Palm Sunday
April 13, 2014 Matt. 26:17-30
This Lenten season
we’ve been reflecting on “Making Change”… not just the physical or outward
change of doing things differently… but about Making Change here…. In our
hearts. By making heart change… we assure ourselves that the other kinds of
change will fall into place.
There’s a story of a company attempting to
start a new pension plan, which required 100% participation. Every employee
signed up except one. No amount of argument or persuasion could get this person
to change his mind. Finally, the president of the company called the man into
his office. He told the man, “Here is a copy of the proposed pension plan and
here is a pen. Sign up or you're fired.” The man immediately picked up the pen
and signed his name. The president of the company then said, “I don't
understand why you refused to sign until now. What was your problem?” The man
replied, “You're the first person who explained it to me clearly.”
Is this how you make
change?
So… how have you
been doing at making heart change?
If your struggling
to make change in your life… perhaps you need a…“Change of Focus”
Prayer:
Today is Palm Sunday
in the season of Lent…. It means a couple of things…
1. That the
conclusion of Lent is near. It also means that we get to celebrate the joyous
& triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. For many… Palm Sunday is
about
Joy & Excitement & Anticipation.
2. And it’s
the last week of Jesus’ life. Even though… his friends still haven’t figured it
out. For Jesus’ friends… they’re thinking Jesus is finally going to do
something about the Roman occupation. That Jesus is somehow going to bring
justice for the
Jews. Well… we know that’s not exactly what happens. And…while
some celebrate
Jesus as the coming King of the Jews… others not so much.
It seems things are
changing… and for Jesus it’s a change in focus. For Jesus… his focus now
becomes more intentional towards God, his father. While some will paint Jesus’
entry into Jerusalem as a justice/political move… I believe the message Jesus
brings is one of focus on faith & belief in God…. Not political nor
justice. Not that Jesus didn’t speak about such things… but now, Jesus is
demonstrating the big picture of God’s vision, and I believe it is one of Faith
& Belief.
By the time we get
to Palm Sunday and the 4 days that follow we see Jesus’ focus doing just that…
demonstrating the big picture. Jesus cleanses the Temple… Curses the fig tree…
the fig tree is symbolic of the nation. Challenges the Pharisee’s… talks about
heaven & life in the future. Talks about the most important commandment. Chastises
the Pharisee’s… these are the religious leaders… pastors. Weeps for Jerusalem
and her people. Talks of the Temple crumbling to the ground. And final
judgment.
From today, Palm
Sunday, it’s 5 action packed chapters of 4 days in the life of Jesus… 4 days of
Jesus trying to change the focus towards God. For me… the significance of Palm
Sunday comes on day 5 when Jesus gathers his friends for a final meal of which
finally to some extent does change the focus of his friends. And… this
gathering can change our focus in 3 ways when we see Jesus as…
The Real Presence of God.
The gospels,
especially Luke, feature Jesus taking part in a lot of meals. Whether Jesus is
visiting Mary & Martha, Zachaeus, Peters mother-in-law, feeding the 5000…
Jesus eats pretty well. It seems when Jesus is present with people… so is a lot
of food. So… it seems fitting that Jesus would gather his friends for a final
meal. And not only as a practical matter, but also as a sign or sacramental matter
too.
When Jesus invites
whether it’s the 5000, Mary & Martha, his friends, or others he takes the
bread, blesses it, breaks it, and give it to his friends as an act of
hospitality… and if you think about it… it’s the in-breaking of God into our
lives. Jesus… after his resurrection walks the Emmaus Rd with 2 believers and
they don’t recognize him… it’s only after they share bread that their eyes are
opened… (Luke 24:28-34) So… for us as people of faith… sacramentally… the bread
from which we share is Jesus as the real presence of God.
The second way we
can have a change of focus is when we see Jesus as…
Sign and Sacrifice
When Jesus takes the
cup of wine he’s changing the focus of the Jewish blood covenant of animal
sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. In the cup of wine, Jesus uses the wine
as a sign of His blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Just as the bread
is a sign of God’s hospitality… the wine is the sign of Jesus’ sacrifice on our
behalf for our sin. So… when Jesus says, “Take and Eat” and “Take and Drink” he
does two things…
1.
It’s a
new agreement or covenant with God. No longer do people have to have a yearly
animal blood sacrifice. Jesus does this once for all.
2.
Jesus is
now the sacrifice that forgives sins for all people. There’s no need to make
offerings & overtures for sins to be forgiven.
Which leads to the 3rd
way we can have a change of focus… Jesus as…
Grace & Forgiveness
In this last meal…
Judas is present. We’re pretty harsh with Judas as we see him as the villain in
the story. Perhaps… rightfully so… but he’s present with Jesus. If we believe
the bread & wine that Jesus offers all his friends is an invitation to
grace & forgiveness… Well… Judas was there for that. However you understand
what Judas did or have placed judgment upon him it’s really not for us to
judge. We might be surprised in heaven on who’s there and who’s not.
Theologian Greg Carey states… “Preachers can help congregations grapple
with the relationship between grace and judgment. Matthew never explains what
Jesus means when he pronounces woe upon his betrayer: is Judas doomed because
of God’s judgment or simply because of the path he has chosen? Nevertheless,
popular imagination cannot hold grace and judgment together. Jesus Christ does:
judgment often bears grace; grace always tempers judgment. Though judged, Judas
eats with the other disciples nonetheless.”
Jesus feeds his betrayer… remember the Pharisee’s question…
“Why do you eat with tax collectors & sinners?” I believe it’s because the
story of Jesus is God’s story of Grace & Forgiveness. And… I believe it’s
the Change of Focus Jesus desires us to make in this Lenten season. It’s the
change of focus the church needs to make as well.
Closing:
Today we celebrate Jesus joyous entry into our lives and we
celebrate in the means of grace of a holy meal of bread and wine. It’s the means by which we sinners… all of us… have the
opportunity to receive grace & forgiveness when we share in Holy Communion.
If we are looking to change the focus of our lives… today is a great day to do
so. It will help us make the heart change we desire and help us make change in
our lives.
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