter 25 this week. This coming week, you'll read 26 and 27. And 25 covers several things, but because I get to pick what to talk about, we're just going to talk about Palm Sunday instead of the whole chapter. If you have any questions on the chapter, Albert, see me after. But I love the story of Palm Sunday. I feel like I wish I was there.

1:05 It's a moment when I wish I was there. There's one moment, I don't know if we'll get to as we go through it, but where all these people are standing on the road and they're calling out to Jesus and the Pharisees are upset, and they tell Jesus, hey, you know they're calling you son of David, you've got to tell him to be quiet. And Jesus is like, dude, no. He's like, the phrase I remember is,

1:37 today is the day appointed for the Son of man to receive praise. If these people are quiet, even the rocks will cry out. I love that moment. If you read the Gospels at all with any kind of continuity, you read through the story of the Gospels, like sit down and go, I'm going to read through Luke's Gospel, or I'm going to read through Matthew's Gospel. If you sit down and look at the teachings of Jesus at all and watch the way he navigates, most of the time he does good things for people just as much as they can receive. He doesn't demand that they follow him or agree to a set of principles

2:10 before he heals them, before he feeds them, before he releases them from bondage. He does these good things for people. He heals the ten lepers and then he's like, don't tell anyone how you got healed. Shh. Famous source called the messianic secret. A lot of scholars have written a lot of books trying to figure out why Jesus for most of his ministry tells people not to mention anything. Keep it quiet. Don't tell anyone. But so I love that there's one moment when he's writing into the capital city,

2:42 the city that David inaugurated where Solomon built the temple and Ezra and the Amaya rebuilt it. We've read through this whole story, going to this sacred place up to this holy of holies where the presence of God dwells in noticeable where you can feel it. He walks right up to the place and people are praising him and he says, today's the day, I'm not going to tell him to be quiet. That's what I would like to be there for, where Jesus gets the credit that he's to.

3:12 That's why I love Palm Sunday. Because I feel like Jesus is doing these great things and not receiving praise and pretty soon everyone's about to abandon him as people do. Of course. This is the punchline of Palm Sunday. It's like so hard to imagine that a town that worships him as he's walking in and a week later crucifies him until you realize how fickle your own heart is, how one minute you count on God, you trust in God, you believe his way is right,

3:45 and in the next minute you're sure you know better than him, and you can make better choices than he might lay out for you, that your own heart is just as fickle as theirs. Okay, before I spoil the whole thing, look at Luke's chapter 18, 19. Luke chapter 19. And we're down to verse 28. We're just going to cut right to it. Well, a little bit. Here this says, and when he had said these things, he went on ahead,

4:18 going up to Jerusalem. This is Luke 19 verse 28, verse 29. When he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two disciples saying, go into the village in front of you where you are entering, and you will find a cult tied on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you why are you untying it, you shall say this, the Lord has need of it.

4:49 So those who were sent away and found it, so those were sent away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the cult, its owners said to them, why are you untying the cult? And they said the Lord has need of it, and as they brought it to Jesus, throwing their cloaks on the cult. So it's first like this part of the story, Jesus is making his way towards Jerusalem, and he stops on Mount Olivet, and he can see now the Jerusalem is up on a hill, but there's like a valley, and then you go back up to a hill.

5:20 And so you'll see this when he goes later out to Gethsebany, where he can look back and see the city. And there's one little section in between Jerusalem and Gethsebany and the Mount of Olivet, where they would burn all their trash, and call it Ghehenna, and it was like always burning down there, right? And so Jesus stops on the mountain, and he can see on the hill, and he can see Jerusalem, and he sends the people in. And it's kind of a crazy story, because when you read it, you're like, Jesus is like, obviously a big shot, he can see the future,

5:52 or he can do the Jedi mind trick, so that when they go in, they're like, don't worry, the master has need of it. But when you read Luke altogether, you realize like you could put your finger in chapter 19 and go all the way back to chapter 13, even, and already in chapter 13, in verse 22, he went on his way through towns and villages teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem.

6:22 When you read John's account of the gospel, you realize Jesus has been in Jerusalem several times, and even in Matthew and Luke's gospel, when you read and pay attention in Matthew chapter 13, he starts to say that he's going to Jerusalem, and then, based on the story of the events, he's way north in 13, but then by 17, by chapter 17, it says again in chapter 17 that he's headed towards Jerusalem. And so you know that he's been building towards this walk for the triumphal entry for a long time.

6:53 You remember actually when he goes to heal his buddy Lazarus, you remember the story where he hears that Lazarus is sick, and he waits, and then he waits four days, I think, and then he says we're going to go back there, and the disciples are like, Jesus, you can't go back there, the Pharisees are waiting to kill you. He's headed towards the Israel where the Pharisees are already matted him, and he goes back there anyway. He's making his way towards Jerusalem, and he raises Lazarus from the dead.

7:26 And then he stays, when you read the story, he stays and he has a whole meal with the family. Then he goes on a little retreat with the disciples, then he comes back, and he has a meal with Mary and Lazarus in the whole town, and then they all get up because they're going to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. This is how they would do it, you know? The road from Bethany through Jericho up to Jerusalem is dangerous, especially during feast days. People would get hit and mob. This is why Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan,

7:57 because people would know that that happens when you're on the road. People attack you. So they move in large groups. Jesus has raised Lazarus, his buddy from the dead, and Mary and Martha, his friends, and all the people who feast, he's like, let's go up and celebrate the Passover. So they've got Lazarus who was dead with him, plus the whole village, and they move towards Jerusalem. They go through Jericho. That's where he heals blind Bartimaeus in Jericho. Remember, by the time Bartimaeus is sitting on the outside of the city of Jericho,

8:28 he can't see, but he can hear all the people that are moving by. And he says, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Blind Bartimaeus is already getting the clue that Jesus is not just some itinerant rabbi who's had some good luck, but might be the son of David. And so they try and keep him quiet, but he calls out all the more, and he walks up and Jesus says, Bartimaeus, what can I do for you? And he says, Lord, I'd like to see. And he says, fine, see and come with us. And so that he's been building this crew of people the whole time.

8:59 And when he gets to Mount Olivet, he's like, the day's ready. And he probably has already made arrangements. He knows he's going to have a crew. He's been building towards this day for a long period of time, going against the will of its friends who want to go out and hide and not risk his life. And so he set up a spot where he wants to have the feast. A lot of people think, actually, you know, the Gospel writer Mark, that it was his house. He was too young to be a disciple, but he was kind of hanging around the events of the week.

9:29 And this might be the house where Peter ran in Acts, and when he was released from prison, he went to where he had a house church. People think it was the same house. So when these two disciples come in and they say, the Lord has need of it, it's not just any Lord, it's our Lord. We knew he was coming. It's Passover. It's coming. He said he was going to celebrate Passover with us, and he's got to. He's going to ride in on a donkey. Now Jesus could walk in. He's been walking. He's walked around all Asia Minor. It's not as though he needs the donkey because he's tired.

10:01 He waits at the Mount Olivet, and he sends in, and he told them probably, hey, make sure you got a donkey ready. Why? Because to fulfill all prophecy. Because Jesus knows what he's doing. By this point, he's very clear who he is and what he's up to. I don't think Jesus always knew who he was. I don't think when he was a kid with Mary and Joseph, did he know all the way who he was? I think when they left him behind, when he was in Jerusalem as a kid,

10:34 and he was asking all the questions and stayed overnight in the temple asking the questions, I think he had a natural proclivity to understand he knew there was something different. They were amazed at his questions, not because he knew all the answers, but because he was intrigued and kept moving. And I think that when he got baptized by John the Baptist, he knew there was something different. He knew he was called to something different, and when the voice of God comes out of heaven and said, this is my son whom I love with him. I am well pleased.

11:04 He started to know, oh, I am loved by the Father. I am the one to whom all should listen. And he goes out into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and fasts. And he has a conversation with the devil. By now he's starting to get clear. There is a specific mission to which I am called, and it's good that he studied and knew all the questions, because now he knows the prophets so that when he gets to Mount Olivet, he knows, I can't just walk in here. Zachariah said the son of man comes in on a cult on the full of a donkey.

11:34 Those guys got a donkey. Let's do it. I love the triumphal entry. I love the idea that Jesus knows full well what he's doing. To fulfill all prophecy, the all order. Very specifically, not by accident. So he tells him to get the donkey. He doesn't do the Jedi mind trick. He's had a plan. So we're back in Luke, chapter 19,

12:10 and we're at verse 33. And as they were untying the cult, its owners said to them, what are you untying the cult? Why are you untying the cult? And they said the Lord has need of it, and they brought it to Jesus. And throwing their cloaks on the cult, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near, already on the way to the Mount of Olives,

12:44 the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen. Saying, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, teacher rebuke your disciples. And he said, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.

13:14 It's crazy what a specific message this is, you know? The reason the Pharisees are so mad is because when they say son of David, Hosanna son of David, they're saying a very specific thing, you know? I mean, some of us may be in the room. A couple of us I know have like Jewish or Israelite lineage,

13:46 but a lot of us don't. And here we are, a long ways away from Israel in this story, right? The problem that the Pharisees had with what the people were saying, the reason they told Jesus, why are you letting them say this is because they were saying something very specific. They were saying, you Jesus are our promised liberating king.

14:20 You are the promise fulfilled from Abraham through all of the kings, through David, and down to today, you are the one that we have been waiting for. You are the one who will be our king. All the things a king should be Jesus, you will be for us. And the Pharisees are like, dude, you can't let them say that.

14:52 The Pharisees are like, you know we have a king. That's the...we have a king. If they start calling you king, the Romans are going to get pissed, you know? And the Israelites have this unique kind of opportunity where they get to have Herod, their puppet king, and their own little religion. And the kings, the real kings, leave them alone as long as they keep sending money, you know?

15:24 And the religious people, the people that run the church are like, Jesus, don't let them call you king. That will mess up everything. Pilate's going to get mad. Quiranius is going to get mad. And then whoever sees her, I don't even know who sees her at the time of Jesus, I should. He's going to get mad. And all our little systems are going to fall apart.

15:55 I'm saying that they had a very specific thing they were calling Jesus. And the Pharisees, the church people didn't like it. Blessed is he. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace and heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said, teacher, rebuke your disciples. And he answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.

16:33 I've been thinking about the specificity of Jesus. Like how he fulfills all these prophets. And how the specificity goes so narrow, the call of Israel down to one person, Jesus, and then through him, out to everyone.

17:03 They, these folk on the road to the temple for a few minutes even only knew Jesus could do the thing that a king does for them. I asked the kids why grown-ups might need a teacher.

17:36 I didn't prime them to say so that they're not on their phone all the time. And I know why I'm on my phone. And there are very important reasons. Who does the thing that a king does for you? Like, why are you safe?

18:14 What defines the scope or the potential of your life? Who gives you your work to do? What makes sure you have enough? I mean, if my email gives me my work and my bank account makes sure I have enough,

18:56 and my ring can make sure I'm safe, I mean it might be my phone. All that's right there. For just a few minutes on the road to the temple, the folk knew this is the king. This is the one who protects me, keeps me safe, who provides for me, who is sure I have enough, who gives my life scope and purpose, who gives me the work that I do, who has secured my future, who has assuaged my enemies,

19:48 who has set the laws within which I thrive. This Jesus of Nazareth is my king. I think they got it right just for a moment, you know? I think they got it right just for a moment. And I love the idea that then how many of them, you know, at Pentecost, when the great Spirit of God was released for the first time we'll talk about it in a couple of weeks at Pentecost, when the Spirit of God, Peter stands up and he announces, and as a people were converted, I like to think that that was most of the triumphal entry folk.

20:24 That like me, their hearts and minds are fickle, they have real fears and competing interests, and they lost their way for a minute, and their faith was trampled by the realities of their world, but when they were bolstered by the Spirit at Pentecost, they came back and they hung out, and they held all things in common and waited to go back home until they were persecuted and told everyone there is a king. This is the unique reason why we are still here. Jesus, before he ascended, as he stood on the hill of Galilee, told his eleven disciples who remained, plus a few of the folk that came with him that were hiding in the upper room, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me.

21:03 Therefore, I encourage you, as you come and go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and to see them. I will be with you always at the very end of the age. I have thought about this a lot, especially this week, you can ask me about it. A lot of people focus on the Great Commission with the idea of go and make disciples. I think that that is important, but those eleven were disciples of Jesus, and the pattern that they knew was that once you are a disciple, then you make the next disciples. You are Rabbi, leaves, now you become a Rabbi, you bring disciples. That is not new news to them.

21:35 When Jesus says, I am leaving, now it is your turn, that is the pattern they were expecting, though they were probably bummed. What is new news to them is that Jesus says, wherever you go, make disciples of those people. That Jesus of Nazareth, very particular, unique, human, raised in a situation, moved through a place, fulfilling the law and the prophets, says uniquely among all the rabbis. As Gamaliel doesn't say it, Caiaphas doesn't say it, Jesus of Nazareth says to his eleven, wherever you go, all nations of the world can now be disciples of me.

22:13 This is why you and I are here, because Jesus of Nazareth is a particular king that provides, protects, gives purpose, gives meaning, gives direction, better than any other king. I just want to remind you, there are competing kings in your life. There are competing ideas about what reality is, how you got here, where you are going, what you do while you are here, what matters.

22:47 There are competing narratives for all of those questions out there, not benign. And amongst them all, Jesus of Nazareth is unique and better. Jesus of Nazareth is the best king you'll find, better than whatever is in your phone, better than whatever is sprung up in the world before and since.

23:22 Jesus of Nazareth is the son of David, the one who can rescue, provide, protect, empower, give purpose, direction and boundary in a way that we can thrive now and forever. Years ago, long time ago, I was deep into trying to figure out how to pray and I was spending lots of time in Lectio Divina.

24:03 And I was thinking about the triumphal entry over and over and over again, playing the verses over and over again until they kind of flowed into memory. And I closed my eyes and could visualize the triumphal entry. Crowd of people. Remember Zacchaeus, he tried to see Jesus, that was in Jericho.

24:33 Before he even got to Jerusalem, Zacchaeus couldn't get to the road to see him, he had to climb up the tree. And so if we were there on the road to Jerusalem, it would be hard to see. And people would have gotten palm fronds to wait to just to get the fanfare a little bit higher so that they could celebrate what was happening. And in my mind's eye in the prayer, I'm like ducking between shoulders, trying to get up and see Jesus on the little cult.

25:04 And I felt like I was there, you know, that kind of like visualization. And Jesus on the cult looks to his side, I still remember, to his left, and makes eye contact with me. And I thought, holy cow, the son of David knows who I am, and can be king just for me.

25:37 I assure you, Jesus of Nazareth is your king, just for you. I want to pray today that we might live as though that were true for a little bit. Hey Lord, thank you that you sent your son, you did not abandon us to the grave, but you sent him out ahead of us as good king, first in line.

26:09 To just what it means to be citizens of your kingdom, to live under your authority and reign. To just to live like little children. Call our fickle hearts and settle our wandering minds that we might trust you today as our king. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.