Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 162 Ride On
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 162 Ride On
The Unexpected King
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #341 Crown Him with Many Crowns
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #341 Crown Him with Many Crowns
KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Palm Sunday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background form the Today's Sermon
King David was the model for the expected Messiah, especially since Messiah means "anointed-with-oil" king. The Greek term for anointed with oil is Christos. Based on King David, who was a religious and military leader, many expected the same kind of ruler. The brief era of independence increased that hope, with their own on the throne - Maccabeus. However, that did not last, so Rome was invited in as peace-keepers, and Rome decided to stay.
The throne passed out of the Jewish line, which was a signal for the Messiah, the Son of David to come. But as always, God's revelations are not the same as man's expectations. No one could really predict what would happen when Jesus entered Jerusalem, but His arrival definitely looked Messianic and was hailed as Messianic. They hailed Him as the Son of David, which also happened on His way there.
But the actual revelation was there in front of them for centuries, Isaiah 53. He would not lead an army and chase the Roman garrisons out of their country. Instead, the religious and political leaders would cooperate in arresting, torturing, and executing Him.
That is the irony - everything was already foretold in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, to be fulfilled in the smallest detail. However, they were read without being seen or comprehended. Only later, after the Resurrection, did people start to see how it all fit together.
The Unexpected King
KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
We know from Luke that Jesus had come back to Jerusalem many times as a lad. Something made this return special, notable, and reason for celebration.
John's Gospel emphasizes the build up of hatred toward Jesus and the fear of Thomas and the disciples - they could all die when trying to visit His friend Lazarus, who was deathly ill. And yet Jesus, who previously avoided crowds, turmoil, and attempts to make Him king, pressed onward to the little town near Jerusalem.
The difference in this case was that His time was fulfilled. He might have been killed or made king before, but He did not allow it. This time He made a deliberate impact on the entire region by delaying His visit to Lazarus and raising His friend from the dead. Gospel olf John.
Lazarus was a wealthy man with a tomb carved out of rock. When Jesus looked on it, He shook with emotion. There was His friend, who died during the delay. And there Jesus would be too, in short order. Jesus wept, and He called Lazarus out of death, out of the tomb. His friend came out, still dressed in his funeral apparel.
Lazarus had been dead for days. The funeral gathering was large because he was well known in the area. The effect of Jesus raising Lazarus, being accompanied by His friend and the former funeral mourners, was the same as announcing, "I am your Messiah." People followed Him from nearby Bethany and streamed out of the city to meet Him. The religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus and Lazarus, the One with divine power and the evidence of that power.
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
Luther interpreted the "village over against you" as purely geographic, but in the Scriptures as a whole, Jesus did this often and expected His disciples to do the same. He went to the opposition and avoid the curious crowds as much as possible. He traveled to non-Jewish areas and came deliberately to a hostile Jerusalem. He knew in advance that the poof of His divine status as the true Son of God and Messiah would precipitate all the plans against Him. Curiously, Lazarus was not murdered, and His disciples (except Judas) live to tell about His death resurrection.
In showing Himself to be the Messiah, was Jesus exalting Himself? The contrary is true. After showing His power over life and death, His great appeal to the crowd (who knew of this and many other miracles), plus His preaching with authority - Jesus declined to defend Himself or show any resistance to the powers who hated Him so much. This shows us His humility, known as the Son of God yet beaten and crucified as a common criminal.
Luther:
3. If Christ, who was true God by nature, has humbled himself to become servant of all, how much more should such action befit us who are of no worth, and are by nature children of sin, death and the devil! Were we similarly to humble ourselves, and even to go beyond Christ in humility — a thing, however, impossible — we should do nothing extraordinary. Our humility would still reek of sin in comparison with his. Suppose Christ to humble himself in the least degree — but a hair’s breadth, so to speak — below the most exalted angels; and suppose we were to humble ourselves to a position a thousand times more abased than that of the devils in hell; yet our humility would not compare in the least with that of Christ. For he is an infinite blessing — God himself — and we are but miserable creatures whose existence and life are not for one moment secure.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Thus it had to be. The people had to see Jesus as the conquering King and also as the crucified Messiah. As Chemnitz wrote in his Apology of the Book of Concord, "The Father is greater than I" means that the Son put on our frail human flesh and made Himself subject to all our emotions, even to the weapons of death. For this reason, the Son is glorified for paying this great price, for humbling Himself to accept death, even the death of the cross. He never lacked His divine power to resist and defeat His enemies, but He declined to use them.
The Apostles later told those same cheering and jeering crowds that they killed the Prince of Life, making them see themselves as hypocrites and murderers, calling on them to repent.
This seemed to be a great contradiction. If they had the Son of God under their control, where was this power? Little did they know that His power would be shown in another way. They were blinded by their own power, as if all of them could conspire to defeat God with their earthly powers, which God had given and could take away.
So we have seen across the ages. The great and mighty have fallen in the midst of their temporary glory. The weak and unnoticed have trusted in the Word of God and prevailed.
6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
What a waste to have so many there cheering, and yet everyone gathered to mock Jesus on the cross. But everything had to happen and this scattered the Gospel Promise among many. Not long after, on the Day of Pentecost, thousands became Christians from the preaching of the Gospel. But what did they preach? - These same events and the Promises of God. So this Holy Week is always special, from Palm Sunday to Easter, and it comprises about 25% of each Gospel.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
It is easy to ask, how could they be so fickle? But that has always been true. Five centuries before, Pericles warned the Athenians that they could have a war, but they would get bored with it and no longer want to fight. That seems to far away and remote in time, but still true today. Pastors who pledged to be true to the Scriptures have gone in the opposite direction, so they borrow sermons since they have nothing to say on their own. Congregations that pledged to remain true to the Scriptures have said, in effect, "As long as everything goes smoothly and pillars are happy." Church history class in seminary is often - Look at How Terrible Those People Were Back Then!
Who knows what small child grew up to be a leader in the early Christian Church? We know the faithful grew in great numbers based on one thing alone - the report of these great events and their connection with eternal life.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
The multitudes of that time were just a speck compared to those who followed. The Gospel spread around the world in the most unlikely ways, especially from persecution, but always from people trusting in the Gospel Word.
Luther:
23. As Christ was cast to the lowest depths and subjected to all devils, in obeying God and serving us, so has God exalted him Lord over all angels and creatures, and over death and hell. Christ now has completely divested himself of the servant form — laid it aside. Henceforth he exists in the divine form, glorified, proclaimed, confessed, honored and recognized as God.
While it is not wholly apparent to us that “all things are put in subjection” to Christ, as Paul says ( 1 Corinthians 15:27), the trouble is merely with our perception of the fact. It is true that Christ is thus exalted in person and seated on high in the fullness of power and might, executing everywhere his will; though few believe the order of events is for the sake of Christ.
Freely the events order themselves, and the Lord sits enthroned free from all restrictions. But our eyes are as yet blinded. We do not perceive him there nor recognize that all things obey his will. The last day, however, will reveal it. Then we shall comprehend present mysteries; how Christ laid aside his divine form, was made man, and so on; how he also laid aside the form of a servant and resumed the divine likeness; how as God he appeared in glory; and how he is now Lord of life and death, and the King of Glory.
Announcements
Brett and Amy Meyer's Anniversary is tomorrow.Andrea Anderson is likely to have laser eye surgery.
No Greek lesson this week. Good Friday service is 7 PM.
