Disappointing King

On Christmas Day in the year 800AD, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, and part of the Carolingian line, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. The coronation took place during mass at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. Immediately following the coronation, the acclamation of the people of Rome was heard: “To Charles, the most pious Augustus, crowned by God, the great and peace-giving Emperor, life and victory.” After this proclamation was made three times, the king was ‘adorned by the pope in the manner of ancient princes; and, Charlemagne created the Holy Roman Empire, which endured until 1806.

Have you heard of Napoleon Bonaparte? Napoleon came from the same Carolignian line a little over 1,000 years ago and at his coronation on Dec. 2, 1804, Napoleon tried to make his bigger and better than any that had come before him. In fact, it is estimated that his coronation festivities cost 8.5 million francs.

Napoleon wanted to establish legitimacy of his Imperial reign, with its new royal family and new nobility. Therefore, he designed a new coronation ceremony that was unlike the ceremony used for the kings of France. In the traditional coronation, kings underwent a ceremony of consecration rather than a coronation; in consecration, anointment was conferred by the archbishop of Reims in Notre-Dame de Reims. Napoleon's was a sacred ceremony held in the great cathedral in the presence of the Pope Pius VII. Napoleon brought together an assortment of different rites and customs, incorporating aspects of Carolingian tradition, the ancien régime and the French Revolution, all presented in sumptuous luxury. According to government tallies, the entire cost was over 8.5 million francs.

Everything started at 9 a.m. with a parade, horsed drawn carriages, royal guards, everything...An unmanned balloon, ablaze with three thousand lights in an imperial crown pattern, was launched from the front of Notre Dame during the celebration.

Before entering Notre Dame, Napoleon was vested in a long white satin tunic embroidered in gold thread and Josephine similarly wore a white satin empire style dress embroidered in gold thread. During the coronation he was formally clothed in a heavy coronation mantle, made from crimson velvet and lined with ermine; The mantle weighed at least eighty pounds and was supported by four dignitaries. There were two orchestras with four choruses, numerous military bands playing heroic marches, and over three hundred musicians along with a 400 voice choir!

Napoleon took the crown from the pope and crowned himself!

These are only two examples from history. Here’s the point. Every king in history that has been crowned with pomp and circumstance, with royalty and regalia has died…their empires have ended.

Set up - what were the Jews expecting?

Luke 19:28 ESV

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem - the site of the coronation. You can almost feel the excitement building, can’t you?

Luke 19:29–40 ESV

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.”

Luke 19:29–40 ESV

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.”

THIS MORNING, I WANT TO US TO LOOK AT THIS PASSAGE AND SEE THAT SOMETIMES OUR EXPECTATIONS DON’T ALWAYS MATCH REALITY.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2014 - CRACKER BARREL, IHOP, WAFFLE HOUSE, DENNY’S

The Jews expected a king that would lead an insurrection. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

The Jews wanted a king that would lead an insurrection. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

They expected a Messiah - King - who would roll into Jerusalem and forcibly remove the Romans. They wanted to rally behind a leader who would help them overthrow the oppressors.

This is a fulfillment of the prophecy of

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

A king riding into town on the back of a donkey? In ancient times, kings who came to make war rode into towns on the back of a horse. Those kings who came in peace, however, came riding on the back of a donkey.

The Jews expected a king of earthly royalty. Jesus is a humble King.

Laying cloaks down on the ground was a symbol of royalty…

2 Kings 9:13 ESV

Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”

Go back to - “lowly/humble and on a donkey”

The Jews expected victory through conquering. Jesus won victory through death.

His victory would come through his death…victory - not over the Romans but over sin & death.

The Jews expected a king to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God.

Jerusalem would not be his kingdom - the nations would be!

OUR EXPECTATIONS - WHEN WE MISS THE POINT - YESTERDAY - LITTLE BOY HAD NO IDEA THAT EASTER WAS ABOUT JESUS - “DID JESUS INVENT THE EASTER BUNNY?”

Luke 19:41–44 ESV

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.”

In the midst of all this celebration, all this pomp, all this partying/parading, Jesus is weeping. First of all, do you think anyone noticed he was weeping? Were they so caught up in their celebration and excitement that they had no idea? Were they so blinded by their own ambition? If they did see, can you imagine what everyone is thinking? What is wrong with this guy?

Listen to the words of N.T. Wright, in his book, “Simply Jesus,”

“As Jesus was going along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. When he came to the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to celebrate and praise God at the tops of their voices. The crowd went wild as he got nearer. This was the moment they’d been waiting for. All the old songs came flooding back, and they were singing, chanting, cheering, and laughing. At last their dreams were going to come true.

But in the middle of it all their leader wasn’t singing. Yes, their dreams were indeed coming true. But not in the way they had imagined.

He was not the king they expected. He wasn’t like the monarchs of old who sat on their jeweled and ivory thrones, dispensing their justice and wisdom. Nor was he the great warrior-king some had wanted. He didn’t raise an army and ride into battle at its head. He was riding on a donkey. And he was weeping, weeping for the dream that had to die, weeping for the sword that would pierce his supporters to the soul. Weeping for the kingdom that wasn’t coming as well as for the kingdom that was.”

Here’s the problem - they missed the point completely. Their expectations did not match up with reality. They didn’t get to set the agenda. They didn’t get to define Jesus’s mission and purpose. They weren’t expecting a humble servant who would come to serve not be served. They weren’t expecting a suffering servant who would love his enemies and die for his enemies rather than kill them. They weren’t expecting a king who would bring peace through love and justice rather than with the sword.

It is entirely possible to see Jesus, recognize Jesus, sing the praises of Jesus, treat him the way you’re supposed to treat him and still completely miss him/miss the point!

It is entirely possible to see Jesus, recognize Jesus, sing the praises of Jesus, treat him the way you’re supposed to treat him and still miss him for who he is.

It’s entirely possible to have false expectations of who you and I think Jesus should be and how He should be and still miss him completely. What do I mean?

Jesus is not simply the leader of a religious movement. He is not merely a benevolent man who went around doing a whole bunch of charitable deeds. It is so easy and so common for us to make Jesus say what we want him to say and be who/what makes us comfortable. What do I mean?

Liberals - a socialist who went around handing out free stuff, doing a bunch of good deeds, totally loving (definition - being ok and affirming) people and their lifestyle - no matter what it was - never calling it sin as long as they are happy.

Conservatives have made Jesus some white, middle class, blue collar Republican that wouldn’t watch any other news channel but Fox News. He’s ok with my drinking, partying, living life like the world as long as I’m a good and decent person and I’m in church more Sunday’s out of the year than I’m not.

Liberals - a socialist who went around handing out free stuff, doing a bunch of good deeds, totally loving (definition - being ok and affirming) people and their lifestyle - no matter what it was - never calling it sin as long as they are happy.

In rejecting Jesus, the Jews were rejecting God…rejecting salvation.

Southern Jesus - we’ve concocted myths about who Jesus is and why he came.

Jesus didn’t come to gain fans. He came to gather followers.

The Message of Luke d. The Kingdom Must Reach to the Ends of the Earth (19:39–44)

God has given his only Son to die on the cross. By virtue of that death, he offers to the hearts of men salvation from sin and a new life. Then he gives them the centuries of Christian history in which to proclaim that salvation far and wide; for it is of the whole world that he will one day be Saviour and King.

The Gospel of Luke The Pity and the Anger of Jesus (Luke 19:41–8)

The tragedy was that if only they had abandoned their dreams of political power and taken the way that Jesus offered it need never have happened.

The tears of Jesus are the tears of God when he sees the needless pain and suffering in which men and women involve themselves through foolish rebelling against his will.

In rejecting Jesus, the Jews were rejecting God…rejecting salvation.

Jesus isn’t interested in being a “good influence” in my life. He came to be King of my life.

Southern Jesus - we’ve concocted myths about who Jesus is and why he came.

Athletes..US…kind of serve as a moral compass…be my “co-pilot” in life. No. He came to steer the ship. He came to be captain and commander and Lord and King.

Two thrones on every heart.

Some of you will remember a lady named Emily Post - the Queen of Etiquette. Someone once wrote her asking what the proper etiquette of declining if the President of the United States sent you a dinner invitation but you had a prior engagement that you could not back out of. “How do you decline the President?” the man wanted to know? Emily Post responded, “An invitation to dine at the White House is not an invitation. It is a command. It automatically cancels out any other engagement.

The nation of Israel/the Jewish people would suffer greatly as a result of their rejection of King Jesus. The prophecy Jesus makes here of Jerusalem’s destruction actually came to pass in 70AD when the Romans destroyed the city.

When we reject Jesus as king of our lives, when we decide we’re going to make Jesus be who WE want him to be…what makes us comfortable and WE assume kingship in our lives…we make a mess of our life…sin brings our life, our relationships, EVERYTHING to ruins.

DON’T MISS THIS - IT BREAKS THE HEART OF GOD…he sees the ruins and the brokenness brought about by OUR WAY of doing things and it breaks his heart!

Don’t miss Jesus for who He is. He came to heal, restore, be King of our lives…this is the Kingdom of God - ruling and reigning in the lives of his people.

A FUTURE DESTRUCTION FOR THOSE WHO REJECT