True Discipleship

Today, is Palm Sunday. Jesus orchestrated the events of this day to force the evil and wicked leaders to begin acting on their plot to kill him. And that’s exactly what happened on Good Friday.

Jesus still causes the same reaction in people. People refuse to have anything to do with him, or they embrace him, fully. That’s what we’ve been studying throughout Lent as we’ve looked at true life, true religion, true love and true reconciliation. Today we are looking at true discipleship.

True discipleship is recognising who Jesus is, who he really is, not what we want him to be, not something we make up in our own minds, not something we invent and then try to fit into God’s Word. A true disciple seeks to know and to understand Jesus, as he really, truly is.

Keep your Bibles open to ’m using the ESV, the English Standard Version because it is a very faithful translation of the oldest and best manuscripts available at the time of its publishing.

From the beginning of this passage, we see how Jesus has planned everything out. Indeed, you can study his whole ministry, and see that it was all planned out, from John’s baptizing people in the Jordan river, to the leaders in Jerusalem, to Jesus preaching and teaching with a far greater authority than anyone had ever seen, to the events of this very day, all those years ago.

Here, Jesus instructs two of his disciples to bring to him a colt, which no one had ever ridden. Now, William Hendriksen, in the Baker New Testament Commentary points out something important, that I’d never heard before. This colt, was unbroken—God’s law required unbroken, unused animals as sacrifices to the Lord.

In we read that the Israelites were to offer “a heifer without defect, in which is no blemish and on which a yoke has never come.” The only animals fit for sacrifice in the temple were unused animals. Here, Jesus chooses a young donkey that no one has ever sat upon. It is an unused animal, set apart for temple use by the true high priest, Jesus. Hendriksen says this is fitting, for clearly, it is to be used for the Lord. He also says, Mary, Jesus’ mother was likewise “unused”, she was a virgin. And the tomb which held Jesus was brand new, also unused. All these facts teach us that Jesus is God. We need to see him as such.

Jesus knew that the owners, who were quite likely also disciples, would ask who needed it. The simple answer, “The Lord needs it,” was enough. For three years Jesus had travelled all over the country with his disciples. The phrase, “The Lord needs it” was enough to secure what they needed, food, clothing, lodging. With this simple statement, they permitted them to take the donkey. Jesus also assured the owners that they would get their donkey back, after Jesus no longer needed it. We also must return what we borrow.

Is Jesus our Lord? Is it enough for him to say to us, “I need such and such?” Everything belongs to him. Even the very air we breathe. If he asks for something are we willing to give it? When Jesus asks something of you, you give. You, I, we give our lives, we pour ourselves out as living sacrifices. Where he leads, we go. Where he asks us to stay, we stay. What he asks us to give up, we give up. We are his. What does the Lord need of us? Right now, what is Jesus asking us to do? In these times he’s asking us to trust him. Love him. Love our neighbours.

He’s commanding us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Spend time in God’s Word. Don’t just read what other people have written about the Bible. Read the Bible, study it! This fall, Lord willing, we will begin offering a Bible study that does just that. We will study, beginning with Matthew’s gospel, what the Word of God says. We will renew our minds by reading, comprehending, understanding, and applying God’s Word to reality. God’s Word is precious. This is truth. This is not relative. It is pure objective truth! Also, pray, guide, help others, comfort and encourage the fearful, bear testimony to God’s goodness, proclaim salvation for sinners. How many of us are afraid right now? How many of us or our loved ones are laid off? Everyone is impacted by this virus. Are we giving true hope, or just platitudes?

Jesus is true life. Even though they didn’t fully understand what they were doing, the disciples, piled their cloaks, their jackets, their sweaters, on the donkey and made a comfortable saddle for Jesus. Jesus sat himself on the donkey. Does it surprise you that the donkey obeyed Jesus? This unbroken animal didn’t object to him. It willingly bore him into the city, with a multitude of people waving branches and putting their jackets on the rode in front of it. This is amazing, but not surprising. The wind and the waves obeyed him, so did the donkey. What about you, what about me?

The disciples who were with Jesus were joined by another crowd from the city—pilgrims in town for the feast. Some were true disciples, others were caught up in the events and joined in the festivities.

They led Jesus into the city, proclaiming, “Hosanna” which means, “Save now! We plead you Lord, save now! Give us victory now, give us prosperity today. Out of your goodness the moment has arrived.” Doesn’t this sound familiar? Similar sentiments are still spoken by prosperity preachers today. Those preachers are, like many in the crowd, false teachers. They are asking for, and pleading for a false god. They ask, they demand, they declare, they speak into existence physical, immediate, tangible things. You can recognise their false teaching because they don’t talk about sin, they don’t talk about truth, they don’t talk about the cross. Don’t listen to them!

Like the false teachers and their followers today, the people who were present that Palm Sunday failed to truly see Jesus. Even his disciples didn’t really understand until after his death and resurrection. Let us not be like them.

Caught up in the moment of Passover, remembering how God provided Moses to set their ancestors free from bondage and slavery to Egypt, they wanted a saviour who would rid them of Roman occupation, who would establish David’s kingdom, by wiping out all their enemies, who would overthrow the wicked leaders, who would make Israel great again.

The failed to see the obvious signs, that, we now, at our lesiure can see: Jesus is on a donkey, the symbol of peace. They should have seen how Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of , which was our call to worship this morning. They should have seen that Jesus fulfilled the peaceful character of the true Messiah as seen in , , ; ; ; ; and chapter 61, especially verses 1-3. How Jesus would prove that he’s the one described by Isaiah in chapter , which states that the Messiah will be despised and rejected by men, who would bear our griefs and carry our sorrows, stricken, smitten by God, pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, with his wounds we are healed.

Rather than seeing all that, they only saw a someone they could make their own king, to do what they wanted, to give them what they wanted. They were in it for themselves.

Some of those who were there, wanted to make Jesus king by force, as they had tried to do earlier. They wanted Jesus to restore the nation, to provide a political victory.

In the moment, they rightly identified Jesus as the messiah. But they didn’t see that his messiahship is spiritual. Jesus was fighting a far greater battle. Jesus was fighting against the principalities and powers that hold people in darkness, in lies, in shame, in guilt, in death.

That was the tragic mistake they made. The looked too shallowly. They failed to connect all the miracles of Jesus, how he touched a leper—and in so doing, make the leper clean. But also showing that he was taking the cause of leprosy, original sin, upon himself. Jesus open the eyes of the blind. Are you familiar with the healing of a blind man, who required two stages in order to see? Look at the context of that healing. You have Peter, seeing partially, confessing Jesus as the Christ, and then right after seeing Jesus, as this crowd saw Jesus, as a political saviour. Peter’s eyes needed two stages in order for him to truly see Jesus as he really is. What about you? Do you see Jesus as he really is?

Because Jesus didn’t deliver to the crowd the messiah they wanted, they crucified him days later. Jesus knew at that moment, that they were blind; they didn’t see him. This is why Luke records Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. They just couldn’t see the saviour they really, really needed.

Here’s the question for us this day. Are we really, really seeing Jesus for who he is? He’s not your boyfriend. He’s not your genie. He’s not your personal empowerment coach. He’s your Saviour. He’s saved you from your deepest, darkest sins. He’s your King. He rules over you, are you in obedience to him?

A true disciple recognises his teacher, his Lord, his King, his Saviour. A true disciple humbles himself before Jesus’ authority, and willingly surrenders everything. Is your life marked by humility? Is your life marked by a willingness to see and behold Jesus your Saviour, Lord and King?

Who is Lord of your life? One thing is certain, this coronavirus has changed everything. No more concerts, no more sports, no more idols. Seize this moment! See Jesus for who he is! Now is the moment of his grace. Now you may come to him in faith.

Jesus stands before the throne of God. He is your great hight priest. He ever lives and pleads for you. If your faith is truly in Him, your name is written, engraved upon his hands. Nothing, no one can ever separate you from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus.

But most of us, most of us have less than a hundred years. Choose this day whom you will serve. Choose who you will follow. Choose who’s dsiciple you’ll be. The Jesus of the Bible, or the Jesus of your own making. Amen.

When you are faced with this day’s challenges. When you are tempted to give up. When you are reminded of all your shortcomings, sins and failures, look up to Jesus. He made an end of all your sin. You are now one with him. You cannot die. Your life is hidden with Christ on high, Christ our Saviour and our God. Amen.

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb My perfect, spotless Righteousness The great unchangeable I AM The King of glory and of grace One with Himself, I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my Savior and my God One with Himself, I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my Savior and my God With Christ my Savior and my God With Christ my Savior and my God