Latest revision as of 15:36, 6 April 2022

Theological Proposition/Focus: Jesus is the Messiah and offers people the choice accept or reject him.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We need to accept Jesus as the Messiah he is even though he is not the Messiah we expect.

Introduction:

Image: Expectations, the Vice President, and the West Wing

Have you ever let your expectations interfere with your ability to see what is right in front of your face? About 10 years ago Emily and I received an invitation to visit the West Wing of the White House and the Oval Office. The catch, we needed to come later in the evening when there would not be a bunch of people working. We arrived after dark, passed through security and a White House staffer met us. The staffer let us know that she would be taking us around and that most of the people working at the White House had left for the day. I was excited to be in the West Wing, and my expectations were set. I would not see the president or anything like that but I would at least get to set foot in the Oval Office.

As we walked through the halls our staffer pointed out to us all the paintings of the President then an older man walked up to us put his arm around us and stated "that is the nicest man I have ever met" while pointing to a picture of President Obama. I chuckled and said something like, "I'm sure he is." As the man turned and walked away I noted the Secret Service Suits following and the staffer said "do you realize that was Vice President Biden?"

I had not expected to see anyone important and so even when I did see someone important I didn't even recognize him. I learned a valuable lesson. Our expectations really determine what we recognize.

Need: Recognize Jesus for who he is and what he brings

Subject: Jesus, Messiah

Preview: In Luke 19:28-44 we are going to see that Jesus is the sovereign Messiah of Israel which warrants the question, what will you do with Jesus?

Text: Luke 19:28–44

Setting the Stage:

Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke together with the books of Acts. Likely these are intended to be a two part set. The literary structure is that of historiography.

Luke-Acts ->Historiography

In his first volume, Luke traces the Story of God's work from the birth of Jesus and moving toward Jerusalem. In Acts Luke traces God's work through the Church moving from Jerusalem out to the world. Therefore, when we talk about the Triumphal entry in Luke 19:28-44 we are talking about the introduction to the climax of the Gospel. In Luke's writing, this is the beginning of the point on which his entire history hangs.

Luke -> Jerusalem - Acts -> World

In fact, for humanity, we might argue that Luke 19:28-44 is the fulcrum on which all of history sits. Luke 19:28-44 introduces us to the week that forever changed history.

Body

We begin with verses 28-34 and what I want you to notice here is that Jesus is Sovereign, Nothing catches Jesus by surprise because he is purposeful in all he does. Remember, we might consider this the most important week in history. Jesus was in complete control.

Sovereign: Nothing catches Jesus by surprise because he is purposeful in all he does (28-34).

Jesus went to Jerusalem on purpose. (28-29)

When the time was right, Jesus purposed to go to Jerusalem. Everything about this entry into Jerusalem would have reminded his followers that he was the rightful King of the Jews. Up to this point, Jesus had not sought to be called the Messiah. Now, the time was right and he was ready to accept the title for which he was born.

The People Expected Messiah to Free them from Rome

The Jews expected the Messiah to come and deliver them from Roman oppression. They expected LORD himself to fight against the enemies of Jerusalem. However, King Jesus is coming not to deliver Jerusalem from her enemies but humanity from sin. This is a case where expectations might prevent someone from seeing what is really happening. The Jews expected deliverance from Rome not deliverance from their own sin.

Jesus planned out even the small details. (30-31)

Look throughout the Gospels and what do you see Jesus doing? walking, but not here. Here Jesus makes a carefully calculated decision. In fulfillment of

Zechariah 9:9-10

Jesus instructs his disciples to travel to the village ahead and find a tethered colt. In Matthew, we learn this was the colt of a Donkey. Horses were associated with war. According to Zech. 9:9 the colt was associated with someone entering lowly, in the name of peace. The fact that no one else had ever ridden the colt before made it worthy of a king. Moreover, in his perfect knowledge, Jesus knew that his disciples would face questioning and encouraged them to simply respond that he (Jesus ) needed the animal.

Everything was just as Jesus had predicted (32-34)

I have made plans before and at times my plans work out, but at other times they fail to work out. Here, the plans Jesus laid outcome to pass exactly as he said they would. Jesus was in complete control and nothing happened by accident. Jesus was purposeful.

Image: Best-Laid Plans

MTR: Make this week a contemplative week.

Stations of the Cross

This is Easter Week, later today many of us are going to participate in the Stations of the Cross. As you participate I hope you see that everything Jesus did was done with purpose. I think it is very easy for us to go through this entire week and then suddenly have Easter come upon us. My challenge to you this week is that you don't let Easter catch you by surprise but rather you carefully consider this week and walk alongside Jesus realizing that everything he did was on purpose.

Messiah: There are two responses to Jesus (35-40)

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord (35-38)

The picture is a beautiful picture, the disciples prepare the colt and place Jesus on the colt, they enter the city and begin proclaiming Jesus as the king. The time has come and the crowd begins to build. People had heard that one day a king would come and here he was. Moreover, this was not just a royal figure, this was the people's king, his royal lowness rather than the pomp and circumstance usually associated with a royal highness.

In verse 37 we see that the crowd praised God because of the miracles they had seen. Little did they know that they had yet to see the greatest miracle of all, the forgiveness of sin. Likely the people were focused on their expectations. The people were focused on a conquering King. In fact, the phrase the people use seems to be drawn from Psalm 118, a Psalm of deliverance.

Psalm 118:26

In Psalm 118 the praise came from the house of the LORD. Here the people themselves praise the Lord while the temple (and those in it) remain silent. The people rightfully ascribe peace.

Peace

However, what the people likely fail to realize is just what Peace Jesus is about to bring.

How dare you (39-40)

I can just picture this. The Pharisees are offended. Psalm 118 is a royal psalm and Zacheriah was clearly Messianic. To be alluding to both of these passages was explosive. In any case, Jesus responds by stating that his arrival in the city will be recognized, if not by these then by the very stones. Jesus will be recognized, he is the Messiah and all of history is about God. If man will not aknowledge God then the very inatimate objects he created will.

Image: Trlema: Lord, Liar, Lunatic

C.S. Lewis once famously presented his Trilema. He stated

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."

The issue that the people faced was again one of expectations. They expected the Messiah to come as a conquering King but instead he came as one who wanted to be their Lord.

MTR: Choose to accept Jesus as Lord!

This week as we consider Easter I want to encourage you to take time to specifically choose to accept Jesus as Lord. What do I mean by that? Many of you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, the one who saved you from sin. This week I encourage you to go further and accept that Jesus is your Lord, your absolute master. The Pharisees here did not want Jesus as their master, they didn't want someone who was not like them or too extreme. Here is the deal, Jesus said if these become silent, the stones will cry out. Similarly, Jesus will be your master, it is inevitable, the question is will you accept him kicking and screaming or with a smile on your face.

God of Israel: Jesus wants his people to recognize him. (41-44)

In verses 41-44 we notice that Jesus, as the God of Israel, wanted his people to recognize him.

Image: A teacher mourning giving bad grades to students

I teach math and unfortunately, there are times when students fail math. But let me tell you, such events are painful for me. I know that many of you are teachers and one thing that I have found common among teachers is that we really do not like to fail students. Some of the hardest conversations I have had happened at the end of the semester when a student comes in and tells me that they are sorry to have let me down. A student will tell me that at the beginning of the semester when I told them what they needed to do to be successful they just didn't believe me, they didn't expect that taking those steps would really work.

I want students to be successful but if they are to be successful there are things they need to do, and sometimes those things are outside of their expectations for what happens in college. Here in Luke 19 we see that God wants his people to enjoy his peace, but sometimes God's peace comes in a way that people do not expect.

God wants his people to enjoy his peace (41-42)

In verses 41-42 we see that God desired peace for his people. So much so that Jesus breaks into tears over what he knows to be true. The people who claim to know God in fact have missed him completely and as a result, they will miss their opportunity for peace.

Those who reject God will not see peace (43-44)

Irony: Pharisees were worried about losing their place, they would in fact lose it

The city rejected the king of peace and in AD 70 Jerusalem was ransacked by Emporer Titus.

MTR: This week take time to study Jesus so that you will recognize him.

Conclusion

Notice the steps that we should be taking this week

First, we make this week a contemplative week.

We have the opportunity this week to reflect carefully on the life Jesus lived while here on the Earth.

Second, we choose to accept Jesus as Lord!

As you reflect on Jesus I expect you to be struck by the notion that Jesus is nothing short of Lord. The consequence of this is that we must without question submit to his Lordship over our life.

Third, we set aside time to study Jesus so that we will recognize him.

As we submit to Christ we will be drawn to know him better so that when he returns we will recognize him. That is, we set proper expectations.