Palm Sunday 2019

Peace

Not political

says, “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it, and said, ‘If you, even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.

John Emphasizes Crowds Perspective:

50,000 in Jerusalem (33AD)

100,000-120,000 during Passover- people were camping out on the hillside villages.

What’s with the Palm Branches?

Not Nationalistic

History:

NIVAC: When the temple was rededicated during the Maccabean era, palms were used in the celebration (; ). In the extrabiblical tradition, palms were used by Levi as a symbol of ruling power (T. Naph. 5:4). During both major wars with Rome, reliefs of palms were stamped on the coins minted by the rebels. Thus this act of celebration is by no means neutral. It symbolizes Israel’s national hopes, now focused on Jesus, being hailed as he enters the city.

“Went out to meet him”= “Common expression used for cities meeting their triumphant, returning king.” NIVAC

“This scene is awash in Jewish political fervor… The Lazarus miracle that fuels the crowd’s enthusiasm is now twisted into something linked to Jerusalem’s political aspirations.” NIVAC

: When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Lack of Understanding

The Challenge of Miracles

Catalyst fo the crowd’s excitement was the raising of Lazarus

Well… Sort of Political

English Standard Version Chapter 12

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Crowd

Pharisee: “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Pharisees Reaction vs. Jesus

“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

What Resurrection Life is NOT

Resurrection and Reaction

Not political

Not Nationalistic

Well… Sort of Political

How is Jesus the Prince of Peace?

Zealots

Nature of Jesus’ Kingdom:

Zealots: Non-military

‘Gentle’ Kingdom: “It will uphold the rights of the vulnerable and the oppressed

Contra Pharisees: Divisive

Contra Crowd: Universal King

Introduction

Centuries old symbol:

Leaf, not the tree

Green, then red- maturing of Canada

Canadian Armed Forces

For centuries the Palm Branch stood for Victory:

Between the Testaments:

Image of Palm Branch matured into a political symbol.

Temple Rededication:

: Taking back a citadel in Jerusalem,

On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred seventy-first year, the Jews entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel.

: Purification of the Temple after the Defeat of Antiochus- Brutal Greek Leader

Carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place.

Stamped coins with Palm branches after both major wars with Rome

Palm Branches: NIVAC: It symbolizes Israel’s national hopes, now focused on Jesus, being hailed as he enters the city.

Palm Branches= Victory

√

Image of Palm Branch matured into a political symbol.

NIVAC: When the temple was rededicated during the Maccabean era, palms were used in the celebration (; ).

Donkey= Peace

Donkey: Symbol of Peace

Symbol of Peace

: “Rejoice greatly, daughter Zion! Shout, daughter Jerusalem! See your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

and the warhorses from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow will be broken.

He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His rule will extend from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

: “Rejoice greatly, daughter Zion! Shout, daughter Jerusalem! See your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim

and the warhorses from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow will be broken.

He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His rule will extend from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Ingredients for a Political Parade

Political Symbols, but for generations they were missing their man! But how did they know? It was obvious! He could raise people from the dead!

Back track: The Coming of the Resurrecting King

John’s Gospel Emphasis: Resurrection of Lazarus

People were waiting for this moment for many generations

Read vss. 9-11: “Many were going away and believing in Jesus”

News was traveling fast:

Jerusalem: Usually 50,000 people.

100,000-120,000 during Passover- people were camping out on the hillside villages.

“Tidal Wave of Political Ferver”

How did they know that Jesus was the man?

What kind of leader is this?

A resurrecting rabbi! One who can raise people from the dead!

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Re-enacting history!

Why

: The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

This is about a Transfer of POWER!

Re-enacting history!

Arrival of the King!

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Arrival of the King!

This is about a Transfer of POWER!

Disciples:

Wide-eyed! Like investing in a stock that skyrocketed and is now priceless.

“My parents would be so proud of my life decisions. They said not to do this, but now look at me!”

Dignified place in history. Put out family back on the map!

Crowd:

Forget the lamb when we have a resurrecting King!

Endless supply of soldiers. Even if we are defeated by Rome, we have all the right ingredient to fulfill the prophets of Old.

Put us back on the map!

Pharisees:

Disciples:

My parents would be so proud of my life decisions. They said not to do this, but now look at me!

Dignified place in history. Put out family back on the map!

Forget the lamb when we have a King!

Endless supply of soldiers

Put us back on the map!

Pharisees:

Greatest risk of losing power:

Disciples: Completely oblivious to what this all meant. Hey, I’m with him. This is good for my career. This is good for my ego. This is good for my future.

Passover. Large crew

Mixed in was this crowd who witnessed Lazarus. In John’s Gospel, hard to underestimate the importance of that miracle.

Anxiety! The Message: “It’s out of control. The world’s in a stampede after him.”

The Pharisees were also there...

The Message: “It’s out of control. The world’s in a stampede after him.”

Reaction to the resurrecting King and all the chaos in the City: “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

All of them misunderstood!

What was really happening? Reality of the Moment:

says, “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it, and said, ‘If you, even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.

No longer hidden!

says, “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it, and said, ‘If you, even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.

Not political

Not Nationalistic

Well… Sort of Political

What is the Kingdom?

Not about pride, politics, or power.

Kingdom is about the service, the spiritual, and sacrifice

Not a POST-Christendom Culture

“Jesus: My kingdom is not of this world.”

No such thing a POST-Christendum!

Disciples in the Kingdom

Spiritual Kingdom: “Jesus: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.”

Spiritual Kingdom: “Jesus: My kingdom is not of this world.”

John Calvin: Make the invisible Kingdom visible

Church: Preaching of the Word and Sacraments

Lifting one another up. Bearing each other’s burdens.

Bearing each other’s burdens. When someone is sick, we visit them. When someone is sad, we comfort them. When someone is poor, we give to them. When someone is bad, we forgive them. When someone is struggling, we pray for them. When someone is backsliding, we go after them. We take our time to go and be the church! When someone is lonely, we dine together. When someone is grieving, we cry together.

When someone is sick, we visit them. When someone is sad, we comfort them. When someone is poor, we give to them. When someone is bad, we forgive them. When someone is struggling, we pray for them. When someone is backsliding, we go after them. When someone is lonely, we dine together. When someone is grieving, we cry together.

That’s making the Kingdom tangible

Pride for self vs. service for others

: So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5

Kingship begins your time, talents, and treasures.

What do you do with you time?

How do you use your talents?

What do you spend money on?

Crowd: Politics vs. Spiritual

“Our citizenship is in heaven” ()

Crowd is a political ferver because they are loyal to the Kingdom that is of this world....

It means we

What did he mean?

Why? Because they were focused on a physical Resurrection only.

What did he mean?

Physical resurrection of Zachariah was amazing, incredible, but it was a just a clue of the Kingdom, not the Kingdom itself. It was a physical event that pointed to a Spiritual reality!

Our citizenship in in heaven, with what’s to come

Philippians 3:20: But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Christians are

It means we

: So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Do we live in a POST-Christendom Culture: Judea-Christian Values.

Spiritual: Gospel Ministry,

Christendum is more than ethics. It’s about Christ’s reign that pierces all of life! Including ethics.

Not a POST-Christendom Culture

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” ().

But if we were really honest, each generation has dealt with problems

Violent history, Virginia Slave Codes of 1709, War of Independence, Slavery

Gambling,

No such thing a post-Christendom culture because there is no such things as post-Christendom.

No such thing a POST-Christendum!

Christ’s reign will never end, regardless of what happens within culture. In fact, you can never truly have a Christendom Culture- no one culture can fully embody the spiritual reality of Jesus as King.

And so from now until then, we need to be very cautious about what we are picking up…

What symbols do we wave that have nothing to do with the Spiritual Reality of the Kingdom?

Prosperity Gospel: Good News is that I will receive more than I need to give.

What symbols of power are you picking up that points to anything other than the true reign of Christ?

hat symbols of power are you picking up that points to anything other than the true reign of Christ?

Health and Wealth Gospel: Good news is that faith can lead to miraculous healing more money. Mo mojo. Mo money.

Social Gospel- popular in the late 19th Century and early 20th:

including abolition of child labour, a shorter workweek, a living wage, and factory regulation

abolition of child labour, a shorter workweek, a living wage, and factory regulation

Moralist Gospel: Good News is Jesus taught us how to be good therefore we should be good.

Churchless Gospel: Good News is that I can walk with Jesus by myself

Therapeutic Gospel: Good News is that I will reach my full potential

Sunday Gospel

Can’t add anything to the Gospel: Christ is King! Because he’s the King he was suited to be the Savior. And the world changes through this truth. The Gospel isn’t everything, it’s an exclusive news that proclaims our unconditional allegiance to a King and an irrevocable citizenship within the Kingdom. It’s through this Spiritual Reality that we can prosper, be socially active, be moral, etc. Don’t grab anything less than the TRUE Gospel, for the True Gospel is the proclamation that the King has brought into existence a Spiritual Kingdom. Don’t grab anything less.

“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

There is much to be gained!

What symbols of power are you holding on to

As we grow and as we mature, may we not pick up visible symbols of success!

What symbols of power are you holding on to

Release the branches - at least for now- and turn to another tree and embrace the Cross!

Pharisees were losing ground. They had everything to lose.

“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

The Kingdom isn’t about power, it’s about sacrifice.

Pharisees had nothing to fear because the power Jesus held was fulfilled through sacrifice!

Irony:

1. Point of the Kingdom is to gain nothing.

2. The point for the world to go after Jesus.

They thought that gaining the world back- at least their little bubble of the world- was to get rid of him!

;: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ… For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

But everyone focus in this passage is that Jesus was the resurrecting King. Some celebrated it, some were intimidated by it, but no one, NO ONE understood that the celebration or intimidation isn’t in the fact that Jesus was the resurrecting King. No, what Jesus would eventually reveal that he would be the Resurrected KING.

What Resurrection Life is NOT

).

But everyone focus in this passage is that Jesus was the resurrecting King. Some celebrated it, some were intimidated by it, but no one, NO ONE understood that the celebration or intimidation isn’t in the fact that Jesus was the resurrecting King. No, what Jesus would eventually reveal that he would be the Resurrected KING.

Cosmic difference between the resurrecting king and the resurrected King.

Death= Death to Pride. Death to false gospels. Death to Power

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Going into Holy Week: Gaining Christ is really the whole point: Gaining his love, grace, mercy, affection, attention:

“Be found in him and not having a righteousness of my own… “That I may know him and the power of the resurrection.”

Important to get His resurrection right in order for you to get your resurrection right...

Because we will be counted one day among the many when the fulness of the Kingdom will be made manifest:

Power of the resurrection is to save you from your pride!

Power of the Resurrection lasts forever

Power of the Resurrection

Worth Fighting for?

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” ().

).

Not Nationalistic

Well… Sort of Political

Palm Sunday 2019

Palm Sunday 2019

Introduction

What’s up with the Maple Leaf?

What’s with the Palm Branches?

Picking up a Political Symbol

The Final Ingredient: The King!

Reaction of the Different Groups:

Full Story Explanation

What is the Kingdom about then?

Understanding the Kingdom

Disciples: Pride vs. Service

Crowd: Politics vs. Spiritual

Pharisees: Power vs. Sacrifice

Conclusion