First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu at Ko olau September 13, 2009 The Rev. Dr. David C. Stoker

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1 SERMON OF THE WEEK First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu at Ko olau September 13, 2009 The Rev. Dr. David C. Stoker King For A Day (Gospel of John Series) - John 12:12-19 H ave any of you here today personally attended a ticker tape parade? Ticker tape parades are something special and don't happen very often. The only one I ever attended was held in Washington, DC back in I was serving as a pastor at the National Presbyterian Church. Do you remember why they had a ticker tape parade in Washington in 1987? The Washington Redskins! They won the Super Bowl that year! And can you imagine what it will be like when the UH Warriors win the national championship?! You might remember when John Glenn returned home from his historic space flight and received a hero's welcome. And the most famous ticker tape parade that has ever been held in America happened in New York City to celebrate what? The end of World War II. It lasted for two days and 5,000 tons of paper was collected afterwards. And there have been parades since then to welcome home the military heroes of today, such as the Gulf War ticker tape parade. Ticker tape parades are the parade of all parades. Today as we continue our sermon series on the Gospel of John we come to chapter 12. And the event recorded there is what we call Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is a first century ticker tape parade. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. News about this great miracle spread and people lined the road to Jerusalem to see Him. Jesus was riding a donkey and the people cut palm branches and waved them in the air and shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." As a follower of Jesus, I love Palm Sunday! Jesus is recognized as King. And if the Gospel writers had put down their pens and ended their account of Jesus' life with Palm Sunday, it would have been wonderful. What better place for the Gospels to end than at the moment when Jesus rides in triumphantly into Jerusalem when all the world is going after Him? But we can't do that because the Palm Sunday story does not tell the whole story. In fact, in John's Gospel, we discover that almost half of the Gospel would be left out if we stopped with Palm Sunday. We don't have the option of stopping at Palm Sunday. But it is so important that we 1 understand what happened on Palm Sunday. Hear God's Word as we view the video of John chapter 12 [video is shown]. Palm Sunday is traditionally a day of jubilation a day when we sing songs that have the word Hosanna in them. Palm Sunday is a day where everybody comes out to cheer Jesus. When Americans were asked by the Gallup pollsters what historical figure they would most like to spend a day with, two out of three chose Jesus. Jesus is the single most popular person in human history. And whether people like Him or detest Him, they can't help calling His name. Almost every movie made in Hollywood, except the G- rated ones, profanes the holy name of Jesus. Think of it, no pagan, secular scriptwriter can produce a manuscript without including the name of Jesus. People either worship Him or curse Him, but it seems that no one can ignore Him. And people could not ignore Him on that first Palm Sunday. For on this day it seems like Jesus is King, but perhaps only King for a Day. Years ago there was a show on television I used to watch with my grandmother.

2 I must have been seven or eight years old. The show was black and white. This really dates me. In fact, when I was really little all our shows were in black and white. I remember the day we got a color TV. The first show I ever saw in color was Bonanza. And then right after that we watched "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. But the show I used to watch with my grandmother was a black and white show called, "Queen for a Day. Four women from the studio audience would tell the host what they would like to have, and do, if they could be "Queen for a Day." And then, on the basis of an applause meter, one woman was chosen, and she was given a number of valuable prizes, and for one day she reigned as "Queen. That sounds like what happened to Jesus, doesn't it? Jesus was crowned, "King for a Day". The crowds ran after Him, spread their garments before Him on the street, and waved palm branches. But He is King Just for a Day, because a few days later, the supporters are gone. And what we call the "triumphal entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem turned out to be the temporary triumphal entry. Jesus is in charge of the situation. Even as He hears the shouts of hosannas, Jesus knows there will soon be cries for His crucifixion. He knows what is going to happen to Him. Still He rides on. He does not seek to avoid the task to which He has been called. It reminds me of when I used to watch Superman on television. Remember the scene? Superman would confront one of the bad guys. The bad guy would fire at Superman with a gun. Superman would smile and throw his chest out. The bullets would bounce harmlessly away. But did you ever notice what happened next? When the guy ran out of bullets, he would throw the gun at Superman. And Superman ducked. He ducked! Bullets bounced off of him, but when a gun was thrown at him, Superman ducked. Jesus did not have to enter Jerusalem. He could have ducked His mission. But still He rode on. The Bible says the Palm Sunday parade begins in Bethany, which was sort of a bedroom community for Jerusalem, located just two miles east of the Holy City. Bethany is where Jesus usually stayed when in the Jerusalem area, probably at the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. On this particular morning, as Jesus started for Jerusalem, He sent a few of His disciples on ahead to secure for Him a special means of transportation a donkey. Now this is really strange that Jesus would come riding into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. Because nowhere in the Bible do we ever read about Jesus riding any animal to get from one place to another. He must have walked hundreds of miles but there is no mention of Him ever riding, except in a boat across the Sea of Galilee. Have you ever wondered why this strong, sturdy man who had just walked all the way from Galilee, who had just come up the steep slope from Jericho to Jerusalem, suddenly stops and asks for a donkey to ride the last few yards into town? There must have been a reason...and there was. Remember there was no 2 radio, TV or Internet coverage back then. No amplification system like we have in our sanctuary. Imagine walking into Aloha stadium with 50,000 people and no PA system. How do you communicate with them? It must be done visually. Jesus had to do something that people could see. Jesus knew the words of Zechariah 9:9 which foretold that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. So Jesus was making a very obvious statement: "I am the Messiah!" when He chose to enter the city limits riding on a donkey. And what kind of Messiah? You see there is significance associated with a King riding on a donkey. In times of war, when a powerful conqueror came to crush and overpower a city, he rode a great stallion. But if the leader came in peace, he came riding a donkey. So Jesus was making a statement "I Am the Messiah, and the kingdom I will set up is not a military kingdom, but a kingdom of peace." How did the different people in the crowd respond to that message? There was a mixture of responses. Even as there are different attitudes in this sanctuary this morning about Jesus. First, at that first Palm Sunday there were the powerful Sadducees and Pharisees. They were there to be sure. They weren't shouting. They weren't singing or waving palm branches. They weren't in the least bit interested in being identified with Christ. They had their minds made up. They weren't going to believe in Jesus as Messiah, no matter what even raising Lazarus from the dead! It didn't matter how many miracles they witnessed, how many lives they saw changed.

3 T hey had already made a decision to not follow Christ. They remind me of people today who say that Jesus was a great religious teacher or a good man, but they draw the line at saying He is God. They resist any effort that people might make to introduce them to Christ, and they've hardened their heart to the Spirit of God. There are people like that in every church they are here because they have to be. Their parents have made them come to church. Or a spouse or friend has dragged them here today. And they are not going to enjoy church. They sit and stand with their arms folded (and if their arms aren't actually crossed they are crossed on the inside) and never sing a word. Their minds are made up, and the preacher and the sermon certainly aren't going change it. David made a statement in Psalm 14:1 that represents them well. Only fools say in their hearts, There is no God. Several weeks ago at the Life in the Spirit conference I saw a person with a T-shirt that had printed on the front the words God is Dead and then signed underneath the quote, the name of the philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. And then the next line on the T-shirt had these words Nietzsche is dead and it was signed God. Listen up, just because you've made up your mind that there is no God, or that Jesus Christ isn't God, that doesn't make it so. The Bible says in Philippians 2:10-11 that there will come a time that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is R Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Sadducees and Pharisees stood back with their ever-watchful eyes glaring at Jesus. They were the narrow-minded, intolerant religious folks who were so invested in the status quo. The Pharisees knew what Jesus was doing by riding the donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. That's why they commanded Jesus to tell His disciples to stop calling Him a king. But Jesus' voice pierced the air and said, If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out! The stones were the rocks that the Pharisees carried in their hands to stone people who did not keep the Law or adhere to their rules. Do you know any rock throwers? You know, those people who are always finding mistakes in the church. People who are always finding fault in neighbor's lives. They are the first to complain and criticize, and point out another person's mistakes. They second-guess every decision that is not theirs, and they find a cloud in every silver lining. They are joy suckers. And they were at Jesus' parade, and they might be around us today. There was another group that day watching the Palm Sunday parade. They were the curious. Today, we call them Seekers. They heard the noise and wanted to find out what it was all about. They probably got caught up in the excitement and began to sing and shout and wave palm branches, but they still weren't a 100% convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Perhaps they hadn't heard Him speak yet, or maybe they didn't know anyone whose life had been changed or who had been 3 healed. So they were there for themselves to find out. You know, most of us don't come to know Jesus as Lord the first time we hear the message. It is a process. It often takes time before we come to the place that we are ready to let Him call the shots in our lives. The key is that we remain open to God and to His message. Jeremiah 29:11-14 says: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you, says the LORD." And so if you are here today, but have never made a decision to follow Christ, continue to seek him. He will honor your honest pursuit. Another group that was there that day were the Skeptics/Sensationalists. They are different than seekers. These are people who have had some experience, some touch of God in their lives, but it is not enough. They want more proof. They forget the journey is about faith. Back in Jesus' day, they wanted proof and then more proof. They had heard that Jesus had healed a blind man, who had been blind since birth. And the day before, Jesus had produced the mightiest miracle he had ever done. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. But this crowd wanted more. They wanted to see the healer in action, this mighty miracle worker. If the Houdini of the Holy Land could pull another trick out of his bag, they would believe.

4 R emember the words from Jesus Christ Superstar? Hey, hey, JC, won't you smile at me? Jesus Christ if you're divine, turn my water into wine. Prove to me that you're not fool, walk across my swimming pool. The Bible says "We walk by faith, not by sight." And then there were the Steadfast. These were people who were passionate about Jesus. Jesus had touched their lives. Jesus was not just an abstract idea, but He had changed their lives, and they were there to express their thanks and give their praise to Him. As we scan the crowd I am sure we would see Bartimaeus, the blind man Jesus healed just last week at Jericho. And ahead was the man who was lame for 38 years and lay by the pool in Jerusalem, waiting for an angel to heal him then Jesus came. Because of Jesus' touch and power, the formerly lame man had no need of his wooden crutches. And over there was the man who once had a withered hand until Jesus came along and touched him. How about Zaccheus, the crooked tax collector? He paid back his debt to society, and made his peace with God. Maybe Jairus' daughter was there she had been brought back to life by Jesus. Lazarus and Mary and Martha I bet they all were there! They were some of Jesus' closest friends and their lives were never the same again after Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. I imagine that Peter was there. Walking with his chest expanded enjoying the crowds and their cheers. He probably thought to himself, "Maybe it was worth it to leave the fishnets and boats. Maybe at last we are going to get what we deserve." But I bet he has one hand on his sword, just in case something goes wrong. Possibly Thomas was there. He is a bit doubtful about everything that was going on wondering what is going to happen next. Maybe Andrew was overwhelmed by it all. He was so used to bringing people to Jesus one by one, and now look at all these people! What about James and John? Do you suppose they were thinking about Jesus being crowned King so that they could be on His right and left hand in positions of authority and power? Did you ever think that Judas was there? Now at this point in Holy Week Judas had not talked to the high priest about a deal. It would be another three or four days before Judas would go to the chief priests and ask what they would be willing to pay if he would betray his friend. And so it would appear that while Judas had all the outward trappings of one of the disciples in his heart, where it counts, he was living a lie. When he shouted Hosanna that Palm Sunday, he didn't mean it. He did it because it was expected of him. And in churches all over the world today there are people who are known as Christians. They sing the songs, pray the prayers, and may even be in a position of leadership. But they aren't really interested in following Jesus. And there is a word for people like that, it comes from the Greek word, which means to be an actor, and that word is hypocrite. The good news for us is found 4 in the book of James 4:8: "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." I think even up until the time Jesus drew His last breath on the cross, Judas could have come clean with Christ, admitted his mistakes and been forgiven. And that is the grace that is available to every one of us this morning. I don't think that I'd be far off in saying that most of you folks worshipping here this morning fall into that last category of being steadfastly committed to Christ. Jesus is a real part of your lives. You realize that through His grace your sins have been forgiven. And when you come on Sunday mornings your praise is genuine. And you are in a Bible study or Sunday School class or small group because you want to know more about Him and grow in your relationship with Christ. And if you are in one of the other categories today I would encourage you to move into a right relationship with God. Whatever it is that has been holding you back, let it go. If you have never asked Christ to be Lord of your life then you need to do. It is as simple as acknowledging that He is God and that you are a sinner. You ask Him to forgive your sins, and you turn away from them. And begin to let King Jesus direct your life. Well, this is the way it was on that first Palm Sunday, when Jesus was King For a Day. It is interesting to me that there were two times in the Gospel of John where the crowds tried to force Jesus to be king. Once, in chapter six, where Jesus had fed the 5,000 people. When Jesus caused that much food to be freely available, those people wanted to make him king.

5 B ut the Bible says he would not be their king, and He withdrew into the country. The second time that the crowd tried to force Jesus to be king was on the Palm Sunday we are talking about. Jesus had worked lots of miracles culminating with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. If Jesus had that kind of power to heal, the crowd wanted to make Him king. So once again, the crowds tried to force Him to be their kind of king, and He refused. Eventually, the crowds brought Jesus before Pilate and Pilate questioned Jesus. You are Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, are you not? Jesus replied, You have said so. Pilate persisted: Are you king of the Jews? Out with it, are you or aren't you king of the Jews? Jesus replied, My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is not like yours, Pilate. Then Pilate asked the crucial question: Well, then, Jesus, What kind of a king are you? What kind of a king are you, Jesus of Nazareth? That is our question today, What kind of king was this Jesus of Nazareth? Did Jesus live in a luxurious palace? Did He have a beautiful golden throne on which He sat, like all the other kings? Was His crown made out of diamonds inlaid into gold, like all the other kings of this earth? Did He wear sumptuous robes, and have a beautiful queen seated at His left hand? What kind of king was this Jesus of Nazareth? It is hard to recognize this king because He doesn't act like a king. He doesn't look like a king. He doesn't behave like a king. For example: Could you imagine a king getting down on his knees, and washing the feet of His disciples? Can you imagine a king doing such a thing? Or, what kind of king is this who is a carpenter, and actually builds benches and chairs all day long? Have you ever heard of such a king as this? Or, what kind of king is it that is like a rejected father, who goes out and waits at the road for his son to come back to him? What kind of king is that? What kind of king is it that searches for his lost citizens like a shepherd searches for his lost sheep? Or what kind of king allows you to address Him by His first name, who allows you to address Him so personally? The kings I read about like to be called by their glorious sounding titles. And then, to top it off, this king does the ultimate. What kind of king is this who, when I have committed a crime and I am about to be executed for my crime, comes forward and volunteers to be executed on my behalf? Have you ever heard of such a king? It does not make any sense. What a strange kind of king, indeed. There were many who recognized Jesus as King for a Day on that first Palm Sunday. But there were very few who later in the week recognized that here was a king who rules from a cross. Who rules through suffering love and humility. Very few people recognized His kingship, and they missed the real meaning of the Palm Sunday parade. During the Great Depression that hit the United States during the 1930's a family in the Midwest struggled to put food on their table. They had no money for luxuries. One day posters all over town announced that a 5 circus was coming. Admission would be $1. A boy in the family wanted to see the show, but his father told him that he would have to earn the money on his own. The boy had never seen a circus before, so he worked hard and was finally able to buy a ticket. On the day the circus arrived the boy rushed to the main street and stood on the curb as the circus parade went by. The clowns, the elephants, all of the performers in the circus thrilled him as they paraded through town. A clown came dancing over to him, and the boy put his ticket in the clown's hand. Then the boy stood on the curb and cheered as the rest of the parade went by on its way to the circus tent. The boy rushed home after the parade was over and told his father that he had been to the circus and how much fun it was. The father, surprised that he was home already, asked the boy to describe the circus to him, and the boy told him of the parade that went by on Main Street. The father sadly took his son in his arms and said, "Son, you didn't see the circus. All you saw was the parade." That boy is typical of so many people. They see the parade on Palm Sunday, but they don't really understand the meaning of the King that is before them. I challenge you this morning to know Jesus as more than a King for a Day. Let Him love you. Let Him rule your life, and you will know a direction and a peace that you have never known before.