Jesu Juva
“The Triumphal Entry? The Triumphal Exit!”
Text: Luke 19:28-40; Deuteronomy 32:36-39;
Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22-23
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on this day we now call Palm Sunday is sometimes also called His triumphal entry. And rightly so. Jesus seems to be at the peak of His popularity. The whole multitude of His disciples are praising Him and blessing Him. All Glory, Laud, and Honor (LSB #442) is given Him. Three years of teaching and healing has led to this day.
Jesus enters Jerusalem as a triumphant king would - on a donkey. If the king and the nation were at war, He would enter on a war horse. If the king and the nation were at war, weapons would be brandished, not palm branches. If the king and the nation were at war, there would be war cries, not proclamations of peace. This is a triumphal entry.The equivalent today might be the parades given sports teams after winning the championship.
Except . . . except you don’t hold the parade before the victory is won! Imagine this past February, the Eagles holding their victory parade the Sunday before the Super Bowl. That wouldn’t make sense, and would, in fact, rile up their opponent, the Chiefs, to fight even harder and make sure they get the due reward for such arrogance. That they go down in humiliation and utter defeat.
And that’s what happens to Jesus. Kind of . . .
For His opponents, the chief priests, Pharisees, scribes, and elders are riled up at this demonstration. They tell Jesus to rebuke His disciples. You haven’t won anything! And now they are more determined than ever to make sure it is so. They will win, not Him! They will win, whatever it takes. And we’re about to hear that part of the story in a moment.
That while Jesus might have entered Jerusalem in a triumphant way, but He will leave it quite differently. He will leave as a convicted criminal of both the State and the Jews. He will leave either under His own cross, or after it, when He becomes too weak to carry it Himself. He leaves now with cries of mourning and lamentation. And then when He is hoisted up on the cross, the last thing ringing in His ears will not be cries of praise and blessing, but mocking and taunting. Enjoy your moment in the sun now, Jesus! It’s not going to last . . .
Except . . . except it does. For what they will do to Him, we could say, will be Jesus’ triumphal exit. And you’ll sing that after hearing the next part of the story, in an ancient hymn, from the 6th century (LSB #454)! In that hymn, you’ll call the cross, this instrument of death, not rebellious but faithful, not defeat but the true sign of triumph, not humiliation but the noblest tree. For it is. Because of the weight that hung on thee. Which is not just the weight of an adult male, but the weight of all the sin of all the world that was placed upon that man. That His death atone for it all, pay the price for it all, and set us free from it all.
So Jesus enters Jerusalem like this precisely because He knows this is what He will accomplish, that it will end like this - in triumph. That through His death will be the victory of His resurrection. For this is how faith works. Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphally, because faith lives as if the future has already happened. Because we know that it will. Because when God makes a promise, it is more sure and certain than anything else in this world. It will be. You can count on it. You can stake your life on it.
What else in this world can you say that about? What else in this world can you trust that will not let you down? And anything else in this world that you trust in, that you think will give you what you want and need, that you think will make you happy and successful and fulfilled, you know what Scripture calls them? False gods. Because in the end, when you’re dying, when you’re no longer useful, when this world has moved on and left you behind, where are they? What have they done for you? Why aren’t they saving you? But in Jesus, you have the one who truly stands by you. Who does for you what no one else will, or can. Who is with you for both this life AND the next. And who did so by what we hear today and all this week: by making Himself nothing.
Now, if there’s one thing that just doesn’t compute in our world today, that’s it! In this world where we’re all trying to make ourselves something. Climb the ladder, do something significant, go viral, be above the law, be known for something great, or as someone great. Because if this life is all you have, then accomplish something or be forgotten. Do something so that at least your name can live on. Otherwise . . .
But Jesus’ name lives on . . . why? Because, as we heard in the readings from Philippians today, He made Himself nothing. Even when He was praised on earth, as someone great, what is that compared to what He had in heaven? He came down and humbled Himself. He came down from everything to nothing, and then to cross and death and grave. Sealed in a tomb where, the chief priests and Pharisees and scribes and elders hoped: Out of sight, out of mind.
Except . . . except God exalted Him. He who would not exalt Himself but made Himself nothing, was raised to life again and to the right hand of the Father. FOR YOU. That the same be true for you. That you who are humbled now, who are nothing now, who are maybe mocked and taunted and mistreated now, by virtue of your baptism into Jesus and His death and resurrection, that you be raised and exalted with Him. And not because of anything you have managed to do or accomplish, but because of what Jesus has done FOR YOU. Because of His death and resurrection, because of His triumphal exit, from Jerusalem and from the grave, your name will live on because you will live on in a life that has no end, and in a future not of your own making, but far better! Of His making.
That’s what this day and this week are all about. From nothing to everything. From death to life. Because of Jesus’ triumphal entry, His triumphal exit, His triumph FOR YOU.
Now, have this mind among yourselves, Paul said. This mind of Christ. We prayed earlier for that, too. That it be so. That we have a mind that acts as if the future promises of God have already happened, because we know that they will. A mind that is not afraid to make yourself nothing, because in Jesus, we can never be nothing. And a mind that glories in the cross, because of the weight that hung on thee. The weight of our freedom. The weight of God’s love.
Love that also has set a table here for us, to feed and strengthen our minds and hearts, our bodies and souls, to feed us Christ, to instill in us this mind of Christ. All Glory, Laud, and Honor, to You, Redeemer, King! Hosanna! Save us! We know that You have. We know that You will. Let us hear now the story, of our Saviour, of the Lamb who goes uncomplaining forth (LSB #438).
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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