SUCH A MAN
By Pastor Jim May
This is Palm Sunday, the last Sunday before Easter. Today is the day that we remember the Triumphal Entry of Christ into the city of Jerusalem as the crowds gathered to welcome him into the city. They lined the streets on both sides and as Jesus came riding through the gate on a donkey the crowds began to cheer. Most of them were cheering because they thought that their king had finally come who would cast off the bonds of slavery under the Roman Empire. They waved Palm branches and cast their coats in front of Jesus as he rode by.
That same crowd would turn on Jesus with a vengeance in just a few short hours. They would become disillusioned and angry when they realized that Jesus had not come to free them from their bonds of the flesh. They never realized that he had really come to free them from the slavery of sin and to deliver them from a far worse enemy than Rome. He had come to die on the cross for the sin of the world and to give all mankind an opened door into Heaven.
But I want us to back up just a little in this story this morning. I want us to look back as Jesus was still outside the city. He had stood over the city, looking down upon it with pure love and wept over it in Matthew 23:37 saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
God had adopted Israel as his own chosen nation and then established Jerusalem as its capitol. Down through Israel’s long history, God had continually tried to send Judges, Prophets, Preachers, and now even His Own Son, to bring Israel back to God, but Israel would not hear. Now – it was too late! It wouldn’t be long until Israel was no longer a nation. They rebelled against God so many times that God had to finally disperse them.
They didn’t learn their lesson during the 40 years in the wilderness when a whole generation died. They didn’t learn their lesson in the nearly 400 years of Egyptian bondage. And they hadn’t learned their lesson when God withdrew Himself from them and didn’t speak to them for 400 years either. And now, they wouldn’t even listen to the very voice of God’s Own Son. The price that they would pay for their rejection of Christ would be staggering. In World War II alone, 6 million of them would die. The curse that they pronounced upon their children for generations to come would be fulfilled in blood and suffering.
But for now, Jesus was still outside the city and his thoughts were centered upon the celebration of the Passover Feast with his disciples for the last time.
Luke 22:15-16, "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
Do you understand why Jesus had greatly desired to eat this Passover Feast? For 33 years he had celebrated the Passover. But it goes back further than that. Let us not forget that Jesus was very God. As God, He had planned this Passover from the very beginning of Creation and even before. God had so longed for this day to come. It wasn’t only the Passover Feast, but it was the fact that it wouldn’t be long now until the Plan of Salvation that God had put into place in eternity past, that would reclaim all that was lost in the Fall of Adam, would finally be finished. Once again God could claim the souls of men as His own and could have a people who would truly worship him and love Him for who He is!
Down through eons of time and thousands of years of man’s history God had planned and foreseen this last Passover meal. Thus it was with a great desire that He wanted to see it come to pass. This would be the last symbolic Passover Feast that would ever be needed for now the true Lamb of God was going to be sacrificed to fulfill all of the requirements of Atonement for sin. The next time we get to sit down and celebrate a mean with Jesus will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when all will have been fulfilled.
Three of the four Gospels contain the description of Jesus’ instructions and plans for celebrating the Passover with his disciples. Before the Passover Feast could be celebrated, there had to be a place where these 13 men could go and be together. The disciples, while they may have thought about it, were simply allowing Jesus to lead them and they had no concrete plans for the feast. They were relying upon Jesus for everything. Three and a half years of ministry, following close behind Jesus, and trusting in him for everything they needed, had taught the disciples that Jesus would have everything under control. Let’s read the accounts of Jesus’ commands and the actions of the disciples in planning for the Passover Feast.
Matthew 26:18-19, "And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover."
Mark 14:12-16, "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover."
Luke 22:7-13, "Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover."
Why would God send Peter and John instead of all of them going in to get ready for the Feast? Keep in mind that Judas Iscariot had already made his pact of betrayal of Jesus to the Sanhedrin Council. All he needed was an opportune time to let them know where Jesus would be. If he had been with them and known where the feast would be held, he would have turned Jesus in too soon and the crucifixion would have been pre-mature. God had a plan, and in order for God’s perfect plan to be completed, Jesus had to be sacrificed at the exact time of the evening sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. Therefore, the location and time of the feast would be kept secret until Jesus was ready to be delivered into the hands of the Jews.
So Jesus sent Peter and John to look for the place where they would eat together. But I want you to think for a moment about what Jesus said to the disciples.
He foretold exactly what would happen to them as they entered the city in search of a place to go. In his omniscient power as the Son of God, Jesus knew exactly what would happen before it happened. The disciples would meet a man carrying a water pot whom they were to follow until he entered a house. Then they would go to house and inquire of the Goodman of the house. Since Jesus referred to him as the “Goodman”, I tend to believe that the man who owned the house was also a follower and had been convinced that Jesus was more than just another priest or prophet. Whether Jesus had been there or not, I don’t know, but He did know that this house had the room that they needed with all the furnishings. God had it all under control and nothing was left to chance.
I want us to focus on one character in this drama that we have read about. Let’s look at the man carrying the water pot for a moment.
There is no doubt that his man was a servant of the Goodman of the house, whether by choice or because he was a slave. In any case, he was an obedient servant, and when he was told to go get a pot of water, that’s what he did. This was a job that was humiliating to him, even as a servant. Carrying water pots was women’s work and no self-respecting man in Israel would be caught carrying a water pot. It was such a demeaning task to them in the culture where they lived. And yet, we see this man carrying a water pot.
What if he had chosen not to obey his master? What if he had dropped the pot? What if he had taken a different route and missed the disciples altogether? What if he had just appointed someone else to carry the water? What if he had just not been there at the right time? In our way of thinking, any or all of these things are possible, but in the plan of God, this servant, carrying a water pot, was exactly where he needed to be and at the exact time that he needed to be there. I’m sure that he didn’t know that he was a large part of God’s plans for that day. He was just going about doing his work as usual and was oblivious to God using him to perform a work for the Lord.
And that brings me to the point of this message.
There are a lot of people here this morning that are not even aware that God is using you right now, even as you sit in this service, to perform a task for him. Sometimes we are oblivious to God’s divine plan for our life, but God is still in control. He knows where you are, who you are and what you are doing. He also knows where you are going.
David said in Psalms 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way."
So when you decided this morning to come to church, your steps were already ordered to get here. When you drove out of your driveway, your safe arrival was already determined. If you sat down in your car and the engine wouldn’t start, that was already known to God too. If you argued on the way to church, or if you sang songs of praise along the way, God knew that too. He knew that you would be here, carrying your water pot, and He has already made plans for you to do His will.
We might think that we are just carrying a water pot around and that the task that we are trying to do for our Master is so trivial. Even yesterday I heard someone say that they thought their talents and their “water pot” wasn’t very important. I know that sometimes we feel that we aren’t accomplishing anything in life that is worthwhile, but don’t ever forget that if that man had not carried his water pot, there would have been no Upper Room for the Last Supper, and there would have been no institution of the “Lord’s Supper” and celebration of communion. The whole plan of God was depending upon this man carrying his water pot, doing the simple task that seemed so useless to him.
I wonder how heavy that water pot was? Do you think that carrying water is a hard job? Would that servant have wanted to carry that load? It was hard work but he knew it had to be done and it was his duty to do it.
Are you carrying a load, a water pot, or a burden that seems just too heavy to bear?
Illustration:
Long ago there was a king who had twin sons but there was some confusion about which one was born first and become the heir to the throne. As they grew to young men, the king sought a fair way to designate one of them as crown prince. All who knew the young men thought them to be equal in intelligence, wit, personal charm, health, and physical strength. Being a keenly observant king, he thought that he detected a trait in one that was not shared by the other.
Calling them to his council chamber one day, he said, "My sons, the day will come when one of you must succeed me as king. The burdens of sovereignty are very heavy. So, in order to find out which of you is better able to bear them cheerfully, I am sending you together to a far corner of the kingdom. One of my advisors there will place equal burdens on your shoulders. My crown will one day go to the one who returns first bearing his burden like a king should."
In a spirit of friendly competition, the brothers set out together. Soon they overtook an elderly woman struggling under a burden that seemed far too heavy for her to carry. One of the boys suggested that they stop to help her. The other protested: "We have a burden of our own to worry about. Let us be on our way."
The objector hurried on while the other stayed behind to give aid to the aged woman. Along the road, from day to day, he found others who also needed help. A blind man took him miles out of his way, and a lame man slowed him to a cripple’s walk.
Eventually he did reach his father’s advisor, where he secured his own burden and started home with it safely on his shoulders. When he arrived at the palace, his brother met him at the gate, and greeted him with dismay. He said, "I don’t understand. I told our father the burden was too heavy to carry. However did you do it?"
The future king replied thoughtfully, "I suppose when I helped others carry their burdens, I found the strength to carry my own."
Sometimes the load we carry, the water pot on our shoulder is a heavy load that we have to carry just to help other people. We wonder, Why God? Why is this happening? Can’t life be a little easier? This load is more than I can bear. Little by little, day-by-day, God is strengthening us for the work ahead and he guides our footsteps! In the end, God with lift all those burdens from our shoulders, and one day it will all make sense. We will see the results of our labor. We will see the lives that have been changed, the souls that have been saved and the people that have been blessed because we just “carried our water pot faithfully”. Until that day, we just have to keep carrying the water pot!
Jesus knew that “such a man” as this water bearer would be a faithful servant and do what his master bid him to do even though it was a menial task. God could have used anyone willing to carry the water pot or any of a number of ways to carry out his plan for the Passover Feast, but he chose to use “such a man” as this one who would carry his water pot.
Because of the man carrying the water pot, Jesus and his disciples were able to celebrate the Passover Feast in the upper room and today that scene, where Jesus is seated with the 12 disciples, is the most celebrated scene in the life of Christ except for the scene of the crucifixion. Paintings and pictures of that scene hang in churches, museums and homes all over the world, all because a man with a water pot was faithful to his calling.
The steps of the Goodman of the house were ordered by the Lord as he sent out his servant to get some water. The steps of the servant were ordered by the Lord as he went to the well in obedience to his master. The steps of the disciples were ordered by the Lord as they went on their way, met the water bearer and went to the house. The steps of the Sanhedrin Council were ordered by the Lord, not that any were forced to sin, but God used their sin to bring about the will of God and the Plan of Salvation. The steps of Pilate in condemning Jesus to death on the cross, even when Pilate didn’t want to do it, were ordered by God to bring about the finish of God’s perfect plan.
Each one of these, and multitudes of others, were “such a man” that God would use to bring about His perfect will – and God is still looking for “such a man” right now. He is looking for those who will serve him willingly and of a cheerful heart.
All of us, sinner and saint alike, are “such a man”. God’s will is going to be accomplished, by using “such a man” as you. Whether you are used by God to do his will and obtain a reward for your faithfulness, or used by God to do his will and obtain eternal punishment is the choice that you must make.
I would rather be a servant, used by God, for even the smallest of tasks and receive a reward for faithfulness than to be forced to do his will and then suffer for eternity for being rebellious against His will the whole time I’m doing it.
You are that “such a man” this morning! God is using you. Is he using you willingly or are you fighting him all the way? Has Jesus made a Triumphant Entry into your heart?
It’s a Triumphant Entry when:
-You accept Jesus into your heart in salvation and the Blood of Christ washes your sin away.
-You cry out to him in the midnight hour of your crisis and Jesus enters upon the scene to meet your need
-You seek for your healing and the Lord graciously answers and brings your healing.
The question is, will you be “such a man” who will not only greet Jesus enthusiastically when he rides into your life on Palm Sunday, or will you be “such a man” who will turn your back on God when things don’t go the way you expected?
Let’s search our hearts and make a decision that we are just “such a man” that Jesus can count on to carry our “water pots” with a right spirit and a renewed heart as we prepare for the Lord’s Supper.
Altar Service
Communion Service
Distribute the hosts
1 Corinthians 11:27-28, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."
1 Corinthians 11:23-26, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Prayer
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come."
Prayer
