Palm Sunday - Year A

Welcome Statement

Today begins what is traditionally called Holy Week. It represents the sacred time leading up to Jesus becoming the perfect sacrifice, the paschal lamb, to atone for all sins, and to redeem us from death. We all remember those old words “Hosanna in the highest”. But why is it that Jesus goes through this procession? What is the meaning behind it? What does it mean for us today? We have to first start in the old testament, to see where this is prophecied about in Psalm 118. To give some context around Psalm 118, in some traditions that refer to it in the latin, it is called the Confitemini Domino, which means Give Thanks to, or confess to the lord. I find it peculiar and interesting that in this way, our giving thanks and our confessions to him, are synonymous with one another. That we can’t give thanks without giving into his mercy, and that we can’t confess without also giving thanks, is a neat idea. Almost all of the psalms but one, all go between this sort of confession and then thanks or vice-versa. We see reconciliation after confession. Psalm 118 is a part of the the Hallel Psalms, in Jewish tradition these are the psalms read during major jewish festivals like Passover. This one in particular is a thanksgiving psalm used during processions.

We will see, that in a way, this is narrating theologically what Jesus is doing as he goes towards the temple.

Old Testament Reading - Psalm 118:1-2; 19-29

Psalm 118:1–2 NRSV

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:19–29 NRSV

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus as the Humble King

words

Misunderstood Savior

The crowd recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and Savior

They do not understand this salvation is not through

Military Upheaval and rebellion against Rome

Restoration of the Physical Kingdom of Israel at that moment in time

It is through

Suffering and vindication

Humility and rejection

Surrendering and serving

The prophet Zechariah proclaims this quite clearly in Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 NRSV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

New Testament Reading - Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21:1–11 NRSV

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

In The Name of...Bearing the divine name

One peculiar thing that has went over my head over the years, is this phrase “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the lord”. Now in a medieval sense, this is like someone saying I come on behalf of, or in the name of this organization or this person, so it is true Jesus is the as the acting authority of Adonai (YHWH). This bearing of the name means the authority is authentic and real, it is the same authority that was given to Prophets and priests. But what is peculiar about Jesus is, this concept that he actually bears the divine name himself, as if it resides in him, inscribed. What I mean is, Recall how I’ve talked in the past about the Angel of the Lord, how the Angel of the lord speaks on behalf of God, but talks as if he IS God. A lot of people interpret the angel of the Lord as a pre-incarnational showing of Jesus. Even if he isn’t it shows that God isn’t just the Father. He’s more than that.

Jesus Reveals in John through statements “I AM” that he shares in the divine name, he doesn’t simply wear it like a logo, it is inscribed on him, because it is HIM, he and the father are one. YHWH translated simply means, I am who I am, God just is who he is, meaning there is nothing that can really pin down the entirety of him. So we know through this Jesus comes as the King acting on behalf of the Father, but he is one with the father, making him God incarnate. Jesus embodies all of it: * Prophets speak ing Gods names

Kings Rule in Gods name

and Priests serve before God’s name

Jesus does all three and more, because he is what is behind Gods name, he is Lord of Lords.

Rejected Cornerstone

This term, cornerstone, is increasingly important here. If you look on old United Brethren churches before their merger with the United Methodists, a lot of times they will have a cornerstone with their groundbreaking date. It becomes interesting how important a cornerstone is, it is foundational kind of like in a game of jenga, one block missing at the bottom, and you risk falling over. Jesus is the cornerstone the people eventually reject. This procession is beautiful, but Jesus also weeps before even entering Jerusalem, because he knows the people will not understand.

Is Jesus the King we want or the one we need?

I have noticed in recent years especially, although humans have always had this tendency, this tendency to reduce Christ’s Kingship as something to dominate others, or to beat others over with. Christ does come with a sword, to defeat death, and to defeat all idols, but the sword isn’t pointed towards people, it’s towards the branches that need pruning. God’s wrath is definitely real, it is a real thing we see in the Old Testament, and come out in Jesus’s own anger in select moments of his ministry, but it is something we cannot claim as our own. What I’m getting at is this. We have the tendency to stick to one side of the coin, or one angle of who Jesus is. For a lot of us, this is the Jesus that saves through that personal relationship. Jesus as savior isn’t the only part of Jesus though. Once we are saved, it doesn’t end there. He becomes King over all parts of our lives. He doesn’t just defeat death, he weeps with us as we struggle like Job, he carries burdens with us, and he also convicts us to help others. We have the bad tendency to shape God into our broken image, a warped golden Calf, where God just so happens to be on our team in all of our goals or opinions or convictions. The thing is, we must be reminded, Jesus Christ’s Kingdom is an upside-down one, and he isn’t just simply a man who owns a country, rather, he is the creator of the universe, all governments, all people, all things, are alive at his mercy. What is killing us today, is this failure to recognize Christ must intercede in all facets of our lives, we must begin to let him take dominion over our suffering, let him vanquish the evil that holds us back, and show us how to be more like him. Again, he doesn’t do this with a sword in the literal sense, he does it in humility, on a colt, a donkey. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, when we reduce his Kingship to only spiritual or only physical, we collapse how complicated and beautiful the Heavenly Kingdom is supposed to be.

Closing Statement

Jesus is in the real sense, a King, but he is also savior, his Kingship is not one that is done through violent subjugation, but through compassionate comradery. We think we need to fight for jesus, when in reality we need to surrender to Jesus, and recognize he’s been fighting for us this entire time while we fight and argue with one another.

Jesus didn’t tell us to tell the good news while he laid on a couch drinking wine and eating grapes, he went barefooted, with a crown of thorns, blood on his face, barely able to walk. He drank the cup of wrath, he refused to let humanity walk into the darkness alone. With authority that could only come from God alone, he shook the gates of hell, he burrowed through them, and ripped out those who held onto the belief that God would one day save them. Jesus is inviting us to let him be our healer, to be our heart, to be everything we are called to be. His compassion, is what should move us to recognize his kingship, his words are backed by his actions, he is the real deal, he is the only King in history worthy of worship, and actually authentic, all other leaders who claim authority, stand on hollow ground, Jesus’s foundation is in the father, it’s time to trust him, and accept our freedom from the bondage of sin. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, adfs asdfa

Amen.

Doxology / Benediction / Closing

May you Have a Blessed Sunday, and rest of your Week! Amen!