Bethlehem Lutheran Church

These past couple months my small group and I have been studying the gospel of John. If you're not in a small group, I would encourage you to make an effort to do so...there's something called the Small Group Launch in a couple weeks and that's a great way to get connected. Or go to Bethlehem's website and contact Wendy Osman, our small group coordinator; she can help you find the right fit. Anyway, one of the benefits of being in a small group is that it provides an opportunity to explore matters of faith and to study scripture with others. You can certainly read and study the Bible on your own and get a lot out of it but when you study the Bible with others you start to pay attention to different things in the story. You notice new details; you hear things you've never heard before; you find the courage to ask the hard questions.
In today's gospel we hear a familiar story from Matthew, the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem which by the end of the week leads him to the cross at Calvary. Today the scene ends with one of those hard questions, a question, that 2000 some years later is still relevant for us to ask. Who is Jesus?

Jesus and his disciples have been on the move-traveling from Galilee toward Jerusalem. Along the way there have been some interesting conversations about the law, some tender moments with children, lessons about God's kingdom, and warnings to the disciples about what will happen when they get to Jerusalem. They finally arrive outside the city and Jesus tells them to find the donkey that's waiting for him. The disciples do as they're told and Jesus rides into town like no one before him.

The people spread their cloaks in front of him. Others cut branches and wave them high above their head. Those who followed shout "Hosannas" which means ‘'Save us." They make their way along the path and the parade ends when Jesus enters Jerusalem. Matthew describes a scene that is rich with irony. He writes the story using Old Testament images to send strong messages in that day: this scene fulfills prophecy! The colt on which Jesus rides is a symbol of peace; the palm branches waving high are signs of triumph and victory; the shouts of praise identify Jesus as king. Every action in this story has significance, including the end of the scene: "the whole city was in turmoil." Matthew uses the word with purpose: for turmoil can also be translated "earthquake." The word is used two more times in Matthew's gospel: once at Jesus' death and again when he is raised from the dead. The whole city was in turmoil, asking "Who is this?"

The people who've paraded in with Jesus seem to have an answer to this. They've been in his presence. They've listened to him teach. They've seen him heal. They've heard him preach. But now having arrived in the city-the crowds want to know why all the fuss. People had come to celebrate the Passover but there's something else that caught their attention--there's someone else at the center of everyone's attention-a man, claiming to be the long-awaited king! Could it be true? If it was, their whole world was about to change. They wanted to know-they needed to know--who is this?

Who is Jesus for you? As a child my picture of Jesus was not much different than the one that hangs right over there, in the corner. That picture depicts Jesus in the Garden, praying in the night he was betrayed-which led to great suffering, rejection, and death! And yet he looks so calm. His long, wavy light brown hair is perfectly placed. His soft, pale skin looks clean and fresh. He's at peace with God and the mission to which he's been called. There seems to be no struggle for him. Quite a contrast from the Jesus Mel Gibson portrays in his movie The Passion. I recently watched it with my small group and if you want a picture of what it means to be in turmoil--watch the scene where Jesus is in the garden in the night in which he is betrayed by Judas! Jesus is not quite so calm and serene!

Who is Jesus? Read the gospels, and you'll find a variety of answers: a magician, an exorcist, a healer, a friend, a humble servant, a wide-eyed prophet, a defiant child, a rabbi teaching a simple message of love, a revolutionary bent on radically changing the status quo, the messiah who saved the world. Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz wrote a book called "Just Give Me Jesus" and I want to know which one? Jesus is complex -- which is why, if you go looking for a certain picture of him, you'll most likely discover whatever it is you set out to find.

We tend to make Jesus into who we want him to be. You want a soft-spoken guy that doesn't rock the boat too much? You know, Minnesota nice? Focus on Jesus who welcomes the children, blesses them and lifts them up as a model citizen in his kingdom. Looking for a little more edge? Focus on Jesus who tells the crowds that he has not come to bring peace to the earth, but division.

Who is Jesus? I think he's pretty hard to pin down. Jesus said little about the Roman occupation-the hot topic of the day-yet he took up a whip to drive the moneychangers out of the temple. He was filled with compassion for crowds of people he didn't know, yet he turned on his best friend, Peter with a harsh rebuke saying: "Get behind me, Satan," He had strong opinions on rich men and loose women, yet both types enjoyed his company.

Who is Jesus? It's a good question. A hard question. And one we need to keep asking because the minute we think we've got the answer- there's very little space for the Divine spirit to enter in.

If you're comfortable with your understanding of who Jesus is, I challenge you to think again. Look again. Ask again and dare to be surprised by what you see and hear. The man on the donkey seemed to be everything people hoped for -but he was not what they expected him to be.

"Blessed are the meek," he said, "for they shall inherit the earth." That's crazy-everyone knows it's the mighty who inherit the earth.

"You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy' But I say to you, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." What sort of madness is that? What about the threat of terrorists?

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink." Who would ever be able to survive if they lived like that?

"Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant..." That's just not possible. You can't be great if you act like a doormat.

Living this kind of life, Jesus knew he would not escape suffering. Jesus told his disciples about what was to come. Jesus knew his journey to Jerusalem would lead to suffering and death. But still he went and that's what we need to know.

Because this world is still so full of suffering and death. Storms blow in without warning, political uprisings kill innocent bystanders, disease and death come to people far too young. Our hearts ache with fear and doubt. Our minds are weighed down by worry and guilt. The world is in turmoil; we are in turmoil and Jesus is present there.

Where there is suffering, Jesus is there. Where there is hate or confusion, Jesus is there. Where there is fear or doubt, anger or despair, Jesus is there. Jesus rode into Jerusalem and created quite a fuss. People wanted to know who he was. He didn't answer them directly but he showed them through his presence, his obedience, his sacrifice and love.

The writer/theologian Henri Nouwen once found a sculpture of Jesus on a donkey in a museum. He thought it one of the most moving Christ figures he'd ever seen. The fourteenth-century sculpture originally was made to be pulled on a cart for the Palm Sunday procession. Nouwen found himself drawn to this sculpture. He sent postcards of it to his friends and kept one in his prayer book. Looking at the face of Jesus he reflected, "There is melancholy, but also peaceful acceptance. There is insight into the fickleness of the human heart, but also immense compassion. There is a deep awareness of the unspeakable pain to be suffered, but also a strong determination to do God's will. Above all, there is love, an endless, deep and far-reaching love born from an unbreakable intimacy with God and reaching out to all people, wherever they are, were, or will be. There is nothing that he does not fully know. There is nobody whom he does not fully love."

Who is Jesus? The answer is complicated. On this side of heaven, we may never fully know. But we have been given God's promise: Jesus is Immanuel which means God With Us. And that is enough for now. Amen.