Your King Comes

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that 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 NIV)

Happy New Year! Does that sound strange? Like I’m a month off? I’m not. It’s really a new year today—in the Christian Church. The Christian Church Year starts today with the season of Advent. Advent means “coming.” In Advent, we focus on Jesus’ coming, first at Christmas and then again on Judgment Day. So, Happy New Year! Not all Christians follow the church year. You don’t have to. But for thousands of years, Christians have found it useful to focus over and over again on the events of Jesus’ life. People really used to think about this. Today people try to tailor church to their lives. Instead, maybe we should tailor our lives to Jesus and his life for us.

For over 1,000 years, on the first Sunday of Advent, Christians have heard about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. At first, that might seem out of place. When did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey? On Palm Sunday! During Holy Week. In the spring. Why are we hearing that today? Well, remember what Advent means? “Coming.” There’s no greater story of Jesus coming then when he came to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise for us. Today we see Jesus come.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, he told two of his disciples, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” No big deal, right? You’ve heard this before… Wait! We too often race through Bible stories without thinking about what they say. Imagine if I were to say to you, “This afternoon, drive to Claremore. Right when you’re passing the Rogers County Courthouse, you’ll see a man driving a blue 2015 Chevy Silverado. Tell him I want it, and he’ll give you the keys and let you drive away.” If I were to tell you that, and it would come true, would you say, “No big deal”? No way!

We learn something amazing about Jesus from this story: Jesus is God! How do we know? Jesus is omniscient. Do you know what the fancy word “omniscient” means? Jesus knows everything. Past. Present. Future. Everything. Here. There. Everywhere. Everything! “Go, find a man. Bring his donkey. He’ll let you…” Jesus is omniscient—he knows all things—because Jesus is God.

Think of what this means: From the Mount of Olives, Jesus could see the Garden of Gethsemane where he would pray in agony, sweat drops of blood and be arrested. And he still came. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus could see the high priest’s house where he would be beaten and accused. And he still came. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus could even see a place that looked like a skull—Golgotha—where he would be crucified. Jesus could see it. He knew it. But he still came.

As he looked around him on Palm Sunday, Jesus knew that Judas would betray him for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus knew that Peter would disown him three times. Jesus knew that all his disciples would abandon him. Jesus knew that even on Easter Sunday evening, all his followers would be hiding behind locked doors in fear and doubt. Jesus knew all of that. But he still came.

How he must have loved them! And how he must love us! Since Jesus is omniscient, he knows all the sins that you and I have ever committed, even those that we have forgotten. He knows all the sins that we are hiding right now in our hearts and lives, confident that nobody will know what hypocrites we are. But he still came. Jesus knows how corrupt our hearts are. How we proudly think we’re the good ones. How we know exactly what we should do, but we’re too lazy to even start. How we claim to know Jesus’ forgiveness, but we live with grudges and bitterness in our hearts. Jesus knows. He knows all of that. But he still came. He came! He must love us.

Jesus even knows all our troubles. He knows all the worries and anxieties that oppress us. He knows all the sighs and groans that arise in our souls, even though no one else can hear them. He knows all the hidden tears we’ve shed. He knows all the depression and the loneliness and the emptiness that we cover over every day. He knows us as we really are. But he still came.

Your King comes. That’s the message of Advent. Your King comes! Not because we fooled him into coming. Jesus doesn’t come and say, “Oh, I thought you’d be different.” No! Jesus knows it all. Yet, in grace, he still came. He comes to forgive our sins. He comes to fill our needs. He comes to hear our prayers and dry our tears and calm our hearts. He comes to give us joy and hope and purpose. Jesus came once to save us from our sins. Jesus will come again to take us to heaven. While we wait, Jesus comes to us every time we hear God’s Word. Your King comes!

Isn’t this good news? Jesus knew the crowds on Palm Sunday would turn against him. Yet, your King comes! Jesus knew that beatings and a cross awaited him. Yet, your King comes! Jesus knew the world would abandon him. Yet, your King comes! Jesus knows all our sins and wicked thoughts and proud desires. Yet, your King comes! Jesus knows your past. Jesus knows your future. Yet, your King comes! He must really love us. He knows us, and he still comes.

How can we be sure? Well, as he tells us about Palm Sunday, Matthew quotes a verse from the Old Testament, from the prophet Zechariah. When you see the New Testament quote the Old Testament, pay attention. This is important! It starts, “Say to Daughter Zion.” Do you know who “Zion” is? Zion was the name of a mountain in Jerusalem. It came to stand for the whole city of Jerusalem. Then, it came to mean all the Israelites. Then, it came to mean all who are God’s people by faith in Jesus. If “Zion” is God’s people, whom is God talking to in this verse? You!

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See!’” Remember how I said we run too fast through the Bible? Don’t miss this little word, “See!” It’s as if God wants to wake you up. He takes you by the shoulders and shakes you: “See!” God wants you to notice something remarkable. The truth is, nothing of what happens on Palm Sunday seems remarkable. A guy rides a borrowed donkey into an old city, and some people get their clothes dirty by putting them on the ground. No big deal! Wrong! “See!” “Pay attention to what is happening here. God wants you to see, so wake up and look!”

“Your king comes.” These are such comforting words for our hearts. Did you hear what the Bible calls Jesus? “Your” king. Yours! You and I who are tormented by the guilt of sin, who feel so lost and alone, who wonder if anybody cares, who wonder if anybody’s coming, who feel like it’s all just up to us… “Your king comes.” Did you hear that? Your king isn’t Biden or Trump. It’s Jesus Christ. Christ the King! Your life. Your future. Today. Right now. It’s all in Jesus’ hands. “See!” Wake up! Look! “Your king”—that’s Jesus! Doesn’t that comfort your heart?

“Your king comes.” This is so important. Who comes to whom? We get this so mixed up. Who comes to whom? Jesus comes to you. Those three words—“your king comes”—silence all the foolish talk about free will or us making a decision for Christ or us needing to invite Jesus in. All that couldn’t be further from the truth. Who comes to whom? Jesus comes to you. In grace. In mercy. In forgiveness. Life is not about you coming to Jesus. Jesus comes to you! Jesus opens your heart. Jesus brings you faith. Jesus accepts you. This is the gospel: Your King comes!

“To you.” I guess we need to hear it again. “To you.” “Your king comes to you.” Martin Luther taught that there are two kinds of faith. The first kind of faith sees Christ. That first kind of faith believes that Jesus came. But that’s not actually saving faith. The second kind of faith doesn’t just see Christ. It doesn’t just believe that Jesus came. The second kind of faith—true faith—believes that Jesus came for you. That Jesus is yours and you are his. That’s the faith that fills your heart with joy and peace and hope. Can you see the difference? Your King comes to you!

“Gentle and riding on a donkey.” Who would have thought? Jesus should come with wrath for sinners. He should come with fire to send us to hell as we deserve. But, instead, he came “gentle.” Born in a manger. Riding on a donkey. Not with wrath to destroy us, but to suffer God’s wrath for us on the cross. Not with fire, but to suffer hell for us on the cross. So that we could be forgiven and saved. There’s a word for all this: Grace! When you think of Jesus, remember how he came: “Gentle and riding on a donkey.” That’s how your King comes. To suffer for you. To die for you. To rise for you. Don’t miss it! “See, your king comes to you!”

So what should we do? We should place everything before him. The people that day took what they had and laid it at Jesus’ feet. What did they have? Cloaks. That was it! They laid them at Jesus’ feet. They found palm branches, and they laid them at Jesus’ feet. Place everything before Jesus. Lay your sins down at Jesus’ feet. Repent of them. Confess them. Trust in his forgiveness. But don’t stop there. Lay your life down at Jesus’ feet. Our lives are not our own. Our time is not our own. We are not our own. We belong to Christ our King. Place everything before him.

And worship him. On Palm Sunday, the people said: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Those words are from the Bible—from Psalm 118 in the Old Testament. The rabbis had taught the people that those were the words you were to say to welcome the Messiah—the promised Savior. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They worshiped Jesus. Worship Jesus! Sure, put up your Christmas tree, but worship Jesus! Buy some Christmas presents, but worship Jesus! Plan gatherings with family and friends, but worship Jesus! Don’t let anything get in the way of Jesus coming into your heart.

150 years ago, a Lutheran pastor wrote a prayer for the beginning of a new church year. It went something like this: “Lord Jesus, whenever we began a new church year, we have to come before you in shame, because of the sins we’ve committed. We are burdened with guilt. Lord, are you not tired of having mercy upon us? No! No, you are not! You are Jesus, “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Though we may forget you, you will not forget us. Though we may forsake you, you will not forsake us. Though we may be unfaithful to you, you will remain ever faithful. For you say, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed” (Isaiah 54:10). Trusting this word of comfort, we on this first day of the new church year approach you and ask you not to remember our unfaithfulness. Instead, come to us again through Word and Sacrament with new grace, new blessings, new protection. Come, King Jesus, come.” Amen!

(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)