April 14, 2019 – Palm Sunday
Hope Lutheran Church
Pastor Mary Erickson
Luke 19:28-40; Luke 23:1-49
The Royal Entry
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I was a child then, but I can still remember the event like it was yesterday. The whole world stood glued to their TVs as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended upon the Sea of Tranquility. We were transfixed when they exited the Eagle lunar module and left footprints on the moon. Then we were gripped with anxiety over the launch from the moon’s surface. If anything went wrong, they would be marooned forever on the moon. But they launched successfully and reconnected with Michael Collins in the main spacecraft. The whole world cheered when they safely parachuted in the Pacific Ocean.
A few weeks later, New York City hosted a ticker tape parade for them. It’s said to be the biggest parade ever in New York City. Millions of people lined the parade route. The three astronauts who once hurtled through outer space now rode atop a convertible car. They were like gods. They had been to the moon! And once again, the whole world watched as they made their triumphal procession. We all joined in the celebration.
In comparison, the palm parade for Jesus was quite small. But he wasn’t just like a god; he was God-made-flesh! He hadn’t flown to the moon and back. He’d come to the earth from eternity.
On that day he made his triumphal entry into the gates of Jerusalem. For his followers and his disciples, it was the culmination of their hopes and dreams. Here was their friend, Jesus. They’d long known he was extraordinary.
Peter had nailed it, “You are the Messiah of God,” he confessed. Jesus was the anointed one. Here was the descendant of King David. And now he was approaching the gates of Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel! It could only mean one thing: Jesus was about to ascend his rightful throne.
But to Jesus, this royal entry spelled something completely different. Jesus was on a suicide mission. For him, the joy of the Palm Sunday procession was tainted by his knowledge of what was yet to come. He knew that his royal entry was not complete. That procession would continue several days later. And this time, in the place of palms, he would be surrounded by spears. The cheers of the people laying down their coats would turn into the jeers of the hostile crowds. And instead of riding on the back of a colt, he would carry a heavy cross.
It would be a royal procession like no other. He wasn’t being accompanied by a cohort of armed forces to demonstrate his strength. He was surrounded by soldiers to walk his Green Mile to the cross. When he got there, they would strip him and nail him to a cross. The crown would be placed on his head – a crown of thorns. And the inscription above him would proclaim who he is: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
What kind of king would ever act in this way? What king would willingly allow himself to be arrested and condemned to death? Only a servant king. The servant king reigns in humility. His purpose is not to rule in absolute power. It’s to use all his powers in service to his people.
Christ Jesus’ royal entry tells us what kind of a king he is. He’s a servant king. He had enjoyed equality with God! He was divine! He was part of the Holy Trinity! But God is love. And love is humble. Love places the welfare of the beloved above itself. And so that realm of divine perfection wasn’t something that the Christ clung to. It simply paled in comparison to our tremendous need.
So he poured himself out. In humility, he took on our human form. He lived among us in accompaniment. He fully immersed himself in our struggles, our pain, our strivings, our hopes.
But he came also with an end game. It was this royal entry. And that entry led him all the way to the cross. For the cross was his destiny. It was his central purpose. He came to set right what had been wrong for so long. He came to bring a healing and reconciliation that only he could do. He came to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
In losing himself for our sake, Christ came into his fullness. He is our servant king. May he always reign in our hearts.
