Meeting Jesus - Triumphal Entry
Well. It is spring time – that means Spring Breakers are here – and it means my girls are playing softball. Naomi has made the Softball team at Carolina Forest, and Jessica is playing rec league. For the last couple of seasons, I was able to help coach one of my daughter’s teams, but this year, I get to help out the team by simply serving as the Announcer at the Home Ball games. So – I am not coaching, just practicing embarrassing my daughter by using my “Announcer Voice.”
I like to watch the kids step up to the plate with their bat, and face the pitcher. For one brief moment, each kid is standing alone at the plate, and all parents and players are watching them. When I was the girls age, I played Little League. Whenever a good hitter went to bat, the coach of the opposing team would yell to his outfielders to “back up.” If they were a great hitter, the coach would tell them to back up to the fence. Whenever I stood up to bat, they always yelled, “Everybody move in!” Everybody would shift in.
The players and coaches responded differently based on who was at Bat. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses – and I had terrible eyesight. I couldn’t see the ball…
I could never tell if the pitcher threw the ball or was waving at his family…but I always swung the bat.
And the coaches and players knew it and responded appropriately. Since I couldn’t hit the ball, there was no need playing defense deep. They knew I would always swing. They knew I would never connect and whether we realize it or not, people have an internal response whenever they see you and I today.
When you walk enter a room. People have an internal response to you.
When you enter your home. When you arrive at work. When you walk into an office people will react and respond to you, based on what they know about you.
I know that because, you and I respond and react to the people around us based on what we know about them…
When you see an old friend, you might run up, grab them and give them a hug.
When you see a friend you see every day, you might barely acknowledge them.
If you see somebody you do not like, you might avoid eye contact with them…
That’s why it is so remarkable to see how people responded and reacted to Jesus when he entered Jerusalem.
He had been changing lives.
Working miracles.
Teaching about forgiveness.
Hope and second chances.
For three years, he had been telling people about God’s love and care for them. He had been reconnecting people with God. And, for three years, he had ticked a lot of the Religious Leaders off. As we have seen so far in our “Meeting Jesus” series, Jesus always seemed to rub religious leaders the wrong way. He got under their skin. He ruffled their feathers. He ticked them off.
The core of Jesus teaching was one way to a relationship with God…
The core of the religious teachers was hundreds of rules to get to God…
So, the Religious leaders had had enough of Jesus.
In John 11:57 – the Religious bullies had made a public order that every Jew that saw Jesus must report where and when they saw him, so they could arrest him.
John 11:57
Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.
They had placed the highest level of a Jewish arrest warrant out on Jesus, and they made every Jewish person accountable to give the information to them. Jesus responded – by walking right into the Religious Leaders playground! They issued an arrest warrant – and instead of hiding and running – Jesus did something he had not been accustomed to doing – he made himself the center of attention.
We will begin reading in Luke 19.
Luke 19:28-40
28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
I love how the disciples and the crowd treated and honored Jesus. They didn’t know that in less than a week he would be betrayed, beaten, humiliated and paraded through town naked carrying a cross. They didn’t know he would suffer and die on a cross and pay the price for sin.
All they knew was that Jesus wanted to ride into town on a colt or a donkey – and they made it happen. They borrowed a donkey. They put their cloaks on it for Jesus to sit on.
The crowd spread out their cloaks on the ground…and they called Jesus, KING.
They didn’t treat him like a King because he had told them to, they treated him like a King, because for three years, Jesus had treated each of them like they were a King. He talked with the tax collectors, prostitutes and notorious sinners not just because he loved them, but because they were important and had value. He healed the lepers, the blind, the sick, and brought hope to the brokenhearted because he loved them and they mattered to him.
Now, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, his followers had a chance to treat Jesus the same.
Like ROYALTY.
During this time, a KING would enter into a town in two different ways.
During wartime, King would ride into town on a horse. This symbolized to the town that King brough conflict. He entered the town on a horse, because he was going to defeat it. During peacetime, a King would ride into town on a Donkey or a Colt. This symbolized the Kings intention were to bring peace, or continue the peace.
If there were any rumors flying that the King was going to invade the land, the entering King put all fears and worries aside by entering the town on a donkey, and the people would rejoice.
Jesus desires to BRING you and I PEACE
This entrance stands out to me as one of the most incredible examples of courage in history.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem…
JESUS DEMONSTRATED COURAGE AND DEFIANCE TOWARD RELIGIOUS BULLIES (John 11:57)
When I think about defining moments of courage, I think about TANK MAN. The man that stood in front of the line of invading tanks in Tiananmen Square and refused to move. I think about the United States Marine Memorial with Marines holding up the American Flag during WW2 at the battle of Iwo Jima.
I think about the men and women who rushed into the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, to save the lives of strangers.
And, I think about Jesus entering Jerusalem.
He knew there was an arrest warrant out for him.
He knew what the religious bullies were planning.
He knew one of his followers would betray him.
But, Jesus didn’t slip into Jerusalem at night in the shadows. He didn’t hide in a cart filled with supplies.
He entered Jerusalem with the highest level of visibility possible.
But…he did not enter Jerusalem as the Conquering King that brings war.
He entered Jerusalem as the King who brings peace.
Crowds of people gathered around him. Other gospel writers tell us that they waved palm branches in the air as they shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”.
The religious bullies that tried to control people’s behavior had a “hero of the people” to contend with. The people cheered. They hugged one another.
They celebrated the CHAMPION who had celebrated them.
They cheered for the one who had cheered them on.
They socially elevated the status of the one who had elevated them.
They BLESSED the one who had BLESSED them.
They brought words of peace to the one who had brought them peace.
So,
LIKE JESUS, BRING AND LEAVE PEACE.
Do you bring peace to others when you enter a room?
Do you leave peace when you exit a room?
We have the ability to bring comfort, peace, hope and encouragement to those around us. We can use our words to help or hinder others. We can use our body language to help or hinder others.
Are you a peace bringer?
Or, do you leave rooms in conflict?
Do you help make people better through words of encouragement or do you enhance conflict with words of division?
Does your opinion matter more than others?
Does your opinion always need to be expressed?
Are you always right?
These questions are difficult for all of us. As a parent, sometimes I feel like I make matters worse when I jump into disagreements with the girls at the house. Instead of making things better, sometimes I feel like I make things worse.
I am going to ask a series of questions – and I want you to let the answers linger in your mind for a little bit:
If you are married, when your spouse sees you, do they brace themselves for conflict or are they relaxed and relieved?
Children, when your brother or sister see you coming, do they hold their breath and wait for the insults to begin, or do they light up when they see you coming?
Employers, are you harsh with the people who work for you and “rule with an iron fist” or are they motivated to work hard for you because they know you work hard for them?
Parents, do you constantly criticize and overwhelm your children with their failures or are you searching for areas to encourage them and are you building in them a healthy biblical self-image?
The reason I ask these difficult questions is because:
PEOPLE RESPOND TO PRESENCE BASED ON PATTERNS
As people lined up that day to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, they were celebrating, waving palm branches, cheering, and elevating his social status based on the pattern of life he had been living. Look at v. 37
Luke 19:37
As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen…
People responded to the presence of Jesus based on the pattern of his life. Crowds of people did not gather around Jesus because he was rude, selfish, and always had to have his way. People responded to Jesus based on the pattern of peace he had already demonstrated. So how do we establish a PATTERN of PEACE in our lives? It will only happen when we:
CHOOSE JOY BECAUSE OF JESUS
He entered Jerusalem thinking about what he would soon endure.
The betrayal.
The beatings.
The scourging.
The nails.
The cross.
He knew what he was going to have to endure, but he did not limit his attention to the pain.
Hebrews 12:2B
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Although Jesus knew he was about to experience UNBVELIEVABLE pain and suffering, he focused on what he would experience AFTER the cross.
AFTER the hostility.
AFTER the embarrassment.
AFTER the public humiliation.
AFTER the shame.
His suffering would bring you and I forgiveness of sin.
His suffering would reunite the Creator with His Creation.
His suffering would bring forgiveness of sin.
His suffering would bring joy.
And that is what he focused on! He didn’t not focus on the pain, he focused on the joy. That is so hard to do.
When we walk through the hard of life. When we walk through the pain in life. When we walk through confusion, betrayal, and loss…its difficult to not see it. Its difficult to not see the hopelessness, the loneliness, the confusion and the pain. So see it – but also see what is beyond it.
Look beyond the hard to focus on the joy!
We can do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
If we want to be joyful when we walk through the hard, we keep our eyes on Jesus.
Jesus is the one who brings hope.
Jesus is the one who brings peace.
Jesus is the one who brings healing.
Jesus is the one who forgives.
Jesus is the one who gives second chances.
And third chances…
And fourth chances…
Jesus is the one who is the great life changer.
If you want peace, fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you want healing, fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you want forgiveness, fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you want another chance, fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you want to be triumphant, fix your eyes on Jesus.
Will I really get all that by fixing my eyes on Jesus?
I do not know for sure, but I know it is the only place to start.
Meeting Jesus - Receiving What We Give
In High School I had long hair, bad acne, and mostly did what I wanted to. 😊 I rarely studied for tests. I did my homework if I felt like it. With no effort, I was a straight B student. I was suspended from school for 15 days for going to school drunk on moonshine. Another time I was suspended for fighting.
One month after I graduated HS, I gave my life to Jesus. I began growing in my faith, reading my bible daily, and living for Him. After roughly FOUR years, I had a desire to go to College – but I didn’t know where to start. Even though I had been out of High School for four years, I scheduled an appointment with my HS Guidance Counselor.
I explained to her that I had given my life to Jesus right after I graduated…I was a Sunday School teacher, a youth volunteer, and I had served for one year as a church planter in Ohio…AND NOW…I needed some help and guidance from the only person I knew who could help me. My Guidance counselor looked at me and made a judgement based on my past life. She did not see the new life I had begun living. She only saw the Sophomore that came to school drunk on moonshine and threw up everywhere. She did not see the SS teacher. She saw the boy that got suspended from school for fighting.
She only saw my past and politely said to me, “Joe. Some people aren’t meant to go to college…”. In that moment – I realized that some people will never let you move on from your past. But my guidance counselor is not the only person guilty of judging other people – I have been guilty of Judging others as well. And I bet you have too.
Luke 6:37-42
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” 39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. 41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
First, I want to make sure we understand what JUDGING is.
JUDGING IS NIT-PICKING THINGS THAT DO NOT MATTER.
Nit picking can kind of look like how my youngest daughter eats her food. She will not eat her food if it touches something else on her plate. All the food on her plate is going to get squished about by her teeth, smashed with her tongue, and digested by her stomach…but she won’t eat her toast if it touches her scrambled eggs.
That is nit-picking! Most of the time when we make initial judgements about other people, we judge them based on things that do not matter:
We focus on their hair style.
Whether they have too many tattoos.
Whether they do not have enough tattoos.
Their clothes.
Their educational level.
Their occupation.
Their former occupation.
Their family.
Their marriages.
Their past lives.
Whether they drink.
Whether they smoke…
That is nit-picking.
None of these things matter.
As followers of Jesus, it is our purpose to LOVE GOD and LOVE OTHERS…and it is impossible to LOVE people if we nit-pick them to death. But this passage has so much more that we need to apply to our lives than judging others…
We can also learn…
WE REAP WHAT WE SOW, SO SOW LOVE GENEROUSLY.
Luke 6:37
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.
Have you ever wondered why people criticize you?
Have you ever wondered why other people give you the elevator eyes?
Have you ever wondered why people gossip about you, spread rumors about you, and speak negatively about your character?
I have.
And – the hard truth in this passage is “we reap what we sow”. If I judge others, I get judged by others. If I condemn others, I get condemned. If I nit-pick other people – other people are going to nit-pick me.
BUT – If I sow LOVE to others, I will receive love from others. If I sow grace and forgiveness, I will receive grace and forgiveness.
I have been told to wear certain types of clothes when I preach. I have been told to wear a tie. A suit. I have been told to wear Jeans, get a different haircut, shave my beard, grow a beard…
Nit picking others stinks – so sow love generously!
It is a very simple practical step of faith. If we claim to be a follower of Jesus. If we have asked Jesus to forgive us for our own arrogance, our own pride, our own selfish sinful behavior, then as recipients of HIS GRACE we ought to treat all others with GRACE and KINDNESS. It only makes sense. We have been forgiven – we ought to give REAL forgiveness to others. We have been shown MERCY – we ought to show REAL mercy to others. So – we still have this little Judge living inside of us…so what do we do with our judgmental behavior?
In verse 41 Jesus asked…
Luke 6:41
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?
That means…
WE ALL HAVE A BLINDSPOT.
Within the last week I have seen three fender benders in about the same spot at 501 and Forestbrook. Shifting lanes and merging with traffic is hard. Our minivan has a blindspot monitoring system. If I begin to shift lanes and a vehicle is in my blind-spot, lights on my dash blink and a noise alerts me. While shifting lanes, I have to continually stretch my neck around to make sure that another driver isn’t in my blind spot. My little cars f=do not have that feature. I almost ran one driver off the road and cut off another driver who waved at me with one finger as he passed.
We all have BLIND SPOTS of sin in our lives. Sin that other people can see from afar, but it is so close to us personally it is harder to see.
It could be bitterness.
Resentment.
Unforgiveness.
An ambivalent attitude toward sin.
An unloving spirit.
A gruff and harsh tone with other people…
An addiction.
A lack of self-control…
Are you aware of your blind-spot? Are you aware of that speck that “log” in your own eye?
Listen to what Jesus said:
Luke 6:41-42
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
We ought to be our own harshest critic.
Instead of JUDGING others, we ought to JUDGE ourselves.
We ought to examine our own heart. Our own motives. Our own actions. Our own lives.
We should never ignore SIN when it begins to take root in our lives. We ought to turn our nit-picking onto ourselves. On a regular basis, we ought to sit down with a copy of God’s word that we can read and understand and allow it to speak to us and change us.
We should not fear being transparent and honest before God. Jesus has already paid the penalty for your sin. For my sin. God is not going to punish you for your sin – we couldn’t bear it if he did. Rather, as a follower of Jesus God desires to continue to bring CHANGE to you. Regardless of your age. Regardless of your past.
See – If I am a liar and I sit down with God on a regular basis – God is going to change me from a liar to an honest person. His character is going to RUB OFF onto me.
If I am a drunk and sit down with God’s word on a regular basis – God is going to rescue me and sober me up. His character is going to sharpen me.
If I am a thief and sit down with God’s word – he is going to change and transform me. His Character is going to gradually make me more like HIM.
As God reveals those BLINDSPOTS in my life and I confess and remove them – THEN I can help other people who have been where I have been.
So can you! I believe God wants you to…
INSPIRE OTHERS BY CELEBRATING YOUR WINS.
I love the story of the OVERCOMER. Maybe you are the overcomer.
I love the story of an individual who has been beaten down by sin and by life yet somehow God has given them victory. Those stories are inspirational and motivational. If God can work in restoring “their” life, then maybe it is not too much of a stretch that HE is able to work in my life.
You are the inspirational story that another follower of Jesus needs to read! That marriage that God redeemed and rescued – somebody needs to hear how you and your spouse overcame.
That addiction that God rescued you from. There is an addict sitting in our church that needs to hear your story of breaking free!
That cancer diagnosis? That depression? That anxiety? Somebody needs to hear about your win!
Be willing to share your win!
When you share your win, you share HOPE! You help those who are struggling understand that they are not alone and that they too can overcome through the love of Jesus.
Consider getting involved with Celebrate Recovery. They lean on one another in a non-judgmental way. They celebrate wins together and they stick with one another through losses and failures.
Whether we share it in a sermon or on Social Media, countless people can be impacted through hearing your story of how God removed the log from your eyes.
Will you communicate how God has given you that second, third and fourth chance, open your mouth and begin to speak about His Grace in your lives to help others?