Jeremiah 23:5-8; Romans 12:8-14; St Matthew 21:1-9
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Whenever the Chinese near year comes around in February, people ask, “What animal is in the spotlight this year?” 2020 was the year of the rat. Last year was a pig. Next year will be the year of the ox.
But when a new Church Year rolls around, we Christians don’t have to ask, “What animal is in the spotlight this year?” For the Church has traditionally put the same animal in the spotlight every year - the donkey. Not just one, but two, actually. A mother and her colt. An old one and a new one. They may not seem like much to us. Beasts of burden. But donkeys are royal transportation in the Bible. Donkeys are king carriers. And Jesus is the King the prophet Zechariah is talking about when he says, Behold, your King is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. Every year we being the new Church Year telling the tale of the King and those two donkeys.
And that story is supposed to put you in mind of another story about a king and two donkeys. An Old Testament story (2 Sam 15-16). That king was King David and he was walking up the Mount of Olives out of Jerusalem. For he was driven from the city by his vain and rebellious son, Absalom. He was no Righteous Branch who executed justice and righteousness in the land. He was an unrighteous and bitter root who plotted and conspired against the Lord’s anointed.
So there was David, God’s choice, walking barefoot with his head covered, weeping. Plotted against by his son, betrayed by his close associate, Ahithophel, rejected by the people, King David walked out of Jerusalem, up the Mount of Olives, not knowing whether he would live or die. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame.
But King David would live. Because at the top of Mt Olive, the Lord had provided two donkeys. Two donkeys with food tied to them. There was bread and there was wine. There were raisins and other fruits. King David and his men would survive in the wilderness. And in time the Lord would direct another donkey to carry the conspirator king, Absalom, into a tree. There he would hang by his long hair until he was speared to death and David could return to his throne (2 Sam 18:14).
But today you hear of a better story of a King and two donkeys. King Jesus riding into Jerusalem. And atop those two donkey is even Better Food, God’s provision for our eternal salvation. For riding on those donkeys is Jesus, the Bread of Life. Riding on those donkeys is Jesus the True Vine. Riding into Jerusalem is King Jesus, God’s good fruit, who rides into Jerusalem to die for our rottenness.
What a good thing to begin another year of grace hearing about those two donkeys. For too often, and this past year especially, our life seems to be the story of a donkey. Not just nasty, brutish, and short. But even worse - the donkey that lives inside of us. Our old nature. What St Paul today calls the flesh. As in, make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Our Lutheran Confessions call it a “wild, unmanageable, stubborn donkey.” A beast (FC Ep II 19).
That’s the stubborn donkey in us that stubbornly refuses to trust that God means only good for us. That’s the stubborn donkey in us that stubbornly wants to live for nothing but ease, fun, and self-indulgence. That’s the stubborn donkey inside that stubbornly insists on being discontent, despite so many things for which to be thankful. The stubborn donkey that kicks and brays around, whining and complaining, in quarreling and jealousy. St Paul calls those works of darkness.
But you heard the Apostle. You are to cast off the works of darkness. Or to say is another way, kill the donkey inside lest he steer you where you don’t want to end up. Down a path of no return whose end is destruction.
Put to death the donkey inside. Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. And behold that wonderful animal in the spotlight carrying the even more wonderful King Jesus into Jerusalem.
Some Church Fathers say that He rode in on the two at the same time. Some say He rode on the old one to show that He came for His Old Testament people. And then He rode on the young one to show that He came for His New Testament Church.
But it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that He rode into Jerusalem to die for our sins. He rode into Jerusalem to be the Bread of Life broken for us. He rode into Jerusalem to be God’s True Vine to be stomped for us. He rode into Jerusalem to be treated like David’s rebel son, Absalom. Hung on a tree and then pierced with a spear! In order to atone for our stubborn, stiff-necked refusal to fear, love, and trust in Him as we should. What a sight those two donkeys are! Behold, your King is coming to you on them!
You know, dear friends, shortly after Luther died the Roman Catholics wanted to change the first Gospel of the Church Year. Their thinking went like this - since Advent means, “Coming,” it’s enough that we remember two comings of Jesus. Its enough that we remember His first coming. His birth in Bethlehem. And His Last Coming to judge the living and the dead. But the Lutherans insisted that the Church Year begin with Jesus coming into Jerusalem. Advent begins by putting us in Holy Week. Palm Sunday. In this way, Advent is like “Christmas Lent.” That’s one of the reasons the color is violet. And that crown of thorns on the Altar paramount “cradles” the Chi-Rho. The One laid whose crib was a manger, the purpose of His Advent was to die.
And that’s why for Lutherans the emphasis on His comings are always His coming to us and His coming for us, now. That is, His coming to you and for you in Word and Sacrament. Just as King Jesus went into Jerusalem on a humble donkey, so now He rides into His New Jerusalem, the Church, on humble bread and humble wine. Kings don’t usually approach their people. Their people approach Him. But not our Merciful King. He is as stubborn as the donkeys He rode into Jerusalem about carrying out His Father’s will to die for you, to rise for you, to ascend for you. And then, to come to you, approaching you with the benefits of His life, death, resurrection and ascension.
You heard the command that Jesus gave those two disciples about those two donkeys. Untie them and bring them to Me. The Lord needs them. That is not only so that He could fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy. It is also to show you how He wants His Pastors to deal with you. For it is not unlike the command that Jesus gave the Pastor when you were baptized. “Untie them from their sins and bring them to Me.” It’s not unlike what Jesus tells Pastors to do with the sins that burden the faithful. “Loose them from their burdens and bring them to Me.”
That’s what is happening again this morning and every time you are absolved. You are untied from your sins, loosed from your burdens, and brought to Jesus. He has need of you. For what? Not to ride and weigh down. But to do as you heard from St Paul this morning. Owe no one anything, except to love each other. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
And all of this is true because there’s only one animal in the spotlight. In the Church its never the year of the pig or the rat or the ox. Its not even the year of the donkey. If you want to talk in terms of animals, there’s only One in the spotlight every day of every year. Its the Year of the Lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus, the Lamb of God who is the All Sufficient Sacrifice. Jesus, the Lamb of God who is our All Sufficient Food and our All Sufficient Deliverer. Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Whenever the Chinese near year comes around in February, people ask, “What animal is in the spotlight this year?” 2020 was the year of the rat. Last year was a pig. Next year will be the year of the ox.
But when a new Church Year rolls around, we Christians don’t have to ask, “What animal is in the spotlight this year?” For the Church has traditionally put the same animal in the spotlight every year - the donkey. Not just one, but two, actually. A mother and her colt. An old one and a new one. They may not seem like much to us. Beasts of burden. But donkeys are royal transportation in the Bible. Donkeys are king carriers. And Jesus is the King the prophet Zechariah is talking about when he says, Behold, your King is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. Every year we being the new Church Year telling the tale of the King and those two donkeys.
And that story is supposed to put you in mind of another story about a king and two donkeys. An Old Testament story (2 Sam 15-16). That king was King David and he was walking up the Mount of Olives out of Jerusalem. For he was driven from the city by his vain and rebellious son, Absalom. He was no Righteous Branch who executed justice and righteousness in the land. He was an unrighteous and bitter root who plotted and conspired against the Lord’s anointed.
So there was David, God’s choice, walking barefoot with his head covered, weeping. Plotted against by his son, betrayed by his close associate, Ahithophel, rejected by the people, King David walked out of Jerusalem, up the Mount of Olives, not knowing whether he would live or die. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame.
But King David would live. Because at the top of Mt Olive, the Lord had provided two donkeys. Two donkeys with food tied to them. There was bread and there was wine. There were raisins and other fruits. King David and his men would survive in the wilderness. And in time the Lord would direct another donkey to carry the conspirator king, Absalom, into a tree. There he would hang by his long hair until he was speared to death and David could return to his throne (2 Sam 18:14).
But today you hear of a better story of a King and two donkeys. King Jesus riding into Jerusalem. And atop those two donkey is even Better Food, God’s provision for our eternal salvation. For riding on those donkeys is Jesus, the Bread of Life. Riding on those donkeys is Jesus the True Vine. Riding into Jerusalem is King Jesus, God’s good fruit, who rides into Jerusalem to die for our rottenness.
What a good thing to begin another year of grace hearing about those two donkeys. For too often, and this past year especially, our life seems to be the story of a donkey. Not just nasty, brutish, and short. But even worse - the donkey that lives inside of us. Our old nature. What St Paul today calls the flesh. As in, make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Our Lutheran Confessions call it a “wild, unmanageable, stubborn donkey.” A beast (FC Ep II 19).
That’s the stubborn donkey in us that stubbornly refuses to trust that God means only good for us. That’s the stubborn donkey in us that stubbornly wants to live for nothing but ease, fun, and self-indulgence. That’s the stubborn donkey inside that stubbornly insists on being discontent, despite so many things for which to be thankful. The stubborn donkey that kicks and brays around, whining and complaining, in quarreling and jealousy. St Paul calls those works of darkness.
But you heard the Apostle. You are to cast off the works of darkness. Or to say is another way, kill the donkey inside lest he steer you where you don’t want to end up. Down a path of no return whose end is destruction.
Put to death the donkey inside. Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. And behold that wonderful animal in the spotlight carrying the even more wonderful King Jesus into Jerusalem.
Some Church Fathers say that He rode in on the two at the same time. Some say He rode on the old one to show that He came for His Old Testament people. And then He rode on the young one to show that He came for His New Testament Church.
But it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that He rode into Jerusalem to die for our sins. He rode into Jerusalem to be the Bread of Life broken for us. He rode into Jerusalem to be God’s True Vine to be stomped for us. He rode into Jerusalem to be treated like David’s rebel son, Absalom. Hung on a tree and then pierced with a spear! In order to atone for our stubborn, stiff-necked refusal to fear, love, and trust in Him as we should. What a sight those two donkeys are! Behold, your King is coming to you on them!
You know, dear friends, shortly after Luther died the Roman Catholics wanted to change the first Gospel of the Church Year. Their thinking went like this - since Advent means, “Coming,” it’s enough that we remember two comings of Jesus. Its enough that we remember His first coming. His birth in Bethlehem. And His Last Coming to judge the living and the dead. But the Lutherans insisted that the Church Year begin with Jesus coming into Jerusalem. Advent begins by putting us in Holy Week. Palm Sunday. In this way, Advent is like “Christmas Lent.” That’s one of the reasons the color is violet. And that crown of thorns on the Altar paramount “cradles” the Chi-Rho. The One laid whose crib was a manger, the purpose of His Advent was to die.
And that’s why for Lutherans the emphasis on His comings are always His coming to us and His coming for us, now. That is, His coming to you and for you in Word and Sacrament. Just as King Jesus went into Jerusalem on a humble donkey, so now He rides into His New Jerusalem, the Church, on humble bread and humble wine. Kings don’t usually approach their people. Their people approach Him. But not our Merciful King. He is as stubborn as the donkeys He rode into Jerusalem about carrying out His Father’s will to die for you, to rise for you, to ascend for you. And then, to come to you, approaching you with the benefits of His life, death, resurrection and ascension.
You heard the command that Jesus gave those two disciples about those two donkeys. Untie them and bring them to Me. The Lord needs them. That is not only so that He could fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy. It is also to show you how He wants His Pastors to deal with you. For it is not unlike the command that Jesus gave the Pastor when you were baptized. “Untie them from their sins and bring them to Me.” It’s not unlike what Jesus tells Pastors to do with the sins that burden the faithful. “Loose them from their burdens and bring them to Me.”
That’s what is happening again this morning and every time you are absolved. You are untied from your sins, loosed from your burdens, and brought to Jesus. He has need of you. For what? Not to ride and weigh down. But to do as you heard from St Paul this morning. Owe no one anything, except to love each other. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
And all of this is true because there’s only one animal in the spotlight. In the Church its never the year of the pig or the rat or the ox. Its not even the year of the donkey. If you want to talk in terms of animals, there’s only One in the spotlight every day of every year. Its the Year of the Lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus, the Lamb of God who is the All Sufficient Sacrifice. Jesus, the Lamb of God who is our All Sufficient Food and our All Sufficient Deliverer. Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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