Different King | Different Kingdom | Different Rules

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Today’s MessagE

Title: Different King | Different Kingdom | Different Rules

Text: Luke 19:28-40

Biblical Basic: Worship | I worship God for who He is and what He has done for me. | Psalm 95:1-2

Sermon in a Sentence: We follow the humble, servant King into his Upside Down Kingdom, laying down our cloak (out life) at his feet, and following his radical, royal law of love.

Key Points:

Unself: Different King | Different Kingdom | Different Rules

We follow the humble, servant King into his Upside Down Kingdom, laying down our cloak (our life) at his feet, and following his radical, royal law of love.

• Two Processionals
  • Pontius Pilate parades in from one side of the city with a garrison of centurions and cavalry. It is meant to impress and intimidate, squelching any thoughts of rebellion during the Passover, which celebrated the liberation of the Jewish people from another oppressive empire, the Egyptians.
  • On the other side of the city, Jesus rides in on a donkey, a symbol of humility and peace.
    • His entry is a fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy in Zechariah 9. Jesus himself even references the prophecy, signaling to his listeners that He is, in fact, the awaited Messiah.
    • Some have called the scene “political street theatre” where Jesus is demonstrating an alternative reality.
  • Two processions: One an extraordinary demonstration of military might. The other an extraordinary demonstration of humility and servanthood.

• The Triumphal Entry
  • As he was going along, the people laid their cloaks on the ground before him, a symbolic gesture of paying homage to royalty.
    • Perhaps the gesture is a metaphor for us, where we too lay our own lives at the feet of Jesus, surrendering, “unselfing” as we acknowledge his lordship over our lives.
  • What caused the people to rejoice in such celebration? All the miracles he has performed have led to this climactic moment. At this point, His followers view these signs and wonders as evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised King, anointed by God to be the deliverer.
  • HOSANNA! Two simultaneous meanings:
    • It is both a cry for help and an acknowledgement and praise to the King.
    • The underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.”
      • It was also an important phrase during the week of Passover as the Jews reflected on the way God did come and delivered them from the Egyptians. Hosanna! Lord, save us!
    • A reference to Psalm 118, these verses had become by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king.”

• The religious elite, the Pharisees, were appalled by the scene and demanded that Jesus put an end to it.
  • Jesus replies, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
  • There is something about everyone of us, even in all of creation, that is designed to shout Hosanna – Hail to the King. To give all of our attention and allegiance and affection to the one who comes to save. The one who delivers.

• An Upside Down Kingdom
  • On this day, the Servant King rides in on a young donkey. There can be no doubt: Jesus is making a statement. He’s saying, “I’m a different kind of King come to rule a different kind of Kingdom. As such, I’ll be leading a different kind of revolution, with different kind of Kingdom citizens.” 
  • The vision of Jesus’ Kingdom brings liberation and freedom from oppression, but not the way the Jews were expecting. 
  • Different King | Different Kingdom | Different Rules
    • Jesus says that the Kingdom is available to anyone and everyone. Not just the elite. Not just the ones that are cleaned up and whole. In fact, His Kingdom is especially for the poor in spirit, the broken, the battered, the rejected.
    • He challenges us to “Unself”: “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
    • Different rules: “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
    • “Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all.”
    • “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
    • Paul reminds us:
      • “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
      • God says: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

A Prayer: “Today we lay down our cloak, our coats and jackets, We lay down our best before you, our very lives, and we honor you as King and Lord. HOSANNA!”