Faith on Palm Sunday

Preached 14 April 2019

Background

Luke link the story of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to the parable of the talents, because he says the people thought that the Kingdom of God was going to come at once. That gives me a bit of a different view of what that parable is really about, but as we will see from the readings this morning, it appears that, as usual, the people didn’t really listen to what Jesus was saying to them. People don’t change it seems.

Jesus finishes His story and continues His journey with his disciples.

The colt

They get to the Mount of Olives, and Jesus sends two of His disciples to get a colt – a young male donkey that has not yet been castrated and which no-one has ever ridden, it would probably have been under 4 years old. The two disciples are not named. They may have been two of the twelve, but because no names are mentioned it is likely that they are from the wider group of disciples.

First act of Faith

This is the first act of faith that we see in this story, as we proceed I am going to be emphasising the role that faith plays throughout and I will try to help us relate that to our own faith.

Simple Instructions

They are given a relatively simple set of instructions. vv30-31 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

Finding the Colt - Miracle or not?

Some people will count this as a miracle saying Jesus knew that there was a colt tied up in the village, and how to get it. That He was able to get all this information directly from His Father in heaven. And it’s true, He could have. But there is a much simpler answer, and I, personally, prefer to keep things simple whenever possible. Remember, Jesus was a very capable Human being, as well as God incarnate. It is entirely possible that He planned the whole thing. They have been around these villages a lot. It is likely that Jesus has at some time spoken to the owners of the colt and agreed that He can borrow the donkey. So he has arranged for the pass phrase “The Lord needs it” as a guarantee that the owners will not react badly to an apparent attempt to steal their donkey.

The Disciples faith / Our faith

For those two disciples it was an act of faith to follow Jesus’ instructions. They didn’t argue or question, they didn’t need to, the instruction was clear, all that was required was obedience. And they passed that test with flying colours. I wonder how our faith would have responded in that situation? Would you or I have felt the need at argue or question?

Thomas à Kempis said:

“Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.”

When the instruction is clear, instant obedience is the only response – even if it involves borrowing a strangers donkey.

Plan worked

The plan worked perfectly. The instructions were followed to the letter and the two disciples return with a colt.

v35

Then we come to verse 35, it may seem like just a linking verse to keep the story moving, but it hides the real miracle here. A young, un-castrated donkey would be expected to buck and jump around and do it’s best to try to unseat anyone who tried to ride it but the donkey accepts Jesus peacefully. Jesus is the ultimate horse whisperer. He does not need to break the donkey. This is the real miracle in the passage.

Prophesy fulfilled.

By choosing to ride into Jerusalem in this way Jesus is fulfilling the prophesy in Zechariah 9:9:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The people are well aware of what that means. Jesus is claiming to be king. They put their faith in him and spread their cloaks on the ground to show their belief and their support.

Misplaced Faith

But their faith is misplaced. Not because Jesus can’t save them – He most definitely can. That is why He came, that is why He is riding to Jerusalem. He knows what will happen in the next few days, He knows the crowd will turn against Him and He knows He will be put to death. That is the plan, that has always been the plan. To die for our sins, and to restore our broken relationship with God. To banish death forever and give the gift of Eternal life to all who choose to follow him.

Oppressed People

But they are a people oppressed by the Romans, and they want their freedom. God has been silent in their troubles for generations, they long for Him to speak. Then John comes with a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Then Jesus comes performing miracles – the blind are healed, the lame are walking, the hungry are fed. They have SEEN things. They have drawn their own conclusions, but they have not listened to the person who is performing all these miracles.

Go back to verse 11 and the parable of the talents, which says:

“While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”

If they had listened, if they had thought about it for just a few minutes who knows how different it might have been. Instead, as they have so many times in the past, they have put their faith in themselves and are relying on their own understanding. They have decided how this will go. They will make Jesus king, and He will lead them in revolution to kick out the occupying force.

We celebrate

We celebrate today because that crowd celebrated. When we do that, where do we put our faith? What sort of Jesus are we really celebrating? The One who is king of the Jews? The One who is Lord of the entire world? The One who is creator of the Universe? The One who will protect us, give us a good life and meet all our needs?

Because if it is ALL of those things, that is neither the way to heaven, nor the way to make disciples.

OR are we celebrating the real Jesus – the one whom we have declared our willingness to serve? The one who we have given up our lives for? The one who says “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” (Matt 10:16) That same Jesus who is still King of the Jews, Lord of the World, and creator and Master of the Universe.

China

I read this week that the number of Christians is still growing in China, even as the authorities there start to clamp down more tightly on unauthorised religious activity. That is because the witness of the faithful is really powerful under oppression.

Our faith

Is our faith is placed in this Jesus, or are we putting our faith in an image of Him that we have created to suite our own desires and our own agenda, just like the crowd had.

Procession

It’s difficult for us to really get a feel for what that procession felt like. In some respects it was like carnival (did you know that carnival was originally a feast that led up to Shrove Tuesday (or Mardi Gras) and happened before lent). The carnivals that I think of happen in August when it is warm enough in England, and are colourful and joyful parades that raise money for charities. So there was an element of carnival. The procession was also a bit like a an enthronement ceremony – because that’s what was really going on – the people wanted to make Jesus King. There was also an element of protest or demonstration that would show the Romans that they were no longer really in charge, and their time in Jerusalem was limited. So there was an underlying political tension to the otherwise peaceful proceedings.

Pharisees Rebuke

That’s why the Pharisees rebuke is so telling. The Jewish leadership was trying to do an impossible job, managing their people and satisfying the occupying forces that they did not need to get involved in the day to day festivities. Had the crowd become too exuberant, or too political the Romans would have been forced to take some sort of action because they didn’t permit peaceful protest. It would undoubtedly have led to a bloodbath.

Pharisees Faith

If the Pharisees had truly put their faith in God, they would have understood a lot of what Jesus had been saying and would not have been threatened by Jesus. As it was their faith was also in themselves rather than God, so they found their job impossible, and were constantly in fear of the people or the Romans.

Stones cry Out

Jesus’ response to being asked to quieten His disciples is brilliant. “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” From the time of Abels murder, when his blood cried out to God, through the oppression of the workers in Habakkuk 2:11 where the stones cry out and the timbers of the building echo the call. To the injustices spoken of in James 5:4 “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.” There is a sense that creation cannot suffer the evil of man and God will hear the cry of agony that results.

In this case it is the wilful blindness that the stones will cry out against. Jesus’ time has come and man is powerless to stop it. If men cannot see it creation will be a witness – it is SO obvious, it is SO important.

As far as we go

That is as far as we go with the story today. In this short story we have seen God at work in human history and an example of faith that helped it on it’s way as the unnamed disciples borrow a donkey. We’ve seen the faith of the crowd, celebrating the right thing for all the wrong reasons, having looked at only part of the evidence available to them. They had decided who Jesus was – the son of God, their king, but they had also decided that their way was better than His. It’s a mistake that’s easy for us to make too. We’ve seen the lack of faith of the Pharisees, who see God at work but cannot get involved because of the fear inside them of losing their position of limited control that they have trying to do the impossible job of leading the Jews and keeping the Romans happy.

Where is our faith?

Where is our faith? I expect that most of us would call ourselves disciples, are we there helping things along? Or are we like the crowd doing things our own way? Or are we like the Pharisees, supposedly God’s people, but lacking faith to submit to His ways?

References

https://www.compellingtruth.org/voice-of-God.html
https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=4563
https://www.workingpreacher.org/brainwave.aspx?podcast_id=733

https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2801#post_comments
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/occam-s-razor-the-simplest-solution-is-always-the-best
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/occam-s-razor
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razorhttps://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2801
http://www.anglicanchildrenministry.com/what-is-the-significance-of-the-triumphal-entry/
http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/o/obedience.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_%C3%A0_Kempis