“Jesus, the King who brings Peace…”
Luke 19:28-44
Introduction:
Throughout our Lenten journey this year we have been traveling with Luke as our companion. All our readings have been taken from his Gospel and today we continue our journey by turning to Luke 19:28-44, here we find Luke’s account of what happened on that day when Jesus entered Jerusalem.
[Do reading here]
Now, before we can go on to consider any particular or implied message from this text there are two observations that need to be made by way of setting the foundation right. Two things that we need to take note of if we want to understand fully the message that Luke is trying to convey here.
Firstly, the simple fact of Jesus’ rather dramatic entry – especially in light of the fact that he has a “price on his head” should make us sit up and listen. Jesus makes a ridiculously dramatic entrance, not like a couple arriving for a matric dance in a helicopter, or a sports team taking the field with fireworks going off all over the place, no, I mean a seriously dramatic entrance. Jesus is deliberately drawing on an Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah by riding in on a donkey. In Zechariah 9:9 the prophet declares: “Fear not, o daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming, riding on the colt of a donkey.” By his manner of entrance Jesus was declaring that he is this long awaited King, the Messiah whom the prophets foretold. For a man being hunted by the authorities that’s a pretty dramatic entrance! But we must be careful not to miss the point here. Jesus wasn’t doing this for the sake of attention; he made such an entrance in order that we might know he is indeed the King whom the Prophets spoke about. The One we watch for today as he approaches the gates is the Saviour, the King of kings.
And this lead to a second observation that we need to make; if Jesus came declaring that he was the long awaited King, then what sort of King was he claim to be? Well, let’s ask the donkey to answer that question… at first it may seem strange that King would enter his city riding on a donkey – I mean if he was king then why not ride a chariot or a horse, at least – but when we consider the ancient world we will see that kings did, on occasion, ride donkeys, especially during times of peace. See, kings of that age and in that part of the world would use chariots and horses during times of war or when they were parading in glory. But in times of peace they illustrated this peace by riding on a donkey instead of a horse. Jesus came, riding on a donkey because he was not only a king, he was the King who would bring peace, he was the Prince of Peace and he wants to offer us that peace.
It is at this point that we come very near the heart of today’s message. And it is at this point that we encounter one of those aspects of this story that is unique to Luke. “Peace”. This theme is very important to Luke, as we’ll come to see more clearly in a little while, and it is the theme on which we’ll focus today.
We’re going to consider this theme in three parts: first of all we’re going to listen to the song of peace as it is sung throughout Luke’s Gospel and especially in this text (don’t worry though, I won’t do any singing). Secondly, we’re going to consider the nature of peace and what the peace that Jesus offers looks like. Then finally we’re going to look at the type of response that this peace calls for in each of us.
Ready? Let’s go.
Message:
First of all, let me say that I believe there can be no doubt that this is a tremendously important theme, a vitally relevant one, for all we need to do in order to see this is look at the world around us. Consider all the recent struggles that have ended in bloodshed and the loss of lives – we need peace. Think of those who are struggling to rebuild their lives after the terrible devastation of natural disasters – they are tired and need God’s peace. But we need not look that far, remember your own life, do you face struggles? Are we weighed down by burdens of fear and anxiety? Of course we do, all of us – we need God’s peace.
And Luke tells us that Jesus is the One who offers it.
1. The Song of Peace…
When we read Luke’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem we notice that the song of the crowd is different to that which we see in the other Gospels. In Matthew, Mark and John the crowd sings: “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Yet in Luke we hear the words: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
As I’ve said already, we need to keep in mind that the issue of ‘peace’ is a very important theme throughout Luke’s Gospel. The word appears 14 times in total, which may not seem a lot at first, until we see that this is more often that it does in all three the other Gospels, combined. Luke is especially fond of expressing this theme in the form of songs: He begins with Zechariah, in the first chapter, who sings: “guide our feet in the way of peace.” Not long after that we hear the song of the angels: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men.” Later we hear Simeon break into song when he sees the young Jesus at the Temple: ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace.” It is no surprize then that we hear the crowd singing at Jesus’ entrance: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
There can be no doubt that for Luke Jesus is the King who brings peace to his people. And friends, there need be no doubt in us that Jesus is indeed that king. That, when we gather at the gates and receive the Lord to reign as King in our lives, he will bring his peace.
2. What does this Peace look like…?
But we must be careful to note at this point that if this is so – if we are indeed a world in such desperate need of peace and if the Lord Jesus is indeed the One who promises and brings this peace – then we must pay attention to what this peace is.
*Someone was once looking for the perfect picture of peace. But as hard as he looked for a painting that portrayed peace, so hard was it to actually find one. At last he decided to host a contest… he canvassed the world’s leading artists and challenged them to compete with one another in creating the perfect picture of peace (of course he offered a considerable sum of money as the prize for the winner). And so these leading artists all set to work.
When the day of judgement arrived there was a large crowd at the gallery and people were buzzing with excitement. One by one the paintings were revealed and with each passing image the crowd grew more and more amazed. Eventually there were only two paintings left… the first one was revealed and the crowd almost as one man nodded that this must surely be the winner. Before them they saw an image of a perfectly still lake, almost like a sheet of glass mirroring the early rays of sunshine. There was not a cloud in the sky and all was quiet around. Aside from the scenery itself, this painting itself seemed almost perfect, one could sense the calmness in each brush-stroke, the colours were mixed just right and the perspective was neatly balanced. The crowd almost felt sorry for the artist of the last remaining painting; how could anyone better this.
When the last painting was revealed the crowd took a step back in shock, completely taken aback by the image they saw before them. In the painting they saw a thundering waterfall plummeting down a rocky cliff; the crowd could almost feel the icy waters crashing on the rocks below. Dark storm clouds threatened to explode with lightning and rain and the trees were bent heavily against the strong wind. Not exactly the picture of peace… but there, in the midst of the danger and terrifying scenes, stood a single tree that clung to the rocks at the very edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters, as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. And in the elbow of this branch was seen a little bird that had built her nest there. Quiet and unflustered the little bird sat resting on her eggs, with her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones. There, in the face of that tiny bird, in the midst of frightening trouble and danger, the crowd saw a true manifestation of perfect peace.
That is peace, not the absence of danger and threat and fear and trouble, but the power to be content and the freedom to know peace despite the dangers and threats in this world. And this is the sort of peace that the Lord Jesus offers.
We will do well to remember Jesus’ own circumstances at this point. He wasn’t exactly coming into a city where all was going to be hunky dory and life was going to be worry-free. No, Jesus came into a situation of fear and anxiety, imminent danger that he knew all too well, and it is in the face of such reality that he brings peace. He didn’t promise to take away the turmoil, in fact he promised that the city would be destroyed and not one stone would be left upon another, he wasn’t going to take away the trouble, in fact he was going to cause a considerable amount of trouble himself… but he was bringing his peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding in the midst of this turmoil and trouble.
Friends, it is true: we need peace, true peace, all of us. The Gospel tells us that it is only Jesus, the prince of Peace who can offer it. When he does we ought to remember that his peace is not the pseudo-peace or false peace of this world that promises an escape from the reality of trouble and danger. No, his peace is a peace that holds us and brings comfort even in the very centre of life’s raging storms (in fact, there is probably some truth in saying that it is precisely in these storms that we come to know his peace fully).
Do we need peace in our lives? Let us not look for it in the absence of struggle, let us look for it in the midst of it, for that is where Jesus offers it.
3. The Peace that Divides…
There is one final point to make regarding the Peace that Jesus brings as we watch him approaching the gates of our lives. This peace is a peace that divides! Now I know that sounds strange, but let me explain:
Read carefully the text in Luke and we will see that there are two groups of people… those who receive him with songs of praises and prayers for peace, and those who demand that Jesus tell the disciples to stop singing; “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” Say the Pharisees. What a strange dynamic, here we see Jesus coming into Jerusalem as the King who brings peace, but immediately we also see two groups forming; those who would receive him, and those who would reject him.
You know what friends; it’s no different today… Jesus still comes offering peace and there are still two camps, those who will receive it and those who will not. This peace still divides. In fact, we must remember the words of Jesus recorded for us earlier on in Luke’s Gospel when Jesus says: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” This is not because Jesus wants to see people divided against each other, but because he knows that the peace he does offer is a peace that will cause some to reject him and thus bring division.
The question that is asked of each one of us today is quite simple really: which camp do we want to be in? Do we want to be part of the singing crowd that receives his peace by accepting him? Or, do we want to be part of the mocking crowd that rejects him and the peace he offers by demanding that his disciples be quiet? The choice is ours.
In fact the choice is made clear in the text itself when Jesus says in verse 42: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” Friends, would we know today that as we watch Jesus drawing near, as he begins the final week of his ministry, this is the time – today is the day – when we have opportunity to respond and receive him. In Hebrews 4:7 the writer says: “God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today’. This he did when he spoke through David…” and then he goes on to quote Psalm 95 by saying, “…today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Which crowd do we want to be in?
Conclusion:
In conclusion there remains one more thing to be said. And I want to draw on another example of a unique element in Luke’s account of this story.
In Luke’s Gospel there are no palm branches. Strange that… We call it Palm Sunday because in each of the other Gospels we see the crowd having Palm branches, but not here. In Luke the people don’t wave Palms, they lay down their cloaks. In verse 36 we read: “And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.”
Now this may not seem too impressive at first, but bear in mind that in that day and age not many people had entire wardrobes of clothing. Especially something like a cloak, many people would have only had one, and this would have been their protection against the cold, their one luxurious garment that they used on the best of occasions, or something of that nature. And this is what they lay down before him as he came past.
Friends, it is relatively easy to wave palm branches and sing. It’s a whole different matter to lay down our cloaks. But I would like to leave you with a searching question and a challenge this morning; would we be in the crowd that receives him and the peace he offers? Then let us la down our cloaks before him.
Today is Palm Sunday and we watch as Jesus stands at the threshold of the final week of his life and ministry. A week that will change the world forever. It will change you and me forever, if we are willing to let it by choosing to be ion the right crowd and be willing to lay down our cloaks. AMEN
