Lent: Blessed is the King! | Associate Pastor: Matt Armstrong

I love the story of Robin Hood.

My favorite is the Disney version.

I don't know.

I remember I have memories of watching this in elementary school back when uh movies were shown on reels.

Halfway through the movie they would stop and they'd have to change the reel and then it could keep going.

That's how old I am.

Recently I heard someone talk about the story of Robin Hood as a gospel allegory, and I I can't stop thinking about it.

And I thought it was appropriate for this morning.

The story of Robin Hood is about a kingdom whose king has gone away on a long journey.

While he's away, the evil Prince John has taken over, and with the help of the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham, he is extorting and oppressing the people for his own nefarious gain.

Robin Hood, little John, and their band of merry men are fighting back against these powers, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor.

But it's not until the rightful king, King Richard, returns that justice is restored and peace is returned to the land.

And of course, like any good movie, you end with a wedding.

Happily ever after.

Robin Hood, Maid Marion.

It's a pretty good overview of the gospel, I think.

Jesus, the long-awaited king, is returning to his kingdom.

And as he comes, he's performing many signs to show who he is and what he's about to do.

Sicknesses are healed, death is reversed, food is multiplied and abundant, demons are cast out.

All the corruption of the fall is being reversed.

This is what happens when the rightful king returns to his kingdom.

And as these signs mount, a great fervor has begun to surround Jesus.

He has recently healed Lazarus and raised him from the dead.

That's what Luke is talking about.

He says, People have seen so many wonders around Jesus that they are beginning to believe that perhaps Messiah really is returning, and so peace, wholeness, promises long given may be on the verge of being fulfilled.

This is what we celebrate today on Palm Sunday.

We remember that the true King has arrived, and we join our voices with the crowd that shouts Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, bringing peace on earth and glory to heaven.

As I studied this passage over the last couple weeks, preparing for this morning, I was struck that this passage is really about just one thing.

And that is to show that Jesus really is the long-awaited king.

I don't know if you're familiar with Jesus' ministry, but up until this point, he has intentionally hidden his identity as Messiah, as the king, but now he embraces it in full for all of Israel to see.

Let's look again at our passage, the first portion.

When he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

When he drew near to Beth Page and to Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied on which no one has yet sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

If any one asks, Why are you untying it?

you shall say this, The Lord has need of it.

So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, Why are you untying it?

And they said, The Lord has need of it.

Alright, point one.

Jesus approaches Jerusalem over the Mount of Olives.

Back in 2018, our family had the amazing opportunity to travel to Jerusalem.

It was a life-changing trip.

This is us standing in the old city of David with the new city, the medieval city walls around Jerusalem in the background.

One of the coolest parts was right here.

It was our first day kind of of touring, and we had a Jewish tour guide, and she told us about the prophecy of Zechariah 14, 4 that says, When Messiah comes to bring peace back to Israel and throw off their enemies, he will do so by arriving on the Mount of Olives.

This is a view from where we were standing at the Mount of Olives.

And you'll notice that in the foreground, that hill going down is kind of has vegetation, but in the background, it's all kind of white.

And that's because the Mount of Olives is covered with cemeteries.

And the reason is this observant Jews who believe and they're still waiting for Messiah to come, they want to be at ground zero when he arrives.

So all of these Jews died in faith and hope, longing and awaiting the resurrection.

There you go.

This next picture here is actually on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the city of Jerusalem.

You can see the Dome of the Rock there in the distance, which is the location of the old Jewish temple in Jesus' day.

This is where approximately Jesus would have been standing when he was coming down the Mount of Olives, overlooking the city, weeping for Jerusalem and their lack of faith in him.

You see, it's no coincidence that Luke begins this passage by describing in detail Jesus' path.

He didn't need to mention these two little villages or the fact that Jesus arrived walking over the Mount of Olives.

Every step of Jesus' journey is intentional and charged with meaning.

Messiah is at hand.

Second point, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Now this is quite out of character for Jesus.

If you're familiar with his earthly ministry, he walks everywhere, right?

He's a humble, poor, traveling preacher and teacher.

Nowhere else in the gospel are we told that Jesus rides on an animal, let alone a donkey or a horse.

And so why does he intentionally choose to do this now?

Well, Matthew tells us in his gospel, he says that Jesus did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah.

He said this Rejoice greatly, O daughters of Zion.

Shout aloud, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king is coming to you.

Righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the full of a donkey.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey intentionally, unmistakably connecting him as the Messiah, the long-awaited king.

Jesus is pulling back the curtain.

He's declaring unabashedly in front of all who he is.

Israel's long-awaited king who would free her from her oppressors and usher in a peace and a glory that they have longed for.

Point three, Jesus rides in on a cult that has never been ridden before.

Now this is a small detail, but Luke points it out and it connects it back to Zechariah 9 that says the Messiah will ride in not just on a donkey, but on the cult of a donkey.

And this speaks to Jesus' royal person.

For this long-awaited king, only a cult who has never been ridden by another is worthy of him.

And there's also a supernatural element here.

This is an unbroken animal, right?

You're not just supposed to be able to get on an unbroken animal and ride it.

And yet this young donkey seems to know its true king better than the people he came to.

Point four, Jesus issues a royal command.

Jesus gives this interesting instruction here that's always kind of struck me as odd.

He tells his disciples to go ahead into the village ahead, probably Bethany, and to go steal a donkey.

Go take this donkey, and if anyone asks you, why are you doing that?

you shall say the Lord has need of it.

Okay, cool.

You know, the Lord needs it, no problem.

As I read that, as I've read it over years and years, I've just thought, what the heck is going on?

Why does Jesus do this?

But here's the point.

When the Lord requests something, you don't say no.

You give it to him.

Jesus is exerting his royal prerogative here in a way we have rarely seen him do in the rest of his ministry.

Again, Jesus is showing to Israel, to all of his people, who he is.

He is worthy of honor, he is worthy of fealty, allegiance, and when your king makes a request, you say yes.

Point five, Jesus displays supreme royal authority.

Next, Luke tells us that the disciples, when they go into that uh town, that village, they find the cult just as Jesus told them.

I see echoes here of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8.

When he's on the boat with his disciples and this this huge storm rolls on them, Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat.

They go and wake him.

He stands, he rebukes the wind and the waves, and the storm subsides.

And the disciples say in awe, what sort of man is this?

That even the wind and the waves obey him.

Jesus displays here an authority and a sovereignty that go far beyond mortal man.

He not only knows what's happening, he not only speaks with great authority and power, but he shows he is able to orchestrate things to the finest level of detail in accordance with his will.

Point six.

Jesus came humble and riding on a donkey.

Now, of course, the central part of this whole entry, this divine drama that Jesus is doing in front of the Jews and in front of us is not just that the king is arriving, but that he is doing so seated on a donkey.

This humble beast of burden, rather than an awesome regal war horse.

You see, everything Jesus did was confusing.

Confused his disciples, confused the rest of the Jews.

We see the Pharisees here are confused.

In John's telling of the triumphal entry, he explicitly says, as one of the disciples, he says that the disciples really didn't understand what Jesus was doing in this moment.

Jesus is showing them who he is, what type of king he will be.

And it echoes what Zechariah says, that your king will come humble and riding on a donkey.

The Pharisees also confused, they come up to Jesus in this moment and they they rebuke him and they tell him, you know, tell your disciples to stop praising you in this way.

But again, Jesus, fully embracing his identity as the Son of David and coming Messiah, refuses, and he says to them, I tell you that if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.

Meaning, this is the most fitting thing for these people to be doing right now.

Jesus is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.

And beloved, for those of us who are on the other side of the resurrection, we worship Jesus today not only because of his divine royal identity.

We praise him because of what he is about to do, entering into Holy Week.

That knowing that he is the true King of Israel, but not only the King of Israel, but the King of Kings, Lord of lords, Lord of all creation, the one through whom all things were created, yet he came willingly and submitted himself to arrest, to a mock trial, to condemnation, and ultimately crucifixion.

And the question is, why?

Why was the king willing to come and to do this?

It comes down to one word love.

He loved his people to the end.

He loved those who were spiritually bankrupt.

He loved those who were oppressed by the world, by the flesh, and by the devil.

Jesus is the King that all our hearts long for.

Beloved, we live in a time where many of us, regardless of your politics, regardless of any of those details, we long for righteous leaders.

And we see the impact of unrighteousness and the world all around us.

And so on this Palm Sunday, let us truly rejoice.

Let us remember, let us be comforted by the fact that we have a true king who is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he rules right now.

Nothing threatens it, nothing comes even close.

So what can we take from this passage to nourish our hearts as we enter into Holy Week?

First, as our rightful King, Jesus is worthy of our full allegiance and homage.

Second, as our sacrificial king, Jesus is worthy of all of our love and devotion.

Third, as our divine king, we can rest our lives in his care.

Fourth and finally, as our humble king, he shows us how we are to live as citizens of his kingdom.

Jesus's is not a kingdom of oppression, of dominance, or of self, but of humility, love of enemy, and self-sacrifice.

And so, brothers and sisters, we worship and we show him great glory as king by living as his ambassadors, representing that eternal kingdom in the midst of the darkness that we live in now.

And in that way we become like Robin Hood and his merry men and women.

Jesus has inaugurated his return, but until his kingdom comes in full, as we love and serve and sacrifice, we live as subversive citizens of another kingdom, pointing to Jesus' kingdom until he comes.

And so let us proclaim: blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.

Amen.

If you have any questions about this sermon, or if you need prayer, I'll be down front afterwards.

Let's pray.

Our Lord, our God, our King, thank you for who you are.

Thank you for all that you have done, all that you are doing, all that you will do.

Jesus, we pray that our hearts would be refreshed and renewed in faith and love and devotion for you, our King.

Thank you that you reign.

Thank you that you are bringing all things to your good end.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.