Palm Sunday - When the Good Life Comes to You
Notes
Transcript
Palm Sunday – When the Good Life Comes to You
The Good Life is found with King Jesus and under his authority.
Reading during service: Luke 19:28-20:8 (Or shorter version: Luke 19:37-42, 47-20:8)
Introduction
What does it mean to be a real winner?
Easter is a time to ask the very biggest questions!
Questions like this:
What is The Good Life?
And how can we find it and have it?
Dive with us into the events of the Easter, and you’ll find yourself right on the verge of it!
Let’s begin in Jerusalem a week before Jesus died:
28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 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. 38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” 41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.” 45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” 47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.
Jesus and Popularity
Some say that popularity is essential to the Good Life.
Lots of friends; everyone speaking well of you.
But there are mixed reviews for Jesus here, aren’t there?
Some are greeting him with exuberant praise.
Others, though, are opposing him, despising him, and looking for a way to kill him!
When told to rebuke his disciples, Jesus said ‘If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!’
It is fascinating that the Apostle Paul would later write to the Romans in Romans 8:21-22 that all of creation groans as in pains of childbirth, longing to be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom.
The whole universe is longing for the Good Life, longing to be brought back into harmony and sustainability.
But Jesus’ own connection to the Good Life was not based on popularity.
He maintained it even in the very face of vehement hatred.
He didn’t see himself as rising and falling on the opinions of others.
He’d be the rightful Lord even if the whole planet rejected him!
We Don’t Make Him Lord
And this is something you simply have to really wrestle through, to find the Good Life:
It’s not something we create for ourselves.
We don’t make it – it comes to us and we can receive or reject it.
When you think about it, this is very good news.
Especially for those who don’t have a lot to offer.
We don’t enthrone Jesus.
We don’t make him Lord of our lives.
That would make us Lord of the Lord!
When Christians use that language, what we’re really saying is that we acknowledge him and submit to him.
We can approve or disapprove of Jesus being Lord, but ultimately every knee will bow…
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We don’t ‘invite him into our lives’ – the truth is that we are invited into his life.
This is much bigger and much better news!
But it’s confronting,
Because it means that he’s at the centre, not you or me.
Think, even, of his famous words in Revelation 3: ‘Here I am, I stand at the door and knock.’
You might think that the issue is whether you’re going to invite him in.
But that’s not actually how invitations work, is it?
You invite a friend over, and then they come to your door.
But Jesus has ALREADY ARRIVED at your door!
He’s here – and he’s making an invitation
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
‘Open up.
Bring down your barrier.
Let’s eat together.’
If only the people in Jerusalem had known what would bring them peace!
I wonder whether you know?
Don’t let it be said about you, ‘If only they’d known what would bring themr peace.’ What would bring them into the Good Life.
[A STORY of your own may break the moment well here – about someone knocking at the door?]
47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said. 1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” 3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” 5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know. 8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
So Jesus has entered – he’s entered the temple – and he’s taken it over, reforming it’s unhealthy practices and teaching every day.
He’s leading it into the Good Life.
Just as he wants to with the temple that is your body.
And so his authority is challenged – “Who gave you the right to come in here and throw your weight around?”
Said some leaders, throwing their weight around!
Notice how Jesus doesn’t give a defence, but switches it back on them: “John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or made up by humans?”
John the Baptist had turned up, offering baptism of repentance to God, three years earlier.
Like Jesus at the door knocking, like the coming of the kingdom of God, they didn’t ask for him or arrange it.
He just came with an invitation, and so many of the crowds took it up, showing hearts open to God.
But these leaders hadn’t.
And they dodge Jesus’ question.
And it is THE BIG QUESTION:
Is all this, the kingdom of God, Christianity – is it from God, or just made up by humans?
If Jesus was just another human with just another set of ideas (like Einstein, Mozart) – you can take them / leave them as suits you.
But if Jesus has authority – if he is God himself come down among us – it’s different.
So look into the evidence – you’ll find a lot!
But let’s also ask:
How does Jesus Authority lead us into The Good Life?
We often think of freedom as being out from under any other authority – fully autonomous!
Entirely able to do our own thing.
But today look hard at the nature of Jesus’ authority – how does he use it and what does he use it for?
His authority is used to free people.
Healing.
Driving out demons etc.
If you travel to one of the more lawless places in the world – freedom is not about getting out on your own.
That would be very stupid and potentially fatal.
If you have a strong and street-wise friend who’ll defend and guide you, you’ll be able to do a lot more, not less.
Yet so many shrug off Jesus and go it alone in life, and then quickly find themselves trapped and enslaved by one thing or another.
Jesus shows again and again that The Good Life is with him.
He is never manipulating people or keeping them down.
Quite the opposite.
We find Jesus empowering and defending people
In Mark 14:6
Jesus defends the woman who annointed him with expensive perfume when others only wanted to criticise her, ‘She’s done a beautiful thing’ Jeus said’.
In Luke 10:38, Jesus defends Mary from her sisters criticism when Martha was focused on task not relationship as Mary was.
And later this very week, this King will take off his outer garment, wrap a towel around his waist, get down on the floor, and wash his friends’ feet.
Tell me: Which room would you rather be in?
One in which everyone was completely unrestrained.
No rules, no obligations, no authority etc?
Or one in which everyone in that room had a strong sense of duty to look after each other and freedom to do that creatively?
Which world would you rather live in?
Because the Good Life is right at the door, for all those who will open their lives to King Jesus.
