Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 Who Is This?

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Presbyterian Churches
Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 Who Is This?
April 17, 2011

Our journey on the road from slavery to sin to promised blessing is almost at an end. We have hit potholes and fallen off cliffs along the way, but God has always been there with us. We have arrived at Jerusalem where the road leads us to a table where we will gather Thursday evening, and at the foot of a cross next Friday at noon. Today we will see that the road from slavery to promise has some unexpected surprises for us. Before we look at these let pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Matthew 21:1-11 NRS Matthew 21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately. " 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

One thing we all like about church is that it is familiar. It is the one thing in our culture that is slow to change. And we take comfort in that church is about the same as it was when we were 12. We don't want anything unexpected to happen.

But life is filled with things we just don’t expect. Last Wednesday evening I was with a group and we talked about those “ah ha” moments when we suddenly realize something we hadn’t realized before. We debated whether, when these moments occur, do they indicate the presence of angels or the presence of the Holy Spirit? But we realized that whenever we experience a change in our thinking God is present in a variety of ways.

Sometimes unexpected things happen to us that devastate our lives. On Thursday evening a group talked about a man who recently came home from work one Friday not feeling well. He went to the hospital on Saturday and one week later was dead from cancer totally unexpectedly. For the last couple of weeks we have been praying for a man whose shoulder was crushed in a farm accident. Unexpected things happen that turn lives, families, churches and communities upside down.

Last Friday I was leading a devotional from the Book of Proverbs for the 6am men’s group. As usual I outlined that passage and printed in out. I was prepared to talk about the benefits of receiving wisdom. Here is the passage from Proverbs
Proverbs 4:1-9 NRS Proverbs 4:1 Listen, children, to a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight; 2 for I give you good precepts: do not forsake my teaching. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender, and my mother's favorite, 4 he taught me, and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head a fair garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."

As we read this passage I began to realize how truly unexpected the events of Holy Week were. By prizing wisdom we will be exalted, lifted up. But this image of being lifted up changes when someone is lifted up on a cross he has been nail to. And the image of a fair garland and beautiful crown is a image of imperial power and wealth. But this image of a crown changes when one is made out of thorns.

Something very unexpected happened one day in Jerusalem around the year 30AD. It started when a symbol of imperial power arrived in Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate had left his Mediterranean palace and traveled to Jerusalem. He rode a mighty war horse, a symbol of Roman authority and power, just as Alexander the Great had done nearly four hundred years before. Accompanying Pilate was the Roman Legion, the instrument of imperial power. Pilate wanted to make certain that nothing would adversely affect Roman interests during the Passover celebration. He wanted nothing to happen unexpectedly.

As Pilate entered the West gate leading into Jerusalem something unexpected did happen. A prophet from Galilee, riding a donkey and accompanied by a ragtag bunch entered Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives through the East Gate.

According the Matthew the city was in turmoil. Literally the earth the shaking, a 9.0 earthquake. Earthquakes are caused when two large plates of the earth’s crust collide with each other. This happens today, regularly, and is happening now in Japan. But the shaking in Jerusalem was not caused by geographic collisions, spiritual collisions were happening at the two gates. In Jerusalem that day something happened that no one expected. The Roman Empire collided with the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven that rode in with Jesus on that Palm Sunday was not some future hope or something people are called to build. Rather it is a kingdom built by God and ruled by God where all of us submit to God’s will. The Kingdom of God is what society would be like if we all submitted to God’s authority. Listen to these words from Jesus: Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Matthew 4:17 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Luke 4:43 "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose."

The Kingdom of Heaven is not something we build. God is the creator. We receive it. We inherit it. We wait for it. We proclaim it. God is creating a kingdom of justice and mercy. This gives us a great opportunity, but also subjects us to judgment. And it is happening right now.

The author John Dally in his book Choosing the Kingdom gave a small group of students a printout of every passage in scripture from a particular Biblical book that talks about the Kingdom of Heaven and asked them to respond to these intuitively.

Here are some of the results of the students from the Gospel of Mark: “The kingdom of God can be near or far. You can go into the kingdom. The kingdom is hard for some to go into and easy for others. The kingdom grows like magic. The kingdom can be pointed to. The kingdom is mysterious. The kingdom is for the innocent, the simple, and children. The kingdom is costly. The kingdom is a refuge or home. The kingdom puts you in conflict with the status quo. The kingdom is powerful. The kingdom is uncomfortable for the rich. The kingdom is expanding.

What we see in all of this is that the Kingdom of God is not some other place or some other time. It is here and now. It is offered to us. We may think that we live under the authority of the federal or state or local government. But in reality we have the choice to live under the authority of God.

As a exercise this week I would like for all of you to imagine what the Kingdom of Heaven would be like on earth. How would your life be different if you lived in the Kingdom of God? How would the church be different if we lived in the Kingdom of God? How would our community be different if it lived under the Kingdom of God? Think about these questions this week. Let your imaginations grow. And I ask that the Adult Christian Education teachers allocate some time for discussion about what the Kingdom of God would look like if it was here in Pocomoke.

In Jesus’ day the Empire of Rome had no desire to give up power. They wanted no part of a competing authority. That’s why Pilate showed up at the West Gate with the Legions behind. But he was soon confronted by the humble rabbi entering the East Gate on a donkey. The clash of these two kingdoms was like a earthquake that rattled the city for a week. The Roman kingdom would do whatever it took to defeat the kingdom of God. That great battle will take place this week in last supper and under a cross. And we will see who wins, the kingdom of the world or the Kingdom of God next Sunday.

So as we travel down that road from slavery to promise we run into something we never expected. We are in the middle of a clash of two kingdoms. We can’t remain neutral. We can’t be citizens of both. We have to choose one or another, either the kingdom of the world or the Kingdom of Heaven.

So on the holiest of weeks expect the unexpected. Expect to receive the Kingdom of God which has come near. Receive it into you lives. And experience for yourselves the unexpected blessings from God.

Lord Jesus, bless us this week as we travel with you toward the cross. Give us what we don't expect. Surprise us with your blessings. And lets us enter into the Kingdom of God. Amen.