Palm Sunday (C) 2019

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Luke 19:37
Theme: High Hopes

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Emperors and victorious generals rode on stallions. Jesus rode on a donkey. Yet here, in this relatively insignificant corner of the empire “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords”1 was about to commence the inauguration of His kingdom. From human perspective it seemed a very unlikely undertaking. Was this how the Father’s plan of redeeming humanity would come to fruition? Would God confront evil with such an implausible scheme? Yet, the One riding on a beast of burden “…is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.”2 Veiled in humility the King of majesty rode on. He rode on to sacrifice, to death, to the achievement of our salvation.

Clothed in human flesh, the immortal God was greeted by an eager and desperate group of Messiah-seekers. They were inflated with hope but incumbered with misinterpretation. They waved palm branches. They spread their cloaks on the road to adorn His way. They cried, “Hosanna”, Lord, save, on His descent from the Mount of Olives. By the end of the week most were fully disillusioned. They shouted “Crucify” before His ascent up the hill of Calvary. Some opposed Him from the start. “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher rebuke your disciples!’ ‘I tell you, He replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”3

Jesus seems to be using a proverbial saying. Even if the people present are prevented from acclaiming Jesus as the Messiah- stones, inanimate objects, will cry out and announce Him. Here Jesus rejoins the rebuke of the Pharisees with one of His own. The term ‘stones’ was often used as a jaundiced reference to the Gentiles. Jesus was warning the Jewish leaders that if they reject His Messiahship, they will soon find that the Gentiles were embracing Him. Exactly that happened in the early church. It happens today when the gospel falls on deaf ears and hardened hearts. Like a passing shower of rain, Luther says, the Spirit moves on.

Dear friends, Palm Sunday meant that the claims, teachings, and mission of Christ were soon to be tested. The time of preparation and prophecy was over. Palm Sunday was mistakenly thought by many to be the beginning of freedom from the Roman occupation of Judea. They welcomed their political and nationalistic Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. They were soon disillusioned and bitterly disappointed. Instead, Palm Sunday was the beginning of the true Messiah’s accomplishment of much more important things. A much more sinister occupation was overthrown; the occupation of this realm by Satan’s supremacy. His supremacy is always accompanied by the prevalence of discord, and finally the triumph of death. As Christ enters Jerusalem the devil knows that his own time is short. He works furiously and viciously to still sidetrack Jesus from the road to Calvary. His efforts were in vain. Jesus would be sacrificed on the altar of the cross and God’s just wrath against sin would be appeased.

It's hard to imagine what was going through the hearts and minds of Jesus’ followers as they rode the emotional rollercoaster that was holy week. Common wisdom says that we should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. We don’t like to be disappointed. We fear that may happen if our hopes are set too high. It can be difficult for both optimists and pessimists to be realists. Striking the balance is an art, not a science. Your optimism or pessimism can also be greatly affected by your worldview. One person’s cause for celebration is another person’s reason for disgust. Divisive issues in society currently provide vivid examples. Convictions about homosexuality, gender identity, abortion, and euthanasia are high-profile instances. It takes passion and perseverance to maintain hope when it seems like the reality will never be reached. We pray that the Spirit would give us exactly such perseverance and devotion regarding our faith.

Truly, our hopes in the Messiah cannot be too high. The One riding on a donkey now rules at the right hand of God. What appeared to be abject failure- His execution as a criminal- turns out to be the salvation of the world! No wonder St. Paul ends Ephesians 3 with this doxology, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”4 Dear friends, we cannot ask too much of Him. We can ask foolishly. We can ask selfishly. We can ask ignorantly. All of which we are prone to do all too frequently. Our best requests are still tainted with sin. “Our righteous acts are like filthy rags,”5 says Isaiah. We pray that the Spirit would give us the repentance, the wisdom, strength, and discipline to avoid such petitioning.

Still, nothing is impossible for Him. You cannot dream bigger than He can deliver. Luke says today, “…the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.”6 Do you think God can perform miracles in your life? He already has. He rescued you from the darkness of unbelief and brought you to faith. Can He do, will He do, has He done other miracles in your life? Dear friends, you cannot even conceive of anything so grand that God could not bring it to pass.

Think only of His ultimate promise. Do you think heaven will be substandard? Do you think being resurrected in a glorified body will be a pedestrian experience? Do you believe that being permanently relieved of all fear, anxiety, worry, and care is only of minor significance? Do you think being freed from all guilt, shame, sin, and condemnation will be an uninspiring situation? Do you think the elimination of all war, bloodshed, hunger, trauma and trial is not something to eagerly look forward too?

Let’s banish the notion that the resolution of our mortality- our transformation into unending vitality- will be in any measure mundane or insipid. The Spirit says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”7 The Scripture says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”8 Baptized into His death and resurrection we are joined to His immortal life. Sin cannot finally prevail over us. When you assemble before His altar to receive His sacrificed body and life-giving blood, let your hearts be filled with hosannas. “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”9 He doesn’t just pass through. He’s still here! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +

Palm Sunday
14 April 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Timothy 6:15
2 Daniel 6:26
3 Luke 19:39-40
4 Ephesians 3:20
5 Isaiah 64:6
6 Luke 19:37
7 1 Corinthians 2:9
8 1 John 3:1
9 Luke 19:38