Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010
Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross!
It Is Hidden under Hosannas
Luke 19:28-40
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear fellow redeemed,
Have you ever cheered for right team, but for the wrong reason? Have you ever bought the right thing, but for the wrong reason? Have you ever voted for right person, but for the wrong reason?
I voted for the right person once. But it was for the wrong reason. I voted for Kurt Bernard. He was my roommate at Northwestern Prep when we were freshmen. When we were seniors, I voted for him to be our class president. He was a nice guy, good at sports, and popular. But senior class presidents are also elected to organize class reunions. 14 years later and counting and still no reunion.
I voted for the right guy, a nice guy, but being popular doesn't make you the right man for the job. I should have picked someone who was good at organizing. This happens a lot at high school... and it happens a lot to grown-ups in democracies, too.
It's not often that people cheer for the right team, buy the right thing, or vote for the right person for the right reasons. On Palm Sunday we see what usually happens: people cheering for the right Man, but for the wrong reasons.
The people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus, God's eternal Son, with shouts of praise and branches from palm trees. But they were cheering because they assumed that Jesus was going to reestablish the throne of David and Solomon. They were kings of Israel who had ruled much of the known world 1,000 years earlier. The people saw Jesus as One who would bring back the good old days.
Lest we think ourselves wiser than these people of Jerusalem, we need to look at ourselves. How often doesn't a conversation about our country end with a longing for the good old days? Christians of all stripes reveal an almost subconscious belief that if only we could reestablish the American culture of the early or mid-20th century, then everything would be alright.
Why do they long for the good old days? They won't say this, but it's because people back then were diligent in keeping their sin private. Now I'll agree that the hypocrisy of the good old days is certainly is a step up from the open cesspool of shamelessness that we have to swim in these days. The good old days were certainly a step up when it comes to law and order, but were they really any better for your soul?
The Jews wanted the good old days. They didn't want to be humiliated anymore. Perhaps they thought that more Jews would go to Temple if they were a proud nation again. They thought that they could take pride in Jesus. But they quickly learn the opposite. Jesus did not come to bask in glory. He came to be humiliated on the cross.
We see the waving branches, we see the cloaks on the road, we hear the hosannas, and during all this hullabaloo, we see Jesus slowly making His way to the cross, the cross that saves us.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
