SERMON—Love always protects
If you think about it for a moment, why would the crowd say: “Blessed is the King of Israel!” as Jesus rode in to Jerusalem? When had Jesus been crowned their King? The ruler at the time was Herod.
By choosing to ride in to Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus had made two deliberate connections with the Old Testament—the first being Solomon, who rode on his father King David’s own mule before he was anointed as king. The second was Zechariah’s prophecy:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)
When Jesus rode in to Jerusalem on a donkey, the people knew that Jesus was proclaiming himself as their king—which explains their reaction of calling for salvation, and their acclamation and praise of Jesus:
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
The setting was the preparation for the Passover. The crowd had come to Jerusalem to commemorate and celebrate God’s saving help to his people of old when he freed them from slavery to Egypt, just as he had commanded them to do throughout their generations so that they would never forget how reliant they were on him for his saving help.
God taught them an important lesson that night when he freed them—they had to put their complete trust in him and rely on him alone, when all hope in human ability was gone. As they stood on the shore of the Red Sea, legs turning to jelly and hearts thumping in their chest at the sight and sound of the mighty Egyptian army charging towards them, they had nowhere to turn. All exits were blocked. But just when there was no other hope, God parted the Red sea, miraculously providing the way for their salvation.
Many years later, when Israel was again in danger of slavery to a foreign nation—this time the Philistines—the situation again seemed insurmountable before them. Who could defeat this superhuman, Goliath, and save them from slavery? How could David, a little shepherd boy, with no weapons, no armour, and just a flimsy slingshot, possibly defeat this giant? God again showed them that they needed to put their trust in him and not themselves, and he would again bring about the possible from the impossible to save his people.
When David confronted Goliath, he said: “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).
Fast forward to many years later, and this time it was the Romans who were oppressing Israel. So as the people going to the Passover festival saw Jesus riding in on a donkey, and knew that Jesus was proclaiming himself to be their king, whose kingdom would have no end—can you imagine the excitement, the jubilation, the relief! At last! Freedom from the Romans! Throwing cloaks over the road, rustling palm branches, the crowd cheered and shouted victory cries: “Hosanna! [Save now]!” Swept up in euphoric expectation, the crowd acclaim Jesus as their King, who has come to them in God’s name with blessing for them. They express their hope that with Jesus’ arrival into the capital, the time is now for David’s kingly line to established forever.
But Jesus had not come to win a political war by human means. The battle is a spiritual one. The Apostle Paul would later say: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
The disciples still hadn’t realised this the following week when Jesus was arrested in the Garden. When the chief priests, officers of the temple guard, and the elders, had come for Jesus with swords and clubs, the disciples said: “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, slicing off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. (Luke 22:47-51).
Swords and clubs, and bombs and guns—no amount of human effort or resources would be able to free humanity from our spiritual enemies—the sinful nature, Satan, death and hell.
That is why Jesus came to earth, and rode into Jerusalem, so the Kingdom of God would reign triumphantly from a Cross. In what was so perplexing, so confusing to human eyes—which could only see torture, suffering, defeat and failure by the most degrading and excruciating death possible—Jesus came in the name of the Lord full of divine blessing, to do what swords and guns and bombs and governments and world leaders could not do: to be our Passover Lamb and free us from the grip of sin and its wages of death by his own death, to rescue us out of hell’s prison and save us from the ownership of Satan, and make us members of the kingdom of God’s Son by his precious blood.
Not even Jesus’ death on a cross could stop God’s kingdom reigning victoriously. In fact, it was the very means for God to triumph. Even though he was dead, and buried, Jesus would not see decay, but a week later people would see him risen. What was promised to David was true, just as we confess in the Creed each Sunday: “…and his kingdom will have no end.”
Throughout our midweek Lenten series ‘Lent: a time for love’ we have reflected on how we need God, the author of love, to define what true love is for us. As our Lenten theme of love spills over into Holy Week now, this is where we are up to: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7a).
Love is not based on selfish desire or even mutual benefit; rather, it always seeks to protect others. That doesn’t mean we should excuse wrongdoing or evade the natural consequences of sin; it means we should aim to strengthen what is weak, shield what is vulnerable, and forgive what needs forgiving. The Greek word for ‘protects’ (stegei) means “to cover”—to cover over, to hold off, to hold out against. That’s what love does. When you love something, or someone, you protect it loyally, even fiercely, coming between your loved one and the person or circumstance threatening danger.
We have a worse enemy than Goliath, or ancient Egypt or Rome: Satan, sin, death and hell. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, no person on earth can ever overcome the human sinful nature. No one could ever defeat death. No one could confront Satan and triumph over him, busting us out of the prison of hell.
But Jesus brought about the possible from what was humanly impossible. He made the way to ransom the world where there was no other way. When Jesus rode in to Jerusalem, it was ultimately to protect his people by sealing their redemption by his blood on the Cross. He won the victory for us, over the devil, our sinful nature and even death for us, that we would be the redeemed, freed children of God.
Because Christ has done this for you, nothing can snatch you away from his Heavenly Father’s loving grasp on you. A few chapters before today’s Palm Gospel reading, Jesus said:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand…” (John 10:10, 27-29).
Perhaps at times in life it seems that, although we are in the palm of God’s hand he has let us go, at other times, he has closed his fist around us. That is not to crush us but to hide us and protect us, from every force of the devil, the world and our sinful flesh that would threaten to snatch us away from God. Paul says that Love always protects. God always holds his people tightly in his hand.
Although Satan accuses God’s people day and night (Revelation 12:10), Christ rode in to Jerusalem to die on a Cross, to protect you from all these accusations and their consequences, by his body beaten, scourged and crucified. Christ rode in to protect you from the condemnation of the law by shedding his precious blood for you. Christ rode in to protect you from the final enemy to be destroyed—death—with his own death. Christ rode in to protect you from anguish and despair, and the attacks of the evil one by hiding us in his wounds, covering over our unrighteousness and shame with his own righteousness.
Because his is the Kingdom that will not end, nobody, and nothing else, will ever be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord—no matter what guilt or shame you bear, no matter what you have done, or have failed to do, no matter what your life circumstances and experiences are, no matter how dark the road or heavy the burden—neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)—God’s love that will always cover you, and protect you as his own.
This is the very reality that we participate in as we come to the Lord’s Table. Through the liturgy for Holy Communion we join that first Palm Sunday crowd of believers in John’s Gospel in shouting out: “Hosanna!” (Lord, save now), and: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. Through this holy meal we proclaim that Jesus is truly present as our King to bring us saving help, and to share his victory with us in this time and space, bringing true blessing from heaven to us—the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, covering over our unrighteousness, guilt and shame, protecting us as he prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.
Let us never forget how reliant we are on God for his saving help. When all hope seems gone, all other comforts fail, and helpers flee, put your trust in Christ, who comes in the name of the Lord, and has made the way for you to share in his victory and salvation forever! Amen.
