April 4, 2004 — 11:00 AM
Will the Real Messiah Please Stand Up?
Psalm 118
Philippians 2:5 - 11
Luke 19:28 - 40
Americans were swept away over the past several years by the phenomenon of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Were you? I certainly was. Peter Jackson marvelously crafted a masterpiece based on the writing of J. R. R. Tolkien that drew us in, carried us along, and ultimately left us cheering for the people of Middle Earth who fought against evil and won.
We were able to identify with the characters who were jolted out of their normal everyday lives and thrown into an all-out effort to save what was so dear to them – their very world. We could see something of ourselves in the different characters who each would have preferred to curl up in a safe place and let others worry about fighting off the threats of destruction. We long, as they did, for someone to lead us in the right direction, giving us hope, and stirring us to action. And, let’s face it, we all wish for at least a little bit of magic every now and then – wouldn’t that make our lives a lot easier!
We are longing for heroes to show us the way. The movies that have been wildly successful in the past few years include strong heroes who have captivated our imaginations. In such films as “The Matrix,” “Master and Commander,” and, of course, “The Lord of the Rings,” we have seen our hopes and fears projected and resolved.
This desire is not only seen in our choice of entertainment, it is also being acted out in our presidential election process.
We have a president who is running for re-election mainly on his record as a war president. He is heralding his administration’s efforts to fight the war on terrorism, which includes the war in Iraq. He argues that after the terrible events of September 11, 2001, he is the one who has led this country in standing firm and resisting the forces that threaten to destroy it.
At the same time, the Democratic Party has gotten behind a Vietnam War hero who received three awards of the Purple Heart for his bravery during that conflict. Kerry’s campaign argues that their candidate is a man who has seen war, knows its consequences, and will use his first hand knowledge to inform his policy-making efforts.
We are pitting one type of war hero against another. And in November many will vote for the one who more closely aligns with what they want in a hero. Times are hard. Our world has changed. We want someone to lead us and restore us to what we once were.
And so we shout: “Hosanna!” “Save us!”
The Jewish people of Jesus’ time also wanted a hero. They longed for someone who would help them escape from the confusing world in which they were living; a messiah who would reestablish a Jewish kingdom and bring them safety and security.
Times were hard for them. The Romans occupied their land, exacted large taxes from the people, demanded allegiance to the emperor, and divided the people against themselves in an attempt to keep order in the land.
Every day people were being killed as instigators and rebels against the state. Every day large crowds of people were caught up in following a new person who offered them some slim sign of hope. But every day their hopes were dashed as the Roman soldiers continued their tight control of the people and their movements.
Jesus came in this midst of this confusing, tumultuous situation and offered a new way of thinking. His teachings and acts of healing showed that he cared for the people who had been cast aside. He offered hope to the hopeless and promised a better life for all who believed. His followers grew in numbers every day. The people were drawn to this one who dared to speak out in such dangerous times. They were reminded of others in their history who had done the same.
Maybe he, like those before him, could lead the people in reestablishing their kingdom and regaining their security. He certainly showed promise. He definitely fit the bill for one who could be called messiah! He was even so bold as to take his teachings to Jerusalem, the city that represented the very essence of the Jewish people. Those who followed him thought, “He must be the hero, the messiah, that we have been waiting and searching for! Why else would Jesus do such things and attract the attention of the authorities?”
And so, throngs of people gathered around Jesus as he prepared to enter Jerusalem. They wanted to be a part of this day of great hope. They were reminded of others who had done likewise and had gone on to become great leaders of the people. They were reminded of one like the king heralded in Psalm 118.
This king returned to the city triumphant in battle and ready to stand righteous before God in the Temple. This king embodied God’s steadfast love for the people he led. The very fact that the king had not been killed in battle and was able to enter into the gates showed that God continued to be faithful to the covenant to make the Hebrew people great and to provide for them. This king came in the name of the Lord to rule the kingdom and to lead the people in being God’s chosen ones.
God had restored the people. God had remained true to the promises of the covenant. But the people strayed. They turned from God and in Jesus’ time once again the people found themselves in a dire situation. Again they looked to God to keep covenant with them, to stay true to the promises made from the times of Noah, Abraham, and David. Again they looked for the king that would embody God’s loving promise and lead them back into righteousness with God. Jesus was exactly that person – his teachings and miracles showed that. And so the people hailed him and shouted praise and glory for him in the highest heaven. He was the new king who came in the name of the Lord! Jesus embodied God’s love for the people. And as such, he would be God’s agent of restoration for the Jewish people.
But not everyone was convinced of this. The religious leaders didn’t see Jesus in this way. They saw him as a threat to their livelihood. They saw him as another fanatic who was stirring people up and who would attract the attention of the Roman authorities. They saw him as one who would ultimately cause more damage than good. They wanted him to cease and desist. They wanted him to shut the people up and to go away.
Jesus did not do that. He could not. In Luke 19:40 he responds saying, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” Praise for him on his entry into the city of Jerusalem was inevitable. It was supposed to happen that way. Jesus had embarked on a path that could not be changed. He was obeying the will of God his Father and nothing the religious leaders said would convince him to do otherwise. Because of this, all of creation was taking part in welcoming him.
While Jesus knew that the people and creation must cry out, he also knew that they did not truly understand who he was and why he had to be praised. The people were there to cheer a new earthly king. They were there to witness the inception of a new earthly kingdom in which they could live in freedom and security. They thought they would soon be living without the daily interference of the Roman Empire. They were there to welcome a triumphant warrior who would use strength and might to reestablish God’s chosen people as an independent people.
Jesus had tried to show through his teachings and miracles that that was not who he was. He tried to explain that that was not the reason why he had come. His true identity and purpose are lifted up in the early Christian hymn offered by Paul to the people in Philippi. Here Paul joins with the early followers in extolling Christ Jesus not for being a triumphant warrior but for being a humble servant.
Jesus was divine but he did not use that to his advantage. Philippians 2:6 says that Jesus “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited.” The word translated as “exploited” more closely resembles the idea of “seizure.” Taking something forcefully, or even violently, that may or may not rightfully belong to the one taking it. Jesus did not use his divine nature to forcefully or violently restore humanity’s relationship with God. Instead, Jesus did the opposite. He humbled himself and took on the form of a slave or servant and was obedient to God’s plan of salvation; God’s plan of restoration of relationship with creation.
God desires to have a true relationship with creation. This is only possible when creation enters willingly into that relationship. God had initiated the relationship with creation through the covenant with the chosen people. But they did not understand God’s commitment to them or how deeply God loved them. They continually turned away towards other gods. God knew that the only way that humankind would understand the depths of God’s love for them was for God to become like them and suffer alongside them. And so, Jesus willingly chose to act in this way, obeying the will of God to show the depth and breadth of God’s love for all of creation through becoming a part of the very thing he helped to create.
Through this act of humbling himself, Jesus gave up any claims to power or authority that he had. His only desire was to be obedient to God. And this obedience took him to the cross. As Jesus rode on the donkey into the city of Jerusalem, he must have known what fate awaited him. There were widespread reports of what happened to people the Romans regarded as rebel leaders. He knew that his teachings had upset the local authorities. He also knew that he was gaining a large following. While this was exactly what he wanted, he also knew that it would lead him into direct confrontation with Jewish and Roman authority. And this almost always meant death. And the preferred mode for people in his position was crucifixion.
Jesus knew all this as he passed through the throngs crying out “Hosanna! Save us!” He knew that the salvation he brought was different from what the people gathered were expecting. He had tried to teach them to think differently, but he could see that the excitement had clouded the minds of those closest to him. He knew that they had not really understood what he was trying to teach them. His only hope was that his act of ultimate obedience, death on the cross, would finally help the followers to truly understand.
As he entered the gates of the city, Jesus was certain that soon he would meet his end, the end of following God’s will to the cross. But Jesus did not face that end already knowing that he would be resurrected. He knew that God’s will would be done, but he did not expect to be just fine after three days in the tomb. His death had to be final in his mind for him to truly suffer as we suffer. He had to face the prospect that there would be nothing more after the cross. If he had not, he would not be able to save us from death and separation from God. Jesus had to be like us in everyway, except sin, in order for his life, death, and resurrection to break the hold that sin and death had on creation.
And so, Jesus entered the gates of the city knowing his end was near. During his final days he did not use his equality with God to his advantage – he did not bargain his way out of following God’s will to the very end. He did not act forcefully or violently to save creation in some other fashion. Rather, he humbled himself and obeyed God’s will.
Because Jesus did not flaunt or exploit his divinity, Paul tells us, “God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
We, like the Jewish people of Jesus’ time, come searching for a king, a hero, a messiah who will lead us to a renewed state of safety and security. We are searching for someone to be our leader and to give us hope.
But we are searching in the wrong place. We are searching for the wrong characteristics.
As Paul told the Christians in Philippi, so he tells us today: look inside of yourselves, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Hope must come from within, from God working in our lives to renew each of us. We must humble ourselves, giving up any claim to power or authority, so that we can obey the will of God as Jesus did.
Could we allow ourselves to obey God even to death as Jesus did? That idea makes many of us uncomfortable. For me it conjures up images of the suicide bombers that plague the Middle East. It reminds me of religious zealots of every land who believe that God is leading them to kill themselves and others in order to make God’s point obvious.
But Jesus’ obedience did not lead to the death of others. It led to his own death. And through his death, it led to life eternal for all those who believe in God’s redeeming act of love that Jesus embodies.
During this Holy Week we are called to “have the same mind as Christ Jesus.” We are called to walk with Jesus. We are to remember his conflict with those who wanted him to be quiet. We are to observe Jesus’ actions and choices to continue to obey as the consequences of this obedience become very clear. Do not go through this week lightly. Think of Jesus’ suffering. Remember that he willingly endured all of this to demonstrate the extent of God’s love for all of creation.
Be changed by the events that this week commemorates. Be changed by Jesus’ demonstration of God’s incredible love. Be humbled by it. And seek to obey God in your life every day.
Let us pray.
God, you are mysterious. We cannot fully understand the lengths to which you have gone to show your great love to us. Help us to be of the same mind as Christ Jesus. Help us to humble ourselves to obey you instead of reaching for power and authority. Help us to seek justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with you.
Amen.
