Outer Rim Territories

Vicar Christopher Gillespie
Immanuel Lutheran Church of Frankentrost
Saginaw, Michigan
Lent VI Palmarum – Sunday of the Passion (March 16, 2008)
Text: John 12:12-19
MP3 Audio

Palm Sunday is an odd holiday. To the casual bystander, it really doesn’t make much sense in his rhythm of the church year. We’ve just spent five weeks suffering with a very lamb of God, who is lowly, patient, suffering scorn, and who died at the hands of wicked me. This coming Holy week, he will be betrayed, handed over to the Gentiles and chief priests and will be hung upon a tree. He will die and be buried. Not until Easter sunrise is our Lord resurrected, and salvation won for us finally and completely. Right sandwiched between this Lententide and Passiontide is Palm Sunday.

One might be tempted to call Christ’s triumphant entry ironic. True irony is when the audience knows the full dramatic significance of Jesus entry as a king but that Jesus himself does not know. But, unlike the tragic ironies of film and literature, Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem is not ironic to him. Jesus predicted his passion three times, that he must go up to Jerusalem. He knew what was to come. He was always about fulfilling all righteousness.

“Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.” (Psalm 118:19) Only the righteous can enter through that heavenly gate; the righteous Lamb of God, Christ our Lord. The psalmist, David, predicted this triumphal entry. David knew that in his distress and call to the Lord, the freedom promised… the refuge of the Lord… would be won through our Lord’s righteousness. For while the Lord has disciplined us sinners severely, for the sake of His son, he hasn’t given us over to death. “I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord” writes David. (Psalm 118:17).

While the prophet Zechariah speaks of deliverance at the hands of the king in our Old Testament lesson, he first speaks of judgment on Israel’s enemies. The King who comes humbly, mounted on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey… is the king who comes in judgment of our Lord’s enemies. The people knew this prophesy as is evident by the use of palm branches. Palm branches were a nationalistic symbol of Judea. They were used to celebrate military victories.

Here is true irony. For those who strewed with the palm branches before Christ did not know that his true kingdom is not of this world. They didn’t know he was the King of heaven, sent to deliver them not from Caesar but Satan. Yet, they prayed Hosanna in the highest which means “save us– please!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna to the son of David!”

While Christ’s entry might not be irony to him, it certainly was to the disciples. For they, too did not understand the things that were to come. The Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, was intrigued to death. And so the evangelist John writes that “his disciples do not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things have been written about him and had been done to him.” (John 12:16) These disciples did not see the true nature of the entry into the city of Zion. They did not know, despite the passion predictions of Jesus to them, they did not know that he was about to be killed.

Nor did the people of Jerusalem know what he was about to do. What victory do the people see in Christ, that they would just lay there branches before him? When had Christ triumphed over enemies? At best, the people had heard of the raising of Lazarus and thought it to be a sign that this man Jesus was the Messiah. But, we know that their expectations for the Messiah were false. They expected a messiah who would triumph over their earthly enemies. By all appearances, he was not whom he appeared to be.

But we’re in on the irony, for we know the end of the story! We know that all things are made well in Christ. But, we know that this did not happen through military might or political victory, but through Christ’s victory over death and sin. Christ’s entrance riding on the foil the donkey is dramatic. But, Christ’s departure from Jerusalem dead and buried is truly ironic. For hidden beneath death is new life. Buried with Christ is death to sin, despite appearances.

The prophet Isaiah also spoke of this coming salvation of our Lord for the people of Zion. Our Lord brings forth salvation with a burning torch. He comes with a crown of beauty and a royal diadem. He comes as a young man who marries a young woman, as a bridegroom for his bride. “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. And they shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord”; (Isaiah 62:11-12)

Yet again salvation does not come apart from judgment. The voice of Isaiah then asks our Lord “who is this who comes … in crimson garments? ‘It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.’ [Isaiah asks again:] Why is your apparel red garments like those who treads the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their life blood spattered on my garments and stained all my apparel. I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me.” (Isaiah 62:1-63:6)

The judgment of our Lord upon sin can’t be had apart from His blood. In the Father’s wrath he tramples the grapes of wrath, the very body of His own son. The blood of the grapes soaks his garments. This is the blood of the sacrifice of the Lamb who was slain. This is the blood of Christ which pours from his side as it is pierced. This is the blood of Christ which washes upon us, its crimson stain purging us of the wrath of God. This is the life saving blood which cover all our iniquities. “In him we have retention through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7) “Jesus suffered outside the gates in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” (Hebrews 13:12)

Jesus comes to you not as an earthly king but as a Savior. The earthly king comes with armor, power, anger, wrath, and violence. Here, Jesus comes defying our expectations… different from any king of this world… with only kindness, justice, and salvation. He dispenses to us every good thing… all the merciful sweetness of the Gospel. He is just, because He justifies. He is the Savior, because He saves. These are qualities which no earthly king could ever bring to His throne. We find strength not in his apparent glory on Palm Sunday but rather in His suffering and death on Good Friday. In His passion, we gain his kindness, justice, mercy, and salvation. We surround him as those bearing palms, declaring him as the one who has come to justify us and save us not physically but spiritually, not through earthly dominion but victory over the lower realm. (see M. Luther on Zechariah 9:9)

Just as Jesus came to those people of Jerusalem in meekness and humbleness, riding on the foal of a donkey, so to Jesus comes and weakness humbleness to us. From this is pulpit the Word made flesh rides in majesty into his congregation through the weakness of this voice. The preacher is no chariot, and his word is a no army to mortal eyes. And yet this is how our eyes of faith see it. We expect the grand and dynamic voice of God himself, booming forth from the heavens crying aloud “I have come to deliver you.” But, what we receive is much more subtle, small, quiet, and reserved. We receive this insignificant servant of the Lord to proclaim the great and mighty deeds of our Lord. The true glory of God is not wrought upon this earth for earthly things, but are wrought for heavenly things… for spiritual things… for eternal life and salvation.

So to his very presence upon the altar does not seem very kingly. His bodily presence does not appear General MacArthur and all his tanks coming forth to win victory over our mortal enemies. Rather the Father chose to deliver His son for our redemption in your bread and wine. These gifts of the altar are not the strong stallion but the weak donkey. The heavenly meal… and rather small portions of it, no less, seem insignificant. They seem minor, trivial, unimportant.

But this is not so! For in the bread and wine are the very forgiveness life and salvation won for us on the cross of Calvary. Underneath bread and wine, a mere morsel of the means, is the holy and sinless son of God. Riding into the sanctuary is not a grand and glorious feast for your eyes… rather a feast perhaps only for a beggar. But, we are but beggars before God! We deserve none of these great and glorious things He has done for us. They have been given to us only out of his love and his mercy. They are here given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. All through humility and weakness!

And so to visit for the cross. For in the cross, we do not see a mighty and victorious King. Rather we see our Savior beaten, scourged, and torn. We see only a ragged worm of a man, indeed less than a man. We don’t see a king, but we see a slave. For this is the extent of Christ’s humiliation. He was humble to ride in upon a donkey but most humble riding out upon a wooden cross.

On this Sunday of the passion, we quickly move from the triumphal entry of the King of the Jews to hastily making preparations for his last days. For while some knew and believed that he is the Messiah on that Palm Sunday, many others now desire to kill him.

Do not be deceived brothers and sisters! These are great and glorious gifts of God which are given to us here in his sanctuary. They are not wondrous beauties to behold in the eyes of men. They are not as they seem. For they require faith which trusts in God and his Word in order to believe. For who can trust the voice of one man speaking to the people apart from faith? Who can trust in a salvation given with your water, apart from faith that trusts in the Word of God? Who can trust that simple bread and wine can deliver the righteousness of the son of God to you, apart from faith?

Take heed saints of God, the God of our faith is not one who is grand and glorious in the eyes of men. For the eyes of men can never believe God would give himself over to death. For in the eyes of men, no God would allow himself to be crucified without uttering a word. The eyes of men cannot trust that the temple of God could be destroyed and be raised up in three days. These eyes of men are foolish! They do not see because they do not believe.

This week is the holy passion tide of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I urge you to receive the Lord is often as he comes to you especially at the divine services offered here. For in them, you appear to hear only mere words but actually receive saving faith. You only appear to hear the voice and hands of your pastor but receive absolution from God himself. You see only mere bread and wine but receive forgiveness of sins. On Saturday, the great vigil of Easter, you’ll recall only mere water of the font but believe this Baptism is a life giving flood, full of grace, and mercy.

All these humble and lowly means are the means by which God has chosen to deliver unto you forgiveness and eternal joys of heaven. Receive them freely, with open hearts and minds, despite appearances. For Christ is truly present! He has come into his hall, proclaiming salvation to all who believe. His banners might not be unfurled. His trumpets might not be playing. His soldiers might not be marching forth. We may not be laying palm branches before Him. And yet he comes, despite appearances, bringing redemption and salvation for you. Amen.

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Tagged: irony, Lent 6, Palmarum, Passion