“King of Humility” (Phil 2:5-11) - Palm/Passion Sunday -

A King on a Donkey?

About 2000 years ago, the people of Israel took palm branches and went out to meet their king. This morning I want to show you two pictures. One is Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the other is Alexander’s entry into Babylon. Both of them are the pictures of the triumphal entry, but the atmosphere is different. The victor Alexander wears a crown, holds the gold scepter, and rides on a chariot. He is surrounded by his soldiers carrying the spoils of war and also by numerous captives. This is a typical image of the triumphal entry at that time. In fact, Alexander did enter in solemn triumph in Jerusalem three centuries earlier. And now Jesus enters Jerusalem. He rides a donkey instead of a chariot or a horse. This is a very rare and unusual case.

The Lion and the Lamb

Then, you may ask, “Why did Jesus ride a donkey?” There is a profound reason why he did that. He did this to fulfill the prophecy of the Scriptures. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey!” (NRSV) Jesus’ triumphal entry shows us two paradoxical images: “the image of the king” and “the image of the servant.” Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah, and at the same time, he is the Lamb of God. In Revelation 5 while John was weeping because no one was worthy to open the scroll, one elder said to John, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” But then, John saw a strange thing. He saw a Lamb, not a Lion, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne. This slain Lamb clearly refers to Jesus. In other words, this passage shows how the Almighty King Jesus conquered his kingdom. Jesus saved his people by his suffering and death. In Revelation 5:9, the four living creatures and the 24 elders began to sing a new song, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men of God from every tribe and language and people and nation!” Jesus Christ is the suffering Servant, and the crucified King.

The Power of Sacrificial Love

Then, our next question would be this: “Why does Jesus save us by his suffering and death? Why not by his almighty power?” When the people came to arrest Jesus, Peter struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Jesus said to Peter, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mt 26:53) But, he chose to be arrested. He chose to be mocked, beaten, tortured, and crucified. Why? Because he so loved us! Because he knew our hearts are transformed not by power or might, but only by sacrificial love. We know the result of the Crusades. The gospel did not spread by the Crusades. Instead, the gospel has been spreading by the blood of the martyrs. Probably, many of you have been to Niagara Falls.  All of us are moved to admiration by its beauty. Where does that beauty come from? The beauty of Niagara Falls comes from 50 yard head of water. The taller and higher the waterfall is, the more beautiful it is. In Philippines 2, Paul praises the beauty of Jesus’ sacrificial love: Jesus is God himself, but he gave up his divine privilege and left his heavenly throne. He became human, and even among men he became a slave of all and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place, that every tribe and nation would come back to him, worship him, and confess Jesus Christ is Lord! (cf. Psalm 22:27-28)

How Did Jesus Draw Everyone to Him?

After his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus proclaimed how he would draw all people to himself. He said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). He confirmed that he, the Lion of Judah, must be slaughtered as the paschal Lamb to attract everyone to him and gather them around him. After he entered Jerusalem, the first thing he did was to enter the temple. He cleansed the temple. And the Jews asked him to show miraculous signs to prove his authority. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Bible says that the temple he had spoken of was his own body. He did not condemn his opponents. He did not use his power to destroy them. Instead, he destroyed his body to save them. His greatest weapon was love, not sword. There is no weapon greater than the love of Christ. When he was abused, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (1Pt 2:23). His authority was not from his miraculous signs, but from his sacrificial love. By his great love Jesus has won our hearts and drew all of us to him.

Is Jesus Your King and Savior?

When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, all the people praised him, “Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna” means “Save us now.” They confessed that Jesus is King and Savior. Jesus accepted their acclamation, but he did not rejoice over it. Instead, in Luke 19:41, he wept over Jerusalem and his people because they called him “Lord, Lord!” but did not do what he said. He wept because they honored him with their lips, but their hearts were far from him. They just trampled God’s temple. Their hearts were a den of robbers. “Is Jesus Christ your King and Savior?” If so, we must do what he said.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he washed his disciples’ feet. When he finished washing their feet, he said, “If, your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Then, he said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Why is this command a new command? What is then an old command? The old command is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And now, Jesus was taking a step forward, “Love your neighbor as I have loved you.” In other words, “Lay down your life, lay down your ‘rights,’ to love your neighbor.” Who is our neighbor? It includes ‘everyone,’ just as Jesus included all of us. It includes not only our family, neighbors, but also, our opponents, enemies and the unlovable and ungrateful. The Bible says, “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother and sister, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother and sister.” (1John 4:20-21)

How Do We Draw People to Christ?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This is the cost of discipleship. Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will be.” The place where Jesus was at the end was Calvary. The place where we must go through is Calvary. We are called to die. We are called to die to self. We are called to die to the world. I want to share a story about one man who followed Jesus faithfully. His name is Daivd Cape. He was a pastor in South Africa. His ministry was successful and his church was the second largest in the city. Everything seemed to be going well. One day God began to challenge him. He asked, “Is the gospel you preach really the good news to the poor? Does your ministry set the captives free?” Then he said to David, “I want you to wash others’ feet.” He was embarrassed. He didn’t know what to do. For 14 months, he had struggled. But, finally, he chose to obey God’s voice. He carried water, camping chair, bowl and cross by himself. He began to preach the gospel on the streets and wash peoples’ feet. He has ministered to lepers, NBA stars, presidents, gangsters, and people of every class. Each time was a miracle of God. He experienced the whole city came back to Christ. He has seen thousands of people come to Christ for more than 20 years. How do we draw people to Christ? We draw people to Christ by washing their feet. We draw people to Christ by laying down our life for them.

About 2000 years ago, the people praised, “Blessed is the king!” “Hosanna, our Savior!” But, Jesus was not their King and their Savior deep in their hearts. They were not ready to follow Jesus, obey him, and die with him. Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Today he says to each of us in this room, “If, your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet.” Whose feet are you washing? During this Holy Week, whose feet will you wash?