How to Prepare for Easter
Luke 19:28-19:44
How to Prepare for Easter
Scripture: Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11
I want to share with you this morning three ways you and I can most effectively and meaningfully prepare for Easter.
The first of these three suggestions is found in the example of the disciples, and it’s this:
1. Do what Jesus says (Luke 19:29-40)
Look at the first part of the Palm Sunday story,
As Jesus approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah in 9:9.
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, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This was prophesized in the seventh century BC.
And we see the prophesy fulfilled.
As the choir sang, “high and lifted up” and “Crown Him King”
It was all fulfilled.
Well, Jesus sent two of his disciples on a strange little mission.
He said, “Go to this little village up the road untie the colt you’ll find, and bring it to me.”
Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us which two went.
The Bible also doesn’t tell us what they talked about on the way.
But if it had been me, I would have probably been saying, “You really think we should just untie the colt and take it?”
“You think the Master knows the owner?”
“You think this is a test of some kind?”
“You really think they’ll just let us walk off with their colt?”
You see, we tend to read the Bible, God’s Word, like a play, as if all the characters knew the script. But they didn’t.
No more than you or I do. But those disciples, whoever they were, did what Jesus said.
The Bible says:
At first his disciples did not understand all this.
Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.
As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”
They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.
When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.
They didn’t know how it was gonna turn out, but they simply did what Jesus said to do.
And look at the result.
Their simple obedience brought glory to God.
The Bible says,
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
The people were shouting his praises, spreading his glory all over that place until--
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you, he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields
All in all, that’s a good model for you and me this week before Easter.
You could do no better than to follow the example of those two disciples who—
Though they had no way to know what the future would hold and what their actions would bring about—
they simply obeyed.
Only you and God know what obedience he would require of you today, this week, this Easter.
Is he calling you to repentance and faith in him? To make that decision to follow Jesus?
Is he telling you to forgive someone? . . .
To help someone? . . . To give something up?. . .
To take something on?. . . To say yes to something?. . .
To say no to something?. . .
I can’t tell you, but I can say to you what his mother told the servants at the wedding in Cana: whatever he says to you, do it.
And, as it did that Sunday 2,000 years ago, you’ll be amazed how your simple act of obedience will bring glory to God.
So, one way to prepare for this Easter is to do what Jesus says. The second is this:
2. Feel what Jesus feels (Luke 19:41-44)
Look at the next part of the Palm Sunday story,
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you"
Something happened on the ride into Jerusalem that we don’t talk about too often...
Perhaps you have read this over and over again without noticing that this event was even part of this ride of triumph...
It was there all the while, in black and white, but as it often happens, we tend to get so caught up in the crowd,
the shouts, the emotion, the excitement -- that we let the clear, unvarnished truth slip right by, unnoticed.
But we’re not alone; in fact, from every indication, the crowds didn’t notice it, either.
Matthew didn’t record it.
Mark didn’t mention it.
Luke is the only Gospel writer who records this event.
But don’t let it pass you by today. don’t let it pass by..
As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it (Luke 19:41).
And the Greek word that is translated “wept” in our Bibles signifies more than tears;
it suggests the kind of a gut-wrenching, teeth-gritting sobbing that a person does at the tomb of a friend.
In fact, it is the word used of Mary’s sobs at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, of Mary Magdalene’s sobs at Jesus’ tomb, and of Peter’s “bitter” weeping after he denied Jesus and heard the cock crow.
So. . . do you see that picture better now?
Jesus wept violently for the people of Jerusalem.
Not for himself; not for the cross that awaited him.
But for the fate that would come upon that city.
Rather than the joyful shouts and praises that resounded all around,
Jesus heard the screams, the cries, the shrieks and groans of the men, women, and children who would die in that city when, as he had prophesied,
The Roman general Titus would invade in 70 AD and raid the city and destroy its glorious temple, and brutalize its rebellious people.
Everyone else was having a party, and Jesus was filled with compassion for the lost sheep of Israel who didn’t even know their own sad condition.
That, too, is a good model for you and me this week before Easter.
You could do no better than to prepare for Resurrection Sunday by letting yourself feel what Jesus feels,
by letting your heart be broken for those who are hurting, those who are wandering,
those who are searching, those who don’t even know they’re searching,
I can’t tell you who they are; but God knows, and you probably do, too:
Your neighbor, your colleague, your roommate,
Maybe a brother or sister, a mother or father,
maybe a close friend, may be a casual acquaintance
who hasn’t yet experienced the forgiveness,
the deliverance, the peace, and the freedom that comes when you experience new life through faith in Jesus Christ.
All this began when He rode in to be crucified.
I can tell you what will happen if you let yourself feel what Jesus feels:
it will bring a flood of compassion into your heart.
So, one way to prepare for this Easter is to do what Jesus says. The second is to feel what Jesus feels. And my final suggestion to you today is to:
3. Tell who Jesus is (Matthew 21:10-11)
Look at the conclusion of the Palm Sunday story in Matthew 21:10-11.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee”
When Matthew reports that the city was “stirred,” he uses the word, “seio,” from which we get our word “seismic.”
It’s the same word he used later in his Gospel, in Matthew 27:51, where he said “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”
The city was stirred as an earthquake “stirs” the ground.
That’s what will happen if you and I--if this room full of people--begin doing what Jesus says and feeling what Jesus feels: the whole city will be stirred!
That’s what they’re waiting for.
They’re waiting to see if there really is a God.
They’re waiting to see if he really does care.
They’re waiting to see if the people who fill the churches,
and sing his praises, and cry out to him, and claim to know him,
to see if those people are any different,
if their God can really be trusted, if their faith can really do anything.
They’re watching you and me, and if they see us doing what Jesus says,
and feeling what Jesus feels--for them--they’ll ask “What’s going on?”“What’s this about?”“Who is this?”
And you could do no better to prepare for Resurrection Sunday than to tell who Jesus is,
to find ways to expose your friends, neighbors, family members, classmates, coworkers to the heart of your love and compassion for Jesus.
Let is shine, let it show, let it glow and proclaim boldly,
“He is risen, he is risen indeed!
And I’m gonna suggest to you one easy way to begin to do that, to tell others who Jesus is.
So here’s my challenge, I issue it to those of us
who follow Christ, whose lives have been changed,
Whose lives have been transformed, whose lives have been restored.
and to those who believe Jesus can change others’ lives just as he did yours.
There is someone around you who is sincerely wondering “Who is this?
They honestly don’t know, but they’re willing to find out.
Today, just like the city of Jerusalem, we find ourselves in the presence of Jesus.
Looking at us.
I wonder what He finds when He looks into our faces?
What does HE see?
Does He see people concerned about so many things - worried about income taxes - worried about job security - worried about their health, or lack of it?
Does He see people who are so busy doing things here & there - so busy that they never bother to consider those things that are eternally important?
Does he see people who recognize Him for who He is? The Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God?
When He turns & looks into our lives, I wonder, will He weep once again because of what He sees?
Or will we have the joy that passes all understanding as we respond to His outstretched arms & hear Him say,
"Well done, good & faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord"?
