What Did Jesus Come to Be and Do?

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Good morning, I'm Tonya and I'm part of the Oikos and the Oaks group as well as Women Reading Roman.

Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel of Luke chapter 19 verses 28 to 48 as printed in your liturgy.

Luke 19:28–48

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples saying to them,

Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever written.

Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you why are you untying it, say, The Lord needs it.

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.

As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, Why are you untying the colt?

They replied, The Lord needs it.

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and put Jesus on it.

As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,

the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples.

I tell you, he replied, If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said,

If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace,

but now it is hidden from your eyes.

The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you

and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.

They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.

When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling.

It is written, he said to them, My house will be a house of prayer,

but you have made it a den of robbers.

Every day he was teaching at the temple, but the chief priests, the teachers of the law,

and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him,

yet they could not find any way to do it because all the people hung on his words.

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Thank you, Tonya, for that scripture reading.

Good morning.

Will you join me in prayer as we open up God's word?

O God, we thank you that Easter's coming.

We thank you that the King has come, that he's coming again,

that resurrection has broken into history,

and that resurrection is real for all of us as well.

So, Lord, we desire that in the preaching of your word,

that we would see Jesus and behold him for who he is,

who he's come to be for us, the Prince of Peace.

In his name we pray, amen.

All right, so I'm just going to jump right in,

and in case you're interested in my train of thought,

I'm going to dive in, and what we're going to talk about is

what happened, so what, now what, and is it worth it?

All right, what happened, so what, now what, and is it worth it?

And if I could put the what happened into a sentence,

it would be this, Jesus was entering Jerusalem,

Jesus was entering Yerushalayim,

which literally means the foundation of Shalom,

the city of peace.

Jesus was entering Yerushalayim as the divine king,

prophet, and priest of Shalom.

Okay, that's what Jesus is doing here.

He's entering Yerushalayim as the divine king,

prophet, and priest of Shalom.

That's the essence of what's happening here.

But I really want to invite us even deeper into this scene.

I want to really have us imagine what's going on.

I want to walk us through these events in more vivid color

to show how Jesus deliberately steps

into these important roles of king, prophet, and priest.

Now here in Luke chapter 19,

Luke 19 · chapter mention

it's almost the time of the Passover,

and every faithful Jewish worshiper,

imagine up to a quarter million worshipers

descending upon this little city of Jerusalem

that's normally about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

And being one of these people,

Jesus has a very particular way

he plans to enter the city.

He's not just any Jewish worshiper.

Verse 28 says,

Now remember, for the last three years up to this moment,

Jesus has been casting out demons,

making the sick well, making the lame walk,

making the blinds to see.

And even right by this village that he's about to pass Bethany,

he has just raised a man who was dead for four days to life, Lazarus.

So up to this point, everyone's heard about this guy, Jesus,

and everyone's wondering,

could this be the moment we were waiting for?

The Messiah moment.

And verse 29 says,

He's even now come to this hill called the Mount of Olives,

which according to one of the last prophets of the Jewish people,

Zechariah, this was where an earth-shattering event was supposed to happen,

in which the Lord would conquer His enemies

and establish a king,

Himself as king,

not just over Israel,

but over the whole earth.

I want to read some of this prophecy from Zechariah chapter 14 to you.

Zechariah 14 · chapter mention

It says,

On that day,

His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,

east of Jerusalem,

and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west.

Then the Lord my God will come,

and all the holy ones with Him.

On that day,

the Lord Yahweh will be king over the whole earth.

On that day,

there will be one Lord,

and His name the only name.

So this is an incredibly momentous occasion,

pregnant with anticipation and expectation,

hope and emotion,

and Jesus knows all of this, of course,

and He's about to make a very clear statement

with His entrance into the city.

Jesus is about to claim that He's the divine king,

and this is how He does it.

Verse 29 says,

He first sends two disciples into the village.

We all know this story, right?

To set Him up to make this statement.

He says to them,

Go to the village ahead of you,

and as you enter it,

this is in verse 30,

you will find a colt tied there,

which no one has ever ridden.

Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you why you are untying it,

say,

The Lord needs it.

No explanation,

no apology.

No,

He sends out His servants with His ultimate kingly authority.

He's the Lord,

everything's His,

and He needs that tied up,

unridden donkey for His own purposes.

So He says,

Just go get it, guys.

Just go get it.

Verses 32 to 34 tell us that

His disciples find everything

just as their Lord says,

including that awkward interaction

between the donkey owner

and these two random disciples, right?

Like,

Uh,

excuse me,

what do you think you're doing?

That's my brand new donkey.

I haven't even ridden on him yet.

I've got a lot of plans for him.

How dare you try to take him from me?

But all the disciples say is

what they're told.

The Lord needs it,

and somehow that's enough.

This donkey owner bows

to the kingly authority of Lord Jesus

simply just mentioned by His disciples.

So verse 35 says,

They brought the donkey to Jesus.

They threw their cloaks on it

and put Jesus on it,

and this is an unmistakable image,

sign,

and fulfillment of prophecy.

Because see,

when the son of David, Solomon,

when he was inaugurated as king,

as the next king,

as the heir to David's kingly throne,

the prophet Nathan

and the priest Zadok,

they escorted Solomon

on a mule,

much like this one,

through the city,

shouting,

Long live King Solomon.

So you have this inaugural image

of a son of David

that Jesus is reminding the people of,

and then even more strikingly,

this is a literal fulfillment

of another prophecy

of Zechariah chapter 9,

Zechariah 9 · chapter mention

where God says,

I will encamp at my temple

to guard it.

Never again will an oppressor

overrun my people.

Rejoice greatly,

daughter of Zion.

Shout,

daughter of Jerusalem.

See,

your king comes to you

righteous and victorious,

lowly,

and riding on a donkey,

on a colt

to the foal of a donkey.

He says,

I will take away the chariots

and the war horses

from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow

will be broken.

He will proclaim peace

to the nations.

He will extend

from sea to sea

and from the river

to the ends of the earth.

So you have this

snowballing crowd

of pilgrims

all headed into the city.

They're just about

two miles out

from Jerusalem,

and they see all this

that Jesus is doing,

the statement that he's making.

And verses 36 to 38

basically say

that the crowd,

probably filled

with all these Galileans,

right,

who saw the miracles

of Jesus firsthand,

the crowd goes wild.

And they begin

to joyfully

usher Jesus

into Jerusalem.

John's gospel

says that they cut

palm branches.

That's why you see

these palm branches

here today.

That's why this is

Palm Sunday.

And palm branches,

these were the same

kinds of branches

that were used

to celebrate

the triumph

of the Maccabees

when Simon Maccabee

rode into Jerusalem

after they defeated

the Greeks.

People were also

laying down

their cloaks,

right,

letting them get soiled

and muddy

between the dirt road

and the hooves

of the donkey.

Maybe these were

the only cloaks

that they packed

on their pilgrimage

journey,

but this is just

how much Jesus

meant to them.

And as Jesus

and the crowd

of disciples

summit the Mount

of Olives,

they make it

to the top

and they exchange

the sight

of that dirty,

dusty road

all the way up

to the top

of the hill.

They exchange

that sight

for a view

of the holy city,

right,

glistening

in the sun

right across

from the lush,

green Kidron Valley

below.

They cannot help

but sing.

They cannot help

but praise God

for all that he's done

and all that they believe

he's about to do

in and through

the Messiah.

And they join

the songs of the angels

at the very birth

of Jesus Christ.

Peace,

shalom,

peace in heaven

and glory

in the highest.

They see this

not just as an earthly event

but as a cosmic event,

a heavenly event.

And they sing

Psalm 118

which we read

in our call to worship

this morning

which says,

blessed is the one,

blessed is he

who comes in the name

of the Lord.

Only they've altered

the lyrics slightly

to refer to him.

Blessed is the king

they sing.

Blessed is the king

who comes

in the name

of the Lord.

They're convinced.

They're convinced

that Jesus

is the one true king.

They've seen his miracles.

They've heard his teachings.

They've witnessed

his character

and now this

unmistakable display

of the donkey

they are convinced.

To the crowd

of disciples

he is him.

But,

verse 39 says,

the Pharisees

are less convinced.

They say,

teachers,

rebuke your disciples.

And while we've seen

the humility

of Jesus plenty

throughout the gospels,

we've even seen him

tell people,

don't let people

know about my miracles yet.

Don't enthrone me

as king yet.

The time has now come.

The time has now come

and he's ready

to receive all the praise

and in fact,

even more.

He says in verse 40,

I tell you Pharisees,

if these crowds

of disciples

keep quiet,

someone's gonna praise me.

The stones,

the stones

will cry out.

This is a cosmic event.

All of creation

knows

and rightly praises

its maker

and king.

Jesus here

is undeniably claiming

to be the king

and the divine king

of promise.

But he's not just

the king who will rule

and reign in triumph.

He's also

a divine prophet.

He's come to be

a divine prophet.

Now,

you'd think that this

was one of the high points

in Jesus' life so far

with all this

celebratory spirit,

all this affirmation

and approval,

all these praises

directed at him,

but what does

verse 41 say?

As he approached Jerusalem

and saw the city,

he wept.

He wept over it.

Why?

Because as a prophet,

he sees

as God sees.

The true reality,

the true state

of Jerusalem,

and he can see

what is about

to happen

to this place

that's supposed

to be the holy city,

that's supposed

to be the dwelling

place of God.

He prophesies

and mourns

because he can see

what could have been

and what should have been.

In verse 42,

he says,

if you,

even you,

O so-called city of peace,

had only known

on this day

what would actually

bring you peace,

but now it is hidden

from your eyes.

Only he,

the prophet,

can see it.

And while the crowd

around him

is celebrating with joy,

he rides his donkey

as a king

and a prophet

full of tears

in his eyes.

Because he knows,

verse 43 says,

the days will come

upon you,

Jerusalem,

when your enemies

will build

an embankment

against you

and circle you

and hem you in

on every side,

they will dash you

to the ground.

You and the children

within your walls,

they will not leave

one stone on another

because, listen,

because you did not

recognize the time

of God's coming

to you.

Because they did not

recognize God

come to them

riding on a donkey.

Jesus knows

that Jerusalem

won't accept him

as the divine king.

He knows

that the city of peace

is about to reject,

betray,

torture,

and crucify

the prince of peace

and that even though

God in the flesh

has come right

before their very eyes,

humble and riding

on a donkey,

Jerusalem prefers

to wait for some

other king

than the God king.

So Jesus prophesies

about what will happen

as they pursue a king

more like the other kings

of the earth

and he prophesies

of what eventually

did happen in AD 70

when the Romans came

and they put down

the violent revolt

of the temple priests

and the Jewish militants

and when the Romans

destroyed the temple

and destroyed

all of Jerusalem

just like the Babylonians

had done

just about 600 years earlier.

All because the people

of Jerusalem

could not see

the things

that make for peace.

They couldn't see

a path to peace

in this donkey

riding king.

They couldn't see

the coming of God

in this image

of gentleness

and humility.

Power and autonomy

and real estate

were their true gods

and the only viable

path to peace

in their eyes

was through forceful

political revolution.

So the divine prophet

Jesus sees this truth

and speaks this truth

to the city of peace

that is unwilling

and unable

to hear him.

That they are missing

out on peace

that's right before

their eyes

and they're doomed

to destruction.

Now as soon as

Jesus enters Jerusalem

as king and prophet

he doesn't storm

into Pontius Pilate's

residence

to wage war

against Rome.

No his first order

of business

is actually

to go up

and go and clean

the temple

because he's also

a priest

a divine priest.

Verse 45

When Jesus entered

the temple courts

he began to drive out

those who were selling

and referencing

the prophet Isaiah

he says in verse 46

it is written

my house

will be a house

of prayer.

See Jesus isn't just

the king come to restore

people's property

and security

he's not just even

a prophet come to restore

people's vision

of reality

no he's also a priest

come to restore

people's access

to and communion

with God.

He's a priest

come to restore

the broken dwelling

place of God.

And referencing

the prophet Jeremiah

who also wept

over Jerusalem's

coming destruction

he accuses those

who are selling

in the temple

of making it

a den of robbers.

These were people

who thought

that they were safe

and fine

as long as the temple

stood standing

and as long as

they just kept

the operation

running

but Jesus

disposes

of that misconception

Jesus the priest

exposes the temple

and those within it

who think they are

helping people

make sacrifices

to cleanse themselves

before God

Jesus is this place

and all of you

are far more unclean

than you could imagine

and I'm here

as the real priest

to do something

about that.

I'm here for the true

and final cleansing

of the people

of God.

So you see

Palm Sunday

isn't just about

Jesus as king

but Jesus

as prophet

priest

and king

he steps into

all three roles

all three offices

on Palm Sunday.

That's what happened.

But now you may be

wondering

thinking to yourself

well okay

Jesus came into Jerusalem

claiming to be

a prophet

priest

and king

I'm not even Jewish

though.

I haven't been waiting

for a prophet

or priest

a king

to show up

in my life

I'm not even sure

what that means

and how that's

relevant for me.

Basically you're

thinking to yourself

okay cool

Jesus claimed to be

prophet priest

and king

I see that

but so what?

And how I'd like

to respond

is by saying

sure you may not

have been waiting

for the fulfillment

of some Jewish

messianic prophecy

about a final

great divine

prophet priest

and king

to come

but deep down

isn't it true

that we all want

that we all need

a king

a prophet

and a priest

in our lives

even if we might

not state it

in those terms.

Now at first

you might be

thinking to yourself

no way

I'm American

or maybe even

if you're not

American

you're like

no way

no king

for me

I much prefer

my independence

and my autonomy

but what if it's

actually not that

you are anti-king

but that you are

anti-bad kings?

Think about

all the things

that entertain us

when we enjoy

the Lord of the Rings

any King Arthur tale

maybe your thing's

Game of Thrones

is it really

that you hate

the idea

of a king

or is it actually

that you just hate

the idea

of a bad king?

Deep down

I think we all

want a king

and we all know

we need a king

in this current

era of strong

men

that we're witnessing

in our country

and across the globe

really we're seeing

people

are desperate

for someone

to guide them

protect them

lead them

someone who will

fight and win

for them

someone who will

fix their problems

and restore justice

and peace

we're seeing

this desperation

leading to whole nations

even electing

supposed strong men

of extreme volatility

and even questionable

character

and we might disagree

we might lament

their choices

but see

these sentiments

are coming from

a real and true sense

that we need someone

outside of ourselves

to deliver us

from our ever

worsening

too big to handle

broken systems

structures

and circumstances

and this is why

politics has become

the new religion

for so many

it's because

they are searching

for a king

they know they need one

and they are tired

of trying to be the king

of their own lives

the project of

self-expressive individualism

where we are simply

our own

and we belong

and submit only

to ourselves

that project

we are seeing

to be failing us

and we are now

much more open

to the notion

of an authority figure

if he's good enough

if she's good enough

the responsibility

of being our own kings

our own sovereigns

it's a weight

we were never meant

to bear

for ourselves

and this is what

the scriptures

themselves teach

from the very beginning

of our existence

in Genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

when God called us

to be fruitful

and to multiply

and to fill the earth

and to rule

yes God called humanity

to exercise dominion

over the whole earth

but ultimately

we were only meant

to be vice regents

not gods

people made

in the image

of God

the authority

we ruled with

that we were supposed

to rule with

was only ever meant

to be a derived authority

that we received

from our divine king

and father in heaven

so not only

do we all want

and need a king

but the scriptures

themselves teach us

that we were always

meant to be children

and servants

of the ultimate

high king of heaven

and in the same way

even if we've never

thought of it this way

we've also always

needed a prophet

we've always needed

a prophet

we've always needed

an authoritative voice

someone with ultimate

and divine insight

into the true nature

and reality of things

in this information age

of the internet

and in the midst

of our culture wars

with all these ideologues

and nations

and tribes

vying to control

the narrative

with the rise of AI

and deep fakes

and fake news

am I the only one

who deeply feels

this epistemological crisis

of our cultural moment

like how do we really

know what we know

how do we know

what's true

how do we know

what's real

how do we know

what's false

how do we know

what's fake

even as technology

and science

have brought us

a whole lot of knowledge

and data

and confidence

in our understanding

of the world

it's also brought

a lot of confusion

and noise

I can't tell you

how many times

chat GPT

has had to apologize

to me

for getting something wrong

alright

it's not there yet guys

it's not there yet

and then even

outside of all this

raw data

and computing

right

when it comes to

how to interpret

all the data

what starting points

we use to determine

what is right

and wrong

what is the purpose

of life

what does it mean

to be human

this too

is a burden

that fickle

finite

fallible

human beings

like us

were never

meant to bear

and sure

we try to

supplement ourselves

with like these

pseudo

prophetic voices

our favorite

journalists

op-ed writers

podcasters

social media influencers

life coaches

and therapists

and these can all

be helpful

and good

but the truth is

we've always needed

a real prophet

a divine voice

to tell us

what is true

good

and beautiful

and what isn't

you know

even when Adam

walked with God

in the garden

and was given

the task of

basically

he was doing science

he was doing science

walking with God

in the garden

speaking forth

about reality

naming and categorizing

the animals around him

in human language

he did that though

with the help

and the presence

of God

with God

in his ear

God was the one

bringing the animals

to him

and he did that

as someone made

in the image of God

simply thinking

God's thoughts

after him

so even if we've

never thought of it

this way

even if we're not

Jewish

and don't consider

ourselves religious

truly

we've always needed

a king

and a prophet

and we've also

always needed

a priest

even if you're

here today

you don't consider

yourself a Christian

or even religious

you're maybe an atheist

or you consider

yourself agnostic

I'm convinced

that you

along with all

the rest of us

you also need

a priest

someone to help

you connect

with whatever it is

that you believe

to be sacred

we all need

someone to mediate

between us

and the sacred

the transcendent

the divine

someone to show us

how to be clean

before a holy God

or whatever it is

that we worship

and even if you

don't believe in God

and can't identify

with this like

desire to be clean

in God's eyes

maybe for you

the more universal

language is guilt

and shame

over your bad habits

your bad patterns

your addictions

and your regrets

I know we all

have these

I certainly do

aren't we all

pursuing practices

whether spiritual

or not

whether prayer

and fasting

or nature hikes

and mindfulness

to try to be

the people

we want to be

to try to get

into a state

of peace

and purity

of heart

and mind

maybe you're

a disciple

of Brene Brown

she's your priestess

and you're fighting

to believe her

when she says

that you are worthy

worthy of love

and worthy of belonging

but it's so hard

right

to believe

because we all know

the things we've done

the things we've left

undone

we all have

our regrets

that haunt us

and make us feel

unclean

ashamed

and like we're not

enough

see more than

the wisdom

and counsel

of Brene Brown

and I like Brene Brown

what we need

is a priest

someone to stand

in the gap

between us

and God

someone to make

atonement for us

to show us

the way

to inner cleansing

and wholeness

someone who won't

just cover our shame

or help us escape

our shame

but someone who

will remove it

for good

Adams

and Eve's

fig leaves

they would not

do it

they needed

the Lord

to sacrifice

a live animal

in order to

cover them

so don't you see

even if you've

never thought of it

in these terms

we've always

needed a divine

king

a divine prophet

and a divine

priest

that has always

been and has

only ever been

the way

to shalom

the way to

peace

justice

joy

and fulfillment

no other king

no other prophet

no other priest

will do

and today

I wonder

if Jesus

might be saying

to you

hey

what if

I'm a better

king

leader

and protector

than all

the other

authority

figures

that you're

turning to

serving

following

and bowing

down to

what if

I'm a more

truthful

and insightful

prophet

than all

the other

voices

that are

vying

for your

attention

and agreement

and what

if I'm

also the

only priest

who can

truly make

you clean

and qualified

worthy

and unashamed

in the eyes

of the only

one whose

eyes truly

matter

actually

today

if you hear

his voice

he's not

just saying

what if

he's saying

I am

I am

the divine

king

prophet

and priest

that can

bring you

shalom

if you will

have it

if you will

have me

but the question

for all of us

especially as we

enter into

holy week

is will we

will we

receive him

the whole of

us

receive the

whole of

who he is

into the

whole of

our lives

in our

passage this

morning

Jesus made

an unmistakable

statement

about who

he was

and he

then set

himself

up right

in the

center

of the

temple

in Jerusalem

for everyone

to make

that decision

there are only

two ultimate

responses

verse 47

every day

he was teaching

at the temple

but the chief

priest

the teachers

of the law

and the leaders

among the people

were trying to

kill him

yet they could

not find any

way to do it

because all the

people hung

on his words

there were the

prophets

I mean there

were the

Pharisees

and the

priests

right

who wanted

to murder

him

and then

there were

the people

who hung

on his

words

those are

the two

options

and it's

really interesting

to me

how it was

the ones

who believed

they had so

much to lose

who were in

the kill him

crowd

and then the

ones who believed

they had so much

to gain

in the crown him

crowd

and this presents us

with the crux

of one's decision

to accept Jesus

as prophet

priest

and king

or not

into our lives

are we willing

to give it all up

to follow him

in order to gain

everything

he has for us

do we believe

it's worth it

this invitation

to follow Jesus

and be united

with the maker

of the universe

that offer is free

but it's not simple

and it comes

with a challenge

Jesus will only

be accepted

by you

if you accept

him for all

that he is

the divine king

the divine prophet

and the divine priest

and some of you

are here today

and you're struggling

with that

maybe one of them

maybe two of them

maybe all three

some of you

are here today

and you're struggling

to submit to him

as king

there is something

there is some kind

of donkey

in your life

there is some kind

of cloak

in your life

that God's spirit

is indicating to you

the Lord needs it

but you had all these plans

all these hopes

all these dreams

for this donkey

for this cloak

certainly not to let it

be taken from you

or soiled

in the mud

maybe these things

are your children

your job

your career

your time

your dreams

your ambitions

but king Jesus

claims the whole

of your life

and all that you

possess

so how will you

respond

crown him

or crucify him

maybe others

of you today

are struggling

to listen to Jesus

as prophet

you have trouble

believing everything

he says about you

and the true nature

of reality

and what will really

bring peace

to you

and the world

you'd rather listen

to other voices

other experts

other analysts

your own inner voice

you'd rather scan

and scour

day and night

for more and more

data

to give you an edge

to give you

a competitive advantage

in your quest

for peace

and well-being

you don't trust

Jesus' prophetic vision

for a life

of flourishing

with him

you can't even trust

he's able to

clearly communicate

divine and infallible

truth to you

well Jesus' prophetic

voice and word

to you today

is that he is the way

he is the way

he is the truth

he is the life

so will you heed

his word

or hush it

and then finally

there are still others

here who struggle

to allow Jesus

into your lives

as priest

you know that

your bodies

are supposed to be

a temple

of the living God

the Holy Spirit

but you're not okay

with Jesus

coming into your heart

and into your life

to rearrange

the furniture

you desperately

want to be cleaned

and pure and worthy

for blessed are

the pure in heart

like the children said

for they shall see God

but you're also not ready

to be cleansed

of your impurities

your addictions

your attachments

your resentments

your lies and secrets

your excesses

or maybe

you don't even think

you need cleansing

you like the priests

and the Pharisees

and the sellers

in the temple

don't even realize

that you are harboring

a den of robbers

in your life

and you think

that you are quite safe

and secure

and clean

and worthy

simply just upholding

the status quo

of your life

nothing needs to change

Jesus' priestly plea

to you is to let him in

to make you new

will you receive him

or reject him

see today on Palm Sunday

Jesus isn't just

entering into Jerusalem

in this story

on a donkey

he wants to enter

your lives

as divine king

prophet

and priest

and not just

and not because

he wants to dominate you

it's because he wants

your peace

he wants your shalom

that is his heart

that is the heart of God

for you today

and if you want that too

I want to encourage you

to respond today

come find me

come find Jonathan

come receive prayer

from our deacons

if there is something

in your life

another king

that is holding you captive

we want to pray

for deliverance for you

if there are voices

that you cannot shake

voices in your head

that tell you

alternative truths

that are not in accord

with God's heart for you

we want to pray

those voices away

that you would hear

the prophet

if there are things

in your life

that you know

need to be cleansed

maybe you've only

given Jesus

99% of your life

there's still 1% left

that you have yet

to let go of

we want to pray

that you let the priest in

and clean out his temple

and give you his peace

come respond

to this God

he is good

we promise he is good

we want this church

to be filled with people

who've crowned

Jesus as king

heeded him as prophet

and received his cleansing

as our priest

we promise you

Jesus is a good king

he's a good prophet

he's a good priest

because he's a good lord

he's a good God

he's a humble king

who comes in peace

gentle and lowly

riding on a donkey

coming to you

with the intention

of donning a crown of thorns

in your place

a king who doesn't enslave you

but gives his life for you

and then conquer sin

and even death

by his resurrection

for you

and he's an empathetic priest

he's an empathetic prophet

as well

who doesn't really

just preach at you

in self-righteous

judgmental condemnation

but he weeps over you

and your blindness

and your inability

to see

and hear

his love for you

his desire for your peace

your refusal

to take hold of the peace

he's offering for you

to you for free

and finally

he's the ultimate

kingly priest

who wants to drive out

all the impurities

in your life

not by demanding

that you make

your own sacrifices

unto him

as payment

you know when Jesus

gets into that temple

right

and he begins to remove

the sellers from the temple

he also removes

the animals with them

right

and it should make you wonder

how then

would people be able

to make their sacrifices

we see the beauty

of Jesus as a priest

is he is a priest

who is at the same time

the very sacrificial

lamb of God

those animals

were obsolete

he's saying

I'm here now

he's the lamb of God

slaughtered for you

to make you perfectly

cleansed

and restored

in your relationship

with God

so the call

the word of God

to us this morning

is crown him

heed him

receive him

enter into his peace

and taste and see

that the Lord Jesus

is good

let's pray

Lord we thank you

that you are a God

who is always

and only ever

wanted our peace

all along

and we confess

all the other kings

we've followed

all the other prophets

we've listened to

all the other priests

we've looked to

to cleanse us

oh God

we would see

Jesus instead

help us to behold him

for who he is

see his beauty

will we experience him

as a good king

a good prophet

and a good priest

oh God

help us to taste

and see

that you are good

in Christ's name

amen

amen

Thank you.