< back to Sermon archive

Sermon for Sunday 5 April 2020 – Palm Sunday

PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL                                 John 12:12-19

12The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Psalm                                                Psalm 118:19-29

19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord. 20“This is the gate of the Lord; he who is righteous may enter.” 21I will give thanks to you, for you answered me and have become my salvation. 22The same stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25Hosannah, Lord, hosannah!  Lord, send us now success. 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar. 28“You are my God, and I will thank you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” 29Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever.

Gospel                                                        Matthew 26:1–27:66

The holy gospel according to St. Matthew the 26th and 27th chapters.

Glory to you, O Lord.

1When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” 6Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 14Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. 17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” 26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. 36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” 47While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. 57Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” 69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. 3Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” 11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 15Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” 20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified! 24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. 27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.  45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. 57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Why Did The Cheering Stop

Grace, mercy and peace to you this Palm Sunday from God our heavenly Father and from Jesus Christ, God’s suffering Servant.

Of all the festival Sundays, this one for me, is the most challenging.  We began our service with a reading, then a procession and then the singing of praises to Jesus our Redeeming King, remembering Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then we transitioned into a reading of the trial, abuse and the crucifixion of Christ.  It always forces me to ask myself, “How could these two opposing events, happen in less than a week?  How could the people living in and around Jerusalem, go from hailing and welcoming Jesus as “he who comes in the name of the Lord”, to screaming crucify Him, crucify Him, in such a short span of time?”  More importantly, what do these two events tell us about human nature and can we really be so short sighted, that we can turn on someone that quickly?

Some years ago, Gene Smith, a noted American historian, wrote a book titled “When the Cheering Stopped.”  It’s the story of President Woodrow Wilson and the events leading up to and following WWI.  Because of the United States’ response and performance during the war, and because of President Wilson’s leadership, Woodrow Wilson was seen as an international hero when the war was over.  There was a great spirit of optimism abroad, and people actually believed that the last war had been fought and the world had been made safe for democracy.  

On his first visit to Paris after the war, Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs.  The same thing was true in England and in Italy.  In a Vienna hospital a Red Cross worker had to tell the children that there would be no Christmas presents because of the war and hard times.  But the children refused to believe her.  They said that President Wilson was coming, and they knew that everything would be all right.  However, the cheering, over the next year, abated quickly.

It turned out that the political leaders in Europe were more concerned with their own agendas, than they were lasting peace.  Here at home, President Wilson ran into opposition and his League of Nations failed to be ratified.  Under all the strain, the President’s health began to break.  Finally, his party was defeated in the next election.  So it was that Woodrow Wilson, a man who barely a year earlier had been heralded as a world leader, came to the end of his days a broken and defeated man.  It’s a sad story, but one that’s not altogether unfamiliar.  A similar thing happened to Jesus.

When He emerged on the public scene, He became an overnight sensation.  Great crowds came to experience the healings and to hear Him teach.  When He tried to go off to be alone and pray, the people would seek Him out.  The masses lined the streets as He came into town.  Just a few days before the Passover, leafy palm branches were spread before Him and there were shouts of Hosanna and of “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”  In shouting Hosanna they were in effect saying, Jesus “Save us now”.  But like many things in our lives, the excitement and cheering didn’t last long.  People, even some whom Jesus had healed, simply went back to their everyday lives.  And this didn’t escape the notice of His critics.  The Religious leaders saw the apathy of the people as an opportunity to rid themselves of this pesky Rabbi from Nazareth.  As Caiaphas, the High Priest would unknowingly prophesies, “it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

Because of His popularity and His willingness to take on the religious leaders, they had been afraid to speak out for fear of the masses, but now they began to perceive that the fickle public was turning on Him.  When the religious leadership discovered that they couldn’t discredit His moral character, they began to take more desperate measures.  Before it was all over, a tidal wave was stirred up that brought Jesus to His knees under the weight of a cross.   

As Jesus prepared to enter into Jerusalem proper, He intentionally changed things up.  His Galilean ministry was at an end.  The time for keeping a low profile was over.  Jesus had announced to His disciples for the third time, the fate that awaited “the Son of Man” once He returned to Jerusalem.  As Jesus humbly and obediently entered Jerusalem, the cross of Golgotha stood before Him.  Symbolically, His back was already bared, readied for the cruelties and death that await Him.  So why did the masses turn so quickly against Him?  

How did the shouts of Hosanna on Sunday, transform so quickly into the shouts of crucify Him on Friday?  I’m not just talking about the immediate events that may have brought it about, but the deeper root causes.  What were the underlying issues?  It took just five days for it all to fall apart.  Why?  Why did the cheering stop?  

For one, Jesus began to talk more and more about commitment.  During the last week of Jesus’ life, a very interesting scene occurred, and even more significantly, it occurred in full view of the people.  A rich young ruler came running to Jesus.  Jesus, in response to his question tells him:  Go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor and then come follow me.  The masses were stunned.  They had been raised to believe that God’s favor could be seen in one’s wealth.  Yet, here Jesus is turning things upside down: He turned the big money away.  How many churches would do that today?  We think that wealthy and prominent people are individuals who need to be recruited and cultivated.  We think their success will lead to our success in the church.  But this wasn’t the only reason this troubled the people; they were troubled also by a shift in Jesus’ teaching.

Prior to this, Jesus’ message had largely been one of grace.  When the 5,000 were hungry, He feed them.  When they brought Jesus their sick, He healed them.  When a woman was caught in adultery and was about to be stoned, Jesus came to her rescue and saves her.  The message of His ministry was one of grace upon grace.  But now He seems to be saying, “The time for miracles is over.  Now is the time for commitment.”

It’s interesting to note, that in all four Gospels, after Jesus enters Jerusalem to the shouts of Hosanna and palm branches, there are no other miracles on recorded.  There are some events we might count as miracles, but no miracles are done for the people.  On the surface, this may not seem significant, but when you consider that nearly half of the Gospels are devoted to the last seven days of Jesus’ life, you then understand the significance of this.  Interestingly, however, while there are no miracles recorded in these chapters, what we do find, is a persistent call to commitment.

Hungry one morning Jesus stops by a fig tree and finds no figs.  He withers the tree because it’s not producing fruit.  Jesus demands fruitful, committed lives.  A Parable is told:  Who is more committed?  The son who says, “I will work” and then does not or the son who says, “I will not work,” repents, and gets the job done?  It’s the son who does the work.  The greatest two commandments are given:  Love God and Love your neighbor; again, a call to commitment.  In chapter 24 we read His teachings, “be watchful for we do not know the day or hour of His return.”  After the triumphal entry, everywhere Jesus asks for commitment and devotion from the people and what He heard in response, He didn’t like.

Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder once wrote: “The church of today has become an institution in which even belief in God is optional or peripheral.  Marketing techniques for a multiple option institution have replaced response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the means of membership enlistment.  The basic appeal is to self-defined needs, rather than a call to radical [commitment and] discipleship.  The church’s mission all too often is to meet its members perceived needs, rather than to serve God’s desire for a redeemed, reconciled, and healed world.”  Yes, part of the work of the church is to meet the needs of its members.  However, we’re called to do so much more.  We’re called to be God’s hands in this world reaching out to a world in need.  But sadly, many people don’t, or refuse to hear the call to discipleship and we have allowed the concept of consumerism to creep into the church.  

To bring people in and to make the church marketable, we think that we need to say: “Look what our church can offer you.”  In today’s sorority rush party atmosphere, talk of discipleship is muted.  Discipleship means knowing who Jesus Christ is, and following God’s will made known to us in Jesus’ life, teaching, death and resurrection.  Commitment to God means that after the shouts of Hosanna, we willingly walk to Golgotha carrying His cross of suffering.

I would suggest to you that when that rich young ruler walked away that day, he wasn’t the only one.  I think it’s safe to assume that a host of uncommitted people also walked away.  Jesus was no longer talking only grace.  Now He was speaking about the other side of discipleship.  Jesus began to talk about the cost that rests with a person who has been saved by God’s grace.  The cheering began to stop, when Jesus began to speak of commitment.

Second, the cheering stopped when Jesus dared to suggest that all people are worth loving.  Consider what happened next.  Jesus goes to the temple and drives out the moneychangers.  After the temple has been emptied, He then invites in the lame, the poor, the sick, and the outcasts of society.  By inviting these people in, it was His way of saying, all people are loved and have access to God.  It’s was His way of saying that this is what the Kingdom of God is going to be like.

I couldn’t help but notice the chain of events as Jesus comes to Jerusalem.  The ones who are constantly making reference to Jesus’ Messiahship are the disenfranchised of society.  On the way to the capital city a poor blind beggar cries out: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.”  And what was the response of the crowd?  They rebuked him and told him to be quiet.  Then Jesus makes His triumphant entry to shouts of Hosanna, blessed be the son of David.  But look who’s in the temple court yelling out this proclamation:  We’re told it’s none other than the children (Mathew 21:14-16).  It’s the children who are getting under the skin of the Pharisees.  They ask Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?  Are you going to allow this Jesus?  Do you not deny this?”  In response Jesus quotes Psalm 8:2: “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.”

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to help with Special Olympics.  During the Olympics an incident occurred at one of the foot races.  Nine children lined up for the 100-yard dash.  The gun sounded and the children were off.  But only a few yards into the race, one of the children fell and began to cry.  For some reason, these challenged children, didn’t understand the world’s concept of competition and getting ahead and taking advantage when a competitor is down.  To the surprise of the staff and the gathered crowd, the other eight children stopped running and came back to their fallen comrade.  A young girl with Down’s syndrome knelt down and kissed him and brushed him off.  The children then lifted him up, and together they ran arm in arm over the finish line.  

The stunned audience rose to their feet in applause:  there wasn’t one winner that afternoon, there were nine.  In that moment, in that act of compassion, those children showed us what the Kingdom of God is like.  They challenged the world’s concept that first place is everything.  In this mission we’ve been called to accomplish, everyone matters, particularly those who have fallen and those whom the world overlooks.  Why did the cheering stop?  Because on Palm Sunday, Jesus opened the doors of the church to all who would believe in and follow Him.

Finally, the cheering stopped because Jesus began to talk more and more about a cross.  In the early part of His ministry, Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God.  This they wanted to hear, especially since they misunderstood, thinking the Messiah would bring about the restoration of Israel to the days of King David’s glory.  But increasingly Jesus began to talk about sacrifice—even giving up your life. 

The story is told of a pee-wee baseball game.  When the young boy got up to the plate he looked over to the coach, and he saw him give the signal to sacrifice bunt.  He then promptly proceeded to take three big swings and strike out.  The coach ran up to him and said:  Didn’t you see me give you the signal to sacrifice?  Yes, the boy replied.  But I didn’t really think you meant it.  Isn’t that what we so often say to God?  Yes, Lord, I hear You talk about sacrifice, but I didn’t really think that you meant it.  The cross emphatically says that God is serious.

Earlier I asked, “Why did the cheering stop?”   It stopped because Jesus began to talk about commitment; it stopped because Jesus opened the doors of the church and invited all who would believe to come in.  But more importantly, the cheering stopped because Jesus began to talk about self-denial and taking up our cross and following Him. 

Today, as we enter into Holy Week, we reflect on two distinct, but connected events.  We take time to herald Jesus as the promised Messiah and we take time to contemplate the passion and death of Jesus and the high cost of discipleship.  For some, like those in Jesus’ day, they want to herald the Messiah because they only want what’s in it for them.  They refuse to hear the call to discipleship and the responsibility that accompanies that call.  The call to discipleship is a call of commitment.  It’s a call that beckons us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus, no matter the cost.  It’s a call that asks us to pray, “not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).

Amen

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.

< back to Sermon archive