Peace on Palm Sunday
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INTRO:
INTRO:
Today is Palm Sunday, The passage we’ll begin from this morning (LUKE 19) is the traditional passage for Palm Sunday - The triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem one week prior to his resurrection. This is a theme that I spoke on 3 years ago here when we looked at the nature of what kind of King Jesus was presenting himself to be. Today I’d like to examine a different them - One that may not be immediately on the surface at first reading of this account.
What were the citizens of Jerusalem looking for as they celebrated Jesus’ arrival and entrance? ------- PEACE
ILLUS: Saturday morning cartoons ---> Cereal Commercials ----> SPECIAL PRIZE!!! ---> Huge disappointment - The toy in the cereal box (or MacDonalds Happy meal) - Never turned out to be as cool as you thought it was going to be.
Just like my brother and I would get excited about the prospect of this magical new item that would fulfill our wildest playtime dreams only to be confused, disappointed, or even angry when it turned up to be super lame....
The people of Jerusalem were looking for the right thing but it wasn’t what they expected.
OUR MAIN THOUGHT THIS MORNING>>>
Main Thought: Jesus offers real and lasting peace
Main Thought: Jesus offers real and lasting peace
Why this topic on Palm Sunday? Shouldn’t it be praise? or Triumph? or Victory?
There is a real lack of peace in our world
Trials are constant - Some are going through trials right now
Some are fighting discouragement, loneliness (effects of 2020)
Why? It seems to be what Jesus is offering!
NOTE: The Donkey - Sign of peaceful / royal entrance
Consider the trajectory in Luke -
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 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.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Only in the Luke account : “Peace in heaven & glory in the highest!”
Jesus’ birth - Angels say “peace on earth”
End of Jesus’ life - Men say “Peace in heaven”
What kind of peace WERE they expecting the messiah to bring?
PEACE EXPECTED
PEACE EXPECTED
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 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. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 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, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Why would the Jews be focused on Peace?
ANTICIPATED IN THE OT: Nu. 6:26; Ps. 29:11; Is. 9:6–7; 52:7; 54:13; Ezk. 37:26; Hg. 2:9
ANTICIPATED IN THE OT: Nu. 6:26; Ps. 29:11; Is. 9:6–7; 52:7; 54:13; Ezk. 37:26; Hg. 2:9
I believe that a concept of Peace was at the center of the praise in this moment. This “peace” concept was an essentially “Jewish” concept and one that had been developed over 1000s of years of history. Most of these folks would have been very familiar with their scriptures and added to that, culturally tied in to them.
THIS WAS THEIR HISTORY!!! Consider just a few texts from the OT!
AARON’s BLESSING
In this respect the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24–26 is most important in the Pentateuch. This prayer shows that peace from God is linked with blessing, preservation or protection, and grace.
Numbers 6:24–26 is most important in the Pentateuch.
24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
The Christmas passage
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’ ”
WHERE DO WE START THEN? WE MUST ASK… WHY THE NEED FOR PEACE?
Who broke the peace? We broke the peace! - Genesis 3:1-8
Who broke the peace? We broke the peace! - Genesis 3:1-8
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
ADAM AND EVE KNEW THEY HAD SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM GOD - THEY HID!!!
ILLUS: My dog eating out of the trash - She knew she was busted...
This is universal - The Bible is clear that sin has separated us from our creator. But is this what the Jews were focusing on this day?
BUT… WAS THIS WHAT WAS IN THE MINDS OF THOSE CELEBRATING? WAS IT THIS KIND OF PEACE?
Was it something else they were expecting?
PEACE DEFINED:
PEACE DEFINED:
Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets 1. The Vocabulary of Rest and Peace
The Hebrew word traditionally translated as “peace” is šālôm. It denotes wholeness, harmony, well-being and more specifically wealth, physical health, security, a state of satisfaction and ease, relationships of friendliness and communion (Stendebach, 17–20). In some passages it comes close in meaning to “salvation” (yĕšûʿâ).
Fellowship w/ God
Cessation of hostilities
Tranquillity / Calm (Garden of Eden?)
In summary, peace is more than the somewhat bland definition of “wholeness” or “totality.” It is more than absence of warfare and hostility. It is a state of positive friendship and security between two parties, often the result of restitution and reconciliation.
REVIEW ISRAEL’S HISTORY
ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
CAPTIVITY
SALVATION / REDEMPTION
LAW / WANDERING (COVENANT @ SINAI)
CONQUERING THE LAND (COVENANT RENEWED: MOAB)
APOSTACY (JUDGES)
MONARCHY
UNITED (DAVIDIC COVENANT)
DIVIDED
CAPTIVITY
RETURN
The Promise of Peace to Israel specifically - COVENANTS
The Promise of Peace to Israel specifically - COVENANTS
THE Hebrew word (family) for peace occurs 115 times in the first 5 books of the Bible.
NOTE: It’s important to remember that these who were celebrating (most) were interpreting this from a Israelite perspective.
Abraham - Great Nation / Land / Offspring / Blessing to other nations
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The Jews would have connected the idea of nationalistic pride and security with the idea of peace - When the land was theirs, then they would have peace!!
Moses / Sinai - You will be my people / I will be your God / Blessing for obedience
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
The concepts of salvation from oppressors and unencumbered worship would have been something they looked for. If we obey, then God will bless us.
They were trying! Even doing extra stuff… The expectation of personal blessing may have been what they were expecting.
Moses / Moab (DUET.) - Military success / Land / Blessing
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
The connection between the land and rest is most developed in Deuteronomy. A similar formula, “The Lord gave rest to … from …,” occurs three times in Deuteronomy
20 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’
9 for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety,
Again, the idea of Land = rest / blessing — Israel had been “displaced” for hundreds of years! They expected the messiah to solve that - They would finally have Peace/Rest once the occupiers were gone!!
David - Eternal Kingdom / Davidic King
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
The Davidic covenant would have been particularly important because it indicated an establishment of an eternal king! Why wouldn’t you want that!! I’d be rooting for that
Prophets - Return after exile / Rest from Judgement / Reconciliation after repentance
NOTE: As Israel split from Judah, and their kings descended into apostacy… The prophets predicted judgement but also restoration!
PRE EXILE:
PRE EXILE:
The Prince of Peace:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
ABSENCE OF WAR AND FREEDOM FROM OPPRESSION - CONTEXT is WAR w/ ISRAEL
Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets 4. The Prince of Peace
In light of the context, “peace” must refer to absence of war and the freedom from oppression and may be an alternative way of expressing the “rest from the enemies” theme in the original Davidic oracle in 2 Samuel 7.
EXILE:
EXILE:
21 then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.
POST EXILE:
POST EXILE:
Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets 2. Rest, Peace and War
In the postexilic situation the promise of peace (šālôm, parallel in Jer 33:9 to ṭôbâ, “good”) involves restoration (ʾărûkâ), rebuilding of the nation, healing (marpēʾ) the wounds of war and enjoying a life of joy, praise and forgiveness (Jer 33:6–9)
6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. 9 And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
Consider the context of these people - Look through the eyes of those welcoming Jesus. The dots are connecting for them!
They were looking for a KING to bring them peace! - They call him KING
They understand what that means - This is the king that would restore...Land, Blessing, Freedom, prosperity, etc.
They felt oppressed by Rome - TAXES!!!!
The land once promised to them still wasn’t theirs
Their religious elite had manufactured such a “tight” system of “extra-torah” - An attempt to bring back the blessings of God. (NOT FELT THOUGH)
ILLUS - THE PARTICIPATION TROPHY?
WHO CAN BLAME THEM FOR GETTING EXCITED!!!
TRUTH TIME - You and I would have responded the same way.
BUT IT DOESN”T COME - THE PEACE ON OFFER IS REJECTED
ILLUS: When our kids say “BUT YOU PROMISED!!!!” - How often is their understanding or MIS-understanding the promise the issue?
THIS was the ONE who would bring peace! But he was rejected! WHY?
If we would have made the same conclusions as these Jews - Is it possible we react the same way they did?
PEACE REJECTED: Luke 19:41-44
PEACE REJECTED: Luke 19:41-44
If Jesus came to bring peace, why were the people disappointed? Why did Jesus imply Jerusalem “missed it”?
Something went wrong… Look at Jesus’ reaction. READ LUKE 19:41ff
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 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. 43 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 44 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.”
Jerusalem (symbolic for all of Israel) missed it!
This is nothing new… CONSIDER HOW ISRAEL LOOKED FOR PEACE ON THEIR TERMS
Sinai - Golden calf - It’s not enough that God had promised to be “with them” - Didn’t happen fast enough
Grumbling in the wilderness / wanting to go back to EGYPT!!!
Joshua / Judges - “Make no treaty” - They did.... Thinking it would lead to peace.
Saul - Offering offered before Samuel arrives
David - Counted his armies to feel safe!
Solomon - Married hundreds of foreign women - to gain allies?
One of the most interesting examples is the unrighteous king of Judah…
King Ahaz!
King Ahaz!
Isaiah tells the King to “be calm” “Be at peace”
4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
The King rejects this assurance offered from God and choses to find his own peace.
GOD, Through Isaiah, gives him a sign anyway - (IMMANUEL) THE MESSIAH
ISRAEL WAS CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR PEACE ON THEIR TERMS...
CHASING PEACE - ISRAEL WAS LOOKING FOR THE WRONG KIND OF PEACE.
ILLUS: Chasing electrical issues in a car…
COMFORT / TRANQUILLITY - “LEAKS AND ONIONS OF EGYPT” - GRUMBLED ABOUT MANA
SAFETY / SECURITY - LAND / NO OCCUPIERS
SUCCESS - WEALTH / PROSPERITY
VICTORY OVER ENEMIES / FREEDOM FROM OPPRESSION
THE PEACE JESUS OFFERED WOULD BE REJECTED TOO!
In 7 days, Most who were in this crowd would be calling for his execution!!
In what way do we do this? How might we (LIKE AHAZ) be clinging to a false sense of security?
These Jews, and We, Need the peace that Jesus was offering...
SO WHAT KIND OF PEACE WAS BEING OFFERED?
PEACE OFFERED: John 14:27
PEACE OFFERED: John 14:27
What kind of peace was Jesus offering?
Just a few days later - Jesus would be eating dinner with his disciples and leaving them with some important counsel. During that talk, he makes the following statement.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
What did Jesus mean?
CONTEXT: John 14-17 are incredibly encouraging!
Jesus was about to leave the disciples on their own (kinda)
Their situations were not going to get more comfortable, or more widely embraced
Their human weakness would mean that they would be tempted to be fearful
Consider...
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
Trouble, Hatred, Persecution, Loneliness, Death!
JESUS just said he was leaving peace with them.... and then promises that life is going to stink!?
John 12–21 John 14:27
This peace was the gift of Jesus which would calm their troubled hearts and ease their fears of his departure. It is the peace that Christians would come to experience in the postresurrection era of the Spirit, when Paul could proclaim a peace of Christ Jesus that goes beyond all human understanding and guards believers “hearts and minds” (Phil 4:7).
John John 14:25–27
Jesus, through the Spirit he would send, offers his followers poise and resolve in the midst of discomfiting circumstances. As Jesus was about to demonstrate, his peace is not the absence of conditions that intimidate but rather is the composure to be faithful in the face of adversity.
The Gospel according to John John 14:27
Of this peace Jesus says, I do not give it to you as the world gives. The world is powerless to give peace.
But Jesus displays transcendent peace, his own peace, my peace, throughout his perilous hour of suffering and death. And by that death he absorbs in himself the malice of others, the sin of the world, and introduces the promised messianic peace in a way none of his contemporaries had envisaged. The pax Romana (‘Roman peace’) was won and maintained by a brutal sword; not a few Jews thought the messianic peace would have to be secured by a still mightier sword. Instead, it was secured by an innocent man who suffered and died at the hands of the Romans, of the Jews, and of all of us. And by his death he effected for his own followers peace with God, and therefore ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding’ (Phil. 4:7).
D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 506.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
THE PEACE JESUS OFFERS IS PEACE WITH GOD - REAL relationship w/ a righteous God - HOW CAN THIS BE? HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? WE KNOW WE ARE BROKEN.
JESUS HAS OFFERED YOU THIS PEACE - DO YOU HAVE IT?
SO HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE THIS PEACE?
PEACE EXPERIENCED: John 16:33
PEACE EXPERIENCED: John 16:33
What does all this mean for us? How do we experience this peace that Jesus offers?
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Experiencing REAL PEACE starts with the understanding that JESUS is the fulfillment of what God established as the way to PEACE WITH HIM in the OT.
What He promised in Gen 3 has been fulfilled
The righteousness of the Law has been accomplished
What is anticipated in the OT...
FULFILLED IN THE NT: Acts 10:36; 5:1; 14:17)
FULFILLED IN THE NT: Acts 10:36; 5:1; 14:17)
Peter preaching to the Gentiles
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
Peace with God
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The connection between righteousness & peace
The connection between righteousness & peace
Law = Righteousness
Jesus = Righteousness
Jesus is the FULFILLMENT of the law?
The law was the condition of peace in the OT (Through faith)
Jesus is the condition of peace in the NT (Through Faith)
CHASTISEMENT THAT BROUGHT US PEACE
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets 4. The Prince of Peace
the most striking feature of this passage is the proclamation that this peace is achieved for the speakers through the suffering that the servant undertook on their behalf.
Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets 4. The Prince of Peace
and *Forgiveness of transgressions (Is 53:4–5) and describes a condition of both physical and spiritual wholeness achieved through harmonious relationship with God and the removal of sin.
Experiencing this peace can ONLY come through Jesus - It means you must be “in Him”
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
WE’re all looking for peace...
WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE...
WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE...
Where are we going to try to find it?
Where are we going to try to find it?
Believer, are you going to try and create it on your own like Israel?
How?
We try to manufacture it by manipulating people and circumstances around us. - We’re chasing our own peace
We try to create it by crafting the perfect environment - Chasing “tranquility” - Not real!! Not PEACE (GARDEN)
We Seek victory over our enemies by “use of the sword” - God doesn’t promise military victory
Perhaps we try to vote it in! - Nothing wrong with participating in our governmental system but do NOT look to it for peace.
Maybe we think peace is the absence of pain - so we numb it with substance abuse / pretend it isn’t there and shrink away from relationships / maybe we distract ourselves from it by causing pain to others.
The only real peace is being at peace with God - Because of our sin, we aren’t
This doesn’t come through obedience… We’ve already broken it, we can’t “un-break” it.
It comes through JESUS - HIS OBEDIENCE - HIS DEATH
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Jesus came to provide a peace that theJerusalem weren’t looking for but needed desperately - That peace is offered to all through Jesus Death & Resurrection
THAT’s HOPE - Next week’s Topic
Do we need to manufacture it? NO!!!
We simply need to IN FAITH trust Him.