INTRODUCTION: In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man arrive at the legendary Emerald City to meet with the Wizard. The Wizard is reputed to hold the power to solve each of the travelers' problems. But to enter his presence, they must first traverse a long, dimly lit, gothic hallway. The Lion is not alone in his cowardice as they enter the large inner sanctum. They are greeted with an explosion and billows of fire and green smoke. When the smoke finally clears, a giant, menacing, bodiless head shouts, “I am Oz, the great and terrible! Who are you?” Dorothy attempts a response, but the Wizard booms, “Silence! The great and powerful Oz knows why you are here! Step forward, Tin Man.” The Tin Man approaches this ominous-looking figure with great trepidation, only to hear the Wizard say, “You dare come to me for a heart, you clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk?” The other travelers are met with similar greetings. To the Scarecrow, he shouts, “You have the effrontery to ask for a brain, you billowing bale of bovine fodder?” To the Cowardly Lion, Oz shouts, “And you, Lion?” The poor Lion is overcome and faints dead away!
TRANSITION: I believe the wizard’s presentation is similar to the unflattering caricature imagined by many when they think about God. The wizard puts on a show of power & might, but there is no love, no mercy, no grace—and at the end of the day, the whole deal turns out to be a sham! Why would you worship that kind of God? Maybe deep down, that’s part of that image that you grew up with—a God who is powerful, unapproachable, and maybe angry or frightening. In several places, Scripture gives an awesome picture of the holiness of God and the reverence He rightly inspires. To Moses, Isaiah and Ezekiel, God manifests himself with fire and smoke and authority. That is who God is—we do worship that kind of God. But that’s not all that God is. For Palm Sunday, I’d like us to read a passage that presents a very different image of God, and answers the question, “why bother with worship?” [READ Luke 19:28-38]
Why bother to worship Jesus? The short, easy, Sunday school answer is:
I. WE SHOULD WORSHIP JESUS BECAUSE JESUS IS WORTHY OF OUR WORSHIP (28-38)
A. Jesus is King
1. Jesus is consciously making preparations to enter Jerusalem in the style of Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
2. He gives his disciples instructions that they follow.
a. He tells them to enter a nearby village
b. He forecasts they will find a colt tied up, never yet ridden
c. He instructs them to untie it and bring it to him
d. He gives them an answer in case they are questioned
1) Not only do Jesus’ disciples follow his instructions, but the owners of the donkey do as well.
2) Perhaps they know of Jesus by reputation; perhaps something supernatural is going on (Jedi mind trick, perhaps?)
3) “The Lord needs it.” Jesus is the true Lord, King, & Master, not only of the donkey but of all people’s property, which he can rightfully demand any time.
3. The crowd paves the road with their cloaks and palm branches, making a festive carpet. The whole picture conveys celebration and honor, reminiscent of victory parades with which triumphant kings and generals were welcomed.
a. Luke doesn’t mention palm branches (that's in John's gospel), possibly because palm branch imagery is decidedly Jewish. Normally they wouldwave palm branches at the Feast of Tabernacles, but this is Passover.
b. Tabernacles looked forward to the end times, while Passover pictured the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and the final deliverance.
c. Interesting combination there, for Jesus brings both!
B. Jesus is humble
1. In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Gandalf the wizard tells another character: “When the king comes, he is likely to come in a way no one expects.” (Not like the Wizard of Oz!)
2. An unarmed, plainly dressed civilian riding a donkey contrasts sharply with an armed soldier astride a war horse. This Messiah comes in humility, gentleness, and peace.
3. The use of a humble entrance blunts his threat to Rome, since he neither seizes power nor shows power. A man riding a donkey is not looking for war—clearly he is innocent of the charge of rebelling against Caesar.
4. Jesus’ entry is a major statement about God’s plan and the nature of his kingship—he is simultaneously the greatest yet most humble of kings.
C. Jesus is worthy of worship.
1. Luke tells us the disciples are the source of praise. That’s important, because they form the catalyst for the praise from the crowds. Their praise of God is also praise of Jesus.
2. They proclaim the hope of Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” They are declaring that Jesus is that king who comes with authority from God in humility. Wouldn’t that kind of God be worthy of worship?
Now some have scoffed, “What kind of a god needs his people to constantly tell him how great he is?” Well, he doesn’t. Jesus welcomes our worship, though he doesn’t need it. [READ vv. 39-40]
II. JESUS WELCOMES OUR WORSHIP, THOUGH HE DOESN'T NEED IT (39-40)
Trisha Yearwood once sang: “I like a man who is crazy ‘bout me; I like a man who can live without me too; that’s what I like about you.”
A. Jesus welcomes our worship
1. He is no longer concealing his identity, but revealing himself as the promised king and Savior by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, an OT sign of royalty. The crowd receives him as king, shouting praises, waving palms and spreading cloaks for him to ride on, like a red carpet.
2. “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” the people shout.
a. Does that sound familiar? It’s almost identical to the song Luke tells us was sung by the angels at the birth of Jesus.
b. People are now singing angels’ songs. Heaven is breaking out on earth! The Messiah has finally arrived.
But while Jesus welcomes our worship,
B. Jesus doesn’t really need our worship.
1. The enthusiasm is not unanimous, as the Pharisees show up and ask Jesus to reject the claim and rebuke his disciples. These regal claims are offensive to them.
2. Jesus’ reply makes clear how appropriate the worship is—if the disciples do not speak, creation will. [SHOW ROCK] It also contains an inherent rebuke, in that inanimate rocks know more about what’s going on here than you guys do.
C. One January weekday, Joshua Bell emerged from the Washington DC Metro subway station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript—a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play. For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they would have, they might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is. They also may have noted the violin he played—a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a Pulitzer Prize winning project arranged by The Washington Post—“an experiment in context, perception, and priorities—as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?” The experiment was videotaped on hidden camera; it’s on YouTube. Of the 1,097 people who passed by, only seven stopped to listen to him, and only one recognized him. Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100. In the subway that day, he garnered $32.17 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation.
Now, Joshua Bell didn’t need the money. He didn’t need to play there in that place. But he wanted to bless the people and give them a chance to respond. Jesus doesn’t need our worship—he could live without it, but he gives us a chance to respond.
D. To worship Jesus is to take a stand!
1. If no one speaks up for Jesus, an injustice has taken place before God in God’s cosmos. In other words, to fail to recognize him for who he is to perpetuate an injustice.
2. Luke is asking us to take sides. Jesus’ appeal to creation shows how fundamental the praises of his followers are—even rocks know they are true! The whole narrative challenges us to ask ourselves what do we do with Jesus: is he our king, or not?
>> Yet while Jesus can live without our worship,
III. WE NEED TO WORSHIP JESUS MORE THAN WE KNOW (41-44) [READ vv. 41-44]
A. As Jesus came up into Jerusalem, he wept over it because the city was not receiving him as it should. The situation could not have been more tragic.
1. Messiah had come to be her ruler, but she did not recognize him.
a. Just as they had stoned the prophets who brought the Word of God in the OT,
b. So also in five days they would crucify the living Word of God when he arrived.
2. The people wanted a king and they wanted peace, but on their terms—not on the terms of the One who was in their midst.
3. U2's song The Wanderer:“I stopped out by the church-house where the citizens like to sit. They say they want the kingdom, but they don’t want God in it.”
B. As Jesus approaches the city, we get a glimpse of his heart. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he declares impending judgment for the nation. Rejection of the divine king will cost Israel greatly. Her time has run out.
1. In A.D. 70, Titus of Rome overran the city. The endgame was a great siege, the essence of which Jesus, foreseeing the future, summarizes here. It happened just the way he said it would.
2. An embankment was built around the city; the people encircled and hemmed in. When the Romans finally entered, everyone was slaughtered, and the destruction was total. Even Solomon’s great temple to the Lord fell—not one stone was left on another.
C. Judgment brings Jesus pain.
1. He weeps for Jerusalem as he thinks about her suffering. Israel is rejecting an opportunity to be reconciled to God. Jesus warns them of the opportunity, though he does not force them to come into such blessing. The choice is theirs to make. Jesus could make rocks sing, but he won’t make people sing.
2. The reality of judgment should motivate us to reach out to those who do not know Christ. People need to worship him more than they know. We need to worship more than we know. Think about that when you have a chance to have a spiritual conversation or even invite someone to Easter. So much is at stake!
CONCLUSION: JESUS COULD LIVE WITHOUT YOU, BUT HE THINKS YOU'RE WORTH DYING FOR.
Why would you want to worship anything else when you have a Savior who would give his life so you could keep living? Jesus could live without you, but he thinks you’re worth dying for. That’s why he rode into Jerusalem. That’s why he went to the Cross. Jesus wants to save people. He’s that kind of God.
So why bother with worship? Why bother with anything else?
