(If you have found this sermon helpful, please visit us at www.HeritageRestorationProject.org or www.ChristianWisdom.info)
There are very many New Testament scriptural admonitions to humility; for example, Paul writes: “By the grace given to me I bid everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him” (Romans 12:3). And in 1 Peter 5:5-7 we read: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” We must not, however, confuse genuine “humility” with weakness and/or obsequiousness. Popular 20th Century theologian C. S. Lewis once observed, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” I will explain.
We know that Jesus intends for us to be humble. He was a model of humility in all that He said and did. But was riding into Jerusalem on a humble donkey (see Matthew 21:7) rather than on a noble horse on that first “Palm Sunday” a gesture of His humility, peace, and goodwill, as is so often said? Or, rather than being “humble”, was Jesus going out of His way to call attention to Himself, and if so, why?
The Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem as described in all four Gospels is in fact a rather provocative thing for Jesus to have done, not at all humble in the sense of not drawing attention to oneself. Jesus was most certainly not being humble in the way the chief priests, scribes and some of the Pharisees so often wanted Him to be “humble”; i.e. submissive to man rather than to God even when man opposes God’s purposes. Still, I’m sure there will be many sermons preached this Sunday on the significance of that little donkey as a symbol of humility, peace and goodwill, missing the more provocative overtones of what Jesus was doing.
My message this morning will not reinforce this interpretation. There is more going on, a dissonance between our Master’s actions that day, which in fact were deeply humble, and our usual understanding of humility. And there are more than a few New Testament scholars who agree. William Barclay, for example, made this statement: “Jesus entered Jerusalem in a way that deliberately set himself in the center of the stage and deliberately riveted every eye upon himself. All through his last days there is in his every action a kind of magnificent and sublime defiance; and here he begins the last act with a flinging down of the gauntlet, a deliberate challenge to the authorities to do their worst.”
Many pastors seem to resolve some of the issues raised on Palm Sunday by skirting the provocative entry and jumping immediately to the passion narrative which follows. The emphasis of the sermon then becomes the innocence of Jesus, as pointed out in Isaiah and by Pilate himself, and how the death of an innocent was the only possible substitutionary ransom sufficient to pay humanity’s “sin debt”. And of course all of this is true, and makes for a meaningful sermon. What is lost, however, is the rich historical context, the original direct language of the evangelist in this matter, and, of course, the explanation of Christian humility that I will be advancing today.
The triumphal entry is really a “provocative entry” meant to trigger the events of Good Friday, for in their exuberance the people welcomed Jesus as if her were their king. The Psalm Sunday processional is often referred to as the “Triumphal Entry”, but there was no triumph at the end of the day, no mass uprising, no overthrow of the Roman occupation, no setting up of Christ’s kingdom. Instead, the result of the “Provocative Entry” was that a corrupt religious hierarchy was backed into a corner, and the opportunity presented to them to strike out against Jesus with the charge of treason against Rome (see Luke 23:1-5).
Pilate, the Roman governor, had no appetite to put Jesus to death (see Luke 23:13-16). It is obvious that he never believed for a moment that Jesus actually intended to raise a revolt against Roman rule. He tried to get Jesus off the hook by giving him the opportunity to disavow the whole thing, but Jesus offered nothing in His own defense. The religious hierarchy continued to pressure Pilate by inciting a mob which demanded that Jesus be crucified. Pilate found himself backed into a corner and eventually capitulated, giving in to the demands of the mob that Jesus be crucified (see Luke 20-24).
Why was the entry so provocative? At least in part, it’s because of that lowly donkey. According to some scholars, this is how kings once entered Jerusalem to begin their reign as king, the humble donkey signaling the king’s humility and goodwill toward the people he would rule. Be that as it may, Jesus was no doubt aware of the scripture, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Whether consciously or not, the people were responding to that ancient pronouncement, and perhaps reenacting an ancient coronation ritual. In Psalm 118:26-27 we read, “Blessed be he who enters in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord…. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.”
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people began waving palm branches and strewing the road with their cloaks, and shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”, strewing the road with their cloaks as had once been the response to the entry of a new king. “Thus says the Lord; ‘I have anointed you king over Israel. Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying ‘Jehu is king’” (2 Kings 9:12b-13). And this is why the Pharisees called to Jesus from the crowd saying, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples” (Luke 19:39).
The Pharisees had been offended by Jesus on many occasions, but the provocative manner in which Jesus entered Jerusalem must have been the last straw, raising their dislike of Jesus a fevered hatred. Perhaps they resented an “upstart” to whom the people listened rather than deferring to their own teachings Pharisees, thus undermining their authority. Or perhaps they began to fear that the people would revolt against Rome by trying to install Jesus as their king, resulting in war and hardship throughout the land. Or perhaps they enjoyed a special relationship with the occupying Roman government affording privileges which they did not want to lose. Or perhaps all of these concerns contributed to their fear and hatred of Jesus. Whatever the reason, they tried to put an end to what they were seeing on that day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Jesus’ response was to permit the people to continue praising Him saying, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40).
Not that Jesus expected to be crowned the earthly ruler of Israel that day, but He did expect to be put to death, and that was the purpose of the provocative entry. It put into play the sequence of events that led to his execution, the accomplishment of His work as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Just before he sends his disciples into the village of Bethany to find the donkey, Jesus tells a parable ending with the words: “bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27). These are thinly veiled words, provocative, evoking the concept of an earthly ruler, further inciting those who fear Jesus and His growing influence.
Now let’s look at the other bookend to the Palm Sunday procession. Immediately after entering Jerusalem, “Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, ‘Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves’” (Matthew 21:12-13) “And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching” (Mark 11:18).
Two groups are now backed into a corner—the civil government by the threat of civil unrest incited by those who hated Jesus, and, various corrupt religious leaders, the authority of which was now further wounded by the actions of Jesus in his frontal assault upon the money changers in the temple courtyard. Jesus was bringing things to a head. The day of the fulfillment of his redemptive purpose was very near. The challenge of His ministry could no longer be ignored. From the perspective of the chief priests and the Pharisees, it was expedient that one man die rather than the whole nation (see John 11:47-53).
It was a “setup” from the beginning, but Jesus himself had set it up. Without the provocative entry there would have been no Good Friday, and without Good Friday there would have been no Easter. The provocative entry was intended to insure that Good Friday took place, and it did just that.
What might we learn about humility from the actions of Jesus? Was Jesus being humble before God—yes, He most certainly was. Was he humble before his enemies—not at all! Riding in on a donkey accompanied by a band of people proclaiming him the “Son of David”, giving the impression that he might be ushering in the restoration of the Davidic monarchy was most certainly not a sign of humility from the viewpoint of those who opposed His kingdom.
True humility, in the biblical sense, involves surrendering to God’s will, following God’s plan wherever that plan might lead rather than following the convenient path, and, rather than following the plan prescribed for you by others when that plan is not written on your heart. Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup (of suffering) pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (see Matthew 26:38-39). True humility, in the biblical sense of obedience to God’s call, may sometimes mean challenging authority, standing for principle, and risk not only to oneself but also to family and friends. And it sometimes means thrusting oneself into prominence if required by the blueprint placed by God in the heart of the person being called to service.
Ponder this in your heart: Humility can and often is a very different thing from “humility” as it is popularly defined. Humility as modeled for us by Jesus most assuredly means surrendering self and all of one’s personal wishes to God’s blueprint, whatever that blueprint might entail and wherever it leads. Sometimes that blueprint is a road to prominence, power, and authority (see the Old Covenant stories of Joseph, Esther, and Daniel). We might prefer to not stand out from the crowd, to not be different from others. We might prefer to not be called to influence, or great responsibility, or to any path requiring excellence, hard work or even suffering. But in the end, if we are truly humble, we submit to God’s will even as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane just prior to His death on the cross (see Matthew 26:39).
If Jesus had been humble as humility is most often misunderstood, he would never have fulfilled his calling to die for us on the cross. If He had been humble in the way humility is usually understood, that would have satisfied the Pharisees and other detractors, and it certainly would have made life much easier for Him. All he had to do was be “humble” as humility is usually defined. But, Jesus was not humble in the way Satan wishes us to think of humility (see Matthew 16:21-23). When Jesus spoke, he spoke with authority (see Matthew 7:28-29 and Matthew 28:18). He did not, however, exalt himself in any way. He was simply being faithful to His calling, obediently and completely surrendering His will to the will of His Heavenly Father.
Jesus was faithful to the blueprint that God had planted within His heart. He stepped forth on the world stage, faithfully assumed leadership, and when the time arrived for the people to proclaim His authority, He allowed it, even though it would mean His death. This is the finest example of true humility in the biblical sense. He neither exalted Himself nor refused to be exalted. He totally surrendered Himself to His Father’s will.
How about you? Are you humble from the biblical perspective or from a worldly perspective? And when it comes to others, are you judging others as the Pharisees judged Jesus, or do you commend and encourage those who are fulfilling a God-given calling, even as the followers of Christ recognized and encouraged Jesus with their palm branches so many years ago?
Let us broaden our definition of humility. As we seek to fulfill our calling as Christian disciples, let us learn the full meaning of the prayer: Father, if it is Your will, deliver me from this difficult thing to which you are calling me, take it from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12). Strive daily to realize your potential. Always remember that you are not alone. Truly the risen and living Lord is with you, and you are called to greatness!
Each of us has responsibilities that we are called to fulfill. Sometimes fulfilling those responsibilities requires sacrifice. Always they require humility.
Perhaps you are a parent who faithfully gets up in the morning to prepare breakfast for your kids, or a parent who goes off to work as an electrician, janitor, department store manager, or other, faithfully meeting your responsibilities, whatever your work may be. Your obedience to God’s purpose in your life may not require martyrdom, and hopefully will not. But singing in the church choir, or cleaning the church, or passing the offering plate, or teaching Sunday school, or volunteering in a soup kitchen, or in all the myriad ways of sharing and helping volunteer activities, all of these jobs need to be done. Listen for the call to serve. Watch for opportunities to serve. Serving God and serving one another in ways open to us at work, at home, and in the larger community is our Christian vocation. This is the vocation of each and every Christian.
Jesus was chosen from the beginning of time to die upon the cross (see 1 Peter 1:20). He humbly, obediently, accepted the task. That doesn’t mean that he was meek and mild when it came to dealing with those persons who expected Him to give in to their corrupt power and influence. Such persons had no power over him.
There may be times when fulfilling your Christian testimony will involve defying the expectations that others have for you, just as it did for Jesus on Palm Sunday. Understand, therefore, that true humility is not meekness. It is not lack of boldness when boldness is required, but rather selfless obedience to God. Selfless obedience to God involves refusing to conform to the expectations of those who presently rule the world, if what they are asking of you is contrary to your understanding of the will of God.
In summary, the Apostle Paul writes: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:1-5).
I hope that you will see the Palm Sunday procession in that light, and understand why Jesus allowed His fate to have been sealed on that day. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4-8 RSV).
Go forth now and do many helpful, humble and obedient things; obedient always to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit by which we gain understanding of God’s Word. May that same Spirit guide and sustain you, illumine your understanding, and protect you!
(If you have found this sermon to be helpful, please visit us at www.HeritageRestorationProject.org)
