“Your Coming
King”
Text: Matthew 21:1-11; Romans 13:11-14
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and
from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Donkeys
are not the preferred mode of transportation this weekend - that would be
planes, trains, and automobiles, as folks try to get home as quickly as
possible, and avoid trouble spots along the way. So
donkeys are not preferred . . . unless you’re Jesus. He’s going home too, you see. But He’s not going as fast as He can, and He’s not trying to avoid all the trouble
spots along the way. No, Jesus is going home through the cross. And He’s going home that way so that we can
go home too.
So a new
Church Year begins as it always begins - with a view to the end. We consider
the end of the story, the destination - Jerusalem and the cross - so we will
understand the beginning. So we will understand why Jesus comes. So we will
understand why Jesus does what He does and says what He says. For ultimately,
only one thing matters for Him: you. So He goes to the cross, and
nothing will stop Him. He goes to the cross, for you.
So to
help us consider this today, we heard some words from Matthew, who gives us some
words from the prophet Zechariah, who said: Say to the daughter of Zion, -
that’s you -
‘Behold, your king is coming to you . . .’ Jesus really is the
King of the Jews, as Pilate would put over His head on the cross. Quite right. It wasn’t really Saul or David or Solomon or all the rest. They
were the kings during the time Israel had rejected her true king, which was God
Himself. They were the place holder kings until the real king would return.
The real king, Jesus, the Son of God, who now enters Jerusalem,
the capital, in royal procession, to claim His throne. Only it doesn’t look like a throne. To the human eye it looks like a
cross. But it is a throne. For from the cross is where Jesus will
rule His people - in the power of His forgiveness, mercy, and love. For He is the King of the Jews but not only the Jews, but of all
people. And He is a king who rules by service, which is how it was
always meant to be. A king who does what is best for His people, not for
Himself.
But
Zechariah tells us more about our King who is coming. He says: ‘Behold,
your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey . . .’ Or
in other words, now is not the time for glory for Jesus. That time will come,
in its appointed time, with the glory of Jesus’ resurrection and the glory of Jesus’ return, when He comes to you riding
on the clouds of heaven with all His angels around Him. But
not yet. The humble must come before the glory - not because He needs
it, but because we do. We need to see how great the love of God for us, that
the Creator would become a humble man. We need to see the love of God for us,
that He would set aside His glory and come to us in humility. We need to see
the love of God for us that before He comes in judgment, first He comes to take
that judgment upon Himself - to take our place, that we can have His place. He
comes to die with us, that we live with Him.
So Jesus
comes humble, riding on a donkey. It’s not even His own donkey. Or is
it? Does it not by right belong to Him who created it and gave it to man to use
for a while? But He would not claim that right. He claims no rights. He comes
to serve. He comes to die.
“Say to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and
mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” A
beast of burden. You know, Zechariah didn’t really need to add that little detail. Everybody knows
that’s what a
donkey is. But with these words, Zechariah wants you to know, as He knew, that
the real beast of burden here is the one on the donkey - the Lamb of
God, come to carry His cross. The Lamb of God come to
carry your sins. The Lamb of God come to carry you
through death to life again.
All this
is the reason for Christmas. The reason for Jesus’ birth. The reason why we will spend the next four weeks preparing to
celebrate that day. It’s a big deal, as it should be.
But it’s not Christmas yet, so today we’re in the crowd, watching Jesus enter
Jerusalem, standing side by side with folks like Zacchaeus,
Lazarus, Jairus, and all those unnamed folks that
Jesus helped. Standing side by side with the lepers cleansed by Him, the blind
given sight by Him, the deaf made hearing by Him, the sick healed by Him, the
lame given strength by Him, the sinners forgiven and accepted by Him. All of them crying out “Hosanna to the Son of
David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!” They welcome this king who had already established His
rule in their lives, His rule of mercy and love. For how could they not cry
out? How could they not welcome Him who had done such great things for them?
And
today we’re in
the crowd, watching Jesus enter . . . here. For still today He comes humbly to
us too, riding not a donkey, but words and water and bread and wine. Coming to serve and to save through these; to come to us with His
forgiveness using these vehicles which are as unlikely as a donkey and cross.
To the human eye these look like nothing, or even less - utter foolishness. But
no less than the cross, these are His thrones today, the places He puts Himself
for you.
So we
too today, as part of the crowd, will cry out these words. We’ll join the angels and archangels
and - yes - all the company of heaven, crying out: Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! For your king comes to
you today, into your heart, there to rule, there to reign.
But as
you know, that’s not
the end of the story. As you know, soon there were other voices in Jerusalem, that cried out not Hosanna! and Blessed! but Crucify!
How quickly everything changed. Jesus knew that it would, that the shouts
welcoming Him would soon turn against Him. As I’ve said, that’s why He came.
And it’s why He is still coming to you
today. Because how quickly your shouts change, and your
hearts - like mine - change. We welcome Him here, and then we leave and
what happens? Another ruler rears its ugly head. And instead of being ruled by
love, we’re ruled
by sin. For the Christians in Rome that St. Paul was writing to, it was orgies
and drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling and jealousy.
Why would they bow before Christ their King one moment and then bend their
knees to these the next?
But
before you start feeling all superior, what is it for you? What sins
turn your hearts and capture your thoughts? Is it these or other sins? These, or maybe for you its anger and bitterness, or pride and
selfishness, or greed or covetousness, or even despair and self-pity. Do
you close the gates to your heart against Him who would enter there, not
wanting to let go of your sin, your pleasures, your
control? Or are you too busy to welcome Him when He comes to you - too busy to
pray, to read His Word, to repent? Or are you too busy telling Him what to do
and not listening to what He has done for you, or looking for a different kind
of king, and a different kingdom, one of this world. What is
it for you? How do you crucify your king?
However
it is for you, know this: your crucified king did not stay dead. And He comes
again for you - not for vengeance, but to forgive. To dethrone those tyrants of
sin that would rule you, and be your real king, a good and kind king, a serving
and giving king. And so St. Paul told the Christians in Rome, now is the
time to wake up from sleep, from sin. Now is the time to live in the light, not
in the dark. Now is the time to cast out the works of darkness and put on the
armor of light. Now is the time to repent and welcome your king who comes
with forgiveness, for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first
believed.
Nearer, closer, with every passing day. We see that with the stores, counting down the shopping days
’til Christmas, and with our Advent
wreaths and calendars as we count down the days and weeks ’til Christmas, which is going to come
before you know it! So too our salvation; our Saviour,
Paul says. For our King is counting down, too. Counting down
the days ’til He comes again in glory, to take home His bride, His
Church. You.
For
many, these days before Christmas are so filled with activity and all the
preparations that need to be made. One pastor I read said that these days are
filled with Marthazillas - people so busy and
so filled with concern. If that’s you, this season of Advent says stop and sit for a
moment. For your King comes to you today humbly, to help and give you peace, to
embrace you with His love, to forgive your sins, to serve you and feed you and
take care of you. For in fact He’s made all the preparations; He’s done all that needs to be done for
you. And it’s here
for you. He’s here for you.
So as we
begin this new Church Year, as we begin this season of Advent, as we prepare to
welcome our King who comes to us, consider again the words we just sang -
traditional words we sing on this Sunday every year - that they be not just
words you sing, but words that form you this season, and all your life. For we
sang:
Savior
of the nations, come,
Virgin’s Son, make here - our Church, and here our hearts - your home!
Marvel
now, O heav’n and earth - and you, dear Christians -
That the
Lord chose such a birth - that He was born
here below, that you be born from above. So that you
too, both now and forever, may:
Glory to
the Father, sing,
and Glory to the
Son, our king,
and Glory to the
Spirit be
Now and through eternity (LSB
#332, vs. 1, 8).
In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.