“At The Name Of Jesus”
Everybody loves a parade or celebration. Everyone loves to be a part of something big and exciting.
Early in Frank Sinatra’s career, George Evans, his publicist, used some slick tricks to get Sinatra extra publicity. Evans hired teenage girls to hang around outside the club where Sinatra was singing. They were paid to scream out his name and “swoon.” He even arranged for an ambulance to park outside the club. The faked hysterics worked; crowds packed the club to hear this fabulous new singer.
There were two parades in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. On one side of town came Pilate with his soldiers, their armor shining in the bright sunlight. The sounds of horse’s hooves and carriage wheels working the crowd up to a frenzy. Whenever something big like the Jewish Passover was happening Pilate, the Roman Governor of that area, would come to town. He was on his way to the praetorium, or the palace, that was likely located north of the temple area. There was an Aire of power and majesty in this parade.
On the other side of town, possibly at about the same time, there was another parade. This parade reminded the Jews of the words from the prophet Zechariah: “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” (Zechariah 9:9). Recorded around 500 years before the birth of Jesus, the crowd gathered there that morning were excited to see their fulfillment. You don’t throw your cloaks and palm branches before just any normal person. This was their guy! He was their promise! They had heard about how He had healed the sick and raised the dead—how He taught on their level with simple stories that revealed timeless truths.
Unfortunately, later that week, the religious leaders would force these same crowds to decide on their allegiance. What would it be? The military might of Pilate or the humbleness of Jesus?
But for this morning, rather than reading forty or fifty verses from Luke, which I’ve done for most of my ministry; I’ve chosen to go in a different direction. So, our focus this morning won’t be so much on Palm Sunday but rather the passion of our king, Jesus the Christ.
Philippians 2:5-11
Paul established the church in Philippi during his second missionary journey, around AD 50 or 51, after receiving a vision from God to go to Macedonia. Caesar Agustus had rebuilt Phillipi as a military outpost and declared it a Roman colony. Therefore, a large number of the population were Roman citizens, Gentiles.
These verses probably come from a hymn sung by the early Christian church, and they form the central focus of sacrificial love and humility for Paul’s entire letter. This passage holds many parallels to the prophecy of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53—to which I will be dealing with more in our Holy Thursday service.
Paul, in his letter, shares several key characteristics of Jesus Christ.
Jesus has always existed with God.
Jesus is equal to God because He is God (John 1:1-51; Colossians 1:15-19).
Though He is God, He became a man in order to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for all people.
Christ didn’t just have the appearance of being a man—He actually became human in order to identify with our humanity.
Christ voluntarily laid aside His divine rights and privileges out of love for His Father.
Christ also loved us so much that He died on the cross for our sins so we wouldn’t have to face eternal death.
God glorified Christ because of His obedience.
God raised Christ to His original position at the Father’s right hand, where He will reign forever as our Lord and judge.
How can we do anything less than praise Jesus as our Lord and dedicate ourselves to His service?
People often excuse selfishness, pride, or evil by claiming their rights. They think I can cheat on this test, after all, I deserve to pass this class. Or I can spend all this money on myself—I worked hard for it. Or my weekend belongs to me; I just don’t have the time to help others. But as believers, we should have a different attitude, one that enables us to lay aside our rights in order to serve others. If we say we follow Christ, we must also say we want to live as He lived. We should develop His attitude of humility as we serve, even when we are not likely to get recognition for our efforts.
Joni Eareckson Tada has been a paraplegic since her teenage years and is the author of a book I’m currently reading, titled Heaven. As someone bound
to a wheelchair most of her life, she brings an interesting angle to someone looking for heaven where she will regain the use of her arms and legs.
On our topic for this morning Joni writes, “Jesus appeared passive and weak. We kept hoping He would behave as a monarch should and make the lives of His subjects happy, healthy, and free from trouble. But Jesus had other plans for the believer and glory for Himself.
“Something glorious happened when the world’s worst murder became the world’s only salvation. When the cross, a symbol of torture, became a symbol of life and hope, it meant triple the glory.
“Jesus did flex His muscles as King on earth; it’s just that our unskilled eyes, hearts, and minds weren’t trained to see it. He wore a crown; it just wasn’t the crown we expected. Not one of gold, but of thorns.”
Death on a cross (crucifixion) was the form of capital punishment that Romans used for notorious criminals. It was excruciatingly painful and humiliating. Prisoners were nailed or tied to a cross and left to die. Death might not come for several days, and it usually came by suffocation when the weight of the weakened body made breathing more and more difficult. Jesus died as one who was cursed. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’” (Galatians 3:13 NIV).
Scottish theologian, James Stewart, put it this way: “The very triumphs of His foes…He used for their defeat. He compelled their dark achievements to subserve His ends, not theirs. They nailed Him to the tree, not knowing that by that very act they were bringing the world to His feet. They gave Him a cross, not guessing that He would make it a throne. They flung Him outside the gates to die, not knowing that in that very moment they were lifting up all the gates of the universe, to let the King come in. They thought to root out His doctrines, not understanding that they were implanting imperishably in the hearts of men the very name they intended to destroy. They thought they had God with His back to the wall, pinned and helpless and defeated: they did not know that it was God Himself who had tracked them down. He did not conquer in spite of the dark mystery of evil. He conquered through it.
In closing, I read about a minister in Texas who used a very creative visual aid to start his message. He brought on to the stage a beautiful Golden Irish Setter that belonged to his youth minister. The youth minister loved this dog so much that when the dog had been sick and had to be in the vet kennel overnight, he stayed all night with him. Needless to say, this dog also loved his master.
The senior minister brought the dog on to the stage and he rolled a ball across the platform and said, “Fetch, Josh, fetch.” But the dog just sat there and would not fetch the ball. The minister then had one of his friends, a large body builder come up to the platform. This huge muscleman stood over the dog scowling and growled, “Fetch, Dog, Fetch!” But the dog would not fetch the ball for power.
Then a banker came on to the platform and took out his wallet and waved a handful of bills in front of the dog’s face and said, “Josh, if you get the ball, I’ll reward you,” but the dog would not fetch for money.
Then the preacher said, “Let’s try some peer pressure, and so he had all the people stand up and join in unison, “Fetch Josh, Fetch Josh!” But the dog would not yield to peer pressure.
The pastor then had a beautiful young woman with auburn hair about the color of the dog’s hair, come on the platform. She patted Josh on the head and with a sultry voice she said, “Josh, please get the ball…for me.” The pastor said that the dog did flinch just a little…but he would not fetch for the wiles of a woman.
Finally, he called the youth minister on to the platform, the young man who owned the dog. The youth minister said, “Josh, go get the ball.” And the dog bolted from his stance and retrieved the ball and gave it to his owner. After everybody had settled down, the preacher began his sermon by saying, “Now, let me ask you…who are you fetching for?”
Who is your Master/King?
Eastman First Methodist Church 