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John 12:12-19
Zechariah 9:9-12
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 27:11-54
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Zechariah 9:9-12
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 27:11-54
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Ride on King Jesus, no one can hinder Thee: not Satan, who thinks Your march to the cross plays into his plans; not your disciples who don’t know what’s going on untill its over; not the high priests whose job it is to slay passover lambs and so unwittingly they will slay You, the true Lamb of God which causes your Father to pass over our sin. No one can hinder Thee. For this is Your Father’s will. It will be accomplished.
So this day the march to the cross begins in earnest. It began at Your baptism when You stood in the water which cleanses all others baptized in Your name. But when that water poured down over your head, You who knew no sin began to carry the sin of all. It began even years before that when Your blood was first shed in Your circumcision marking You as the Son of the covenant—the covenant with God which you alone in all the world kept. Thus, the perfect Lamb of God, the first born Son, the true Passover Lamb takes away the sins of the world by marching them to the cross. Shedding Your blood for us.
Along the way the crowds shout, “Hosanna!” which means, “Save us!” A cry of praise. A cry of faith. A cry which comes from the 118th Psalm where in three short verses we cry, Save us O Lord. Blessed is He who comes who comes in the name of the Lord. And then, tie the passover sacrifice to the horns of the altar. Three short verses which summarize Your purpose.
Why are You blessed? Because You come on a beast of burden carrying the sins of all mankind to tie them to the cross. That cross which like a dagger pierces Golgotha, the skull shaped hill, that symbol of death, crushing the head of the Serpent, killing its brain, destroying it. And with it sin and the power of death! Sure, Satan, the evil serpent wriggles and squirms in his death throes, but His power is broken.
So ride, Lord, ride to Your destiny. Ride to the purpose Your Father sent You for. Ride Your donkey, Your beast of burden, ride in silence and humility. For You don’t need people’s praise. Your Father’s glory is enough. But if people should not praise You what You are about to do is so great that the rocks will cry out! In fact, when all the people have fled from You and hidden their faces from the gruesome sight of Your bloody, mangled body, the rocks will cry out. They will crack and sing their mighty song as the earth shudders when her Maker and Redeemer dies. For since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin the earth has been groaning waiting for this moment. This moment when the great curtain of the temple that keeps man out of the presence of God—just like the angel with the flaming sword kept Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden—rips from top to bottom. For sin is gone. There is nothing keeping man from God now. The mighty angel has sheathed his fiery sword in the flesh of the True Passover Lamb, it’s flames quenched by His blood. And that sword unleashed a flood of His blood, which spilling down the cross to the very ground. So that the life-blood of God woke and quickened the bodies of many saints sleeping in the ground who went into Jerusalem to the see the wonder of the end of the temple. For now the dwelling of God is no longer in a temple but with Man. Now Christ has come. Emmanuel, God with us. Now sin has been carried to the cross and is no more. Utterly blotted out by the blood which cleanses all creation.
You need no praise from men. For God Your Father will exalt You. For You are His Son. He will lift You on His shoulders carrying You around the playing field after the victory shouting, “That’s my boy! That’s my boy! He’s my Son!” That’s all the glory any Son needs, especially the Son, from whom all Son-ship is known.
And so You emptied Yourself, being completely obedient to Your Father. Being utterly Son-full. The mostly Son-ly Son in all the universe. Obedient to the end. Honouring Your Father in all You did. So that the Father from whom all Fatherhood is known is pleased to give You the family name, the family franchise, the whole kit and caboodle. He gives it all into Your hands: all power, all authority, everything is given to this Son with whom He is well-pleased, for whom His heart overflows, for whom He sheds tears of pride and joy. The best Son ever. The World’s Number 1 Son.
So ride on King Jesus. Iesous in Greek. Yeshua in Hebrew. Joshua. Meaning “the Lord is salvation.” The highest name there is. The name that must be honoured! The name the angels in heaven fall to their knees in praise of; the name demons fall to their knees groveling before; the name we kneel in honour of when we come to receive Him at the altar; the name the Centurion who was knocked to his knees by the earthquake proclaimed saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.” For one day all mankind will bow at Your name whether in faith or in fear. On that day all will finally agree that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, God’s Son, our King. And God our Father will be overjoyed, glorying in the honour given to His Boy who has conquered the world and saved us, His children.
In +Jesus’ name, Amen.
—Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
Along the way the crowds shout, “Hosanna!” which means, “Save us!” A cry of praise. A cry of faith. A cry which comes from the 118th Psalm where in three short verses we cry, Save us O Lord. Blessed is He who comes who comes in the name of the Lord. And then, tie the passover sacrifice to the horns of the altar. Three short verses which summarize Your purpose.
Why are You blessed? Because You come on a beast of burden carrying the sins of all mankind to tie them to the cross. That cross which like a dagger pierces Golgotha, the skull shaped hill, that symbol of death, crushing the head of the Serpent, killing its brain, destroying it. And with it sin and the power of death! Sure, Satan, the evil serpent wriggles and squirms in his death throes, but His power is broken.
So ride, Lord, ride to Your destiny. Ride to the purpose Your Father sent You for. Ride Your donkey, Your beast of burden, ride in silence and humility. For You don’t need people’s praise. Your Father’s glory is enough. But if people should not praise You what You are about to do is so great that the rocks will cry out! In fact, when all the people have fled from You and hidden their faces from the gruesome sight of Your bloody, mangled body, the rocks will cry out. They will crack and sing their mighty song as the earth shudders when her Maker and Redeemer dies. For since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin the earth has been groaning waiting for this moment. This moment when the great curtain of the temple that keeps man out of the presence of God—just like the angel with the flaming sword kept Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden—rips from top to bottom. For sin is gone. There is nothing keeping man from God now. The mighty angel has sheathed his fiery sword in the flesh of the True Passover Lamb, it’s flames quenched by His blood. And that sword unleashed a flood of His blood, which spilling down the cross to the very ground. So that the life-blood of God woke and quickened the bodies of many saints sleeping in the ground who went into Jerusalem to the see the wonder of the end of the temple. For now the dwelling of God is no longer in a temple but with Man. Now Christ has come. Emmanuel, God with us. Now sin has been carried to the cross and is no more. Utterly blotted out by the blood which cleanses all creation.
You need no praise from men. For God Your Father will exalt You. For You are His Son. He will lift You on His shoulders carrying You around the playing field after the victory shouting, “That’s my boy! That’s my boy! He’s my Son!” That’s all the glory any Son needs, especially the Son, from whom all Son-ship is known.
And so You emptied Yourself, being completely obedient to Your Father. Being utterly Son-full. The mostly Son-ly Son in all the universe. Obedient to the end. Honouring Your Father in all You did. So that the Father from whom all Fatherhood is known is pleased to give You the family name, the family franchise, the whole kit and caboodle. He gives it all into Your hands: all power, all authority, everything is given to this Son with whom He is well-pleased, for whom His heart overflows, for whom He sheds tears of pride and joy. The best Son ever. The World’s Number 1 Son.
So ride on King Jesus. Iesous in Greek. Yeshua in Hebrew. Joshua. Meaning “the Lord is salvation.” The highest name there is. The name that must be honoured! The name the angels in heaven fall to their knees in praise of; the name demons fall to their knees groveling before; the name we kneel in honour of when we come to receive Him at the altar; the name the Centurion who was knocked to his knees by the earthquake proclaimed saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.” For one day all mankind will bow at Your name whether in faith or in fear. On that day all will finally agree that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, God’s Son, our King. And God our Father will be overjoyed, glorying in the honour given to His Boy who has conquered the world and saved us, His children.
In +Jesus’ name, Amen.
—Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
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