Morning Message Text: Philippians 2: 5-11
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
Jesus at the Temple
45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling.
46 “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’ ; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”
Morning Message:
Today we celebrate Passion/Palm Sunday. We talk about the pageantry of Palm Sunday a lot because everyone loves a happy story. Everyone loves to bask in the glory of the coming of the Lord. We need to celebrate Jesus, and we should always find joy in the promises of God and the coming of his kingdom. You know there’s a but coming. The glorious, triumphal entry into Jerusalem took place because of God’s passion for you.
I am not going to try to find out this morning who has or has not been reading their Lenten devotional. At this point in the Lenten season as we enter Holy Week, if you have been taking advantage of this resource then I am sure you have felt blest. If not, then, unfortunately, that is your loss. Listen to what it says.
“‘And when Jesus drew near and saw the city, he wept over it …’ (Luke 19: 41). I know what it is like to cry. For me as a child, tears came easily. A physical scrape or a bruise always had me running to Mom for a hug or kiss to make the hurt go away. Sometimes, it was a disappointment or sadness that brought on the tears, and I wonder if that’s what caused Jesus to weep as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Everyone else was celebrating his entry with shouts of ‘Hosanna’ and palm branches, but did anyone happen to notice the tears running down his face?”
Jesus feels a different kind of passion on this occasion. Our scripture explains it to us. Jesus knows that the cheering will die down and the people will turn against him. He knows what the future holds for Jerusalem and the pain and suffering that will take place because they are not ready to accept him. He is sad and crying tears of anguish over a people and a city that He loves. His anguish turns to anger as he sees what the scribes and Pharisees are doing to God’s temple.
Did you ever wonder why Jesus was so upset about what was taking place? Jesus’ anger and frustration rose because the religious leaders used their position in the temple to extort money from the common people. First, worshipers had to convert unclean common coinage (which could not be brought into the temple) into temple coinage at an exorbitant exchange rate. Then, using the proper coinage, the people had to buy sacrificial animals from the priests at exorbitant rates. Taking advantage of the poor, the priests and their money changers greatly profited from temple commerce and the people who came to worship.
Jesus is passionate, but he is simply acting according to his nature. He is God, and God defends the poor.
Passion Week was stuffed with one high-stakes showdown after another. Jerusalem was packed. Everyone knew something big was afoot. After the Triumphal Entry and the cleansing of the temple, the political establishment and religious establishment felt Jesus was raining on their parade. The Herodians, Scribes and Pharisees … that is, Liberals and Conservatives, Freedom Fighters and Collaborators teamed up to take Jesus out. Remember Jesus did not get crucified for a few cute refrigerator inspirational quotes. Rather, he ticked off powerful people. He was passionate.
These powerful groups sent covert operatives and surrogates to Jesus’ teaching platform at the temple. They had tried to trap Jesus many times, but he always outsmarted them, and they always ended up with egg all over their faces. Surely, they must have pow-wowed for hours trying to come up with the one sure-fire question that would discredit the Carpenter. They settled on a question about politics and in particular: taxes.
They questioned him saying, “Teacher, we know that you teach the way of God in truth.” What are they doing? Buttering him up before the killing shot. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” They thought they had him no matter how he answered. Either the people would hate him for saying yes to taxes, or the government would kill him for being an insurrectionist. Falsely accused of insurrection; sounds familiar.
Of course, we know how Jesus answered, “Whose picture is on the coin.” “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render to God the things that are God’s.”
This is how Kingdom citizens should live as earthly citizens. We must pay the government that which belongs to it, but remember who we truly belong to. The image of Jesus is stamped on our lives so we belong to him. Jesus is passionate about everything that affects your life, and we in turn should be passionate about others.
In a musical play about the life of Christ entitled The Choice, the handsome young Roman centurion named Marcus, who is single, takes notice of a somewhat spunky Jewish maiden named Hannah. While both guard themselves against falling headlong in love, they enjoy talking to each other and matching wits. One day Hannah coaxes Marcus into going along to hear the preacher from Nazareth. On the way, they get into a brief argument about whether Roman justice is fair and what role a Messiah might play in Israel’s political future. Then, in one of the most insightful lines of the play, Hannah says, “I don’t pretend to be wise … but I do know that Jesus is special. He’s different. He’s not changing governments, Marcus. He is changing people.”
Jesus, God, does not care about governments. Jesus is passionate about people. I thought that this from our devotional was very moving. Listen!
“The closer we come to the cross this Lenten season, the more I believe Jesus wept because sinners, whom he loved, refused to accept the best he could give—his life as Savior. Even today, Jesus’ gift of forgiveness is there for us. That’s why his tears are tears of love in a mercy that waits for us to believe in him.”
Listen to this prayer. “Dear Lord Jesus, forgive me for missing the tears. Help me to see that those tears are guiding me to see your love and mercy that endure forever. Amen.”
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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