Look, your king is coming to you

Matthew 21: 1-11, NT page 23 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, And on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” Sermon A large portion of this second scripture lesson is concerned with procuring the animals that Jesus will ride into Jerusalem on, a donkey and her colt. Jesus needs the two animals to fulfill the prophecy which says, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey,” but Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples that, he simply tells them to go, find the animals and to bring them back. This is a request not to be glossed over, as simply to complete this request is an act of faith. Back in the Wild West, a man would be shot for stealing a horse, and I’d hate to think about what would happen if you had walked into Maury county park last weekend empty, but came out with a couple of mules. I saw some pretty tough looking characters ride through town in the Mule Day Parade, and I would not want to be the one who came between one of them and their prized equine. Even saying, “The Lord needs them,” may not have done much good. The disciples just follow instructions however. They “went and did as Jesus had directed them,” and that’s how we all probably should be. We should be obedient, remembering what happened to Jonah, and trusting that if the Lord calls you need not spend much time thinking about it, it is better just to go ahead and say yes lest you wind up in the belly of a whale. Blind faith is a struggle though, so we lean heavily on knowledge, measured wisdom, and forethought. 21st Century people, maybe like all people, like to think that the more you know the better off you are. That when faced with a decision the best thing to do is to figure out, to the best of your ability, some kind of cost/benefit analysis before jumping in to anything – before you make a decision it is good to have a fully formed idea of where that decision will take you. Our daughter’s like to wear flip flops, which is fine, but they have to remember that if you wear flip-flops to school you’re going to end up with mulch in your toes out on the playground. It seems wise to look into the future and try to imagine where this decision that you’re about to make is going to take you – if you choose flip-flops you might regret it later. But it is also true that you might not. We tend to think that gathering as much knowledge as possible, utilizing good and measured knowledge and embodying forethought keeping always future possibilities in mind will make life easier, but it doesn’t always. We also tend to think that doing so will lead to happiness, but it may not. Consider marriage. A good metaphor for picking a husband might just be like a little girl and her shoes – as I know plenty who made their decision based on looks more than utility and so have ended up with mulch in their toes. To utilize good and measure knowledge, to embody forethought, always keeping future possibilities in mind seems like the right thing to do. To look him in the eyes thinking realistically about how many times he was going to get lost on the way to the beach while refusing to ask for directions. To interview other wives to get a good idea of just how many hours he was going to spend in front of the TV or exactly how many Friday nights he would chose to stay at home rather than take you out to dinner. To do some real research on just how long it is going to take her to get ready. Is it wise to think through these things while you’re standing outside the sanctuary deciding whether to walk down the aisle or down the street? Surely there are teachers here, who, back then when you were full of idealism and hope – would have chosen another career altogether had you known back then how much time you would spend on standardized testing. And for preachers it’s the same thing. A bitter old pastor got a hold of me one day when I was in seminary – and I bet the same one got ahold of Jennie once or twice as well - he says to me, “If there is anything else you can possibly imagine making a career out of besides the ministry, you should do that.” Had I listened, sure there are some sleepless nights that I would have avoided and maybe there would be a few more hairs on my head - but there is so much joy that I would have missed. Sometimes blind faith is better than a fully informed and measured decision, for while the disciples are doing exactly what he asks when they go off to fetch a donkey and a foal, even while not understanding why, as soon as they get a full idea of where Jesus is going they are not nearly so able to follow. Every step of those hooves takes him closer to the cross, and had Peter known back at the beginning when he was a fisherman, that the cross is where he’s planning to go, I can’t imagine that he would ever have left his nets. He goes from obedience, he goes from following him with a faithful heart, to denying him three times – and you can understand why. When he realizes that the cross is where he is going, that this is what discipleship is like, he goes from embodying blind faith to paralyzing fear. The crowds are the same. They see his donkey and his colt and the words of the prophet come to mind. Seeing him this way makes them realize that this man is not just the son of a carpenter, he is the Messiah, the one coming to save us all. But as soon as they see where his path leads they have no more interest in following him. (Pause) It is not always easiest to make a decision when you have all the information. So often, the less you know the better. Jesus knows however. And Jesus has always known. He knows that while the crowds cheer today, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Soon enough they will be chanting, “Crucify him!” He knows that while they are today laying their coats on the ground and spreading palms along his path, so willing to help him on his journey, as soon as they see him carrying a cross rather than ridding on a donkey only one will give him any aid. And he knows, that while they smile now, when his eyes are black and blood runs down his cheeks, they will spit in his face, mocking his crown of thorns. It can be good not to know what is coming. When it comes to the biggest decisions of our life, ignorance can be a blessing. I am thankful that every bride and groom who is married in this church is full of idealism – not weighed down by the pessimists, just pure and happy and in love. I am thankful that every young teacher is full of a desire to make a difference not yet suffocated by how difficult it will be – for such an attitude isn’t ignorance. Such an attitude can remind us all that love makes all the trials that await us worth it, for the suffering is nothing in comparison to love. While the disciples ran at the sight of the cross, fear and frustration shouting so loudly that they couldn’t hear anything else besides their heart’s wish to turn back, Jesus on the other hand would not have changed a thing. For you he goes towards that cross, and he would not have turned back for anything. Amen.