Trapped

Are you so set on your solution that you completely miss the answer?

I had an electrical outlet that suddenly started tripping a breaker.

It was an old outlet - someone had installed it years ago and someone else had added a little something to it.

So when I got to it, it was a tangle of wires, black tape and wire nuts.

I carefully took everything apart.

Figured out where what ran to where and found what was causing the problem.

It was just an electrical outlet.

Those things typically are not complicated.

And yet, I ended up spending hours putting all back together.

I remembered how I had taken it apart.

Just reverse the process - but it wouldn’t all fit back into the box.

I wrestled with that thing for hours.

It was an outdoor box, it was in the sun, it was summer time and I felt like I was playing a lead role in a shake n’ bake commercial.

When the sun started going down, I finally had the sense to give up for the night.

Maybe fresh eyes would help.

The next day I went back and immediately saw what I was doing wrong

And in a matter of minutes, I was finished.

My problem had been that I got so trapped in one way of thinking

I was so sure it had to work in one particular way that I absolutely couldn’t consider anything else.

I knew what I was doing.

I couldn’t be wrong.

But I was.

Have you ever watched someone have an accident or you saw them doing something that you knew, that you knew was going to cause them big problems?

And you said to yourself, “How did they not see that?” “How did they let that happen?

“They should have known...”

They should have - and we should have.

How many times, right?

We get trapped in one of of thinking, and we just can’t have it any other way, and sometimes that doesn’t work out so well.

Our text today is from the book of Luke 19:28-44.

Today begins Holy Week and today is Palm Sunday.

And while our scripture gives us the reason for the name - it gives us something else too.

Luke 19:28 begins with the words, “And when he [Jesus] had said these things...”

So if Luke starts this section with those words, then maybe we need to know what “these things” are.

Luke 19 starts with the story of Zacchaeus.

I’ll leave you to read the story again - many of us have studied in Sunday School over the years.

Can probably still sing the song.

But the important thing for us to hear out of that story - one of “these things” Jesus said is in verse 10.

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.””

That’s a big clue - file it away for a minute.

Next Jesus tells a parable - a story with a meaning - that’s about the people hearing it.

They are stuck in their solution.

We look back and say, “How did they let this happen? How did they let Jesus get crucified?”

Well here’s how - they were trapped in the way they were thinking.

There was only one way to make life good like they wanted it to be - as far as they were concerned.

It hat to happen just like this.

They wanted a king - they really wanted another King David really.

This Jesus is doing some pretty amazing things

And He’s not scared of anybody - He’s got that king vibe.

He’s got to be the King that God promised that will make Israel the crown jewel of the nations.

That’s how they are thinking - that’s what’s on their mind.

So into that, Jesus tells this story:

The story is about a nobleman who went to a far country to receive a kingdom and then he’d be back.

Before he left, he put three people in charge of different parts of his possessions.

Then he left.

As soon as he left, some of the people sent him a letter saying we hate you - never come back.

It was his property - of course he was coming back.

And he did come back.

So when he got back, 2 of the 3 people that he put in charge of his stuff did a good job.

But one really disrespected him and really did a bad job with his stuff.

The nobleman took what he had given the man who did a bad job and he gave it to the man who did the best job.

And then, the people that had written the hate mail letter to him, he had all of those people killed.

That’s pretty drastic.

They heard all of this - all of “these things.”

And they never stopped once and thought to themselves - “this doesn’t sound like something a normal king would say.”

“He’s not very inclusive.

“He’s not said anything about Rome

“In fact, it sounds a little like he’s planning on going somewhere else.”

They heard “all these things....” but none of them registered.

Because they knew what they wanted and Jesus kind of looked like what they expected.

They were trapped in their way of thinking.

They were so set on the fact that they were right, they couldn’t entertain a notion that they might be missing something.

If you are watching by live stream or listening to our podcast, we are glad that you’ve joined us.

Next Sunday is Easter.

I’d like to encourage you that if there is any way possible, please plan to attend in person.

We’ll have a Community Sunrise service with Gray Methodist at 7 am behind Butler Hall.

Breakfast will be served at in our fellowship hall at 8:00.

And we’ll have two worship services, one at 9 and the second at 10:30.

It will be a special morning simply because it is Easter.

It will be a more meaningful morning if we are all in one place as the Body of Christ.

We hope to see you here.

And for our guests, God bless you for being here.

We are proud the Lord led you our way and we pray He’ll lead you to join us in service to Him.

Follow along with me as I read the Word of the Lord from:

Luke 19:28–44 ESV

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, 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 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 that 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.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

This is the word of the Lord,

Thanks be to God.

And Lord, we thank you for your Word.

We thank you for Truth - we thank you for a reality that is bigger than us.

And is greater than anything we can make.

I am sorry that I continue to sin even after you have saved me.

Please let nothing that I do stand in the way of your Word getting to your people.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Many of you know how Jesus felt here.

As he came down the hill from the Mount of Olives,

Getting ready to ascend the path into the city of Jerusalem.

People cheering for him.

Tossing their coats and palm fronds on the ground in front of him.

Creating a red carpet of sorts for Jesus.

It was a big moment.

Verse 37 says the whole multitude of his disciples

It wasn’t just the 12 - it was everyone from everywhere.

People from all over.

People that saw Lazarus being resurrected.

People who saw lepers cleansed and blind people regaining their sight.

People who saw paralyzed men and women standing and jumping and dancing and shouting.

And people who had heard about these things from their friends.

Getting all caught up in the moment - cheering. Shouting. Rejoicing.

If it had been you or me there, it would have been the happiest day of our life.

But it wasn’t for Jesus.

Jesus cried - not tears of joy - but tears of pain - and I think we can understand this.

Many - too many - of you have done this.

You’ve had a son that demanded to go his own way.

A daughter who was suddenly smarter and more sophisticated than you.

A spouse who found greener grass

A parent that made decisions that just didn’t make sense anymore.

They were cock-sure they knew what they were doing.

Your opinion didn’t matter.

They called you ignorant and embarrassing and they really just wanted you to go away.

And while they did and said whatever they did and said, you cried.

Silent tears leaking from the corners of your eyes.

Slipping down your cheeks.

Sometimes you could taste the saltiness of your own tears.

Because just like Jesus you knew:

Luke 19:42 “saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

Maybe it wasn’t someone else - maybe it was you.

You had it all figured out - it just all made so much sense.

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!”

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for real contentment and real peace.”

I don’t know how much you know about the other gospel versions of the Palm Sunday story.

Matthew and Mark both record the people shouting “Hosanna!”

Hosanna means save us - save us now.

Jesus, save us now!

Neither Luke nor John include people shouting that in their stories.

Something else grabbed Luke’s ears.

He’s not saying they didn’t stay it.

Something else is more important for him to remember.

Luke 19:38 “saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!””

It’s a direct quote from Psalm 118:26.

“Blessed is the King.”

Not the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but

Blessed in the King - our king - the king of Israel - who comes in the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the great politician who is going to make everything great.

Blessed be the great politician who will lead us to prosperity and fullness and national pride.

Blessed be the King - the ruler - who comes in the name of the Lord.

Luke remembers this sentence.

This sentence rang in his ears.

Have you ever had a sentence ring in your ears?

Out of a million sentences you heard, one day someone says one that - it’s like it was written on special paper.

That’s what happened to Luke.

In an instant, he understood, “They don’t get it.”

They think they have got something that they are never going to have.

Luke 19:42 “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!

Take the word peace and replace it with contentment.

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for contentment!”

That’s what peace is - contentment.

Contentment with everything around you.

Contentment with yourself.

Contentment with God.

You would have thought the most religious people, for sure, would have figured this out - but they missed it too.

The Pharisees - the most religious people around - all they could do was tell Jesus to tell everyone to hush.

And did you notice Jesus’ odd answer?

Luke 19:40 “He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.””

Would the stones really cry out?

Probably a figure of speech meaning that says, everything knows except you.

Every bird in the sky, every fish in the sea.

Every molecule of air, every drop of water.

Every angel above and every demon below.

They all know what’s going on - it’s so incredibly obvious to all of them.

God has come down to man.

God is building a bridge between Himself and His people.

And everything in all of creation saw it:

Except to people he came to.

Because their minds are made up.

They are blind. Dead. Trapped.

And Jesus cried, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!”

If they had known, they could have stopped what was coming.

But their minds were made u.

Everything that Jesus said in verses 43 and 44 came true in 70 ad.

Rome laid seige to Jerusalem.

Surrounded the city - cut it off from supplies.

Things got so bad, the folks inside resorted to cannibalism.

Finally Rome ransacked the place.

Tore the stones down - decimated the place - and Israel ceased to exist for a long, long time.

And what did Jesus say?

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!”

If you had known, none of this suffering, that you are going to go through, would have happened.

But they were trapped.

Their minds were made up - they were so set on their solution that they missed the answer.

Is that - is that where you are right now?

Earlier in the service we read Zechariah 14:1-9.

Like many Old Testament prophesies, this one applied to their time.

And it applies to our time.

Verse 4 says, “Zechariah 14:4 “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.”

Zechariah is talking about the second coming of Jesus.

His landing spot, if you will, will be on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem.

If you haven’t followed Jesus by that point, well, you never will.

It will be too late.

The door is closed.

It’s time to turn out the lights.

And it’s going to happen.

That’s Truth -with a capital T.

If only,

If only “that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” If only...

And you know, I hold no illusions.

Gray headed man wearing a suit standing behind a pulpit.

Telling stories from ancient mythology.

Unenlightened and antique.

Sexually repressed.

Enforcing masculine domination.

Enslaving women and children with archaic and arcane teachings.

If you say so.

But if you will allow me a question.

With all that you have learned, with every place you have gone, with every person you have met

Which one of them taught you how to be totally content with yourself?

So content that you aren’t concerned that what any other person alive thinks about you?

So content that nothing anyone says or does anywhere matters?

I suggest to you that you the majority of us are not content at all.

Because our minds are made up.

We know what will make us happy - and we’ll die trying to get it.

But if you, even you, had known on THIS day the things that will make you content.

There is only one place we can get true soul peace.

Come to the foot of the cross.

Look up to the one who gave everything so you could be saved.

As His blood drips onto the ground, realize that happened for you.

Come to the cross.

It’s the gathering place for the discontented souls.

It is the only place where you will ever find peace.

It is the only place where you will ever be found.