Jesus' Mock Parade

Prelude

Where does the solution to all our problems, really come from? Does it come from here on earth? What does God have to do with national and personal deliverance from all our problems?

Purpose: Let’s understand the political implications of Palm Sunday.

Plan: Let’s look at Mark 11:1-11 and the only place to find true salvation.

Jesus' Mock Parade

Imagine for a minute a grand parade. It might be one of those that celebrates military might with tanks and rockets. It might have brass bands, flags waving and marchers goose-stepping in rhythm, with a dictator either clapping from a grandstand or even at the head of the parade. Then imagine some time later a mock parade with a popular religious leader riding a donkey, and instead of flags, people waving palm branches. That’s what Palm Sunday is all about. It mocks and challenges this world’s pride and arrogance. We often think of Jesus riding a donkey as religious not political, but we forget the implications for Caesar, Pilate and Herod.

Mark 11:2 Politics

In Mark 11:2 Jesus told his disciples, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.” He was preparing a mock political parade. It is not the church’s job to tell us which side of politics to vote for. But, the Church does have a job in politics as prophet to all sides of power and sometimes prophets mock governments which puff themselves up and pretend to have the answers. Human efforts always fail. Behind the scenes is a hidden, spiritual kingdom with humanity’s only hope, true salvation.

Mark 11:9 Hosanna

In Mark 11:9 people shouted “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” from Psalm 118:26. What is the meaning of hosanna? It’s a combination of two Hebrew words, yasha meaning “help” or “save,” a root of Jesus’ name, and na meaning “please” or “we pray” and the combination into the Hebrew expression Hoshia-na is both a plea and a praise. It is also a cheer. Unlike most world leaders who ride in expensive carriages and limousines, leaders of Israel were to ride a donkey symbolizing the humility that God expects of His leaders, much like the current pope who rides in a compact car.

Mark 11:10 In the Highest

In Mark 11:10 when Jesus rode into town on a colt, why did the crowds shout “Hosanna in the highest?” If hosanna means save us please or save we pray. Then, what does hosanna “in the highest” mean? It means in the highest regions, a superlative found often in Greek poetry meaning heaven, God. We look to the world to solve our problems. The whole world is run by very intelligent, highly educated people who are unable to solve our greatest world problems. Our problems are spiritual in nature and the solutions to our problems are spiritual. Christians call that solution salvation, which only comes from the highest of all, heaven.

A Better Kingdom

Bible Commentator Charles Campbell’s take on this passage is that it is “one of the wildest and most politically explosive acts of Jesus' ministry. The story is a reminder of the political challenge of Jesus' ministry, as well as the political character of Christian praise. The event should not be limited to an opening processional in which people smile at cute children waving palm branches.” [1] Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. Passover (our Easter) was a time when Israel remembered being freed from slavery in Egypt. Then along came Caesar as the new Pharaoh. Jesus’ entry mocks the failed leadership of this world and promises a new kingdom.

[1] Charles L. Campbell, Exegetical Perspective on Mark 11:1-11 for Palm Sunday, Year B. Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, WORDsearch Edition.

Postlude

Does politics belong in the Church? If the Church must speak out about sin, how can it avoid speaking out about the sin on all sides of politics! Christians unite when we realize that shouting “Hosanna in the highest” is very much a political statement. It means that we haven’t fallen for the lies of this world, and believe that our salvation comes from only one place, heaven!

A Seed Dies & Life Begins

Prelude

How does selfishness destroy us? How does selflessness save us? How does truly living only begin when the seed of selfishness dies?

Purpose: Jesus taught that self-preservation is self-destructive and self-sacrifice is really living.

Plan: Let’s examine the passage where Jesus predicts his death in John 12:20-33 and his example for us.

John 12:23 The Paradox of Glory through Shame

In John 12:23 Jesus announced, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” Glory means magnified, honored. Yet Jesus must take a dark path before His return to glory in Heaven and His message is accepted worldwide. Jesus does not focus on the pain of the cross, but the resurrection. We too remember Good Friday, but focus on Easter, Resurrection Sunday. Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Paul, following Jesus’ example, wrote, “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

John 12:24 The Germination Miracle

In John 12:24 Jesus explains that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Germination is a miracle of creation that turns a dormant seed into a growing plant. Seeds thousands of years old have germinated. Up to a certain point, germination even brings the miracle of DNA repair with up to a half million DNA modifications per healthy cell per day. The paradox of glory through shame is also a miracle. On the cross the greatest reputation in the world was built. The greatest dishonor produced the greatest honor. Self-promotion brings shame. Self-sacrifice brings glory.

Example: Technological Change

“If [a grain of wheat] dies it produces much grain.” Irrelevant church traditions must die. The message of the Gospel never changes, but culture does. Typewriters, cassette tapes, rotary phones and vacuum tube radios have come and gone. They have all died and most companies that made them are gone. Companies that refused to change and keep up with new technology have died. Communication remains, but the means changes. Companies that survive are willing to change. Those that do not, die. Churches must be willing to let old traditions die and change to make the unchanging Gospel relevant to new generations. Self-sacrifice is real life. A seed dies and life begins.

John 12:25 Qualification for Leadership

A difficult saying of Jesus is John 12:25. “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Love that which is mortal and lose that which is immortal. Surrender the mortal and gain the eternal. Give up that which is dying in order to gain that which will never die. Be selfish and lose our lives; be selfless and gain eternal life. A selfish member of the herd takes to preserve himself, damages the herd and will die alone. One who contributes to the wellbeing of the whole herd preserves the herd and his own life.

Example: Easter Island

“He who loves his life will lose it.” An ecological disaster took place on Easter Island before European discovery. It was originally a very advanced civilization with such ease of growing food that there was plenty of time for astronomy and building large stone statues. Something caused a Pacific paradise to degenerate into deforestation, cannibalism and poverty. Fishing ceased because there were no materials to build canoes or nets. A state of permanent warfare existed. Preserving the self for a day, they lost sight of the sacrifice it took to preserve their society for the long term. This is the same fault of modern civilization and its damage to the environment.

John 12:26 Tourists or Pilgrims

In John 12:26 Jesus says, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.” Do we attend church as tourists or pilgrims? Tourists go out of curiosity, but not to follow Jesus. Pilgrims go to follow Him. The tourist leaves church loving their life in this world and its sins. The pilgrim leaves church loving this world even less and loving Christ all the more. The pilgrim realizes that all these are cheap substitutes for following Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” The honor of this world is temporary. The honor of heaven lasts forever.

John 12:31-32 Judgment Now

In John 12:31-32 Jesus says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Who rules the Godless? Jews believed the devil ruled other nations. Jesus called the devil the Pharisees’ father (John 8:44-45). The world is already condemned and its ruler cast out. Jesus later revealed that, “the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9)

Example: Selfishness Destroys

Jesus taught that selfishness destroys us. How? Selfish people are combative because they always want things their way, so they lose relationships. Selfish people kill their own joy by complaining. Selfish people have unrealistic expectations of themselves and others, so people don’t want to be around them. Selfish people can’t take criticism, but they constantly criticize others, so because of the negative atmosphere people walk away. Selfish people make love conditional upon serving their needs and so hurt others. Selfish people lie and manipulate, so they can’t be trusted. Selfish people believe they deserve the largest portion and don’t consider how others feel, and so drive friends and family members away.

Postlude

Jesus taught that self-preservation is self-destructive, but self-sacrifice is real life. A seed dies and life begins.

The Hour has Come

Jesus replied, The hour has come
For the Son of Man to enter
His glory, like wheat must succumb
Before life springs from its center

He who loves his life will lose it
But who his life in this world hates
For eternity will be fit
Follow me and honor awaits

Now my soul has become distressed
What should I say, Father save me?
It's why I came; this is my quest
To glorify divinity

Now judgment of the world is here
The ruler of this world thrown out
When I to heaven disappear
I will draw men from all about

John 12:20-33; Hebrews 12:2; Romans 8:18; John 8:44-45; Revelation 12:9

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Condemned or Not

Prelude

What is the way to life? Why do some reject it? Is their motive logical or emotional?

Purpose: Let’s understand the significance of faith in Christ.

Plan: Let’s look at condemnation and salvation in John 3:14-21.

John 3:14 The Exalted Cross

As we read John 3:14 “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” our natural inclination is to think of suffering as one of life’s worst moments. This suggests the opposite. Lifted up on a cross, can also mean “exalted” on a cross. Jesus viewed his suffering with His creation as an exalted privilege. Prosperity preachers are popular because they do not preach suffering. But, to be truly exalted, we must follow Christ’s example. We can’t come to the light of the cross, by the dark and deceptive world of materialism. We too are exalted by sacrificing for others?

John 3:15 Problem, Cause, Solution

In John 3:15 we read, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Ancient Israel was often critical of God. One one occasion, God punished them by sending poisonous snakes into their midst (Numbers 21:4-9). The people regretted their whining and Moses prayed and following God’s instructions made a bronze snake on a pole. Looked on the bronze snake that was lifted up, they lived. When we look to the cross and believe in Him, we too will live. The solution to a snake problem was a snake. The solution to the problems of man is the man who was lifted up on a cross.

John 3:16 How God Loved the World

John 3:16 is widely known, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “God so loved the world” means He loved the world "in this way," or "like this." He lifted up Jesus in the same manner that Moses lifted up the snake for the healing of Israel. The snake on the pole was meant to remind Israel to trust God for healing but it later became an idol and had to be destroyed. Church traditions can degenerate into idols. We too need to lift up Jesus, ahead of traditions and denominational pride.

John 3:17 Loving the Hateful

A remarkable statement is this, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Would we die for our enemies. Would we die for an adulterer, homosexual, divorcee or fornicator. Jesus did. Jesus neither condemned nor condoned sin. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but told her to sin no more. If the liberal sin is to condone sin, then the conservative sin is to condemn sinners. Both extremes are a sin. Only Jesus has the right to condemn in the final judgment, but it’s not here yet. Are we here to condemn or save?

John 3:18 Condemnation

John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” An attitude of disbelief towards Jesus condemns us before judgment day, unless we change.“He who does not believe, already has hell on his neck,” [1] The unbeliever is in a state of self-condemnation before the judgment day, because he cannot be saved by his good deeds. His only hope is repentance and belief in the Gospel. Instead, he prefers wickedness and willfully rejects any idea of Christ, the only way to salvation from death.

John 3:19 Men Love Darkness

John 3:19 says, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” The word for love is from the Greek word agapé and just means love or affection. It is false that agapé always means divine love. It does not. It depends on context. When we hear the story of Jesus, what motivates our conclusion. Intelligent, well-educated people sometimes decide not to believe, based on emotions, not logic. When we hate to even think of the possibility of light because we love darkness, we are motivated to conclusions that illogically support our evil deeds.

John 3:20-21 Light and Dark

What motivates someone to accept God or not? John 3:20-21 teaches, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” This seems to be saying that it is not logic, but the emotion of hate towards truth. Aren’t atheists and agnostics supposed to be logical and scientific in their conclusions? That’s a myth. Scientific methods deliberately ignore God and forensic evidence for God is deliberately buried. Why? The emotion of hatred of truth and light.

Postlude

God wants everyone to desire salvation. The way to life is Jesus Christ. Some reject it and Jesus says their motives are pure emotional not logical at all. Jesus says their motives are that “men loved darkness rather than light” and “everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” But, “He who believes in Him is not condemned” and “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Luther, Martin. Luther's Explanatory Notes on the Gospels. P. Anstadt. 1899. 292.

John 3:14-21; Numbers 21:4-9

Is our Priority Money or Prayer?

Prelude

Is our priority prayer or money? Whether you are suspicious or selfish or give generously, what is the right use of money in the church?

Purpose: Let’s understand that money will always be a cause for good and evil in the Church.

Plan: Let’s examine John 2:13-25, the money changers in the temple and prayer.

John 2:14-15 Częstochowa in Poland

We arrived at Jasna Góra (pronounced YAS-na GO-ra), the church of the Black Madonna in Częstochowa (pronounced CHEST-o-HO-va) in Poland. Outside were droves of trinket and souvenir sellers. Inside were people praying and a service was going on. It reminded us of what Jesus’ saw in Jerusalem, “And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.” (John 2:14-15) Would He do the same in our churches today?

Financial Abuse

Someone in a group touring Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome asked their priest tour guide how much it cost. He replied that it cost much of northern Europe, referring to Tetzel’s scam, selling indulgences as a church building fundraiser, and a cause of the Protestant Reformation. Financial abuse has occurred throughout history and the church has not been immune. When bishops take more from local churches than the tenth of the tenth taken by Moses, then one wonders why the New Testament church is more burdensome than the Old. When bishops and televangelists live in palaces while others starve at their doorsteps, one wonders what happened to the religion of Jesus.

Financial Stewardship

The Church usually handles money well. The Gospel is our eternal investment. But the Church also invests in temporal needs, building hospitals, homeless shelters, orphanages, soup kitchens, educational institutions, working for justice and reconciliation, and teaching people how to improve their lives. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is rated A+ by CharityWatch. Salaries are not paid from donations, but by our Conferences. Hence all of donations go to alleviating human suffering in more than 80 countries, including the United States. Donors choose where their contributions go. UMCOR provides humanitarian relief when calamity disrupts communities and the most vulnerable need help. UMCOR spends 100% on disaster relief and international development.

John 2:16-17 Legitimate Anger

There is righteous and unrighteous anger. Proverbs advises, “Make no friendship with an angry man” (Proverbs 22:24). Yet, God is occasionally angry at evil. Clearing the Temple Jesus said, “Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:16-17) Remember, “whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” (Matthew 5:22) Jesus was righteously indignant that the place of prayer had been corrupted by profit making. Righteous anger is legitimate. Remember what Paul said, “Be angry, and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26-27)

God’s Anger is Love

Why do we get angry when a gunman attacks a school, precious children or the elderly are abused, or terrorists line up innocent people and cut their throats? Is it because within us is some measure of love for others? Perhaps we can understand then how a loving God is also an angry God? If God knows the long-term consequences of sin to hurt and destroy us, He hates sin and is angry when we choose to sin. If God created marriage as a blessing, He hates what destroys it. If God knows that only He can provide us true blessings, He hates the false idols and lies of counterfeit religions.

John 2:18-19 Jesus’ 3 Days

After He had driven out the money changers in the Temple, the Jews asked Jesus, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:18-19) Sometimes, interpreting Jesus literally instead of figuratively is to be like the Jews. They thought He meant the literal temple that took 46 years to build. He was speaking of his body raised three days after his crucifixion. Even his disciples didn’t fully grasp this until after his death. Large parts of what Jesus taught was not literal, but metaphor, parable and hyperbole.

Matthew 6 Three Pillars of Lent

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6) mentions the right practice of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. These are the three pillars of Lent. Though we especially focus on them before Easter, they are basic Christian principles all year long. This is why Jesus was so angry with the money changers in the Temple. They were focusing more on money than prayer. Lent is a time when we turn away from the marketplace to prayer. We renew our private prayer time where God sees in secret. We give not as some celebrities do to be seen of others, but in secret. We fast, not to be seen of others, but in secret.

A Better Fundraiser

The church is a house of prayer but cannot operate without money. Pastors ought to live off the Gospel rather than be so busy making an income that they have no time for the church (1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:17-18). Do we tithe 10% under the New Covenant? Ought Christians do less than old law required? The challenge to Christians is the widow’s mite, which was all her livelihood. Generosity does not stop at a legalistic 10%. We tithe and give offerings over and above a tithe. Our churches give about a tithe to the Bishop and some churches budget an extra tenth for the poor or missionaries.

Acts 20:35 Giving

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Living hand to mouth, unable to pay bills, it can be difficult to be able to give. Working hard and using money management are the honest ways to wealth (Proverbs 6:6-8; 13:4; 12:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Instead of being victims of materialism, wise people live way below their means so they can save and have something left to give. Tithing teaches us to budget. We give God a tenth and save a tenth. Rather than be slaves to credit, we should pay cash for most things and practice giving to the Gospel and the needy.

Postlude

Where our money is reveals where our hearts are. The Church uses money for the Gospel and the needy, investing in eternal and temporal needs. We all ought to be good stewards of God’s money, and our church’s focus ought to be on prayer.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

John 2:13-25; Proverbs 22:24; Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:26-27; Matthew 6; 1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Proverbs 6:6-8; 13:4; 12:24; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12