Have you ever found yourself having to reevaluate things that you believed and thought? And in the midst of doing that, have you ever discovered that things that you once thought and said in front of folks may have been wrong? And have you ever felt really embarrassed that you once believed as you did and were as outspoken as you once were?
I hate it when this happens.
You know, for years, I rebelled against using a lot of technology in church. I didn’t think it was a good idea to put my sermons online. If folks wanted to hear the sermon, they needed to come to church. We didn’t need screes in worship. Folks have a bulletin and hymn books. All of this stuff was just gimmicks anyway. What really counted was the Word of God and its power to change hearts. There was no need to dress things up. There was no need to put all of this extra stuff into it. Technology was just a bunch of fluff that was unnecessary.
But then in 2016, a study came out written by David Millard Haskell and Kevin Flatt. It was titled, “Theology Matters: Comparing the Traits of Growing and Declining Mainline Protestant Church Attendees and Clergy.” I read the study. The authors studied mainline protestant congregations in Canada where church decline has been even steeper than here in the U.S. This study confirmed what I had thought before: In every church that was growing, it was the Word of God and it’s power to change hearts that took center stage. It was a robust, orthodox, evangelical faith that took hold and helped bring people to Christ. But that was not the only thing these churches had in common. Guess what every one of those churches used? They made liberal use of technology in spreading the Gospel. They connected with people’s smart phones. They had screens in their worship areas. They connected online.
When I reached this point in my reading, I knew I was faced with a choice: recant what I had said earlier in my life or continue in my stubbornness. I could acknowledge what these researchers had found and get with the program, or I could turn a blind eye and pretend what they found didn’t really matter. Well, most of you know that every Sunday I am recording the sermon that is delivered here and putting it online. I’ve also started recording the Adult Bible study and putting that online as well. It’s a start, but if I take seriously what this study said, then this is the avenue that should be traveled. I’ve got to be humble enough to change my stance and do the things that help bring people to Christ.
That also means that I have to sometimes reevaluate the things that I have said throughout my time as a pastor and preacher. For instance, back in 2008, I preached a Palm Sunday sermon where I talked about how the Roman soldiers viewed what was happening when Jesus came riding in on that donkey. I said the following, “Straining his eyes, the captain [of the guard] looked and saw the focal point of the crowd’s attention. There, sitting on a donkey, was a man. He was waving to the crowd, smiling, and basking in their attention. ‘How odd these people are,’ thought the captain. ‘They celebrate a man riding on a donkey.’ With that, he turned to the rest of his men, ‘Stand down!’ he told them. ‘There is nothing to fear. They have no weapons.’ After saying this, he looked back down at the man on the steed. ‘Who is this?’ he wondered to himself. ‘Who is this man that so many welcome him in this manner?’”
I am no longer quite so sure that this Roman captain would have approached this situation in such a fashion. Through my readings and growth in understanding, I have come to see that the Romans were not ignorant of Jewish thought and belief. The Romans knew that the Jews were a cantankerous group of people. They had their factions and groups, for sure. There were Jewish folks who collaborated with the Roman occupiers–including the Puppet King Herod. This group was very, very small. There were other folks who begrudgingly worked with the Roman occupiers but who resented their rule to the nth degree–these were folks like the Pharisees. This was a much larger group. Then you had those who were in rebellion–those who assassinated Romans soldiers and diplomats at every chance claiming that they owed allegiance to God and God alone. These were the zealots. The vast, vast majority of the Jews believed that they were destined to be an independent kingdom, ruled by the Messiah who would bring them power and prestige throughout the world.
They only needed someone to follow.
They only needed someone who might have power and authority and might.
They only needed someone who seemed to fulfill the Old Testament prophesies.
And they had Jesus.
Oh, they had heard the stories of Jesus. They had heard about his miracles, and they had liked what they heard. He could produce food out of thin air. He could calm storms. He could heal the sick and raise the dead. He had untold of power.
Of course, there had been other stories that had caused a bit of consternation. In his hometown, the people had tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. On a couple of occasions, crowds had tried to stone him for things that he had said. But these were ignored for the time being. Perhaps he was controversial because he needed to stir people to action. Perhaps they were just misguided in their understanding of Jesus. Perhaps they just needed to channel their anger in the right direction–toward the Romans.
And those Romans were probably worried when they saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on that donkey. They knew what that meant. They knew the Jewish tradition of how a king was to enter the city. The prophet Zechariah had talked about such matters hundreds of years earlier. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The fact that Jesus was doing this could only mean one thing: Rebellion. Jesus’ actions this day made himself public enemy number one in the eyes of the Roman occupiers.
And Jesus was no fool. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that riding in on that donkey was putting a target on his back. He knew that he would not be well received by the Romans. He knew they brooked no talk of rebellion or revolution. He knew they would not be happy at all.
But the crowd was. The crowd was exuberant. They wanted to get rid of the Romans. They wanted to get out from under their oppression. They wanted to get out from under their burdens of taxation. They wanted a true king, not the puppet king Herod who was of questionable Jewish heritage. They welcomed Jesus with open arms. They put palm branches and robes in his path. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
They were in a festive mood. Just as God had once saved them from the Egyptians by mighty deeds of power and might on the first Passover, God was now going to use Jesus and his acts of power and might to deliver them from the Romans on this Passover.
But what the crowd did not understand was that Jesus was throwing down the gauntlet not only to the Romans, but to his fellow Jews. Jesus was not only challenging the Roman’s ideas of power and might and authority, he was also challenging his fellow Jews to examine their own ideas of what they thought the kingdom of God would look like–to examine their own relationship with God. And once the crowd discovered this, their shouts would change. Their shouts would go from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify him!”
Why? They were not willing to reevaluate their understandings. They were not willing to change their belief in the face of new information.
Look at it this way. All their lives, these folks had been told that the Messiah was coming. They had been taught that their Messiah would usher in a time of unprecedented peace, prosperity, and power for the Kingdom of Israel. They had been taught that the Messiah would overthrow their enemies with the strength and power of God. Israel would no longer be subject to anyone. Israel would be feared and respected throughout the world. Israel would be the top dog, and it would be an honor and a joy to be a part of this kingdom!! That’s why they celebrated Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
Ah, but when Jesus challenged this notion of the kingdom; when Jesus began telling everyone that his kingdom was not of this world; when Jesus told everyone that they should love the Romans–the enemies of the Jews–and bless them when they were persecuted; this was more than they could handle. This was more than they could bear. This wasn’t how the Messiah was supposed to act. In their eyes, Jesus became a false Messiah. He deserved crucifixion. But why couldn’t they accept what Jesus was saying?
Here’s the question: what were the people really longing for? What did the people most desire? What did the people have their hearts set on? Prosperity. Peace. Honor. Power. Riches. These were the things that the people craved. These were the things promised in the Kingdom. They were longing for these things more than they were actually longing for the rule of God. In other words, they wanted what God could give them, they did not actually want to submit to God themselves.
And Jesus would not accept that.
Jesus does not accept that.
Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness.”
Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
Jesus says, “The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Jesus says set your deepest heart’s desire upon God and nothing else.
You know, the crowds that gathered that Palm Sunday were waving their palms for the wrong reasons. They wanted a king who would deliver them from the Romans. They didn’t want a king who would confront them with their own selfish desires and demand repentance. But that is who Jesus was and is. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He already reigns over the universe, but he wants to reign most of all in our hearts. But as long as our hearts cling to the desires of wealth, power, prestige, possessions, or whatever we so choose, he can never be king. Oh, we may make him a king for a day or for a few hours, but he will never be Lord of our lives.
Maybe it’s a good thing that next year when Lent begins, these palm fronds will be burned and used to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. It’s a good reminder of how we should welcome Jesus. It’s a good reminder that all of the things that would draw us away from Jesus should burn away leaving a desire for repentance and a clean heart; leaving a desire to have Jesus sit enthroned upon our hearts as the Lord and Master of our lives.
And hear now the good news. Hear now where Jesus is going. Hear now what Jesus will do to capture your heart that you may fall in love with your Lord and Savior. For He will not rain down fire and brimstone on your head for failing to follow Him. He will not impose His will on you by force. He will not try to scare you into trusting Him or believing in Him. He will not ride that donkey to a great throne of power and might.
Instead, he will give up his heavenly power and glory. Even “though he is in the form of God, he will not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but he will empty himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he will humble himself and become obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” He will take your brokenness upon himself. He will take your pain upon himself. He will take your fear upon himself. He will take your distrust upon himself. He will take your sickness upon himself. He will take your anxiety upon himself. He will take your sin upon himself, and he will put it to death. He will die for you to cleanse your heart; to cleanse your being. And then he will pour his righteousness into you. He will pour his grace into you. He will pour his status as Son of God or Daughter of God into you. He will wash you, and he will clothe you. And He will do this not because you have earned it. Not because you have been all that you should be. Not because you are good. He will do this because He loves you. He loves you so much that he is willing to die for you. He wants that love to claim your heart so that you put your trust in him–you put your trust in the King.
Today, on this Palm Sunday, let us see past the pomp and circumstance. Let us see past the palm branches. Let us see past all the things that we think that Jesus can give us, and instead, let us see Jesus alone. Let us see the King of kings. Let us see the Lord of Lords. Let us see the one who has come to take our sin away. Let us behold our king. Amen.
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