Rev. Charles W. Webb of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of Bethlehem Lutheran Church leafy trees, and of the brook" (Lev. 23:40), Glen Arbor, MI March 29, 2015 and "You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens The text for today is the Gospel which you have in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future just hears, especially these words (John 12:12-19) “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of generations may know that I made the Israelite people the Lord, even the King of Israel!” live in booths when I brought them out of the land of

Dear Friends in Christ: Greetings from our Egypt" (Lev. 23:42-43). As the Israelites were triumphant King of kings, Christ. Amen! delivered from Pharaoh, Christ now delivers all men Today is Palm Sunday. Let me tell you something from sin by his march toward Calvary. Even as He about palms. The palm branch is a sign of victory, enters , His triumph is assured! Even the triumph, peace and eternal life. Pharissees who had opposed him all his life had to The palm was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and admit and “said to one another, ‘You see that you are in represented immortality. In , gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’ a closed frond of the is part of the festival Little did they suspect they would every defeat him of , the Feast of Tabernacles during which the and even when they did, his resurrection proved they Israelites celebrate their sojourn in the fragile booths never would or could. Hosanna! during their 40 years of exodus as described in Historically, a palm branch was awarded to Leviticus: "On the first day you shall take the product victorious athletes in . 1

Since a victory signals an end to a conflict or Palms also represented heaven in early competition, the palm developed into a symbol of which often depicts Jesus in heaven among palms and peace in the Christian church. It is fitting, since even the secular world uses the palm as a symbol of a Christ brings us eternal peace from our trials and tropical island . Imagine that! eternal salvation through his work that they were So, today is Palm Sunday. Our Lord rides strewn before him. majestically and prophetically into Jerusalem on the Under the Christian emperor Constantine, the back of a simple donkey. Despite the victorious palm branch also came to symbolize triumph over atmosphere, Christ’s entry doesn’t seem that kingly. death. That’s what the resurrection was for after all! But, then, Christ is always a person of contrasts. A Early used the palm branch to symbolize king on a donkey and a king dying on a torture cross the victory of the faithful over enemies of the soul. In just don’t seem to fit the idea of triumph and regal western Christian art, martyrs were often shown splendor. Yet there must have been hundreds waving holding a palm frond representing the victory of spirit palms fronds and strewing them carpet-wise in the over flesh, and it was widely believed that a picture of path of the small advancing cortege of Christ and his a palm on a tomb meant that a martyr was buried disciples. Besides all the palm branches on the there. ground and those being waved in the air, there was the Tradition even says that Mary gave birth to Jesus shout and cry of the people as Jesus rode by. It was under a date palm, but I doubt that. like a parade for a conquering hero. The crowd kept 2

shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is last day of the festival was called The Great Hosanna. the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna Eventually even the palm branches themselves were in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9) The words called hosannas. So when Jesus came riding into they were shouting come from Psalm 118: “Blessed is Jerusalem on that famous Palm Sunday, and the he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you crowd started singing “Hosanna to the Son of David!” from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he — there was no doubt in the minds of the people what has made his light to shine upon us...Oh give thanks they were thinking: “Here comes the long-awaited to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love Messiah! Here comes our King!” endures forever!” Those words were heard at the temple every year at the Festival of Tabernacles (or Originally the word hosanna was a cry for help. In Booths) that we mentioned above. It was THE theme Hebrew it means, “[Lord,] help us or save us!” It was song for the arrival of the Messiah. only later, because of its use at the Festival of Booths that the word hosanna simply became a shout of Hosanna was always part of the Messiah’s slogan triumph and praise! But let’s look again at this word song. In fact, on the last day of the Festival of Booths hosanna. Today is not only Palm Sunday. The newer this song “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is name for this day is “The Sunday of the Passion.” It the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna is a time when we reflect on the fact that Jesus’ in the highest heaven!” was sung 7 times. And that parade on this Sunday was not headed toward the 3

winner’s circle, or any type of awards ceremony. The after a great victorious battle. He is riding a little pomp and circumstance were soon over. Only tears unregal donkey, however. And in the city all Jesus' and suffering followed the King. Palm Sunday begins enemies have gathered to have at him one last time. It , a week that ended in pain and agony for doesn’t bode well. this man on the donkey. The parade of this Sunday led ultimately to the cross and began the passion of What are we to make of this scene? We might ask if our Lord. What a contrast a week makes. From he's really a king like David, why doesn't he show a ecstasy to agony to provide eternal ecstasy for us! little more of his royalty? Where’s the glamour and glitz of a real king? I mean, really, here’s Jesus and if Since the time of King David, some 900 years you think about it he is not much of a star. He rides in previous, Jerusalem was the hometown of the kings of on a donkey, trailed by the yelling mob of ragtag Israel. During Jesus time there was no real king. children and not always believing disciples. Yes, I Caesar of Rome had conquered Palestine, and he said, “not always believing” because listen to the text; allowed Herod to wear the title of king while his His disciples did not understand these things at first, prefect, Pontius Pilate, had control over all substantial but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered matters of state. that these things had been written about him and had So here comes Jesus into Jerusalem, riding through been done to him. Can this be the king of the world? the streets as if he were king David coming home 4

The shouts seem confusing in a way. Even his own the city would welcome Jesus on Sunday with the didn’t recognize his mission! words, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," and just five days later condemn him with the The emphasis in the Bible is not so much on how words, "Crucify him"? The story proceeds like a Jesus comes into Jerusalem for the last time, but what Greek drama from triumph to tragedy. Ah, but he's coming to do. There on its streets he will retrace there’s a twist. Tragedy converts to triumph in the his steps on Friday, not carried by a donkey, but resurrection. Christ won after all! carrying part of the cross across his shoulders to his final torture-death – the death of a common criminal. No matter how fickle the Jews were, I think that you In Jerusalem in just a few days, Jesus will offer up to and I are just as fickle as those Jerusalemites 2000 God his Heavenly Father the sacrifice of his own life years ago. We have the same inherited DNA from as full compensation to the sins of the whole world. Adam and hence, the same symptoms. We are sinners No one seems to grasp that yet. led by our inners selves. After all, we are the ones who pray the words, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be The people themselves predicted this when they said, done," and then we go off to do things our way. The "Hosanna!" which means, "save us now." Little did result is that so often our will gets done and not His. many of them know that he indeed was doing just We are the ones who look at the cross up here week that. Have you ever considered how strange it is that after week, praying to the one who died there for us, 5

and do not give ourselves to those around us in need Righteous one into the Unrighteous One, dying in our as He did. We praise God for forgiving us a lifetime place. The holy must become unholy to save us from of sin, again and again and again, but it’s a hard sell our sins. The glory of God is in Christ’s humility and for us to undo for others what God has undone for us. servitude. He humbled himself to take our filthy Human nature often trumps our prayer. We mouth, sinfulness and suffer the consequences of the eternal but fail to perform our own prayer. We are often just wrath of God as his own punishment. as fickle as Jerusalem was, are we not? That’s why But unbelievers and the world in which we live we need this simple palm king. Oh, yes! It’s a world look for pomp and circumstance, not donkey that really needs him. YOU NEED HIM. riders. They look for limousines and well-armed EVERYONE NEEDS HIM. Looks at the news! motorcades and confetti and hoopla. That’s the equivalent of “kingly” today. The world wrongly The prophet Zechariah prophesied about Christ’s assumes that God in His infinite majesty and power entry: “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous would make a glorious entrance more befitting the and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a Creator of the universe. He should come in in regal donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah robes and His role should escalate upwards from 9:9 ESV). Let’s reflect on it again. This is our Savior? there. A cross? That’s hardly royal and has no Why would God ride on a donkey? He would do it as promise on the world scene, or so sinful man reasons. a man for our salvation. The cross would turn the Only criminals die on crosses. 6

The unbeliever, though, sees with his eyes and Yes, even we believers, who confess the suffering and not through faith. The sinner looks and lusts for the death of our Lord for our sins, we, too, yearn for a excitement and honor found in the power of an earthly Jesus of glory whom the world would recognize. We king. Sinners want to win and to have money and lust for a Jesus who would be popular and a power. Sinners seek a popular Jesus that attracts more moneymaker so our congregation’s budget—or our and more people. Look at the prosperity gospel of own budget—will balance at the end of the year. We today. There is no sin and grace. It’s not stylish to talk sinfully seek a kingdom builder of wealth and power about sin. Sinners want a god that gives goodies now. and numbers so that we might have bigger churches They are not interested in the “then’ of eternity, but for the sake of recognition and power. However, the “now” of prosperity. But alas, this thinking is an Jesus, the Lowly One, calls us to simple lowliness and entry not into Christ’s glory, but rather an entrance repentance. He rides on a donkey toward the cross! into the pits of hell. It is a road to the tomb with no What a picture! chance of a resurrection. The material Christ of so You and I rejoice in the glory of the lowly and much of today’s loses the purpose of humble. We rejoice in the poor, the sick, and the Christ’s death. We either die in our sin or we are needy. We rejoice, not empowered by riches and resurrected with Christ through faith in his redeeming things, but by simple faith. And through that we see work. the glory of this humble Christ as He rides forth in majesty to the cross to suffer and die. 7

in it, don’t we? When we meditate on the sufferings We poor sinners need the glory of the palm king who of the Lord, we feel the love of God and the who suffered and died in our place. We need the glory unbounded patience he has with us. He cups us in of the cross. That is the irony of the Gospel. It is a his protective hands. He opens his arms to embrace scandal to sinful thinkers. They stumble all over the us. At the same time, He opens his hands to give us place. They see only foolishness. That is the hidden gifts. He shows us His wounds that reflect the depth truth that eyes cannot see, but only faith can believe of our sin, opening his heart of glowing love and and confess. We need this humble donkey-rider! forgiveness for each of us. He is lifted up from the earth so that he can draw us all to himself. His This is the beginning of Holy Week. Again we wounds are for our transgressions, yet they ooze consider and review in detail the irony to the world of with His grief over our sin and with His gleaming the sufferings of Christ. So behold the grief of your with love. His death screams redemption for each of Lord as he goes to the cross. To the world it appears us and out of his veins flows the blood of our that he will lose. It appears that triumph has been redemption. The King will die that we may never die. swallowed up by tragedy. Death is imminent and to His blood will turn us white as snow before our the world it is oh so permanent. The Pharisees and God in heaven. Romans thought it was over. So much for this rabble- rouser. Ah, but my friends, we see the eternal victory 8

Like crushed grapes, the body of Jesus, squeezed by cannot. Then hear the humble king on the donkey the weight of God's wrath on the severity of our sins, saying, “I have done it. You are God’s redeemed.” pours out on all sides its precious life blood. “Glory I am come that they might have life and have it more be to Jesus who in bitter pains poured for me the life abundantly. blood from His sacred veins.” Ah, my fellow sojourners. It is no coincidence that at The mission of our Palm Sunday Lord is to the celebration of every Lord's Supper we recite the conquer, not a race or a nation or a people, but words of Palm Sunday, singing, "Blessed is he who death and the devil and our inherited spiritual comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the dementia. It’s a win-win situation: The palm king highest." Save us, dear Lord! And out of the has won and so we win the crown as undeserving underserved mercy of God, Christ pours out that same co-winners. blood he shed in Jerusalem into the cup of simple If we do not know what sin is and how greatly we wine to bring to us the forgiveness of sins. It is a are overcome with it, unable to help ourselves, we marvel beyond belief. Blessed is he! Blessed is He! will not be able to understand why Jesus went through AMEN. We have been given the palm branch of all this. But if we listen to the Law of God, and begin victory, triumph, peace and eternal life. Thus we can to see how short we fall from the kingdom of God, we heartily say with today’s psalm: Oh give thanks to can then praise and worship Jesus for pouring out his the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love blood for us. Listen to the Law: “Thou shalt…” But I endures forever! AMEN. 9

John 12:12-19 (ESV) 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

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