Palm Sunday: The Journey to the Cross

Well, I’m so excited for this morning. I was having breakfast with a friend and a retired pastor and he asked us if we were doing anything for Palm Sunday, and I just kind of lit up. I love Palm Sunday. Maybe not as physically responsive as my Father-in-Law. He would have had Palm branches all over the place in here, waving them during worship and laid out on the floor. He was great at demonstrations to bring a point across. If you know him, or were here during his time Pastoring St Timothy Word & Worship Center you definitely remember the flair!

And for a lot of people, I would say that’s what they love about Palm Sunday - that it was and for them today is a Joyous Celebration of the coming King. And we’re going to read the story this morning and this is most definitely a part of our series UnConditional: Experiencing the Love of God, because as we read and as we look at this day, we’ll see the love of Jesus Christ expressed through his actions.

Last week we got into the journey of love that Jesus walked. He was determined to follow through with the mission He had. And that journey led him to Jerusalem, which led him to the cross, which led him to resurrection, and all for the sake of love.

When we read a couple of the verses we read last week, we see the heart of Jesus in his determination to journey to the cross, or really, I would say journey THROUGH the cross, because when most people lay down their lives for someone else, that’s the end of their story, the sacrifice is the primary focus. But with Jesus, the sacrifice is not the end.

Luke 9:51 says, / / As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Or if you remember, the ESV says it this way, / / He set his face to go to Jerusalem.

When I read that it makes me want to look at the words that are translated to both “set” and “face” - the word “set” means to set fast, to turn resolutely in a certain direction, and then “face” is your countenance, your body, your face, your positioning.

I picture those old cartoons where the music changes, the dog turns to the direction of the cat and pulls up his legs and belly, puffs out his chest and gives a little huff and puff as he’s about to charge forward.

That’s the picture I get when I read that. / / Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem is him being determined to go where he needs to go, to accomplish what he needs to accomplish.

Why? Not because it’s an exciting journey. Quite the opposite actually, right? One of the other passages we read last week was Luke 18:31-33, / / Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”

It’s one thing to think, “At least Jesus knew he was going to rise again.” But think of what he had to go through to get there? If you’ve seen the Passion of the Christ, it gives a pretty good glimpse into the cruelty of the Roman empire when it came to their treatment of prisoners and crucifixion.

Jesus knew full well what he was going to endure and yet willingly and with determination set his face toward Jerusalem, the place where he would suffer and die.

So that was last week, right, the journey toward Jersualem, and ultimately, the journey toward the cross.

This week we want to focus on a little moment in between the two. You have leading up to Jerusalem, you have after Jerusalem, or the cross, and then you have this little window in the life and ministry of Jesus called Palm Sunday.

Let’s read the story, and it’s covered in all four gospel accounts, and so I’ve pieced them together so we get the full scope of the event.

/ / …Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. (Luke 19:28)

/ / …the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. (John 12:12)

/ / As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethpage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

This took place to fulfil the prophecy that said,

“Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey - riding on a donkey’s colt.’” (Matthew 21:1-5)

/ / The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it. (Mark 11:4-7)

/ / His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remember what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. (John 12:16)

/ / When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. (Luke 19:37)

/ / As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. (Luke 19:36)

/ / …and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. (Mark 11:8)

/ / Jesus was at the center of the procession and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” (Mark 11:9-10)

/ / “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” (Luke 19:38)

/ / The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:10-11)

/ / Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him - because they had heard about this miraculous sign. (John 12:17-18)

/ / Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!” (John 12:19)

/ / ...some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”

He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:38-40)

/ / So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples. (Mark 11:11)

This is a pretty cool little story.

And sometimes, you read things in the gospel accounts that specifically say, “He did this to fulfill prophecy.” And we can ask the question, “Did he do this knowing the prophecy and so he did that intentionally to fulfill it?” or, did he do it, and in doing it, fulfill prophecy and the writer is simply pointing that out?

And I think the answer to that question doesn’t change the importance, to be honest. I don’t think it’s any less important knowing Jesus knew the prophecy and did it to fulfill it, or if he did it not knowing, but as a result fulfilled prophecy. I think there’s something in us that might go, “Ya, but if he knew it, then is it meaningful? He did it so that he could say prophecy was fulfilled...” Well, he knew they were going to kill him and he went anyway, fulfilling prophecy, so I would say that it’s just as powerful wether he knew beforehand or not!

But it’s like this story comes and goes so fast. He’s walking past Bethany, gets a donkey, rides into the city, stops at the temple for a few minutes, and then leaves and goes back to Bethany.

Why?

To fulfill prophecy?

To insight the Pharisees to violence?

To start the events of the week that would lead to his crucifixion?

Yes. I think yes to all of those things. And probably more! Palm Sunday is a fulfillment of prophecy. Palm Sunday is part of the last straw for the Pharisees. This triumphant entry with the entire city in an uproar to worship the King of Israel. And Yes, it is the beginning of what is called Passion week - the week in which he would die.

Let’s face it. Jesus is a bit of an instigator.

Sure, he leaves the temple on Sunday, but he goes back on Monday and walks into the temple and starts flipping tables and driving out the people selling animals and the money changes. Makes a pretty big scene.

How many times did he say things to the Pharisees that left them plotting to kill him?

And this week is not an ordinary week. This is the beginning of Passover week, and this is important for the overall story. It’s estimated that the population of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus was 30 - 40,000 people (some historians disagree - some say more, some say less), but for a festival like Passover, there were three festivals a year where God had told Israel that they must be celebrated in Jerusalem, and so the number of people in the city would swell by anywhere from 200,000 to a Million additional people. Again, there’s some play in there as to which historian you are reading. But never the less, even if we take the most conservative number there, a population of 30,000 add 200,000 visitors, and you’re left with a mass of 230,000 people.

So, imagine Jesus riding into the city and this is what Matthew writes, / / The entire city was in an uproar! Luke writes that they were shouting, / / “Blessings on the KING who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Mark says “Blessings on the one” but Matthew says “Blessings on the King!”

He also quotes the OT prophecy as, “Behold, your king is coming to you...”

So even if some translations don’t use the word King, the sentiment is the same. The ESV says “Hosanna to the Son of David!”… Well, the Messiah was said to come from the line of David, who they regarded as the greatest King of Israel. And this Messiah would sit again on David’s throne and reestablish the kingdom of Israel.

Imagine, 200,000 people cheering for you to be King!

But what I think Palm Sunday does more than anything else. Yes, it fulfills prophecy, yes, it pushes the Pharisees to a breaking point, and yes, it is part of this journey toward the cross, but I think more than any of that, / / Palm Sunday reminds us of the reason Jesus came.

What are we talking about in this series? Love, right? The UnConditional love of God experienced through the Love of the Father, poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us because of the Expressed love of God through the journey to the cross by Jesus Christ. The whole of the Trinity involved in this gift of love.

The fascinating thing about Palm Sunday is the mentality of the people. They seem ready to crown Jesus in the hopes that he would liberate them from the oppression of Roman occupation.

We have a friend that posted on Facebook this week asking the question, “Why do we celebrate Palm Sunday? Isn’t this very group of people praising Jesus the same ones who in only 5 days completely abandon this one who they are calling King and turn him over to watch him be beaten and dragged through the streets all while yelling ‘Crucify Him’, where they seemed ready to crown him and were yelling, ‘praise him’ days earlier?”

Her point was, if we identify Palm Sunday with this crowd of people waving palm branches, celebrating their king, but only a few days later cursing him and like an angry mob yelling “crucify him”, is that something we really want to identify ourselves with - this group of people who display such betrayal?

Great question in my opinion. And so I responded to this thought and said, this is exactly WHY I celebrate Palm Sunday. Not because they were rejoicing in the streets but because of the contrast of natures that Jesus expressed in his riding in on a donkey.

And I’ll expand on this, but first, we have to ask the question./ / What were the people looking for? Why were they so ready, it seems, to crown him king?

Exactly what I said a bit ago, Matthew 21:4 says, / / This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey...’”

See, if the people are truly hopeful that Jesus is the Messiah, If they have any kind of notion that this might be the savior they have been praying for and waiting for, then this prophecy, and many others, will inform their ideas of what to expect.

Now, us looking back at this 2000 years later - we have the whole story. We understand now that this is not about the moment in time, but about a moment for all time, for all people. This was not a moment of salvation for the immediate story - this was an eternal moment.

But here’s the thing, they weren’t looking for an eternal event, or a savior of the world. They were looking for a King to restore Israel. To restore the throne. To restore the kingdom. To get rid of Rome.

Now, I’ve talked about this before, the probability of Jesus being the Messiah, based on prophecy in the Old Testament that he fulfills through his life. A study was done by a mathematician named Peter Stoner at Westmont College where he and his students calculated that of the major prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah, the probability of one person fulfilling just 8 of the most popular, or well known, was / / 1:10^17. That’s a 1 with 17 zero’s behind it. That’s the probability that someone fulfills just 8 of the major prophecies. 1:100,000,000,000,000,000. That is a 1 in 100 quadrillion chance.

To put that into perspective, that is like taking 100 quadrillion silver dollar coins and taking a sharpie and putting an “x” on just one of them. Then you take all of them, stack them 2 feet high, the area that would cover would be the entire state of Texas....2 feet high. That’s how big that number is. Now, you get 1 chance to pick that 1 coin that has the x on it.

Let’s put it into seconds, just because I don’t think we get how big of a number that actually is…100 quadrillion seconds. Do you know how many years that is?

/ / 3,170,979,198 YEARS!

Ok, so 1:100 Quadrillion chance… That’s the likelihood that Jesus fulfills just 8 of the major Old Testament prophecies.

But they didn’t stop there, they asked, what if he could fulfil 48, 6x that number. I don’t think we have a name for the number, it’s 1:10^157. That’s a 1 with 157 zero’s behind it. Let’s forget trying to figure this out in silver dollar coins in the state of Texas. The point is, it’s impossible.

But here’s the thing. Jesus didn’t fulfill 8, or even 48, but there are over 300 verses in the Old Testament in reference to the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled.

Jesus says to his disciples in Luke 24:44-47, / / And this is after he’s been raised from the dead, but he’s talking about before all of this happens, while he’s still alive, he says, “When I was with you before [before they killed me and I didn’t stay dead], I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

And there’s this “ah-ha” moment where they’re like, “oohhhhhhhhh........”

It’s like they finally get it - they had just mis-interpreted what it meant. They say hindsight is 20/20 right? Meaning, on this side of the resurrection, and especially for us 2000 years later, we can see and maybe a little easier, connect the dots.

And so Peter Stoner, this mathematician that figured all those numbers out. He came to this conclusion and said, / / “Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting the fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.”

Now, maybe they didn’t get all of them. Maybe it took him “opening their minds” to truly see all of it. But if those 200,000 people had any idea that maybe just maybe Jesus was the Messiah, they were drawing on these 300+ scriptures that spoke of a king, a redeemer, a savior from the lineage of King David, the greatest king of Israel...

Matthew 21:4, that quotes the prophecy, “Look, your King is coming to you...” is from the book of Isaiah, and it continues with, / / “They will be called ‘The Holy People’ and ‘The People Redeemed by the Lord.” And Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Desirable Place’ and ‘The City No Longer Forsaken.’”

No wonder they were excited! This is what they’ve been hoping for!

It’s important to recognize the time frame they are in. Before Jesus was born they are on the heals of what is called the 400 years of silence. No major prophets, no new words from God. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, was written about 430 BC, that’s roughly 460 years before this point where Jesus is riding into Jerusalem. This prophet, Malachi says two things, Malachi 3:1 says, / / “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.” and Malachi 4:5 says, / / “Look! I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”

Well Jesus said of this scripture in Matthew 11:10, 14, / / John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer to when they say, [Malachi 3:1]. And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.

This is where they are at in time. Jesus is saying he’s the Messiah. Prophecy seems to be lining up with that.

Now, we’re asking, / / If Jesus is the Messiah, what does that mean?

Well, if Jesus IS the Messiah then surely he’s here to right all of the wrongs, right?

He’s here to usher in this era where Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable place, the city no longer forsake. This must mean Israel will be called the people redeemed by the Lord, as the prophets have told, right?

The nearly 100 years of Roman occupation must be coming to an end.

If Jesus is the Messiah, surely he is here to rescue us, right?

Is he not the King we have been waiting for?

Is he not the savior of Israel, the redeemer of God’s people?

Will he not drive out the soldiers of Rome, the dictators who have been holding us down?

It must be time for Israel to rise again, for Jerusalem to be ours once again, no longer forsaken!

And here he is, riding into the city on a donkey, behold, your king, lowly and humble, riding a donkey’s colt.... and the city is in an uproar, “Praise God for the Son of David!”

And here is where we get into some issues. I think the church, and I would say especially the western, or even more specifically the American way of viewing church, is not so different than the people waiting in Jerusalem on that day that Jesus rode in to their city.

So, I want to ask two questions this morning of us. Not looking back and asking it of those people in Jerusalem, but asking these questions of us.

/ / 1. What kind of Messiah are you looking for?

What kind of Messiah am I looking for? Are we like those cheering for a militant king that will free you from all of your hardship and suffering and usher in the days of redemption and victory?

I am going to tread very carefully here, because I don’t want to be misunderstood.

But, we have a tendency to want Jesus to vanquish the enemies of our lives before we want him to die for them. We want to be proven right, before we are willing to be humble. We want to rise above instead of lay down.

What kind of Messiah am I looking for?

For me, the most fascinating part about Palm Sunday is that / / Jesus, through his actions, is the complete opposite of what the people were looking for.

They were looking for a warrior - they got a humble servant.

They were looking for a king - they got a sacrifice.

They were looking for freedom from oppression in life - they got eternal freedom after death.

Jesus does not always save you from your situation. Ask anyone who has ever died for the gospel. Ask anyone who has ever died from a disease. Ask anyone who has ever suffered without being saved from the suffering.

But here is the truth you have to embrace and understand - That does not change the power or the purpose of Jesus Christ.

The power and purpose of Jesus Christ is Not Palm Sunday. It’s not even Good Friday. As we will celebrate next Sunday, it is in the resurrection AFTER death!

Jesus did not die so that you could be free from all of human suffering.

In John 16 Jesus is talking to his disciples. This is in what is called the final discourse, John 14-17, the last moments of Jesus’ life before he goes to the cross. And he’s been talking to them about the fact that he is going to die, but he will be raised again.

The disciples were so convinced things were meant to be like what they saw on Palm Sunday that they couldn’t comprehend what Jesus meant when he told them very obviously, very plainly on multiple occasions that he was going to be killed. It just did not compute. They were looking for their King David Messiah that would save them from all trials and sorrows. But listen to what Jesus says after explaining how he’s going to go about things differently. He says in John 16:33, / / “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Have you ever heard about the constructive criticism through the cookie sandwich method? That’s basically what Jesus is doing here.... you have a cookie on the top, something sweet, something kind, something nice, what you like about the person. Then you have what needs to be fixed or changed, or the hard conversation, and then you wrap it up with something nice again…it’s the cookie sandwich.

I’ve told you this so you can have peace....

Because you’re going to go through many trials and sorrows....

But take heart [be of good cheer / courage] I have overcome the world...

What kind of Messiah are you looking for?

John 15:18, Jesus said to his disciples, / / “If the world hates you, remember, it hated me first.”

What???

John 15:20, / / “Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you… They will do all this to you because of me...”

But you’re here to set us free, right?

You’re here to bring us victory in all of our problems and trials and sorrows?

I wont ever have to be sad, or worried, or troubled, or deal with bad things?

John 16:1, / / “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.”

Now, listen, I’m not saying you’re going to be killed. But I do think that it’s a bit ridiculous that at the first sign of push back in our society, which is nowhere near being thrown out of the church, let alone being killed, we get so worked up and thrown out of sorts, and we’re waiting for a Messiah who will come and rescue us from the pain and sorrow we are suffering.

I am not putting down, or diminishing any suffering or pain you may be going through. It is real. I get that. I have problems too. And sometimes I forget that most of my problems are first world problems and I need a reminder of reality. Again, not diminishing anything you are going through. We all have different journeys and go through different things.

The point is this. Listen to how Jesus frames all of this.

I’m telling you these things so you won’t abandon your faith.

I’m telling you these things so you will have peace.

I’m telling you this so you can take heart, have courage, because what I’m about to do will change everything for all of eternity.

Not like you think. Not in the way you think I will. But for all eternity I have overcome the world.

What fascinates me is that / / if the people of Israel would have got what they wanted in the moment, they would have missed what they needed for eternity.

And I think sometimes we’re not so different in our thinking.

If they got Jesus as King, and he reestablishes the throne and kingdom of Israel. And he’s king for the next 50 years, and sets up a dynasty, the likes of which the world has never seen. And he dies of a ripe old age and leaves his kingdom to his son who will continue his reign..... Read the Old Testament. King David, even regarded as the greatest king, it was 2 generations before all of Israel falls apart and Judah splits off to be a separate nation and corruption infiltrates the very core of the kingdoms over and over and over again.

I hate to say it, because we all want it, but the Messiah you want is not the solver of your immediate problems. He’s not just a fixer.

The Messiah you need is the one who gives his life as a sacrifice so that you can be free for all of eternity, regardless of what you may or may not suffer in this life, you will have a hope in Him!

Having the belief that God will save you from every situation you go through will give you an ungodly expectation of his salvation and if and when that salvation does not come your faith will be torn apart because the God of the Universe didn’t live up to the god of your expectations.

Hear me this morning.

I believe in healing.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in deliverance.

I believe in God setting people free from any and every small, medium or large situation they may be going through in their lives.

100%

I pray for it, you need to be praying for it. We need to believe God can and will move in our midst. And there’s no denying it because we’ve already seen it! We’ve seen God do miracles. So had the disciples, and here he is telling them to expect trial and sorrow.

/ / My faith and my salvation are not based on whether or not I am experiencing freedom in the moment, they are based on the finished work of the cross and the promise that I will experience freedom for all of eternity!

My hope is not in my immediate deliverance, but my eternal salvation.

Do I continue to pray? Yes.

Do I continue to believe? Absolutely.

Is it lack of faith or doubt? No, it’s belief in the words that Jesus spoke.

In this life I will experience trial and sorrow, BUT, that does not define me, and that does not need to tear me apart. Because in Him I have both peace, and assurance that He has and will overcome!

What kind of Messiah are you looking for? And are you offended by, or is your hope broken, if the messiah of your expectation doesn’t follow through in doing what you think He should do in your life?

But take heart. Meaning. Have joy. Meaning. Have peace. Meaning. Don’t let it get you down.

The point of all of that is not to say, “So don’t get your hopes up.” But rather, “Put your hope in the right place.”

/ / When you have your hope in Christ there is no thing you cannot endure.

St Isaac of Nineveh said, “…those whose confidence is in God are stout of heart.”

Paul prayed in Romans 15:13, / / I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 4:14-18, / / We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

A whole culture of people have missed out on the Messiah, Jesus Christ, because they could not see him for who he was - the humble servant riding on the donkey - because they were waiting for a victorious military leader riding on a great horse to the palace gates.

And so my second question for us this morning is this:

/ / 2. What kind of follower will you be?

For this I want to move a few days past Palm Sunday and we’re going to find ourselves standing in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus has led his disciples there. He’s been praying, asking God if there is any way to not have to die, he would prefer that, but knowing it was the only way, he chooses to follow the plan and will of God. Judas has gone and been bribed by the religious leaders to betray Jesus and that’s where we are picking up this story. Again, reading the story from multiple gospel accounts, I’ve pieced it together.

/ / The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. (John 18:3)

/ / The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. (Matthew 26:48-49)

/ / [They] grabbed Jesus and arrested him. (Matthew 26:50)

/ / Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” (John 18:10-11)

/ / And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51)

/ / “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” (Matthew 26:52-53)

/ / Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.” (Luke 22:52-53)

/ / “…this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” (Matthew 26:56)

So, my question is, / / what kind of follower will you be?

Jesus says very clearly to Peter, if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword.

Even in what he says to those who have come to arrest him, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary?”

In just a few moments he will be standing before the Roman leaders who will ask if the Jewish people want to release Jesus, or Barabbas, who actually was a revolutionary… And they choose Barabbas. They know the difference. This isn’t about Jesus being a militant King, it’s about him NOT being the militant King.

Do you see what they want? They wanted the revolutionary....not the humble servant riding on a donkey!

It’s about Jesus NOT being what they expected. He’s NOT the Messiah they were hoping for.

He’s too good. Too kind. Too forgiving. Too merciful. He’s too humble. He sides with the oppressed and the marginalized more than he does with the religious leaders and those who think they are doing it “right”.

And here, he tells Peter, put the sword away. This isn’t how it’s going to happen. We aren’t mounting a revolt. I’m not the king you’re looking for. I’m the sacrifice that will set all things right for all eternity.

So, what kind of follower will you be?

Man, I tell you, I want to pick up the sword some days. Maybe even most days.

How dare you attack my religion. How dare you push your views and agendas that don’t line up with mine. How dare you reject the King who is Jesus. How dare you reject my Messiah.

And here Jesus is, saying, “It’s ok Peter, I’ll lay my life down for them too...”

/ / In our zeal to present Jesus Christ as the King of Kings, we can completely misrepresent him as the humble servant who died for humanity.

If the world will know we are his followers by the way we love as he loves, as we have looked at in the last few weeks, then do we live by the sword, or do we live by humble, sacrificial love?

If Jesus is the humble servant, and he’s called us to follow in his way, and to follow his teaching, and to love like he loves, then we have to reevaluate what it means to live as followers of this humble servant.

/ / Do we live by the sword, or do we model humble, sacrificial love?

If you’re anything like me, and you recognize that more often than not your instinct is to grab a sword instead of walk the road of humility, I want to invite you to respond to this invitation of Jesus this morning.

Whatever that looks like for you. I come from a culture of what we call “Alter Calls” where you’re invited to come to the front as a response to an invitation. Or sometimes to stand, or raise your hand. All of that is good, and sometimes appropriate. But whether you do or do not, God sees our hearts more than anything else. And I believe the invitation is from Him this morning.

/ / What kind of Messiah are you looking for, and How will you follow Him?