The Road to the Cross Leads through Jericho
Luke 18:18-19:10
I believe that we all like the story of Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. Even if it was just for that moment, people surrounded a Man on donkey and proudly declared Him to be king. The throng rang with shouts of “Hosanna!” They were longing to see their newly crowned leader to be the one who rescued them from the oppressive hand of Roman rulers and dynasties. Despite their adulations on that morning, their shouts of love would quickly turn cries for His death.
Jerusalem was Christ’s final destination. It was here that He would be received and rejected within the span of a few days. In a few days we will gather at the Windsor and Trenton churches, or perhaps another church, and reflect upon the Cross. Before Jesus came to Jerusalem, before His death for our sins, His road to the cross led through the town of Jericho.
On the outskirts of this town, and in it as well, Jesus has an encounter with three different people. Each person represents each one of us as we make our journey to the Cross. Perhaps, this morning, you will find yourself in Jericho this morning.
Each person that we will look at had their life impacted upon as they came face to face with Jesus. Today, take a look at your journey. Allow the Holy Spirit to draw the comparison between you and these men.
1. Hesitations and Sins Are Confronted (Rich Young Ruler - Luke 18:18-30)
A certain ruler asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18
This is the question that starts it all. Back in 2003, a Harris Pole was conducted to find out what Americans believed about God, heaven, hell, etc. 90% of all adults polled believed in God. 82% of people polled said they believed in Heaven. When that was divided between the sexes, 75% of men and 89% of women believed there was a heaven. 84% of all people polled believed there was an “afterlife.”
This was not an uncommon question to ask either then or now. While 82% believe in heaven, the poll went on the say that only 63% believed they were going to make it into heaven. 26% of the people polled had no religious affiliation whatsoever.
This ruler wanted to know what it would take what He would have to do enter Heaven. Jesus wanted to test Him, to see where his heart was.
You know the commandments: ’Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. (Luke 18:20-23)
When the rubber met the road, the love of his wealth was greater than his desire to follow Jesus. On the road to Jericho, we must face ourselves, our sins, and ask ourselves what do we want more, what we have, or the One who wants us?
2. Blind Souls Cry Out For His Touch (Blind Beggar - Luke 18:35-43)
Many people are walking around spiritually blind. If you have ever stumbled around in the dark, you know that walking can be very difficult. You can’t see anything, and sometimes that can be very scary.
It is during the dark times that we realize how lonely we are. I’m still a little spooked going home at night when all the lights in the basement are off, and I need to find the door that leads from the church to the house.
This man outside the gates of Jericho lived in darkness. Each day he would hear the footsteps of the passers-bye. Perhaps he trembled as some drew closer to him. I am sure there were those who would show compassion to the man, but perhaps others attacked him.
This day was different. Jesus was in the crowd of people. This blind man, no doubts, had heard the people talk about this Man called Jesus. Perhaps he heard bits and pieces of the miracles this Jesus fellow had performed. What would it hurt if he asked something for himself? “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38)
From his own dark world, this man called out to the one the Prophet Isaiah would refer to as a “bright light.” Perhaps on this Jericho road, you are sitting by the way side. Jesus is walking by, and He is willing to touch your life if you only call out.
Luke goes on to tell us that immediately, because of his faith, this man received his eyesight, and began following Jesus.
3. Lives Are Changed (Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10)
Every time I read this passage, I can’t help but sing the “Zacchaeus” song I learned in Sunday school. As the progression to the cross continues, Jesus enters Jericho with one person on His mind; Zacchaeus!
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and very wealthy. One can assume that he drew his wealth from the taxes that he gathered. He made sure that Rome received what Rome asked for, but pocketed a little bit of profit for himself. He was probably not the most popular man in town, but Jesus came for him.
It’s amazing that on this road, He comes looking for us. Many of our most profound moments with Christ do not take place in the crowd, but as an individual.
Zacchaeus, being small man, decided to climb the tree to see Jesus. Jesus picked him out of the crowd, and spoke to him directly. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5) Many of us know the feeling when Christ places His finger upon us. He has called us ALL by name.
When Jesus reaches out to us, and we accept it, we become changed people. A man called a ‘sinner’ by those around them promised to give half of his wealth away, and repay any whom he cheated four times what he took from them. That is a radical change.
In his book, An Anthropologist on Mars, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50, Virgil underwent surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out, having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing.
Virgil’s first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colours and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits--his behaviours--were still those of a blind man. Dr. Sacks asserts, "One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It is the interim, the limbo . . . that is so terrible."
To truly see Jesus and his truth means more than observing what he did or said, it means a change of identity. Zacchaeus went from a man people hated to a new creation because Jesus changed him.
The road to the Cross had to go through Jericho, and it still passes that way this morning.
Conclusion:
As people make their way to the Cross, they must pass through a “Jericho” moment. In three lives we see all the things that we are confronted with at the foot of the Cross. It is at the foot of the Cross that we are forced to look at our sinful lives. Our “goodness” fails to live up to the Holiness found in the presence of a holy God.
It is at the foot of the cross that we, like the blind man, we cry out for Jesus to touch us. It is at our point of deepest needs that we cry out to Him for mercy.
It is at the foot of the Cross that Jesus calls us out of our sins, and causes us to live a new life. Sometimes the outward signs are radical. Other times, we have a peace in our heart that allows us to know that He has changed us.
Are you walking through Jericho today? Is there something that you are holding on to that seems bigger than God is? It doesn’t have to be a sin issue; it may just be an issue of surrender. Perhaps you are crying out to Jesus to touch you, to reach out to you in your current situation? Or maybe He is calling you out of the trees so that He can change your life? He is here today, what will you do with Him?
