The Gospel Pradox

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29 / Luke 19:28–40

Paradox - a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

The Optics

Jesus, the man

Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”

John 7:52 “They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.””

The triumphant entry

He was king of nothing and no one

The crowd was comprised of both faithful cheers, and mindless jeers

The apparent end of this journey

Mark 10:33-34 “saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.””

In summary, a nobody from nowhere (politically or religiously) was making noise, acting as if he’s somebody, and rides into Jerusalem as if victorious knowing that he is there to die, and he does. How can he be the true king? the messiah? God incarnate? If he never amassed wealth, won a battle, and obviously loses in death?

The Truth

Jesus the King

Zechariah 9:9 “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.”

Psalm 118:26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.”

The Crucifixion

Not disgrace, but Honor

John 19:21-22 “So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.””

The crown of thorns was meant as mockery, but in God’s Providence was a public coronation

John 17:1 “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,”

The shame and scandal of the cross is swallowed up in glory

Not defeat, but victory

Revelation 12:11 “11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Revelation 12:10-11 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Truth Today

Holy Communion

1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Not mere memorial, not empty theater, but a Holy Ordinance, a means of grace

Church Participation

Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

The spirit of the age says that submitting to and participating in a local, faithful church is empty and hypocritical.

God says it is His plan and provision to equip and aid us in this life; preparing for the next

Walking the well lit path

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

We can choose to either follow the accepted wisdom of this world, which opposes the Word and Will of God, or we can live in a way that will always be difficult and counter-culteral, a way that makes no sense to outsiders, thus can rightly be described as paradox, but is the way God intends, leads, and enables us which required the death of Jesus, but ends in eternal life.

Church Family, the gospel of Jesus has never made sense to the unbelieving world. That has been true from the beginning. That in no way changes what IS true, and the efficacy of that truth. Let us then, enabled by God’s Spirit, live out this perspective; walk in the light of Gospel Truth. Let us be a people who continue to proclaim Jesus, the blessed King!