Tag: CLC

Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem:only the beginning

Posted on by nfuller

Brothers and sisters in Christ, here on the occasion of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, there is so much to say, so little time. We began our worship service with the narrative of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem from the gospel of John.  Here the multitudes that came to Jerusalem for the feast have received word that Jesus is coming and they are beyond excited. They waved palm branches to signify that Jesus is the king who is coming to them.

Like any time in the scripture, the reactions to Jesus were mixed. Some thought this was a conquering king come to free Jerusalem, others saw Jesus as someone who came to inspire them, and still others looked with concern and worry on what everything would lead to, was a revolution at hand? 

But this entry into Jerusalem is only a beginning. The events of Mark chapter 14 which we heard in our gospel lesson described many more events that reveal who Jesus is as king.

Less memorable than the entrance through the city gates riding on a donkey with shout and cheers was the semi private visit to the home of Simon the leper in Bethany.  While Jesus is reclining at the table a woman breaks an alabaster flask and pours it on his head.  

Some people are taken a back by this lavish excess, but Jesus puts things in perspective, “she has done a beautiful thing for me.”  Jesus states that she has anointed His body ahead of time for burial.  Jesus has begun his reign as king through being anointed for his own death and burial.

In our Old Testament reading we hear from Zechariah who prophesied in a time when Israel needed to rebuild after its destruction. The time period was around 520 BC. Zachariah and Haggai are a few of the last of the Old testament prophets. Although the Old Testament era was coming to a close, a new beginning was on the way.

Zechariah spoke God’s Word in a time after the Babylonian captivity, a time to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, and bring a scattered people together. Although the time was coming when the prophets would cease to hear a word from the Lord and cease to speak, Zechariah was prophesying about a new beginning, Israel’s king would come soon.

“Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He.”

Israel’s king is coming, Zechariah announced.  But this is not just any king, this is a king who is completely righteous and holding salvation, this is the Son of God Himself.  This announcement of coming salvation is a preview of the time when God’s people will celebrate their God coming to them in all fullness. The book of Revelation describes this reunion with God and His people

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

As Zechariah described the coming of the King riding on a donkey, it was only a beginning to the sequence of events where God and man once again will be united. Zechariah in verse 10 prophesied of the Messiah that He would speak peace to the nations and His rule would be from sea to sea.

The coming of the King meant that all who are under the imprisonment of sin and the curse of the law would be freed once and for all through the blood of the covenant as we see in verse 11.  

The King came to Jerusalem but the entrance was only the beginning.  In chapter 11 of Zechariah there is the mention of 30 pieces of silver, the wage of a slave, the amount that Judas was paid for betraying Jesus.  Our King came to us and laid down His life for us, Christ’s blood has given us eternal redemption, freedom from sin’s legacy of death.

We have young people here today, those who are youngest among us might be hearing about Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem for the first time.  It is only a begging in learning about Jesus for all of us, as we grow more fully into a knowledge of the Lord Jesus, we realize that each year as we hear the events of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, we are drawing closer toward when Jesus will return or when we meet the Lord at our death.

Yet although it is another Holy Week, one year later, the best is yet to come for all of us.  We will one day participate in the ultimate celebration of Christ’s passion, with all of the heavenly host. We will one day sit in the court of our king, we will know then the full meaning of Jesus as our king who comes to us righteous and having salvation.

As we heard from Mark chapter 14, many people ask Jesus to identify himself as king, yet He is silent through these events.  Jesus is calculating in not revealing his identity through this time of trial.

Jesus is silent about Pilate’s question toward him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  He only answers, “you have said so” Jesus was not in the business of proclaiming himself king.  Pilate asked him a second time and again Jesus was silent.  Pilate was amazed at his silence. 

Jesus never needed to proclaim himself king.  Jesus’ enemies proclaim him king without even realizing it.  Even as the soldiers thought they were increasing his humiliation by mocking him for claiming to be king, they were in their actions of bowing down to him and saying  “hail king of the Jews” actually saying the words of truth- Jesus was and is the king of not only the Jews, but of all.

The people wanted him to say for himself that he was a king so they could refute him and mock him.  But Jesus didn’t play along with their intended trap.  Instead he shared the truth by his actions, by his resurrection.  Now he reigns as king. He reigns in truth and power and does not need to proclaim himself as king. It is evident for all to see. 

Even as it is very evident that Jesus reigns as king, people try and put words into Jesus’ mouth and answer about who he is.  People want him to mean and stand for things in accordance with their own interests.  

There is one instance in the trial of Jesus as recorded in the gospel of Mark where Jesus does break his silence: From Mark chapter 14, “Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed? And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus is speaking of the redemption he will bring on the last day!

Jesus was not willing to defend himself against false charges in the trial in order to make things go well for him, but when it came to the question of if he is the Christ- , Jesus spoke the truth, knowing it would bring the greatest outrage he could possibly provoke in the trial.  The High Priest tore his garments and the people condemned him as deserving death.

Sometimes we are called to break our silence and speak the truth of our faith- even as it may cause us to be rejected and hated by others.  The noise of the world wants Jesus to prove he is king.  The trusting silence of faith does not need to have proof but instead confesses in faith that Jesus is king, Lord , Messiah. 

As we continue into Holy Week, as we journey toward the day of Good Friday, we remember that Jesus is King. We remember that the suffering and death on the cross that we will mediate on was all a result of the King’s willingness to lay down his life for us. We remember as we progress through holy Week that the best is yet to come- Easter and the fulfillment of our salvation is just around the corner. Amen.

Christ walked the road of temptation for us

Posted on by nfuller

Why me?  We have probably all said those words to ourselves at one point or another.  When a difficult trial or unbearable trial comes along in life, we often wonder why this should be happening to us now.  Why a car problem of this of all days?  Why this extra assignment at work, why this Algebra quiz on a Monday morning? With the weather the way it is now, just about all of us want to ask, why this deep cold for yet another day? 

In our Old Testament reading for today Abraham would have been without doubt justified in asking God, “Why me?”  The Lord had asked him to give up his only son by means of a three day journey and sacrificing him on Mount Moriah.  Never before had God asked anyone to sacrifice a child. A dove, no problem.  A calf, no problem, a lamb, no problem. But a child?

God tested Abraham, and it is not the first Bible story we would pick in teaching children the faith.  How do you explain that Abraham was asked to do something that had nothing to do with God’s love and faithfulness? People are not sacrificed, especially not children. Child sacrifice was present in some false idol worship over history- but never from the God who created the world.

How strange this command must have also sounded to Abraham!  After all the years of waiting God had promised Abram that he would bear a son. How could this same promised heir now receive the fate of sacrifice on the mountain?  Why me indeed.

Isaac was a walking testimony to the miracle of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.  Isaac illustrated the gift and promise of God and carried with him the future promise as Abraham’s heir who would continue God’s covenant promise to Abraham.

We can only imagine how much Abraham loved Isaac with all of these promises of God wrapped up in Isaac’s existence.  And that is not to mention on top of all of that is the love a parent has for a child from the start.  The love that grows with everything from those first steps, and first words to discovering those favorite activities and rituals that a parent and child can do together. Certainly Abraham had a right to ask God, “why me?”

Abraham met God’s requests with faith and obedience all the way until God intervened to save Isaac.   Abraham obeyed despite the great love he had for his son.  He even obeyed through the three day journey to Mt. Moriah in which he had the chance to change his mind.  But Abraham’s obedience to God’s command is not the most important thing about this account of scripture. 

What is most important is that God provided for Abraham in the midst of this exceedingly difficult and painful situation. When Abraham thought why me, God said “I will provide.”  Whenever we want to ask “Why me” we have an example in scripture of how God is at work in the midst of life’s trials. 

The testing of Abraham preached a sermon about Jesus to God’s people. It was a message about God providing the sacrifice in our place which was fulfilled some 2,000 years later. This testing was not about seeing whether God could trip up Abraham, but instead this served as a means of strengthening Abraham’s faith. His son Isaac said it himself, the fire , the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice. God will provide for himself the lamb for an offering.

While Abraham would have been justified in asking “why me”, God was answering “I will” provide the lamb.  God provided the lamb for Abraham, just as Abraham spoke in faith to Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son.”  God provided the lamb in the form of his own son, not on the mountain of Moriah but on the hill of Calvary.  The ram caught in the thicket served to illustrate that God always will provide through Jesus.

God sent the angel to stop Abraham from taking the knife to his son. Abraham was not permitted to make this sacrifice because God would do so instead in sacrificing his Son on the cross.  For as painful as it is to think of what it would be like for Abraham to take his son’s life, God provided his son Jesus to die on the cross as the sacrifice for us. 

This “I will” of God is a demonstration of His love for all sinners.  It gives us a picture of how God’s determination and love goes beyond what we could ever offer ourselves.  We look at the prospect of personal sacrifice and loss from the perspective of the “why me” personal cost. 

In contrast Jesus did not look to his own interests and carefully calculate the cost of helping others.  He willingly embraced the ultimate “why me” situation of dying on the cross for our sake.  Instead of asking the question why does this have to happen to me?, Jesus remained focused on what his sacrifice would accomplish for you and I, and the whole world.

Just as God provided for Abraham, He works in the midst of our “Why Me’s” to provide this great “I will” in our lives.  No matter the challenge we face Jesus provides for us with his “I will”.  His sacrifice for us has provided us with a forgiveness and grace that brings a lasting hope and renewal to our lives no matter the adversity or trial.

Jesus provides His “I Will” for us in the sense that He is faithful even when we struggle and fail to be faithful in trusting God through the trial of the moment.  We may chronically worry about how something in the near future will turn out, where we struggle to have faith and trust that God is in control and has our best interest in mind.  Yet Jesus remains just as faithful to us.  In response to this undeserved Grace, we can say “why me” as in, why am I so richly blessed with God’s love!

It certainly is important for us to see that the salvation Jesus brings to us transcends any trial or tribulation in which we doubt.  Yet God’s Word also offers encouragement that the very trials we experience can refine our faith.

1Peter even instructs us to rejoice in God’s working through these circumstances:

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We all receive the cross of hardships in life and difficult circumstances. We have a choice whether we let these crosses overwhelm us and discourage us, or whether we allow them to refine us and lead us to depend on Jesus more fully.

When we as Christians undergo trials and persevere in faith, we serve as invaluable examples to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  When we undergo difficulties of life with patience, trust and faith, we demonstrate and model to others what it means to live in faith in our Savior through the perils of this fallen world.    

In the midst of significant trials in life our first instinct certainly is to speak those words, “Why me”  But through faith we know that God is at work in the midst of those trials.  So perhaps a more appropriate response to the trials of life is to say, “Lord, what do you wish to accomplish in me and through me in this situation?”  Listen to the Epistle reading from James: 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Only good things come from God.  God brings us through trials so that we would play the role of first fruits- examples of God’s blessings to others. Christ has undergone testing and trials to restore paradise, he has overcome the devil for us. Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan in order to fulfill what we could not do, in order to obey God where Adam and Eve failed.

Because Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan we find in him the strength to resist those temptations that we would otherwise not be able to resist. This season of Lent as we look to God’s Word we find the strength to overcome those temptations that would weigh us down. 

May the Lord continue to bless us with a living faith in which He works strength and growth through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Amen.