Dearly loved by God in Christ Jesus,
Do you know the expression, “Old Chestnut?” It means the same story, excuse or cliché someone uses repeatedly. You could probably identify an “old chestnut” or two I like to bring out.
Another aspect of the expression is that due to the repeated use, the story or expression loses its’ impact. Sometimes we can begin to feel that way about certain accounts in the Bible. “I know those Bible stories by heart, why would I have to hear or study them repeatedly,” the thought goes. One of those accounts could be Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem the Sunday prior to his death on the cross for us.
The evangelists’ three accounts of Jesus riding into Jerusalem that Sunday prior to his death certainly are not an “old chestnut” in any sense. Like all of God’s Word, this is one of those festival accounts we never grow tired hearing repeatedly. I hope that we come to see and to appreciate something new about it each time we hear it.
We know the real person who is riding into the holy city in lowliness on a beast of burden. We know the real reason Jesus is riding in such humility. Jesus is there to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah. In less than a week, our Savior would go to the cross to pay for our sins so we will receive the crown of life.
We say to Jesus in song, O Savior Meek, Pursue Your Road. Jesus rides on to meet his cross. Jesus rides on to win our crown.
The Lord was walking from Jericho into Jerusalem, about 15 miles, that Sunday morning for the Passover. In Jericho Jesus had healed two blind men and brought salvation to Zacchaeus’ house. Jesus’ disciples obeyed his command to go ahead of him and acquire a donkey and her colt in the twin villages of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives just east of the holy city.
Our Lord would ride on in majesty; in the majesty of his mission not in majesty of appearance. Jesus would not ride into Jerusalem seated atop a prancing war stallion but on a plodding beast of burden only servants and the poor rode.
The crowds that followed Jesus and the crowds that went out to meet him from Jerusalem came together and gave him the red carpet treatment. They laid down in Jesus’ path green palm branches like our children carried in. Palm branches spread before a person meant welcome. We adore you. Combined with the words of Psalm 118 they sang, the palm branches meant that we acknowledge you the Lord.
This is how the prophet Zechariah had written he would come as we heard in our first lesson. Jesus was not coming to retake the city from the Gentiles. Jesus rides to meet his cross. The Son of God became the Son of Man to serve us. He became poor, emptied himself of the full use of his divine majesty now shared by his human nature, so that we might become rich in the blessings of forgiveness and eternal salvation as heirs of exaltation and glory.
The men, women and children who lined the pathway had heard Jesus preach. They had witnessed Jesus’ miracles. As a sign of respect and admiration, and in the case of many, genuine saving faith that Jesus was the Messiah, they spread those palm branches in Jesus’ path. They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Our concern is not to detect who among the crowd really believed Jesus was the Messiah, and who remained faithful to Jesus later in the week. The Savior’s manifesting his glory as God through Word and miracle the past three years had brought many to acknowledge publicly his office as the Messiah. Thus, the singing of that great Hallel, or Hallelujah of Psalm 118.The people thanked God for keeping his promise. Jesus accepted their praise as the Savior-King riding to meet his cross.
St. Matthew’s account shows clearly their words are religious not political. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” St. Luke adds their words, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Don’t those words remind us of the events since the start of the church year? Advent, Christmas, Lent, and today, the start of Holy Week. as Jesus rides to meet his cross. All those festivals join hands today on the carpet of palm branches. O Savior meek, pursue your road.
Jesus also rides on to win our crown. Jesus did not go to the cross for his own sake but for ours. He had every right to accept the praise for this loving sacrifice. Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil’s power to give us forgiveness, life and his strength. God has reconciled the world in Christ and promised us “the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day.” [2 Tim. 4:8]
Paul’s words in our second lesson deserve another hearing, “(He) made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” [Phil 2:8.9]
We know the real person who rides on to win our crown. Jesus is the Son of God who did not always use his divine majesty so that as a true man and true God, our servant, he would suffer and die under our sins. Jesus was interested only in us. He came ready to die to win our crown. Following that sacrifice, he once again fully uses his divine majesty as both God and man. It was not time for that exaltation yet because it followed his death and burial. O Savior meek, pursue your road.
Today we gather with those crowds to sing “Hosanna (save us) to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” May that expression of faith never become for us an “old chestnut” but always be for us the “new song” of marvelous things the Lord has done for us. Amen. <SDG>