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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
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Palm Sunday (A) You are there in the holy city of Jerusalem sometime around the year 30 A.D. You, along with thousands and thousands of others, have come there to observe the festival of Passover – the celebration of freedom – the commemoration of how God had acted to free your people from their slavery in Egypt. Yes, you are there – knowing that your people are again in bondage, this time to the Romans. But Passover is a time of hope that God will once again act to free his people. Maybe this might finally be the year when God will send a MESSIAH to lead you to freedom once more. Yes, you are there in Jerusalem – and you start hearing some incredible news about a prophet named Jesus. “Have you heard? Jesus brought a dead man back to life! Yes, it’s true – I swear it! I saw it with my own eyes – and not just me, but hundreds of us saw it! It was in the town of Bethany just two miles away. The dead man’s name was Lazarus, and he had been in the tomb for four days. Jesus called him – and Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped up in the grave clothes he had been buried with! Nothing like this has ever happened before – a dead man being called back to life! This Jesus must indeed be the Messiah we have been waiting for! He must be the one God has sent to lead us to freedom!” And so your excitement, and the excitement of everyone around you, is building up to a fever pitch. And then you hear the news that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem! And with one accord, you and everyone around you begin to cut palm branches to welcome him. Palm branches are a symbol of liberation – even some of the coins you carry have palm fronds pictured on them with the inscription “for the liberation of Israel.” And then you see him with a huge crowd accompanying him coming in through the gate of the city. Jesus is here – God’s Messiah is here! And we start waving our palms and shouting like we’ve gone out of our minds – “Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now!” It’s like our favorite team has just won the championship – or our candidate has just won the election! We are thrilled – we are excited!! God’s Messiah has come to save us! Yes, we are there in Jerusalem to welcome Jesus – the one who raised Lazarus from the dead, the one who will lead us to freedom once more! For fifteen or twenty seconds, let’s forget that we are reserved Lutherans who are sitting in church. On your feet, everyone! On your feet, and let’s wave those palms and shout! “Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel! Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now!” And now, look! Jesus is getting on a donkey! Just like Solomon did when at his coronation as king of Israel! And just like every king since him has done! He’s claiming the kingdom! Wahoo!!! God’s Messiah has come! “Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now!” Wow! Can you feel it?! That’s what it was like on Palm Sunday in Jerusalem in the year 30 A.D. The hopes of all the people of Israel were being expressed in their acclaim for Jesus. Their yearning for freedom – their desire for victory over the Romans and whoever else was oppressing them. Through Jesus, the victims were about to be the victors. Praise God! Hosanna! Save now! Hosanna! Save now! But is Jesus really that kind of a Messiah – that kind of a king? Has he really come to liberate us from earthly oppression and lead us to victory over our foes? The events of the following days will show us that Jesus is not the kind of a Messiah that we would imagine and want him to be. Five days from now Jesus will have been arrested. Five days from now he will be telling Pontius Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. Five days from now Jesus will be crucified and hanging from a cross. The man who raised Lazarus from the dead will not even save his own life. Some Messiah – some king! No, Jesus is not the Messiah and king that we want him to be. He is rather the Messiah and king that GOD wants him to be. He is a Messiah and king who is humble and obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. That’s the message of this Palm and Passion Sunday. But yet Jesus does give us freedom and victory in a way that is even more significant than what the Palm Sunday crowds were clamoring for. He gives us freedom from guilt and despair. He gives us victory over the powers of sin and death. Through him, we are given the assurance that nothing – neither death, nor life, nor anything else in all creation, will ever be able to separate us from God’s love. Do you feel that today? In the depths of our souls, do you know that unshakable assurance that through Jesus, God loves you and will always be with you? If so, then Jesus is truly your Messiah and King who raises you from the dead and gives you eternal life. No, we may not actually be there in with the crowd in the earthly Jerusalem in the year 30 A.D. But we will be there among the crowd in the heavenly Jerusalem that is described in the 7th chapter of Revelation – part of the great multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in our hands. (Rev. 7:9) And we’ll be shouting, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Yes, through Jesus we will be there in the kingdom of heaven – free from guilt and despair and victorious over sin and even over death itself. He is indeed our Messiah and king! Let’s stand up one more time and wave those palms and shout “Salvation belongs to our God! Salvation belongs to our God! Salvation belongs to our God! Salvation belongs to our God!” “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!” Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Happy Palm Sunday, everyone! Amen! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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