Destination.... Jerusalem

In Jesus Holy Name March 26,2023

Text: John 12:1,2,12-14 Palm Sunday Redeemer

“Destination ….Jerusalem”

It started with a donkey. Jesus sent his disciples to the village of Bethphage with instructions to bring back a donkey. When you read Matthew’s account, you realize that the two disciples actually brought back two donkeys–a mother and her young colt that had never been ridden. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the young colt with the mother walking alongside.

Matthew also tells us that by riding a donkey into Jerusalem Jesus fulfilled an ancient prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. Those words–written 575 years earlier–predicted that when the Messiah came to Israel, he would come riding on a donkey.

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey” (Mt 21:5).

For the moment, the crowd shouts, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” But those aren’t the only shouts Jesus will hear. Angry voices will soon drown out the praise. Yes, The King rides on in majesty, but He is on His way to the cross.

On Sunday, the city was transfixed by the man from Galilee. On Friday,

Jesus was crucified outside the city walls.

Many people enjoy reading novels. They have their preference: mystery, historical, romance, science fiction. Others enjoy certain authors and their style: John Grisham: A Time to Kill; The Pelican Brief; the Last Juror. Others enjoy Tom LaHaye’s “Left Behind”. Then there is Jean Auel and her series: The Clan of the Cave Bear; Mammoth Hunters about men and women caught up in the dynamics of prehistoric Europe. Then there’s Louis L’Amour and his western novels. James Michner: Alaska; Centennial; The Source; Hawaii; Poland. How could we forget the Harry Potter Chronicles by J.K. Rowling. The Chronical of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, The Wardrobe. Many have been made into movies. This is also true of Jesus. The Robe. The Chosen.

All these novels contain the elements of mystery, suspense, fear and alienation, anger and murder, greed and overwhelming love and personal sacrifice. The reader turns each page with anxious anticipation for the rest of the story.

The rest of the story. Sometimes the rest of the story has a happy ending. In other cases like “Cold Mountain” it is a Greek tragedy as two lover’s try to live through the Civil War.

The bible is filled with stories that should have ended but didn’t. God made Adam and Eve and placed them in a location where they were surrounded by all that was beautiful and joyous. There were no weeds in the garden; no pulled muscles when they worked; no family squabbles at the end of the day. They had no fear of wild animals, terminal illness, or global warming. Living as beneficiaries of God's goodness, they were absolutely sure that today's gladness would be followed by tomorrow's laughter.

It was a wonderful time, at least until the day of temptation. The story of Adam and Eve should have ended with them being expelled from the Garden of Eden, doomed to live a life without hope or happiness. But, because of God’s grace and promise of a Redeemer there would be hope. The rest of the story was still to come..

The story of Moses should have ended with him remaining a shepherd in the Sinai. But the rest of the story finds Moses delivering God’s people from slavery and into the promised land 40 years later. The tale of Noah should have ended with the flood; the story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego should have concluded with them being toast. The story of Daniel should have ended in the lion’s den. But in each case there is “the rest of the story”. By God’s hand, and often in a miraculous way, God spared His representative.

That is certainly true for the story of Jesus. When I read the Gospels there are so many times Jesus’ story could have ended. He was born in a Bethlehem stable. What are the survival odds for a child when he is born in a barn? What are the chances the baby living when his first bed is an animal’s feeding trough? None of us would have been surprised if, a few days after he was born, he had contracted some infection and died.

Later wise men from the east came looking for a new born king of the Jews. They went to Jerusalem, the palace of the present King Herod. There was no new child in Jerusalem… but they were told to go to Bethlehem. They could not have known the unbalanced mind of Herod, the power man monarch. They did not know that others would follow them to murder the child. These new visitors brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. His story could have ended there in Bethlehem, but it did not.