Luke 19:28-40
April 4, 2004
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
When someone sneezes, we say, “God bless you.” Even if the sneezing person didn’t believe in God, the person is usually not offended. It’s like as Chinese Americans when we greet someone, we would say, “Have you eaten yet?” instead of “How are you?” Even if the person hasn’t eaten yet, we normally would not set aside our plans to eat with him or her; let alone treat the person! When we say, “God bless you,” it’s simply an expression of cultural convention. Maybe there was a time in history that when we said, “God bless you,” we believed that God is somehow present to our sneezing stranger. But now, it has become simply an expression of cultural convention.
Some devout Jews say, “Lord, have mercy.” when they pray. They speak the words, “has mercy” as quickly as possible after they have said, “Lord,” fearing that God would appear in terrifying might before they have petitioned for mercy.
In our culture, people say “Lord, have mercy” all the time without fear or even a second thought. “Lord, have mercy; management is talking about layoffs again!” Or “My son finally passed his English class. Well, Lord, have mercy!” Hardly anyone expects such a phrase to summon either the Lord or mercy. It’s just a saying.
A few weeks ago, Joy and I were watching Trading Places. This TV show is based on the premise that two neighboring families are given 48 hours and $1000 to make over a room in each other’s homes with the help of a professional designer and construction team. After two days, each comes home with eyes closed, for the climatic revelation of what their neighbors have done to the room. This episode featured only the times when the homeowners after opening their eyes see what their so-called nice neighbors have done. Most of them shriek and jump when they liked what they saw but almost all of them said, “Oh, my God!” I don’t think all of these couples believed that God was a part of the room makeover or that God will be there when they undo what they don’t like. “Oh, my God!” is an expression of cultural convention.
“Blessed is the One”
The “God bless you.” and “Oh, my God!” phrases in Jesus’ days were “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” We see in Luke 19, when Jesus triumphantly enters into Jerusalem, people were saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.”
This phrase is from Psalm 118. It was originally a part of a worship recited when the king returned home victorious in war. As the king, grateful to God for success on the battlefield, approached the temple to engage in thankful worship, the priests would say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.” (Ps. 118:26)
But by the time of Jesus, this phrase had become the standard greeting for pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for a festival. As the travelers streamed into the city, people would say to them, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. It was, in effect, “Welcome to Jerusalem! Enjoy the festival. Have a nice day.” It was an expression of conventional greeting.
Jesus was not the only one whom greeters shouted “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord or Welcome to Jerusalem.” Pilgrims and travelers from all over received this welcome wagon greeting. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, no one really expected anything to come down the road except yet another festival tourist.
Looking for a King
We call today, Palm Sunday because when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people cut leafy branches and palm branches to wave as Jesus came by.
The symbol of the palm branches is like the increased display of the American flag in the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11. The people were waving their palm branches because it was a patriotic display of hope that this young Galilean who had stirred up so much attention might strike a blow against Rome and fight for the freedom of the homeland. Like a president or head of state that has come to town, the people were waving their palm branches like little flags because they want to have a king.
The crowds were shouting a conventional greeting and carrying a nationalistic symbol to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem because they want a national Savior. “Blessed is the one who comes to free us from Roman rule!”
But this is not what Jesus came as.
Besides drawing from Psalm 118, Luke 19 also is rooted in Zechariah 9:9-10. Zechariah also talks about a victorious king returning from battle, but here the warrior image is reversed. Instead of a clinched fist raise in proud victory, this king comes in humility. Instead of chariots and riding on top of a stallion, this king comes riding on a lowly donkey, a beast of burden. Instead of crowing over his defeated enemies, this king commands peace to the nations.
Jesus is coming as king but not what the crowds in Jerusalem or the crowd gathered in this sanctuary expected. Jesus is not a king in the ordinary political sense. He says to Pilate, “My kingdom is not from this world.” (John 18:36). Jesus cannot, and will not, be made a king by popular acclamation. Jesus is king because of who he is and the truth he speaks.
The fact that the crowd waved palm branches, which were a symbol of nationalistic zeal, something like waving an American flag, is a clue that the people misunderstood the true nature of Jesus’ kingship.
The crowd did not get what it wanted, but it did receive what they needed, indeed what all of us need. To their dismay, Jesus was no local revolutionary, no national freedom fighter. He did not arrive flashing a sword and swaggering in might, but lowly and riding a donkey. He did not come in the name of the nation called, Israel, but the irony is that he really did come in the name of the Lord!
When Jesus came to Jerusalem, the crowd did not get a conquering hero; it got a suffering servant. It did not get a politician or a general; it got a savior. The palm branches that were waved with hope didn’t signal national power or pride. And the words that they uttered with no more thoughts than it was just an expression of cultural convention, turns out to be true because Jesus is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Getting a Savior
Did you notice that when we read today’s passage from Luke 19 that the crowds didn’t wave palm branches when Jesus entered Jerusalem? We call today Palm Sunday entirely from the gospel of John. Matthew and Mark recorded the crowds only waving leafy branches. But what is more significant is that in all of the synoptic gospels, Matthew Mark and Luke, we see that the people took off their cloaks and spread them on the road as Jesus entered Jerusalem.
Instead of waving palm or leafy branches with the hope that some politician or military leader will rescue us from our problems, we see that the crowds were taking off their cloaks, their jackets, their sweaters, their parkas, raincoats, windbreakers, fleece vests, sports jackets to not as much celebrate the one who is coming in the name of the Lord but to say to the Lord, “Oh, my God! I have sinned and I reveal everything that I have done for forgiveness.” By removing our cloaks, masks and coverings that hide ourselves from God, Jesus is able to see us for who we are.
What does Jesus see in you? For those who were baptized this morning, Jesus saw that in God’s forgiveness of their sins, they have professed their belief and faith that Jesus is Lord and Savior in their lives. They said that nothing in life is as important as their faith in Christ and want God to make a difference in their lives. They are saying that their belief in Jesus Christ has caused them to shout about their faith. If they were told to be silent, the stones would shout out. They took off their cloaks and put on baptismal robes to show that they have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of in the sight of Christ Jesus.
We may want a mighty warrior or a powerful ruler but what we need is a Savior who has come in the name of the Lord. This king is not about war but brings peace on earth and in heaven.
Not Just a Saying
When someone sneezes again, we’ll still say, “God bless you.” We’ll continue to say, “Lord, have mercy.” “The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” “Oh, my God!” and “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
We say these things all the time, scarcely knowing what we are saying, hardly expecting anything to happen. And then, at a time we least expect, there coming down the road of life is indeed the one for whom we have hungered and thirsted, Jesus Christ, our Savior.
The crowds in Jerusalem on that day were all shouting a conventional greeting. They didn’t expect anything more than another out of town tourist coming to the festival. But it happened to them that “the one who comes in the name of the Lord” turns out to be really the one who comes in the name of God!
It happens to us, too, you know. When we least expect our prayers to be answered, they are. When we least expect to be healed, we are. When we least expect to see reconciliation for our disagreements, it happens. When we begin to experience doubt but we turn to God to trust his plan, our faith is restored. When we least expect God to be present, God is here.
Like those crowds, we walk week after week through worship, saying the prayers, singing the songs, beckoning God to come and be present. “Come Lord Jesus, come.” And then, just as that day in Jerusalem, Jesus comes, enters our lives and saves us.
We can actually put down those palm branches because these expectations of a victorious warrior in battle are too small for God and misguided from God’s plan for the world. We are to take off our cloaks and keep spreading them on the road as Jesus sitting on a donkey can see us completely in need of his grace and mercy and invite us to new life in him.
Let us pray.
God of grace and mercy, lead us to recognize you as our King and Savior in our lives and for the world. Help us to seek your forgiveness and become restored once again into your community of love and peace. Lord God, we want to see the Jesus who comes in your name for the sake of the world. Amen.