Tag Archives: Palm Sunday

Your Visitation – Sermon on Luke 19:41-48 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Luke 19:41-48

41 And when [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This Gospel text takes place on Palm Sunday. The crowds have laid palm branches and coats on the road as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Lk. 19:36, 38). The Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke them, but He refused. Instead, He said, “I tell you, if they were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Lk. 19:40).

But while all this joy and celebration surrounded Jesus, Luke tells us here what is going on in Jesus’ heart. Christ comes to the crest of the hill that overlooks Jerusalem, and He weeps. He has come to visit Jerusalem and bring the peace that surpasses all understanding (Php. 4:7). But He weeps because the city is so twisted and corrupt that it doesn’t know or recognize the things that make for peace. Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem when their Roman armies will set up a barricade all around the city to rip it apart brick by brick. All of this will happen because the people did not know the time of their visitation (Lk. 19:44).

We look forward to some visits. Especially if they live far apart, kids will ask how long it’ll be until they visit grandpa, grandma, and the cousins again. You get excited about an upcoming visit with your college or high school friends. But other visits can be uncomfortable – a visit to the dentist, a visit from the OSHA inspector, or a visit to the principal’s office. 

When Jesus says, “You did not know the time of your visitation,” the word He uses for ‘visitation’ (episkopē) is where we get our English word ‘scope.’ A couple days ago, I was talking with a woman who had a partial knee replacement years ago, but she still had continual pain. Her doctor decided to use a scope to look into her knee and see what was going on. That scope revealed that she had an infection that never showed up on other imaging or lab work. The only thing that revealed the infection was that scope. The doctor needed to get in there and see what was causing her pain.

The visitation Jesus talks about here is Him scoping things out in the city. What does that scope reveal? It reveals that the citizens of Jerusalem, the ‘city of peace,’ do not know the things that make for peace. It revealed that the Temple – God’s house, the place where God promised to deliver His mercy and forgiveness to sinners – had become a hideout of robbers. Jesus’ visitation, that scope, revealed how disordered the city was.

That’s why Jesus goes into the Temple. He drives out the infectious thieves from their den and daily fills the Temple with His teaching. Sadly, by the end of the week, the chief priests, scribes, and other leaders decide to arrest Jesus, put Him on trial, condemn, and crucify Him. And the people of Jerusalem still didn’t know or recognize the things that make for peace.

So, in 70 AD, about 40 years after Jesus’ prophecy here, the Roman general Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem. It was one of the most horrific events in human history. About one million people were killed. Titus took enough gold from the Temple to pay for the building of the Coliseum in Rome and burned Jerusalem to the ground.

All of this – the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple – should serve as a reminder and a warning to us. Judgment is coming. This world cannot and will not last. Those who do not have faith in Christ will be damned, so repent and believe in Jesus.

Don’t fall into the temptation of being comfortable and complacent in yourself and in your sin. Just because God doesn’t send immediate judgment upon your sin doesn’t mean that God doesn’t mind or care that much about it. In our Old Testament reading (Ez. 3:8-11), we heard how the people rebuilt the Temple. When the foundation was laid, the people sang responsively, “[The Lord] is good, and His steadfast love and mercy endures forever.” Yes, God’s mercy endures forever, but His patience over sin does not.

So, be warned. Be warned but also have hope. There is a purification and replacement of what is broken in this world. The day is coming when all that is corrupt, evil, and infected will be swept away and replaced with what is pure. There is a final freedom and peace from all your enemies.

As you consider this text, ask yourself, “Did Jesus visit Jerusalem to bring judgment or to bring peace?” The answer is, “Yes. Both.”

After His tears dried, Jesus’ first order of business was to visit the Temple and expel the money changers. But He didn’t stop there either. Jesus kept returning to the Temple so He could fill it with the good news that He had come to bring God’s forgiveness, life, and salvation. The whole reason Jesus had gone to Jerusalem was for the sake of peace – true, ultimate peace.

Christ visited Jerusalem to bring the very peace that was first promised to Adam and Eve even after they had fallen into sin (Gen. 3:15). Jesus visited Jerusalem so He could reconcile God and man through His blood. Christ won that peace through His cross and resurrection. And now, Jesus guards that peace with His protection.

Notice how Luke tells us that Jesus’ enemies couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t touch either Jesus or the crowds who listened to Him. Wherever Jesus’ Word is proclaimed the enemies of Christ have no control. They wanted to destroy Jesus, but they couldn’t do a thing (Lk. 19:47-48). Only when Jesus decided are they able to arrest and crucify Him. And through His death, Christ brings His promised peace.

So, dear saints, know the day of your visitation. Today is that day. Today, and every day you come to this place to hear God’s Word, Jesus is visiting you and proclaiming to you the things that make for peace. Yes, there are times when that visitation means Jesus has to remove the filth and shame of your sin. But that is how God brings about His peace.

Jesus’ visitation delivers you to the new, true, heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22-24) where God dwells with you and your enemies cannot touch you. They cannot touch you because they cannot touch Jesus. They have already done their worst to Him, and now, He lives forever. And because He lives, you live too (Jn. 14:19).

Psalm 48 describes the fortress that you have in the holy Christian Church, a fortress that is not founded on bricks that can crumble. No, the fortress Christ has delivered you to is built upon the foundation of God’s Word, which will never fade, fail, or fall. Listen to the description of your fortress from that Psalm: “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever” (Ps. 48:12-14). 

In this tower, the only danger, the only threat you face is if you would leave its protection. Dear saints, God has and is visiting you here, now to bring you His true, abiding peace. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Follow – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

Matthew 26:1-27:66 & John 12:12-19

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Most of you here today have known the story of Jesus’ life for as long as you can remember. For that, God be praised! You know that the Palm Sunday welcome will quickly move to the bitter account of Jesus’ Passion that we just finished reading.

But imagine that you didn’t know. Imagine attending our service and hearing all of this for the first time. Imagine all of it was new. You hear about Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem with the shouts of, “Hosanna,” as He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. Then, not even half an hour later, you hear about Jesus’ crucifixion. You might wonder, “What changed? How did this turn around so quickly? Why are the people who were shouting, ‘Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,’ now shouting for Jesus to be crucified?”

Hearing all of this for the first time would probably be shocking to you. But, again, you know the story of Jesus’ life. You know how it begins with Jesus being born in Bethlehem. You know how it ends with Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Jesus knew this too.

As He rode into Jerusalem on that day nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus knew. He knew that the palm branches that were being waved to welcome Him as the king would be followed by the whip that would be waved across His back. Jesus knew that the shouts of, “Hosanna,” would soon turn to shouts of, “Crucify.” Jesus knew that the jackets across the road would morph into the soldiers, gambling for His clothes. Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus knew that He would ride out of Jerusalem lifeless and laid on a bier. We don’t know if Jesus heard the Pharisees saying, “The whole world is going after him.” But Jesus knew that, in a few short days, almost everyone would turn their back on Him. Christ knew that, soon, it would be just a couple of men – Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (Jn. 19:38-40) – and a few women who would lay Him in the tomb.

Jesus knew all of this as He triumphantly went into Jerusalem. He wasn’t surprised by anything that happened the following Thursday or Friday. That was the reason He went into Jerusalem. Christ wasn’t surprised by the change between that Sunday and Friday. He went knowing exactly what was going to happen, knowing exactly what was going to take place, knowing that He would be betrayed, knowing that Judas mark Him as the one the soldiers should arrest, knowing that Peter would deny Him, knowing that His disciples would flee.

Jesus knew all of it. He knew that he would suffer. He knew that He would be mocked. He knew that He would be ridiculed and beaten. He knew that He would be stripped. He knew the crown of thorns would be pressed onto His head and nails driven through His hands and feet. Jesus knew all of this. Christ knew that the reason He was going to Jerusalem was so that He could suffer, die, and rise again for you (Lk. 18:31-33).

Jesus knew that He was going to bear all of humanity’s sins before God, the Judge. Jesus – the perfect, sinless Son of God, who knew no sin – He became sin so that you, through faith, might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). And Jesus followed through with His Father’s plan to save you.

Conceivably, we could plead innocent of all the injustices that Jesus faced – the betrayal, the denial, the false accusations, the beating, the whipping, the mocking, the scorning. We weren’t there. We didn’t do those things to Him. We would probably not be convicted of killing of Jesus before any earthly judge and jury. We could honestly say that we weren’t shouting, “Crucify, crucify Him!” We weren’t calling for Barabbas to be released and innocent Jesus be crucified. We weren’t daring God by calling for the guilt Christ’s blood to be upon us and upon our children.

Dear saints, we could say Jesus did not die because of us, but please believe that He dies for us. He goes to the cross on our behalf and in our place. Isaiah says that the Lord laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:6). That leaves no doubt, no question, we – you and I – are why Jesus is on the cross.

Yet, that isn’t the entire story either, is it? Out of His love for you, Jesus willingly went to the cross. He went for the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2) – the joy of winning you as His own.

The eternal Son of God did not count equality with God a thing to grasp at all costs. Instead, He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant. He was born in the likeness of men. In other words, God Himself was willing to be seen in your flesh and blood. But Jesus went lower. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even a cursed (Gal. 3:13) cross kind of death (Php. 2:5-8) so that you could be reconciled to Him. Dear saints, have that same mind of Christ.

Even as the whip followed the palm branches; the shouts of, “Crucify,” followed the, “Hosannas”; the gambling for Jesus’ clothes followed the coats laid out on the road; let us also follow Jesus this Holy Week.

Follow Him to the upper room, where He gives His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins (Mt. 26:26-28). Follow Him to His trial, where He is falsely accused. Follow Jesus out to the hill of Golgotha, where He is forsaken by God (Mt. 27:46). Follow Jesus as He goes to the tomb, but let’s not stop there either.

Continue to follow Jesus out of the tomb, out of death, out of all that we deserve because of our sins. Follow Jesus, having His mind, having His humble attitude, having received His gracious love and mercy by faith. Follow Him and extend His humble, sacrificial love to others until that great day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Silently Accused – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

Matthew 26:1-27:66

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It doesn’t matter how familiar you are with a passage of Scripture, there’s always something more to see, to glean, to meditate on. That’s true for short, familiar passages, but it is certainly true for a long passage like this. While preparing this week, what struck me in a fresh way is what Matthew tells us in Mt. 27:20. The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

Of the four Gospels, Matthew is the sharpest on this. They don’t persuade the crowd to just kill, execute, or even crucify Jesus. They want Him destroyed. That’s their desire.

There is utter malice behind this. Jesus looks so weak. He had already been betrayed by Judas. The other eleven disciples fled when He was arrested. Peter denied even knowing Him. Jesus had been mocked, spit upon, beaten, bound, and whipped. And they still call for Jesus to be destroyed. The cruelty of wanting Jesus destroyed is absolutely astounding.

But through all of it, Jesus barely speaks. Jesus talks a lot at the beginning of this reading while He is with the disciples, but once He is arrested, He only speaks three more times before His death here in Matthew’s gospel. All these false accusations are thrown at Him, but He doesn’t respond to any of them. Jesus just stays passive and silent as He is accused. Again, He looks weak.

During His trial before Caiaphas, all sorts of false charges are brought against Jesus, but He simply stands there and receives them. He doesn’t say a word. He only talks when Caiaphas demands, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Mt. 26:63). But then, Jesus says, “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 coming on the clouds of heaven.”

It sure doesn’t look like Jesus is seated at the right hand of Power through the rest of His Passion. His silence looks like weakness, but that’s not how we should see it. It is powerful.

Jesus doesn’t speak again until Pilate asks Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” There, Jesus says,“You have said so.” But again, as the chief priests and elders accuse Jesus before Pilate, Jesus is silent (Mt. 27:12). Even though Pilate asks Jesus to respond to all these accusations, Jesus still gives no answer, not even to a single charge. In His silence, Jesus looks weak and passive.

All of this reminds me of the scapegoat. Do you remember what God had commanded His people to do on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16)? Each year, there were two goats. One was sacrificed and the blood of that goat allowed the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies. But the other goat, the scapegoat – it had a different purpose. The high priest laid both of his hands on the head of that goat and confessed all the iniquities, all the transgressions, and all the sins of the people. And God said that what happened there was that the high priest was placing all that sin on the goat’s head (Lev. 16:21).

And what do you suppose that goat did during that? It couldn’t object. The goat didn’t say, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” The goat remained passive and silent and simply received it. Once all those sins were placed on that goat’s head, it was led into the wilderness carrying all those sins away from the sinners (Lev. 16:22). The scapegoat and all those sins were destroyed, never to be seen again. Yes, the scapegoat was passive, but by it God powerfully removed those sins.

Pilate hears all these accusations and sees how Jesus is silent. He knows these religious leaders want Jesus destroyed for no good reason, but Pilate has an idea. Pilate has the notorious Barabbas in custody who had committed murder and started a riot and insurrection (Mk. 15:7; Lk. 23:18-19). Pilate puts Barabbas and Jesus forward as his nominees to potentially be released. It seems as though Pilate figured Barabbas was such a rotten individual and danger to society that the crowds would rather have Barabbas crucified for their own safety and protection. But the crowd calls out for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified.

And that’s what Jesus wants too. So, Jesus stays silent, passive, and powerful.

It was God’s will that Jesus should be on the cross instead of Barabbas. By taking Barabbas’ place on that cross, Jesus also takes your place under God’s wrath against your sins.

God takes all this evil, malice, and injustice and uses it for your eternal good (Ro. 8:28). Jesus’ Passion isn’t a tragedy. It is God’s victory. In fact, this is the victory. Jesus’ silence in all of this isn’t weakness. It’s God’s power because this is God’s plan playing out. This is how God powerfully removes your sins from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). Jesus is crucified and heaven rejoices to see God’s great, powerful love for His creation. This is how God loves the world. This is how God loves you.

Jesus silently takes all those accusations, He is loaded up with all your sins, and He is led into the wilderness of death as He is crucified and destroyed. But death will no power over Him.

Dear saints, welcome to Holy Week. Easter is coming. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Innocent Blood – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

Matthew 26:1-27:66

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew is the only one of the four Gospels that tells us what happened to Judas after Jesus was arrested and condemned (Mt. 27:3-10). Judas was overcome with regret and guilt because he knew that God had cursed anyone for taking a bribe to shed innocent blood (Dt. 27:25). Our translation says that Judas “changed his mind” (Mt. 27:3). In Greek, it’s one word (μεταμέλομαι) that is similar to the word for repentance (μετανοέω), but the change of mind Judas had was only one-sided. And here’s what the text conveys: Judas was very sorry. He wished that what he had done could be undone. He regretted his betrayal, but Judas did not repent the way Christians repent. Christian repentance has two parts. It includes the regret and change of mind Judas had. But saving repentance goes one step further. Christian repentance also trusts and believes in God’s grace and mercy given on account of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Mk. 1:15). Judas was lacking that faith and trust.

That lack of faith in God’s mercy is why Judas goes to the chief priests and elders. He doesn’t know where else to turn even though he had been taught better. Sadly, Judas brings his confession to the wrong place. Judas went to the Temple which had been the place of forgiveness (1 Kgs. 8:30), but the night before, Jesus had clearly told Judas and the rest of the disciples that He was instituting the New Covenant (Jer. 31:33-34) in His Blood for the forgiveness of sin (Mt. 26:26-29). The result was that Judas went to the very ones who had been seeking Jesus’ death (Mt. 26:14-15). Judas knew where he needed to go for forgiveness – he had been told just a few hours earlier. But instead of going to Jesus, he sought forgiveness where it could not be found.

Judas’ confession of sin and his action of returning the thirty pieces of silver were both right. He had betrayed innocent blood and returning the payment he received for his sin was what he should do. But his sorrow and penance could not undo what he had done; it could not remove the guilt of his sin. The chief priests and elders were supposed to be forgivers, absolvers, and ministers of atonement. Yet, after hearing Judas’ confession, they refuse to lift the burden of guilt from him. Instead, they bind Judas’ sin and betrayal on his head. “What is that to us? See to it yourself” (Mt. 27:4). What a chilling, horrific thing to say to someone who is crushed with guilt.

Throughout the Gospels, those religious leaders had tried to convict Jesus of sin. They would accuse Jesus and the disciples of eating with defiled hands (Mt. 15:1-20) and of eating and associating with tax collectors and sinners (Lk. 15:1-2). They were always trying to trap Jesus (Mt. 22:15-40). You would think that they would at least tell Judas something like, “Don’t worry, Jesus isn’t innocent. He’s a sinner. He’s dangerous. He’ll bring trouble to all of us with his teaching.” But they don’t. They don’t try to convince Judas that Jesus was guilty. They don’t even offer that little shred of comfort to Judas. It appears as though they also know that Jesus was innocent. Back in Mt. 23:2-4, Jesus rightly said of them, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”

If the chief priests and elders had offered Judas forgiveness, it would have required them to admit their own guilt. Again, they were the ones who conspired with Judas to shed Jesus’ innocent blood. But instead of repenting, they insisted they were doing the right thing in condemning Jesus. So, they become absurdly hypocritical.

After Judas throws the pieces of silver in the Temple, they quickly work to get that money out of the Temple because it is blood money. They recognize they cannot put the bounty they had placed on Jesus’ head back in the holy treasury because it is unclean money (Dt. 23:18). But (here’s the hypocrisy) they were the ones who defiled that holy money. They were the ones who took it from the treasury. They were the ones who turned that silver into blood money using it to pay Judas for his betrayal (Mt. 26:15).

While it is tempting to despise the chief priests and Judas, in Christian humility we need to recognize that we do just as they did. Too often, we are filled with sinful desires and passions and make any excuse to attempt to justify them. Too often, we will do all sorts of horrific things and try to hide them under the guise of holiness while we ignore the carnage it wreaks on others. Too often, we are like Judas and don’t realize how destructive our behavior is until it’s too late. When we do, finally, realize the great harm we have done, it can lead us to despair. And despair is a dangerous place to walk. Judas despairs of all hope and kills himself. Judas is condemned, not because he kills himself, and not even because he betrayed Jesus. Jesus’ death covered even Judas’ sins of suicide and betrayal. Judas is condemned because he died outside of faith in Jesus’ grace and mercy. Jesus calls Judas the “son of destruction” (Jn. 17:12) and says that it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born (Mt. 26:24). Jesus never says anything like that about His sheep.

Please allow me a brief aside here: Suicide, self-murder, is not the unforgivable sin. Can people commit suicide and still be a Christian? Yes. To those of you who have lost someone to suicide, you can have comfort in the promises of Scripture. Christ Himself is the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Is. 53:3). When someone is walking in grief, depression, and even in the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus is with them (Ps. 23:4) and desires to save them (1 Tim. 2:4). In that deathly vale, Jesus calls to them, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28). All that being said, suicide is an evil death and is never the answer to despair.

The answer to all sin and despair is in the innocent Blood of Jesus which has been shed for you. His innocent Blood was shed to cleanse you of your guilty blood. Whenever you recognize your guilt and sin against God, bring those sins to Christ. Let Him deal with them because He has dealt with them in His death and resurrection. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). 

The answer to sin is the innocent Blood of Jesus that He freely gives to you in Holy Communion. And now, Jesus invites you to His table to receive that Blood which He will put in your mouth. Here, Jesus’ innocent Blood becomes your blood. Dear saints, come, take, eat, and drink the perfect, innocent Blood of your Savior which He has shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A Different King with a Different Glory – Sermon on John 12:12-19 and Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

John 12:12-19 & Matthew 26:1-27:66

In the name of Jesus. Amen.[1]

October 21st and 22nd 331 BC, Alexander the Great of Greece made his triumphal entry into the city of Babylon after conquering it. And we have a historical account of Alexander’s entry into the city.[2]

While Alexander was approaching Babylon, some went up on the walls of the city to watch their new king enter, but most went out to meet him. For miles, the road into Babylon was carpeted with flowers. At regular intervals, silver altars were placed on both sides of the road heaped with frankincense and perfumes. Herds of cattle and horses were in the procession as well as lions and leopards in cages. Large choirs sang the praises of Alexander. The Babylonian cavalry marched along with all their equipment and horses. Alexander himself was surrounded by an armed guard as he rode in his chariot, and the people of the city followed him. Finally, this massive, impressive parade approached the gates, and Alexander entered the palace. Now that is a triumphal entry. Miles of people, soldiers, animals, and all sorts of pageantry following the king. It was a display of might, power, and authority.

Have Alexander’s entry into Babylon in mind as you consider the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday, the crowds went out to meet Jesus. They waved palm branches and laid them and their cloaks (Mt. 21:7) on the road before Jesus. They cried out, “Hosanna,” which means “Save us now! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

They find Jesus sitting – not on a chariot, war horse, camel, or elephant. Jesus sits and rides a donkey – a beast that helped people carry burdens and was used for normal, everyday work. And this fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey.”

This entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem is His triumphal entry. But unlike Alexander’s entry, it is humble, lowly, and peaceful. Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as King but not as a normal king. He certainly has power, strength, and glory, but He isn’t intimidating, either to the citizens of His kingdom or to those outside His kingdom. Jesus does not come to demonstrate His might. He comes to demonstrate His love. He comes not to conquer Jerusalem or the world; instead, He comes to conquer your sin and death by His own death on the cross.

Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn. 18:36). Jesus is a different kind of king with a different kind of glory. He is a king who has come to die for His subjects – for you. Christ’s glory is to be humble and take the form of a servant. Jesus is a king who is obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Php. 2:5-8). And the cross is His triumph. Because Jesus has given Himself unto death for you, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name above all names. Dear saints, Jesus comes with mercy, and He comes for you. Welcome to Holy Week. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] This sermon has been adapted from a sermon by Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller.

[2] The account was written by Quintus Certius Rufus and can be found here.

Passion Miracles – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

Listen here.

Matthew 26:1-27:66

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The seven sayings of Jesus on the cross are the most important words spoken in all history. We have considered them in the past, and we will hear them again on Friday. But Jesus isn’t the only member of the Trinity speaking during the crucifixion. God the Father speaks too, but not audibly. Instead, the Father speaks through the miracles that take place while Jesus is on the cross, and we are going to give our attention to those today.

The first miracle is the darkness. In the Gospel of Mark, we are told that Jesus was crucified, nailed to the cross, at the third hour (Mk. 15:25), which would be about 9 AM. Then, the Gospels tell us that there was darkness from sixth hour until the ninth hour. In other words, that darkness lasted from noon until 3 PM when Jesus died.

Now, Matthew says this darkness was over “all the land” (Mt. 27:45). The interesting thing there is that the word ‘land’ can mean portions of a country. But most of the time, the word there means the entire earth. Matthew uses it in both senses throughout his Gospel. It could be that this darkness was localized to the region surrounding Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified, but it could have been much more than just that – even the entire earth.

This darkness was not a solar eclipse. Jesus was crucified at the time of the Passover which means there would have been a full moon, and a solar eclipse can only happen at a new moon. Plus an eclipse only lasts minutes, not hours. We also know that this darkness wasn’t the result a bunch of thick, dark clouds gathering. A Greek historian named Phlegon of Tralles, who was born shortly after Jesus’ death, records what he calls an eclipse. He wrote that it became night at noon so that the stars even appeared in the heavens. Now, Phlegon wasn’t a Christian. He might not have even been aware of the Gospels recording this same event. But the dating of his account matches up precisely with the timing of the crucifixion. Today, secular scholars have tried to come up with an explanation for this darkness Phlegon mentions, but they can’t. No astronomical or meteorological explanation can be made, but the historical accounts aren’t denied either.

This darkness happened because of God. God has the authority to turn off the sun if He wants to. Over and over in Scriptures, darkness is a sign connected with God’s judgment and anger over sin. Remember the ninth plague of darkness over the land of Egypt (Ex. 10:21-22). For three hours during the crucifixion, this darkness covered the land.

So, what was going on here; what was God the Father saying with this darkness? Well, Jesus had taken upon Himself the sins of all humanity, and God’s judgment was laid upon Christ (Is. 53:6). Think of all the sins you just heard about: treachery of Judas, the cowardice of Pilate, the blasphemy of the chief priests, the malice of the crowds. All those heinous sins were all placed upon Jesus.

But it was more than that too. The murder committed by Cain, the hard-heartedness of Pharaoh, the continual unbelief of the Israelites, the pagan practices of the inhabitants of Canaan, the adultery of David, every bit of sin in the world up to that point was all placed on Jesus. All the sins that have happened since: the sins of Nero, Hitler, Stalin, bin Ladin, and every other wicked, evil person were laid upon Jesus. Your sins were there too: your anger, lust, pride, gossip, lies, and covetousness. And all the sins that are still to happen in the future. All of it was there in that moment on Christ as He hung on the cross.

All of those sins angered God. He noticed them and was angry because of them. But know this. God only let the darkness of judgment fall when those sins were laid upon Christ and were no longer yours. So, between noon and three on that Good Friday, Jesus took all of those sins. Christ Himself bore your sins in His body on the cross, and by His wounds you are healed (1 Pet. 2:24). That’s why Jesus says from the cross, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). His redemption for every sin of every person who has ever lived and will ever live was paid in full. Jesus suffered the punishment of God for it all.

The second miracle was the tearing of the curtain in the Temple. The curtain was thick and heavy, so it was no coincidence that it tore from top to bottom. For hundreds of years, that curtain stood as a barrier between God and all of humanity. Only the priest could go behind that curtain into God’s presence on the Day of Atonement. Remember that both the Tabernacle and the Temple served as copies of heaven (Heb. 8:5; 9:23; Ex. 25:9). So, for generations, that curtain preached a sermon to God’s people that said, “Heaven is off limits to you.” But when the high priest would go in behind the curtain on the Day of Atonement, that yearly event preached another sermon. A very different sermon. That sermon preached that access to heaven would come, but only through a substitute.

So, when that Temple curtain tore from top to bottom, what was God saying? God was saying that you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13). God is pleased with you now. He loves you, and heaven is open to you because of Jesus’ death.

The third miracle was the earthquake. The same historian I mentioned earlier, Phlegon, he wrote about this earthquake too. And he wrote about it in Nicaea which is almost 700 miles away from Jerusalem. It’s hard to say for certain what this earthquake means – especially because there is another earthquake Easter morning (Mt. 28:2). But remember how the Pharisees wanted Jesus to rebuke the people who were crying out, “Hosanna,” as He rode into Jerusalem? Jesus answers them, “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Lk. 19:36-40) It could be related to that. It could be a sign that God had redeemed all creation by the death of Jesus (Ro. 8:21-23). We can’t say for sure why the earthquake happened. But creation noticed and responded to both the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Finally, the fourth miracle is that many of the saints were raised. We heard how Matthew mentions that these risen saints walked around after Jesus’ resurrection and appeared to many (Mt. 27:52-53). What this shows us is that death is no longer the enemy it was before the death of Jesus. God can raise the dead in an instant. Jesus has paid the price. Disease, death, violence, virus, plague, and pandemic are no longer your enemy. They are all defeated by Christ. 

Dear saints, these miracles prove that you have nothing to fear. Christ has paid the price for your sins. God is on your side. He is risen, and so will you. Your King has come with righteousness and salvation (Zech. 9:9). He has spoken peace to you (Zech. 9:10). Return, you prisoners of hope; return to God, your stronghold (Zech. 9:12).

Christ has humbled Himself for you to death – even death on a cross (Php. 2:8). At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

So, yes, “Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest!” Ride on Jesus. Ride on and save us. Welcome to Holy Week. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Ride on – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm or Passion Sunday

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The congregation read the quotes from all the characters (with the exception of Jesus) in the Passion narrative this year.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

That Gospel reading is a lot to take in – all the injustice, betrayal, brutality, and morbidity. But the whole reason Jesus rode on into Jerusalem was to endure all of this for you. Even though we might wish to turn away from it, we can’t. We must hear, see, look, and ponder because in this reading we see who we truly are.

We are the chief priests who want to get rid of God secretly and stealthily. We are the disciples who think it is possible to give too much to God. We are Judas wanting to gain something earthly from our relationship with Jesus – even though it ends up being less than thirty pieces of silver. We are Peter bragging about our commitment to Jesus, but when the heat gets turned up, we deny. We are the disciples who cannot stay awake while we watch and pray with Jesus.

We are Caiaphas who demands a sign from Jesus and refuses to take Christ at His Word. And when Jesus says something we don’t like, we pass judgment on Him. We are the chief priests who tell those who are crushed under the weight of their sins to go away and figure it out on their own instead of pointing them to God’s mercy. We are Pilate who is given every chance to do the right thing but fails. We are the soldiers who insult and strike Jesus, but we don’t do it with a reed. We do it with our continual sins. And we are the crowds to pass by Jesus and mock Him.

Repent. Repent but do not despair because you are also the centurion who rightly confesses, “Truly this is the Son of God!” (Mt. 27:54). You are the crowds who cry out, “Hosanna,” which means, “Save us now.” You are also the crowds who cry out, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Mt. 27:25). The crowds who shouted those words in our text thought God didn’t see or didn’t care if they put His only begotten Son to death. But, dear saint, you know better. You know that Jesus’ blood is what cleanses you from your sin.

You are Barabbas, a notorious sinner who gets off scot free. You are the thief on the cross who will be with Jesus in paradise. You are Peter who gets restored. You are Simon of Cyrene who lives a life of carrying Jesus’ cross enduring the weight and suffering, but doing it willingly and joyfully because you know that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Php. 1:21). And, God be praised, you will be those who rise from your grave when Christ returns.

Yes, dear saints, this text is some of the most difficult Scripture to read, but at the same time it is the most beautiful because in it you see Jesus’ love for you. Scripture says, for the joy – think of that, for the joy! – that was set before Him, He endured the cross despising its shame, and now, He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2).

Christ’s joy and delight is to redeem and save you by dying on the cross. So, ride on, King Jesus. Ride on and save us. Hosanna in the highest! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Our Lord’s Passion – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Throughout history, great kings and rulers have been given great titles. Cyrus, Alexander, and Charles all had “the Great” as monikers. There was also William the Conqueror and Richard the Lion-Heart. Two of my favorites – there was Brochwel “the Fanged” who ruled in Scotland and Ferdinand “the Bomb” who ruled in Italy.

Palm Sunday King of GloryThe main focus of Matthew’s Passion account we just heard is the royalty of Jesus. Christ rode into Jerusalem on a royal donkey just like King David and King Solomon (1 Kgs. 1:38) had done. But Matthew doesn’t focus on Jesus’ royal greatness or magnificence. Instead, Matthew focuses on King Jesus’ innocence. Matthew points us to King Jesus “the Innocent.”

Though Jesus is falsely accused of many things, constant, consistent testimonies keep showing up that our Lord is innocent. After he had betrayed Jesus, Judas confesses, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Mt. 27:4). Pilate’s wife tells her husband, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man” (Mt. 27:19). Pilate knows that Jesus was innocent and tries to wash his hands of the capital punishment. And the centurion, when he witnessed Jesus’ death, confessed, “Truly, this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). Yes, Jesus was innocent.

Jesus was innocent, but you are not. When you stand on trial before God on the last day, innocence is what you need, not greatness. But, again, you have not been innocent. Instead, you’ve sought to be great, mighty, important, and powerful. In your quest for greatness, you have left a wake of pain and suffering behind you. You’ve been selfish, and your words and actions have hurt those who love you most. By your thoughts, words, and deeds, you place yourself not beside Jesus “the Innocent,” but by Barabbas “the Murdering Rebel” (Lk. 23:19).

But in our Lord’s Passion, guilty Barabbas goes free. The Gospel text you just heard is called “the Passion” because this is how God loved you and the reason that you love Him.

When you hear John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son,” have the Passion accounts in your mind. The word ‘so’ in John 3:16 means “in this way.”

King Jesus the Innocent has come into the world to trade places with sinners – to trade places with you. The weight of sin you carry on your back was whipped into His back. Your hurtful actions went into His hands so that your hands may be cleansed. The bitter words you have spoken have gone into His ears so that you can hear the sweet words, “Not guilty,” on the Last Day.

And even now, you are declared to be innocent by God. Connected to Jesus the Innocent’s death and resurrection in your Baptism, there is now no condemnation for you (Ro. 8:1). This is Christ’s love for you.

Revelation 17 14 War against the LambJesus has arrived in Jerusalem. The Priest has come to the Temple. The Prophet has come to Mt. Zion. The King has come to His city. But most importantly the Lamb of God has come to His altar, where He would in five days breathe His last and pour out His blood for you (Pr. Wolfmueller). This is your Lord’s Passion, done and completed for you. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

Humble – Sermon for Palm Sunday on Matthew 21:1-9 & Matthew 27:11-54

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Our service today included the Rite of Confirmation.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Palm Sunday King of GloryThe first words of Scripture you heard in today’s service told how Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Matthew tells us that it happened this way to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Zech. 9:9 quoted in Mt. 21:5). That word that gets translated as ‘humble’ means ‘of no importance.’

But then, people welcome Jesus with shouts of, “Hosanna” which means, “save us now.” The people spread their cloaks and palm branches as a royal runner. The people welcome Jesus as their King. And for the first time in His life, Jesus accepts their praises.

If Zechariah prophesized that when Jesus comes that He is considered to be of no importance, why do the crowds welcome Him the way they do?

Well, King Jesus’ humility was much lower than simply riding on a donkey. And because of that the people despise Him and reject Him. They considered Him of no importance (Is. 53:3). And that is exactly what we heard in the Gospel lesson (Mt. 27:11-54).

Jesus Cross Heaven & EarthKing Jesus didn’t come to sit as judge. Instead, He came to be judged. He didn’t have subjects who shout, “Long live the king!” Instead, they holler, “Crucify Him!” He didn’t come to command armies. Instead, He came to be beaten by soldiers. He didn’t come to be clothed in the finest garments and crowned with gold and jewels. Instead, He came to have a robe ripped from Him and be thorns pressed into His head. He didn’t come to drink fine wine from a golden chalice. Instead, He came to be offered wine mixed with gall. He didn’t come to sit in a fine hall with nobles surrounding Him. Instead, He came to hang on a splintered cross between two thieves. He didn’t come to execute justice. Instead, He came to die an unjust death.

But most importantly, He didn’t come to be blessed by God the Father. Instead, He came to be forsaken by God the Father because, there on the cross, He took all of your sin and became sin for you.

Bethany, Naomi, Siobhan, Wyatt, Gavin, Grady, Zach, Elijah, Gabriel, and all of you here: Because of the humility of Jesus, the eternal Son of God, you are made righteous. You are declared innocent, righteous, and blameless.

Yet, the world still does not recognize this. The world still sees Jesus as being of no importance. So, the world will reject you because you bear the name ‘Christian.’

The world looks at what Jesus has done and what He has given the Church, and they say it has no importance. They see the Church gathering Sunday mornings to hear the Word of God and say, “Don’t those silly Christians have anything better to do than to listen to those old-fashioned ideas?” They see Baptism and say, “What good can a little water sprinkled on a head do?” They see the Lord’s Supper and say, “What’s the big deal about a little cracker and wine?”

Word and Sacrament IconBut Christian, by God’s grace, you know better. You know that those are the very things that God has given and uses to complete the good work of faith that He began in you.

You hold fast to that Word because even though it convicts you, you know that those very Words give life. You rejoice in your Baptism because you know that God has said that it joins you to Jesus’ death and resurrection and saves you. You hunger and thirst for the Lord’s Supper because you know that God has promised that it delivers Christ’s living Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins.

Your King comes humbly, but He brings your salvation with Him. And He is coming again. Then, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that He is Lord. He is King. He is Savior, your Savior. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.