Text:\u00a0 Luke 19:\u00a0 28-40<\/p>\n
Palm Sunday has special memories for some of us.\u00a0 You may have been confirmed on a Palm Sunday.\u00a0 That tradition goes way back.<\/p>\n
As a child I remember getting the palm leaf and carrying it around between church and Sunday School.\u00a0 It was something different, special in a way but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I probably wasn’t paying attention when my pastor or Sunday School teacher explained it.<\/p>\n
Well let’s make sure no one goes home today wondering \u00a0what Palm Sunday is all about. It’s about a very special King who came to Jerusalem a long time ago.\u00a0 And now in his Word, this King comes to you.<\/p>\n
Blessed is the King who comes…
\n<\/b>I.\u00a0 Recognize Him
\nII. See how he comes
\nIII.\u00a0 Know the peace he brings.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On a Sunday, long ago. the roads swelled with weary pilgrims, many of whom were walking. They were on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover.\u00a0 Some like Jesus, had made that 17 mile trip from Jericho.\u00a0 In that short distance, they would ascend over 3500 feet.\u00a0 That must have made for some tired legs.<\/p>\n
`\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew and Mark tell us how Jesus had healed two blind men along the way.\u00a0 John tells us that Jesus arrived in Bethany on Friday evening where he rested for the Sabbath.\u00a0 Then on Saturday evening, Mary and Martha held a banquet in Jesus’ honor.\u00a0 And think of this.\u00a0 At the table was Lazarus, the one that Jesus had raised to life some time before.\u00a0 Well as you might expect, word got out that Jesus and Lazarus were there.\u00a0 A large crowd gathered outside to see them.<\/p>\n
That brings us back to Sunday when Jesus and his disciples began once more to make their way.\u00a0 Then there happened a wonderful convergence of two groups of people.\u00a0 Those who came out from Jerusalem met those still on the road and something special began to unfold. \u00a0People spread their cloaks on the road.\u00a0 Not something you would do for anyone.\u00a0 They waved palm branches, something you did\u00a0 to honor and celebrate a victory.\u00a0 \u00a037 <\/sup>When [Jesus] came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: <\/span>38<\/sup>\u201cBlessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Recognize this King.<\/b> \u00a0You may remember that above Jesus\u2019 cross the Roman governor would put a sign to mock the Jews and of course Jesus.\u00a0 It read:\u00a0 The King of the Jews.<\/i>\u00a0 The religious leaders would protest.\u00a0 But it’s true.\u00a0 Jesus is the King of the Jews.\u00a0 He is that<\/p>\n King prophesied, and predicted again and again in the Old Testament.\u00a0 He would be a descendant of King David as Jesus was.\u00a0 In our Old Testament lesson we heard one of those prophet look out into the future and say:\u00a0 Rejoice! your King comes to you.<\/span><\/p>\n This King was prophesied and now on the road to Jerusalem he was recognized.\u00a0 They saw his miracles that God said would mark his coming, even Lazarus raised from the dead. They told of his miracles and word spread like wildfire among the pilgrims.\u00a0 Now they proclaimed him that King, their King.\u00a0 \u00a038<\/sup>\u201cBlessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Hosanna to the Son of David<\/span>.\u00a0 Jesus is the King of the Jews.<\/p>\n But he is so much more of a king. Think of the donkey he rode.\u00a0 Where did it come from?\u00a0 Jesus had told two of disciples to go ahead of him into Bethphage.\u00a0 There you will find a colt, a young donkey, tied there.\u00a0 They found it just as Jesus said.\u00a0 But it wasn’t Jesus’ donkey.\u00a0 It belonged to another.\u00a0 What would you think if you saw someone opening your car door to drive off.\u00a0 You’d call 911.<\/p>\n Of course, Jesus did not intend\u00a0 to steal this man’s donkey.\u00a0 Only borrow it.\u00a0 But still, we’d wonder, what goes?\u00a0 Think of what now happens.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When the owner challenges these men, they use the words that Jesus supplied them. The Lord has need of your donkey<\/i>. If you and I were to tell someone that, we’d probably hear, yeah right.<\/i> \u00a0Unless Jesus had sent us with this word like he did these men.\u00a0 Then we would see that Jesus is much more of a king.<\/p>\n For what kind of donkey did Jesus ride. A colt, not ever ridden by anyone, not his owner and certainly not Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0 This young colt was about to go through a crowd of shouting people. \u00a0What might we expect?\u00a0 \u00a0But what do we find when Jesus gets on that donkey?\u00a0 No bucking in protest.\u00a0 No attempt to throw Jesus into the road.\u00a0 And here’s why.\u00a0 That donkey was carrying its Creator, the King of kings. the Son of God. \u00a0Recognize Him. \u00a0Blessed is the king who comes.<\/b><\/p>\n But something is very different about this King.\u00a0 He sure doesn’t match up with what we might expect for such an important person.\u00a0 You can’t help but notice that too.\u00a0 See how he comes. \u00a0<\/b>Think about the Kings of Jesus’ day.\u00a0 How about King Herod?\u00a0 He was a shrewd ambitious leader who would do anything to keep his power, even kill his wife and sons when he suspected them of treason.\u00a0 Herod had built many beautiful buildings to make sure his name was remembered.\u00a0 Just suppose King Herod came by this day.\u00a0 What would you see?\u00a0 You’d see him riding in a golden chariot or atop some big beautiful war horse.\u00a0 You’d see him surrounded with his soldiers to impress you with his might.\u00a0 And he’d be met by all the important come to seek his favor.<\/p>\n This King is clearly different.\u00a0 See how he comes.<\/b>\u00a0 There is no official welcome by the elite of Jerusalem.\u00a0 In fact the religious leaders are plotting to kill him and he knows it.\u00a0 Yet he comes.\u00a0 He comes in humility, just like his birth in a stable to a poor virgin mother.\u00a0 He comes in humility riding a donkey and a borrowed one at that. He comes in humility to put the needs of others, even the lowest person, above his own.\u00a0 Think of the words of our epistle. \u00a06<\/sup>Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7<\/sup>but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant<\/span>, (Philippians 2)<\/p>\n For that’s how this King came.\u00a0 He came to serve, to seek and save the lost.\u00a0 And understand.\u00a0 That was you and me and everyone else without him.\u00a0 We were lost, hopeless, with no real purpose in life.\u00a0 This King has changed all that for you and me.\u00a0 IN him we have hope and real purpose for living.\u00a0 Blessed is the King who comes.<\/b>\u00a0 And this day, Know the peace he brings.<\/b><\/p>\n Many a president has come into office with a promise of peace.\u00a0 I remember President Nixon ran for office saying he had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War.\u00a0 How many years went by?\u00a0 How many thousands died before that peace finally came?\u00a0 I would not be surprised if Nixon’s secret plan for peace was a secret to him.<\/p>\n Well the people here proclaimed that this King’s coming was about peace. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest they shouted<\/span>\u00a0 Or think of what the prophet called this coming King.\u00a0 the prince of peace<\/span>.\u00a0 Think of what the Christmas angels sang at his birth. Glory to God in the highness and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.<\/span>\u00a0 The coming of this king was about peace.<\/p>\n But what kind of peace?\u00a0 No more wars or need for armed forces.\u00a0 That’s not the peace his coming promised.\u00a0 At least not till we see him again.\u00a0 This King came to bring a peace far more lasting, far more wonderful.\u00a0 He came to bring a peace that we by nature are too foolish to care about.<\/p>\n Jesus brings peace between God and a world of people like you and me who have wiped our feet on God’s design for our lives.\u00a0 Look at the world that has come from that.\u00a0\u00a0 Prisons overflowing.\u00a0 Drugs aplenty.\u00a0 Families coming apart at the seams.\u00a0 A country ready to throw out God’s design for marriage.\u00a0 The need for a defense budget that eats up so much of our national treasure.\u00a0 Grown ups who prey on youth.\u00a0 Youth who prey on the elderly.\u00a0 Why would God want to keep us around for another day?<\/p>\n I don’t know.\u00a0 But for some reason too wonderful to understand, he sent this King.\u00a0 He sent this King, his own Son, our Lord to bring peace, to right that relationship with Him that we made into such a deadly mess.<\/p>\n And how did he do that?\u00a0 Follow Jesus again this Holy Week.\u00a0 Watch him on Maundy Thursday as he institutes a Supper that assures us now of this wonderful peace.\u00a0 Follow him to the Garden of Gethsemane where this King prays in great anguish, where he is betrayed, arrested, abandoned\u00a0 and led away.\u00a0 His disciples, don’t know what to think even though Jesus has told them.\u00a0 But Jesus and his Father know.\u00a0 This King has gone to win the peace.\u00a0 To take on himself, your guilt\u00a0 and mine.\u00a0 This King has gone to bleed and die for you, for me. In fact, for the whole world.\u00a0 And bring us peace, forgiveness for our sins.<\/p>\n This is the King who comes to us this morning in his Word.\u00a0\u00a0 As people shout their praise, he has no time to stop and smell the roses. He has no desire to get a count of how many palms were raised.\u00a0 No this King is determined to go the way of the cross for me.\u00a0 To lie in a tomb and then rise in victory, a victory that belongs to all who put their trust in him.<\/p>\n Blessed is the King who comes.\u00a0 Blessed is the King who comes to our hearts in this Word.\u00a0 Let the King enter, he is the King of the glory<\/b>.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Text:\u00a0 Luke 19:\u00a0 28-40 Palm Sunday has special memories for some of us.\u00a0 You may have been confirmed on a Palm Sunday.\u00a0 That tradition goes way back. 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