Your King Is Coming To You
1 When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2 telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”
4 This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
5 Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!
Matthew 21:1–9 [CSB]
Detractors would say that Jesus set the whole thing up…and so this is not the fulfilling of prophecy. We are to respond, by first saying: Yes, He did, but… quite a ways back….
And then ask them this:
Let’s just say that God did predict this in the past. And… that God also is the Lord of History; who then would be the one to bring it all about? God, right? Well, Jesus tells us that He is God. So, who is fulfilling this prophecy? Jesus. God.
Who else would you expect to do it? Of course He set this thing all up!
The great thing is…that despite them–those who would rather find error and ways to discredit the Bible–it is for them…
…and those who have no… or little faith….
It is for us too—all those who are and… or… can be also of that sort…
IT IS FOR THIS VERY REASON that Jesus has come. He has done this…
Right from the beginning…from before creation began, the Bible says…He set these things in motion…
He has arranged and put in place all those physical parts of the universe…to move…with all things in their right places and at the right times.
From wind, to people, to even a donkey.
And yes, with Words ahead of time…that tell what He has set up…before hand…to happen then…that happens now…and that will do so in the future.
He is the Creative Word through Whom all things have occurred! That are… That will…
And He, in all of this…He does it for people. For the whole world. For even those nay-sayes…the doubters…the Thomas’ out there…
… and yes… for you and me. For disciples and not-yet disciples. For the not very able followers.
And we, His creation respond. It cannot help but respond. The way He expects, the way He intends…the way He knew we would, and so He has made provision for it all….
And so…this…what He had planned…
What did they do?
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them.
And then…look at what happens: [The very beginning of Advent… the coming of the Great King!]
From Nazareth? Him? A carpenter’s son?
Even so…
8 A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!
All of this whether they… or we… knew what was really going on…
Well, because we don’t…most of the time….and usually not for a long time afterwards.
Don’t we read in many places in the Gospels how His disciples would remember what Jesus had told them before…about what this or that…what it was really about? And that they had no clue at the time? Remember that it was not until after the resurrection…that they understood?
Well, that is what is needed. That resurrection of Christ in our hearts–that Easter light to shine…the Holy Spirit…the Very Spirit of Christ who cries out in us…who brings to remembrance…who points us to Jesus and all that He is and all that He did…all that He DID DO:
FOR US.
They needed Jesus’ Baptism, not John’s. That is what comes in that water poured upon us since this time… that all powerful Word filled water… In-Spirited… fire and blood mixed together…
Eye opening… faith creating… new life giving… gift of God…
And when this light dawns. When the Holy Spirit creates faith to see…to understand…then it is…it is then that we believe and also respond with:
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!
Yet this time it is with understanding–at least more than we had before. This time it is with meaning and a joy that looks beyond the here and now. That allows us to NOT fear the future. That prepares us to rightly be received and to receive the coming of the King.
We do this each Sunday with the Kyrie Eleison:
Lord, Have Mercy!
Which means, now that you have come…O Lord of Hosts…Lord of myriad upon myriad… rank upon rank… now that you have conquered sin, death and the devil. Now that you have these enemies on the run. Now that death is in the last gasps of its existence in your creation…
We are at your mercy. We are enemy combatants captured by you. We have nowhere to go now. We have no way to get out of your grasp. We have no way to fight you anymore…
Just have your way with us. We can do no other…
Christ, Have Mercy!
Take a hold of us now Lord and do what you will with us. What else can we do?
In truth nothing. The King has come. The King is here.
Lord, Have Mercy!
Yes, He has come and He has conquered. He has thrown out the prince of this world. That evil thing is on the run.
So, choose this day whom you will serve! You will serve, no matter what you choose. As a slave…or…
Or work in His house, and in His fields as a son…as a daughter.
He is here…your King. He has come in Grace and Mercy. With salvation in His wings. Amnesty is in abundance.
Prepare Him room. Do not stop your ears and harden your hearts. Bow the knee and humble yourselves before the Lord…
But wait…what is He doing?
Your King comes to you…humble and riding on a donkey? What manner of thing is this?
Yes, and He comes and raises you up. He sets you at the head of His table and waits on you. He brings a feast and feeds His children. He robes them in His righteousness and crowns them with His reward.
Mercy? Yes, in row upon row, stack upon stack…deep as the ocean and as numerous as the stars…and the sands on a sea shore…
This…all of this…He has made provision for!
For you and for Me, He has. He has come! Lord Have Mercy! Christ Have Mercy! He has and He does and He will.
Amen.
Podcast: Play in new window
Subscribe: RSS