St Matthew 21:1-9; Zechariah 9:9-12; Philippians 2:5-11; St Matthew 26-27
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
There have been a lot of kings in the history of the world. But only the greatest of them are remembered with exalted titles. There’s Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia who released the Israelites to return to their land. Alexander the Great, who reigned over the largest empire in the ancient world. There’s Charlemagne, which means, “Charles the Great.” And there are other majestic titles. Edmund the Magnificent. Richard the Lion-Heart. John Frederick the Magnanimous. He was technically an elector, but we'll count it.
The dominant idea in St Matthew’s Gospel is that Jesus is King. The Evangelist repeatedly showcases the royalty of Jesus. From His genealogy as the Son of David, to His birth in Bethlehem, the City of David, the visit of the Wise Men who sought out He who was born King of the Jews, to the repeated theme of the Kingdom of God, a phrase used 32 times in Matthew’s Gospel.
Now, on Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey because that’s what kings do. King David’s son Solomon, after he was anointed to succeed his father as king, entered Jerusalem atop the king’s donkey. Donkey’s are royal animals.
But in the Passion account we just read, the royal quality of our Lord Christ that Matthew focus on is not His greatness, nor His magnificence. Its His innocence. You might say that what Matthew presents to us in His passion account is “Jesus the Innocent.”
Despite the false accusations of His enemies that are so loud and prevail in having His crucified, there are testimonies coming from everywhere as to Christ’s innocence. From the lips of Judas, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. From Pilate’s wife, Have nothing to do with that righteous man. Even Pilate himself, who washed his hands of the affair saying to the crowd, I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to it yourselves. Finally that Roman centurion and those who were with him at the foot of the cross who confessed, Truly this was the Son of God.
Jesus the Innocent. “Innocent” comes from a Latin word which literally means, “No Hurting.” He is Jesus the Innocent because He hurts no one. Innocence is not what He does, but a quality He has.
But innocence is what you need more than anything. It is what you need when you stand before the Judgment Seat of God on the Last Day. Innocence, not greatness, is what you need before the blessed Lord our God, King of the Universe.
But innocent is the opposite of what we’ve been our whole lives. We continually hurt others with our words and deeds, especially those whom we love the most. We have harmed the reputations of God’s people with hurtful slander. We hurt our own souls by being greedy and jealous and prideful. We’ve hurt our Christian confession before our neighbor and the world by being arrogant, rude and hot-tempered toward the less fortunate. According to our deeds, we won’t belong with Jesus the Innocent. We belong with the notorious Barabbas the guilty.
What a contrast stating before Pilate. The innocent Jesus and the guilty Barabbas. The Helpful and the hurtful. The Righteous and the unrighteous. And yet, at that sordid scene before Pilate’s judgment seat you see something that is very consoling and very comforting. It’s Barabbas the guilty who is pardoned and released. And it’s Jesus the Innocent who is condemned for sins He didn’t commit.
There, at that sad display of justice, God is teaching you something great, marvelous and magnificent. He is teaching you about the Great Exchange. How Jesus the Helper came into the world to trade places with hurters. The great exchange is that the sin of the whole world is charged to Jesus in order that the His innocence might be credited to the whole world. And that includes you!
It’s quite a thing for Barabbas to stand before Pilate that day and be treated as innocent. But it will be an even greater scene on the Last Day, at the Judgment Seat of God, when you are declared innocent, not guilty, reckoned as righteous, because of the blood of Jesus.
That’s why Jesus enters Jerusalem for that great Palm Sunday procession. But the greater procession is the one He made to the Cross with the help of Simeon of Cyrene. There Jesus went to be judged for all your sins, that you might be declared innocent. There are your hurtful actions went into His hands, so that your hands might be healed to do deeds of kindness. There the hurtful, bitter words you have spoken went into His ears and died, that you might hear the sweet words of pardon spoken in your ears and live.
Your sins murdered an innocent King, and yet, that was the only way they could be dealt with and destroyed. So that you could come to the Judgment Seat of God on the Last Day declared innocent. Jesus has secured for you and applied to you this innocence, this righteousness, which you need the most.
People loved by God, you live under this King in His Kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead. This great King’s greatness is found in having mercy on the unworthy. Why even bother holding a grudge? For you are declared innocent as you are bathed and covered in His Righteousness by water and Word in Holy Baptism in which you now stand and which unites you to Him forever.
You are bespoken righteous by your King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who has conquered death and the devil by His suffering, death, and resurrection, and brings you the victory in word of Holy Absolution.
Now you are served with Christ’s own innocence as you feast at His Table, heirs of His Kingdom, given to share in the Bread that is His Body and from the Royal Cup that is His Blood. For you have been freely given the gift of faith in which you abide pure and undefiled before the Lord now, and shall stand on the Last Day.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
There have been a lot of kings in the history of the world. But only the greatest of them are remembered with exalted titles. There’s Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia who released the Israelites to return to their land. Alexander the Great, who reigned over the largest empire in the ancient world. There’s Charlemagne, which means, “Charles the Great.” And there are other majestic titles. Edmund the Magnificent. Richard the Lion-Heart. John Frederick the Magnanimous. He was technically an elector, but we'll count it.
The dominant idea in St Matthew’s Gospel is that Jesus is King. The Evangelist repeatedly showcases the royalty of Jesus. From His genealogy as the Son of David, to His birth in Bethlehem, the City of David, the visit of the Wise Men who sought out He who was born King of the Jews, to the repeated theme of the Kingdom of God, a phrase used 32 times in Matthew’s Gospel.
Now, on Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey because that’s what kings do. King David’s son Solomon, after he was anointed to succeed his father as king, entered Jerusalem atop the king’s donkey. Donkey’s are royal animals.
But in the Passion account we just read, the royal quality of our Lord Christ that Matthew focus on is not His greatness, nor His magnificence. Its His innocence. You might say that what Matthew presents to us in His passion account is “Jesus the Innocent.”
Despite the false accusations of His enemies that are so loud and prevail in having His crucified, there are testimonies coming from everywhere as to Christ’s innocence. From the lips of Judas, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. From Pilate’s wife, Have nothing to do with that righteous man. Even Pilate himself, who washed his hands of the affair saying to the crowd, I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to it yourselves. Finally that Roman centurion and those who were with him at the foot of the cross who confessed, Truly this was the Son of God.
Jesus the Innocent. “Innocent” comes from a Latin word which literally means, “No Hurting.” He is Jesus the Innocent because He hurts no one. Innocence is not what He does, but a quality He has.
But innocence is what you need more than anything. It is what you need when you stand before the Judgment Seat of God on the Last Day. Innocence, not greatness, is what you need before the blessed Lord our God, King of the Universe.
But innocent is the opposite of what we’ve been our whole lives. We continually hurt others with our words and deeds, especially those whom we love the most. We have harmed the reputations of God’s people with hurtful slander. We hurt our own souls by being greedy and jealous and prideful. We’ve hurt our Christian confession before our neighbor and the world by being arrogant, rude and hot-tempered toward the less fortunate. According to our deeds, we won’t belong with Jesus the Innocent. We belong with the notorious Barabbas the guilty.
What a contrast stating before Pilate. The innocent Jesus and the guilty Barabbas. The Helpful and the hurtful. The Righteous and the unrighteous. And yet, at that sordid scene before Pilate’s judgment seat you see something that is very consoling and very comforting. It’s Barabbas the guilty who is pardoned and released. And it’s Jesus the Innocent who is condemned for sins He didn’t commit.
There, at that sad display of justice, God is teaching you something great, marvelous and magnificent. He is teaching you about the Great Exchange. How Jesus the Helper came into the world to trade places with hurters. The great exchange is that the sin of the whole world is charged to Jesus in order that the His innocence might be credited to the whole world. And that includes you!
It’s quite a thing for Barabbas to stand before Pilate that day and be treated as innocent. But it will be an even greater scene on the Last Day, at the Judgment Seat of God, when you are declared innocent, not guilty, reckoned as righteous, because of the blood of Jesus.
That’s why Jesus enters Jerusalem for that great Palm Sunday procession. But the greater procession is the one He made to the Cross with the help of Simeon of Cyrene. There Jesus went to be judged for all your sins, that you might be declared innocent. There are your hurtful actions went into His hands, so that your hands might be healed to do deeds of kindness. There the hurtful, bitter words you have spoken went into His ears and died, that you might hear the sweet words of pardon spoken in your ears and live.
Your sins murdered an innocent King, and yet, that was the only way they could be dealt with and destroyed. So that you could come to the Judgment Seat of God on the Last Day declared innocent. Jesus has secured for you and applied to you this innocence, this righteousness, which you need the most.
People loved by God, you live under this King in His Kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead. This great King’s greatness is found in having mercy on the unworthy. Why even bother holding a grudge? For you are declared innocent as you are bathed and covered in His Righteousness by water and Word in Holy Baptism in which you now stand and which unites you to Him forever.
You are bespoken righteous by your King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who has conquered death and the devil by His suffering, death, and resurrection, and brings you the victory in word of Holy Absolution.
Now you are served with Christ’s own innocence as you feast at His Table, heirs of His Kingdom, given to share in the Bread that is His Body and from the Royal Cup that is His Blood. For you have been freely given the gift of faith in which you abide pure and undefiled before the Lord now, and shall stand on the Last Day.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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