April 1, 2007                                       

  Pastor Dan Selbo

 

"The Beginning of the End”

Luke 19:28-40

 

                     Dear friends, Greetings once again in the name of our Lord Jesus as we find ourselves on the front end of remembering the events of the most powerful and most important week in the history of the world. It’s the most powerful, because it changed our world forever. Life will never be the same because of what happened during that final week of Jesus’ life. And it’s the most important, because what happened during those last days of our Lord’s life has an eternal impact on the lives of every person who has ever lived, including you and me.

A number of years ago, some of the world’s leading historians made a list of what they considered to be the 100 most significant events of all time. And it included things (as you can imagine) like the invention of the printing press, the discovery of America, and the advent of the airplane. Number four on the list of our world’s most important events was the life of Jesus Christ.

Now, when I first saw that, it took me aback. I thought to myself, how could anything be more important than the life of Jesus? But after allowing those initial thoughts to sink in, I soon realized that placing it #4 was probably the best you could say. Because if it was only the life of Jesus, then its significance would fall right in line with a long list of other people and events that have helped to shape the course of our world’s history.

But it wasn’t just His life that was significant. (And that’s what made the difference.) It isn’t just His life that we remember in this most holy of weeks. But it’s His life and His death and His resurrection from the dead. And that’s why it continues to be the most powerful and most important week in the history of the world.

It was the beginning of the end on that first Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Now, obviously that wasn’t as apparent to the crowd that day (looking forward) as it is to us (looking back). To them it was a glorious day. It was day of high hopes and expectant anticipation. The gospel writers tell us the people cut branches from the trees, laid their garments on the road, and shouted “Hosanna” to the one who was to become their king.

And that’s exactly what happened that week. Jesus became their King. (He became our King.) But not before going to His death. And not before His life on this earth came to an end.

It was the beginning of the end to Jesus’ life. Thirty three years is what He had (if you remember the story). From the time He was born in Bethlehem to the time He was nailed to that tree. Not a long life. Not a life running its natural course. But a life that was full and a life that ran the course it was given.

Jesus said, “No one takes My life from Me.” He said, “I give it up willingly.” And He did. And it came to an end. Thirty three years and it had all come and gone.

Just think about the events of that week, the events of Jesus’ life. His closest friends? (By the time that week was over, one betrayed Him. One denied Him. The others all but ran away.) And the things He taught and did? (Not even Pilate could find a crime.) But He ended up on a cross.

Now, this isn’t central to the story, but if that’s all you and I had, (for anyone living only thirty three years), we’d think of their life as cut short, as somehow coming to a tragic end. And from the perspective of this life, perhaps it did, even for Jesus. But thankfully, it wasn’t a this-life perspective that mattered. And that’s why it was so important. And that’s what made it so powerful.

Now, let me ask you a question. (And, again, this isn’t central to the story.) But how long do you think you’ll live? And what kind of life-perspective are you taking while you’re here? I read an interesting article this past week, talking about the life expectancy people have for themselves and how they approach life based upon how long they think they might live. (And it was contrasting the approach of the general population with the approach of those claiming to be Christians.)

It said the average person in the United States today expects to live into their seventies or eighties or perhaps even beyond. And it says the decisions they make and the priorities they set are based almost entirely upon how long they expect to live.

Now, on the one hand, that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good way to approach life (even as Christians). But it went on to say (and this was the part that caught my attention) that the decisions people make and the priorities they set (regardless of their religious connection or not) were not that much different. It said there was little significant difference between the priorities and values of the general population and those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ.

Now, I don’t want to read too much into that study, nor into its findings. But neither do I want us to miss the point. And that being that once you become a follower of Jesus, life on this earth has to change. It’s different as a disciple. It’s no longer the same as it once was. And if anything made that clear, it was the final week of Jesus’ life.

Remember what our Lord taught His disciples? Remember what He teaches us? He says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow.” And He says, “If you want to save your life, then lose it. If you want your life to continue, then give it up and let it go.” And He says, “If it costs you your life, then it costs you your life.” But don’t think you can faithfully follow without being willing and ready to change.

You tell me. How long do you think you’re going to live? Thirty three years? A hundred and thirty three years? (As a Christian? As a follower of Jesus?) I’ll tell you how long you’re going to live. You’re going to live forever. Your life is never going to stop. And so stop living, Jesus says, like it will and start setting priorities that are going to last.

It was the beginning of the end when Jesus rode into Jerusalem: the end to His life on this earth, and the end to any dreams of an earthly kingdom.

Now, I wasn’t there on that first Palm Sunday and neither were you. But it’s not hard to imagine that there were hopes that day of a kingdom that was going to last. After all, Jesus was the Messiah. And that’s what the Messiah was going to do. He was going to establish His kingdom. He was going to move into power and take control. And He did. And His kingdom is still in effect. But not as the people had hoped.

Remember Jesus’ words when He stood before Pilate? He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He said, “If it were of this world, My disciples would fight. But it’s not,” He said, “and so they won’t” (and perhaps that’s why so few were left).

It’s an interesting study, if you begin looking through the gospels, why it was Jesus attracted such large crowds. Do you remember why Jesus had such a great following? (There are probably many reasons we could mention.) The main one was because of His power, because of His miracles, because of the things He was able to do and of the possibility of His becoming their king.

It’s an interesting study in the gospels, if you start looking at what happens. I went back this past week and counted. (Now, maybe I missed a few, but I think I have it right.) Did you know that there were no miracles performed during that final week of Jesus’ life (with the one exception of when Peter cut off the ear of that soldier and Jesus put it back)? (It’s true.) I went back and looked. There are 52 miracles recorded in the gospels, 52 times when Jesus performed a miracle (or miracles), but not one of them (with that one exception) during that final week.

Do you know what there is instead? In place of the miracles of Jesus, do you know what we find? We find a never-ending call for commitment. We find a message that takes as seriously as ever before the responsibility to commit.

Look through the story yourself. Thirty-one of the eighty-nine chapters in the four gospels combined are dedicated to the final week of Jesus’ life, but there’s only one miracle in all of those chapters.

Instead, there’s a story of a rich man who wanted to know how to be saved. Jesus told him to sell his riches and to give them all away and to follow. (But he couldn’t, so he didn’t, and he walked away.)

And there’s the story of the fig tree that didn’t bear any figs. (Remember that story?) Jesus cursed it and it died, and He talked about living a fruitful life.

And then there’s the parable of the two sons. The one said he would, but he didn’t. The other said he wouldn’t, but he did. And Jesus said it’s the one who does the will of the Father who will end up in the kingdom.

And then there’s that great commandment to “love God and to love your neighbor.” And then there’s that teaching to “always be diligent and on the watch, because you never know when the hour will come.”

Just that one miracle in thirty-one of the eighty-nine chapters in the gospels, but story after story calling for nothing less than a total commitment from those who would choose to follow. No wonder the crowds began to go away. No wonder there were only a few at the foot of the cross.

Yes, it was the beginning of the end on that Palm Sunday. The end to Jesus’ earthly life, the end to any dreams of an earthly kingdom, and the end to the work Jesus came to accomplish.

Years ago there was a book written about President Woodrow Wilson and the years he was in office titled, “When the Cheering Stopped.” It was the story of what happened to his presidency during the events leading up to and following the end of the First World War. If you know that history, you know that when the war finally came to an end, President Wilson was an international hero. Everywhere he went, there were crowds of people who cheered what he had accomplished.

But if you know that history, you know also that within a year of the war coming to an end, the cheering began to stop and his support began to crumble. And in the next election, not only was he not re-elected, but his party when down in a big defeat.

Now, it was a much different story with Jesus. He had (as we’ve said) no intention of building an earthly kingdom. And there were no political aspirations at any time in our Lord’s life. But it was a similar story in that this man who was cheered by the crowds on Palm Sunday was jeered by the crowds later on that same week.

But Jesus didn’t die a defeated man. He didn’t die as a misguided martyr. And He didn’t die for no reason. But He died for you and for me and for everyone who has ever lived.

Paul says, in his first letter to the Corinthians, that it’s of “first importance,” what Jesus was able to accomplish in that final week. Peter says it’s “the foundation” upon which we build our faith. And Jesus said, “This is My work, to do the will of My Father who sent Me.”

And so it was that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that Sunday so long ago. And so it was that He went to the cross to pay a price you and I could never pay. And so it is that there’s a place in God’s kingdom for you and for me.

Yes, it was the beginning of the end to Jesus’ life, to any dreams of an earthly kingdom, and to the work He came to accomplish. And it was the beginning of the end to His followers living like the world, to any idea of being a disciple without being ready to commit, and to any question about our future might hold.

Because it’s not just Jesus’ life we remember in this most holy of weeks, and it’s not just His life that makes the events so significant. But it’s His life and His death and His resurrection from the dead. And that’s why it continues to be the most powerful and most important week in the history of the world. Amen.