Worship the Right Jesus
- six days before Passover, the narrow streets of Jerusalem were jammed with people
- from every village and town, Jews were coming fill the city beyond capacity
- streets overflowed to outside the city, and in the surrounding towns and villages, pilgrims found lodging
- this was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a time when Jews celebrated their deliverance from bondage in Egypt
- it was a bittersweet time
- even though God delivered the Jews from Egypt many years before, what about the Romans who ruled over them now?
- tensions ran high
- extra troops had been ordered from the Roman garrison at Caesarea, 45 miles west
- trouble was expected
- a Jewish group called the Zealots opposed Roman rule, and remained fiercely loyal to Jewish traditions
- they looked forward to the coming of the time of salvation, in which God would deliver Israel from Rome, just as he did with Egypt
- could this be far away?
- could the Messiah, the one who would deliver them, be far from coming?
- Romans had recently arrested a number of the Zealot rebels, including a vicious and notorious killer named Barrabas
- to make it worse, rumors circulated about a man named Jesus
- it seemed ridiculous, but some were claiming that he raised a dead man by the name of Lazarus in Bethany
- one of this man’s followers, named Simon, was a Zealot himself
- some called Jesus the Messiah, and he too would be traveling to Jerusalem for the Feast of Unleavened Bread
- could he be the Messiah?
- would this be the time of their deliverance?
- the streets leading to Jerusalem were crowded with pilgrims
- donkeys and adults and children clogged the roads
- word came that Jesus was on the other side of the Mount of Olives
- the Mount of Olives was on the road leading to Jerusalem from the east
- it rose to a height of 2,700 feet, some two hundred feet higher than Mount Zion
- from the Mount of Olives you would have a tremendous view of the city of Jerusalem, and especially the temple area
- and now Jesus was coming
- Zechariah 14:4 predicted that the Messiah would come from the east, from the Mount of Olives
- could he be the Messiah?
- it’s hard to recreate the excitement that took place
- Matthew 21:20 tells us that that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred
- as the crowd heard that Jesus was approaching Jerusalem, they ran out to meet Jesus as he approached
- years earlier, when Maccabee had driven out the hated Greeks, the palm became a symbol of Jewish freedom
- it was a symbol of rebellion
- Jews prayed a prayer from the psalms named the Hosanna, that came from Psalm 118:25-27
- (Psalms 118:25) O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
- (Psalms 118:26) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
- (Psalms 118:27) The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
- their rallying cry was "Hosanna!" which came from Psalm 118:25, "O LORD, save us!"
- when they cried "Hosanna!" they were crying out "O LORD, save your people!"
- could Jesus, who had calmed a storm, and fed a large crowd with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish, be the answer to this prayer?
- "O LORD, save us!" – and here was Jesus, perhaps the answer to the prayers of Israel?
- back in Jerusalem, soldiers lined the ramparts of the four towers of the Antonia
- this was the busiest day of the whole week of preparation, the day in which lambs were chosen for sacrifice
- as the soldiers looked out to the Mount of Olives, the crowds could be heard shouting the great Hosanna
- (Psalms 118:25) O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
- (Psalms 118:26) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
- the people were pleading for God’s deliverance
- and here came Jesus – the one they had all heard of
- a procession surrounded him as he came down the Mount of Olives
- the travelers halted as they surrounded the man, and the crowd continued to chant, "Hosanna! Lord, save us!"
- in Jesus’ procession there was a donkey and its colt
- they donkey was a symbol of humility, peace, and the Davidic royalty
- cloaks were spread on the colt, and as Jesus rode through the crowd, they threw their cloaks down on the road
- others ran and cut branches from the fields and waved them in excitement
- some even procured palm leaves, symbols of Jewish freedom, from Jericho far away and waved them as they cried, "Hosanna! Lord, save us!"
- "Help, please, O Son of David!" Save us, please, O Son of David!"
- all eyes were on Jesus, but his eyes were focused on Jerusalem
- Pharisees in the crowd yelled out to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
- (Luke 19:40) "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
- as he approached Jerusalem, tears welled up in his eyes
- and he cried out:
- (Luke 19:42) 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.
- (Luke 19:43) The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
- (Luke 19:44) They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
- despite the fanfare, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is not a pleasant one for him
- Jesus knew that the people have missed the day of messianic visitation, and knew that his death lay ahead
- he predicted that their rejection of God as he came riding on a donkey would lead to punishment by other nations
- just forty years later, this prophesy was fulfilled as Titus of Rome destroyed the city and its inhabitants, killing children and leaving not one stone unturned
- and Jesus wept because they had missed their one last chance to welcome him as God
- this is the story of Palm Sunday
- a city filled with tension, filled with Jews who were looking for someone to overthrow the Romans
- a city in which the Messiah they desired would lead them to military victory
- a city in which Romans were ready to crush any sign of rebellion
- a city in which, ultimately, the very people of Israel would reject Jesus as the Messiah
- the story of Palm Sunday is a good one, in some ways
- I’ve always admired the way in which Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem
- for the first time, he was getting the respect he deserved
- he was being welcomed as the Messiah, and they were crying out, "Lord, save us! Lord, save us!"
- Jesus, who usually recoiled from this sort of attention, pointed out the fitting nature of this tribute by remarking:
- (Luke 19:40) "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
- but this story is also a sad one
- as Jesus entered the city, it was the day when the Jews selected their sacrificial lambs
- he rode down the Mount of Olives from the east, the place from which the Jews knew the Messiah would come
- he came, in effect, saying "Here I am, the Lamb of God, ready to be sacrificed for you. Will you choose me as your Lamb and your King?"
- but many that day missed his point
- they looked for a political leader – someone to overthrow Roman rule
- they waved a nationalistic symbol and chanted political songs
- they were willing to make Jesus their Messiah, but only if he used military power
- in essence, they were trying to make Jesus into something he was not
- if we’re going to worship Jesus, we have to worship Jesus as he is
- worship is fine and fitting, but John 4:24 tells us that God desires worshipers who worship in both spirit and in truth
- those waving palm leaves were worshiping in spirit – they were zealous and passionate and put their entire spirits behind their praise
- but they weren’t worshiping in truth
- they didn’t worship according to who Jesus really is, they were worshiping according to their own preconceived ideas
- who is the Jesus you worship?
- the real Jesus, or the Jesus of your preconceived ideas?
- in church as a child, I attended Sunday school
- we sang songs like "Jesus Loves Me" and learned using cutout figures mounted on flannel graph boards
- over the table in my Sunday school room, there was an oil painting of Jesus, surrounded by sheep, with a child on his lap
- this was the Jesus of my childhood
- gentle Jesus, meek and mild – someone kind and reassuring, with no sharp edges
- but is this the Jesus of the Bible?
- well, the Jesus of the Bible was gentle to children and compassionate to sinners
- but the Jesus of the Bible overturned tables in the temple and called Pharisees hypocrites, whitewashed tombs, snakes, and vipers
- many picture Jesus as going around telling people to be nice to each other
- but how would telling people to be nice get a man crucified?
- what government would execute a man who’s message is to be nice?
- many people picture Jesus as almost an ancient Mr. Rogers
- an all-round nice guy
- but contemporaries of Christ viewed him as a wine-bibber and a glutton, a friend of sinners
- those in authority, both religious and political, saw Jesus as a troublemaker, disturbing the peace
- he scorned fame, family, property, and acted like a revolutionary
- Jesus was no gentle and tranquil soul, making everyone feel better about themselves
- he was no Mr. Nice Guy
- Philip Yancey writes:
"What would it have been like to hang on the edges of the crowd? How would I have responded to this man? Would I have invited him over for dinner, like Zacchaeus? Turned away in sadness, like the rich young ruler? Betrayed him, like Judas and Peter?"
- he continues to write:
"The more I studied Jesus, the more difficult it became to pigeon-hole him. He said little about the Roman occupation, the main topic of conversation among his countrymen, and yet he took up a whip to drive petty profiteers from the Jewish temple. He urged obedience to the Mosaic law while acquiring the reputation as a lawbreaker. He could be stabbed by sympathy for a stranger, yet turn on his best friend with the flinty rebuke, 'Get behind me, Satan!’ He had uncompromising views on rich men and loose women, yet both types enjoyed his company"
"Two words one could never think of applying to the Jesus of the Gospels: boring and predictable. How is it, then, that the church has tamed such a character—has, in Dorothy Sayer’s words, "very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies?"
- are you sure you know Jesus?
- Jesus warned that many people who think they know Jesus really don’t
- (Matthew 7:22) Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
- (Matthew 7:23) Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
- accepting and worshiping Jesus means accepting him for who he claimed to be
- as Ray Vander Laan says, we can’t remake him into what we want him to be
"We can’t keep the things we like and throw away the things we don’t. If we want Jesus as the one who forgives our sins, we must also accept him as the one who says, ‘Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Pray for those who persecute you.’
"If we want the Jesus who promises to relieve the burdens of life, we must also accept the Jesus who demands that we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the poor and lonely, and visit the prisoner
"If we want the Jesus who, with power and conviction, confronts the evil of the demoniac and the hypocrisy of the religious leader, we must also accept the Jesus who touched the unclean and wept with the brokenhearted
"It’s far too easy, however, even in our Christian community, to reshape Jesus into someone with whom we’re comfortable.
"The kingdom of Jesus comes through forgiveness, love, and witness, not through power and politics or any other wordly strategies. The kingdom of God comes as people accept, in their hearts, the Messiah for who he claimed to be"
- it is a good thing to sing praise unto the Lord
- Jesus said if we don’t do this, the very stones would cry out
- you and I and indeed everything was created to praise God
- yet there was a tragedy when people cried "Hosanna!" as Jesus entered Jerusalem
- although they were worshiping Jesus in spirit, they weren’t worshiping him in truth
- it was a good thing to sing praises to God this morning
- in a few minutes, we’re going to do so again by singing "Hosanna!"
- but there’s a tragedy that just might happen
- we might get all excited and worship in spirit, but not in truth
- who is the Jesus you worship?
- is he Jesus on your own terms?
- or are you going to let Jesus be Jesus, and accept the hard sayings of Jesus as well as the easy ones
- (Luke 14:26) "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
- (Luke 14:27) And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
- is this the Jesus you worship?