“They Hailed Him as King” Luke 19:28-40 (Year C Palm Sunday)
Introduction
King Jesus, why did you choose me, a lowly donkey to carry you to ride in your parade? Had you no friend who owned a horse—a royal mount with spirit for a king to ride? Why choose a donkey, small, unassuming beast of burden trained to plow not carry kings? King Jesus, why did you choose me, a lowly unimportant person to bear you in my world today? I’m poor and unimportant, trained to work not carry kings—let alone the King of kings, and yet you’ve chosen me to carry you in triumph in this world’s parade. King Jesus, keep me small so all may see how great you are; keep me humble, so all may say, “Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord,” not what a great donkey he rides. —Joseph Bayly in Psalms of My Life. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 5.
The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of mercy, where the King rides into the capital on a humble donkey, instead of a powerful majestic horse. The Kingdom of God is completely unique… if compared to the kingdoms of this world it is an upside-down kingdom.
The words of Mathew chapter five are at least familiar to most of us… “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Those words are often referred to as the beatitudes. They are a part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus… the King… set forth a series of Kingly decrees. In the ancient world it was common for a King to pronounce decrees, telling citizens of his kingdom what was expected of them and in the process the King would pronounce his glory and tell the citizens of his kingdom why he deserved their adoration.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus does this very thing, only in his kingdom the kingdom of God, it is not military might, physical prowess, or earthly wealth that is important… it’s meekness… humility… mercy… peace… justice… which is highly regarded in the God’s Kingdom.
King Jesus came into the capital riding on a donkey. Imagine, the Lord of eternity, the King of the Universe riding on such a humble beast. During Jesus earthly ministry his primary method of teaching was the use of parables and symbolism.
In riding on a donkey while being hailed as king, Jesus showed us the beautiful nature of the Kingdom of God. Earthly kings are to be served… earthly kings are boastful and proud… While Jesus, the King of Kings… came to this world humbly as a perfect expression of God’s love and compassion.
Mark 10:45 says, “… the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” and Isaiah 55:8 says, “… my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.”
Everything about the Kingdom of God is unique. While earthly kings are boastful and proud, King Jesus was meek and peaceful… while earthly kings are exalted and adored; King Jesus was mocked and he was merciful…
Though Jesus was, and is, the Son of God, he did have earthly parents. His mother was Mary and his father was Joseph. Jesus earthly lineage makes him a descendant of King David. You’ll recall that when David was young he destroyed Goliath and he had found favor with God because of his faithfulness and courage.
God made a covenant with David. The provisions of the covenant are found in 2 Samuel 7:16 where it says, “And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”
The promise that David’s “house”, “kingdom” and “throne” will be established forever are significant because they show that the Messiah will come from the lineage of David and that He will establish a kingdom from which He will reign.
The covenant is summarized by the words “house” promising a dynasty in the lineage of David… “Kingdom,” referring to a people who are governed by a king… “Throne” emphasizes the authority of the king’s rule… and “forever” emphasizing the eternal nature of this promise to David and Israel.
Now, Some Pharisees were looking on as the people hailed Jesus as King, recognizing his earthly lineage as a descendant of King David as well as his authority and miracles as the Son of God.
The Pharisees were legalistic Jews who were threatened by the popularity of Jesus.
When they heard the people hailing Jesus as King they told Jesus to make the people stop. Jesus told them that if he made them stop, the very rocks would cry out!
King Jesus rode into the capital on a donkey, showing us the distinctive nature of the kingdom of God and providing for us an example to follow. The Kingdom of God is not a Kingdom of Might, but a Kingdom of Mercy…
And we, as citizens of the Kingdom of Mercy, we ought to cry out declaring Jesus King, just as they did on that Palm Sunday nearly two thousand years ago…
Let us cry out with our voices declaring him King of our entire lives and let us cry out with our actions declaring his goodness and mercy to a world which is full of frustration and judgment.
We… you and I… have received the grace of God… let us share that grace with others… let us cry out in action, hailing Jesus as King in our community and in our families and in our church… so that the rocks don’t have to cry out in our place.
Many Christians have been conditioned not to cry out, not to declare Christ as King to their friends, their neighbors or coworkers. Some of us are afraid to invite someone to church… we aren’t sure how they’ll respond or what they will think of us. Some of us simply aren’t sure what it even means to share our faith with others.
Sharing your faith can be something as simple as sharing a smile with someone who is down or sharing a cup of coffee with a friend. You don’t have to be a full time missionary to share the love of God with others.
George Elliot once wrote that, “Our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds.” Choose each day to open yourself to the beauty of God’s grace. Open your heart completely to His mercy and as you are filled with His love God himself will reveal opportunities for you to share His love with others.
As you allow yourself to be filled with God’s love and share that love with others you actually become a change-agent in a conspiracy of kindness.
Something as simple as raking a neighbor’s yard or mowing their yard for them while you are already out mowing yours can be powerful…
Calling someone who is sick, picking up a prescription for your friend or neighbor, visiting with someone who is going through a hard time… these random acts of kindness speak louder than any sermon and last longer than any hymn.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is quoted as saying, “One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.” This kind of outward living of our faith does involve risks. It may cost you some extra money in gas to drive someone to the doctor or to run your lawn mower for a few extra minutes while you cut your neighbors grass.
More likely than financial risk is the emotional risk of offering love and compassion to someone who rejects it. Or the spiritual risk of someone rejects the faith that you hold so dear to you.
The kind of outward living that I’m talking about may require some risk… but the reward of being used by God and experiencing his grace first hand far outweighs the cost… just look for someone to bless and then bless them… and in the process you’ll be blessed as well.
I have a close friend who tells the story of how used to live next door to a poor couple who had a little girl about five years old. He knew that she didn’t have many toys and she played by her self often in the back yard.
One day my friend went to the neighbor and explained that the church where he attended at the time had some toys left over from a previous years Christmas toy drive. He very unassumingly asked the little girl’s father if he would like some of the left over toys for his daughter.
The father was pleased to receive them… In truth there were no left over toys, though there had been a toy drive. My friend went to the store and filled a shopping cart full with toys and clothes. He didn’t have a lot of money himself and it was a sacrifice to do it.
It was a sacrifice that was well worth the cost. One day my friend and his wife saw the little girl skipping to school carrying the doll that they had bought her. They were both moved to tears. Though the little girl had been blessed, they had been blessed much more… because they had been used by God as agents of mercy and had been part of a conspiracy of kindness.
Conclusion
Mother Teresa once said, “By blood and origin, I am all Albanian. My citizenship is Indian. I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to Jesus.”
Let us be distinctively kingdom people as we live our lives in a way that cries out, declaring Christ as King! May we be a people known by our acts of love and works of compassion! Let us be creative in finding ways to express the radical love of the King of Mercy to each other and to our community and families.
In our personal lives may we look for ways to be merciful to our friends, neighbors, and families… as a church, let us come together in a spirit of unity to declare Christ as King to our community! Let it be known that in this place, those who are full of His grace gather to worship the King of Mercy!
Let us pray.
Divine Father, King of Mercy, use us ambassadors of your Kingdom, and give us hearts to love others the way that you love us. Amen.
