Palm Sunday

Dear brothers and sisters,

I’m sorry to give you some bad news. Really bad. It might make you decide not to come back next Saturday for Easter. Both today and next week, I’ll be the one preaching the sermon. (Joshua will preach on Maundy Thursday.)

Joking aside, I’m actually glad to be able to preach both weeks, because Palm Sunday and Easter are almost like a “mini-series” in the story of the Gospels. Palm Sunday is almost a pre-Easter, and in between these two Sundays unfolds what I like to call the Triumphal March of Christ.

Let’s take a look at some of our readings. Psalm 118 is a processional song. You know how we typically sing while the pastors enter from the back of the church and take their place? Well, this song was used for the victory procession of the King of Israel. After winning a battle, the King would return to the city and go straight to the Temple to offer a sacrifice. And then the priests, from inside the Temple, would welcome him singing: “BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! WE BLESS YOU FROM THE HOUSE OF THE LORD!” The King has defeated the pagans, Israel will have days of peace and prosperity again—let us go and thank the Lord, who has given victory to our King!

The crowds sing this Psalm to Jesus because they recognize that He Himself is fulfilling a prophecy. Zechariah 9, which we heard, promises that the King of Israel comes riding on a donkey. Then it adds: “HE SHALL SPEAK PEACE TO THE NATIONS; HIS RULE SHALL BE FROM SEA TO SEA, AND FROM THE RIVER TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH” (v. 10). The prophets often prophesied through actions, through signs. Hosea married a prostitute to symbolize Israel’s unfaithfulness. Isaiah walked naked to represent the defeat of the people. Now Jesus enters riding on a donkey to say to them: “I—I am that promised King, that King who will speak peace, that King who will rule over the whole world. Here I am, I come to you!” The people understand the message, and they respond by singing: “BLESSED is the victorious King WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!” They sing the hymn of triumph.

When we think about justification by faith, our minds immediately go to philosophical concepts—“imputed righteousness,” “grace not infused,” and so on—but in reality, these stories explain it in a way that is a thousand times simpler. Why do we celebrate the triumphal march of Christ? Because our enemies (not Rome, but the devil, death, and sin) were stronger than us; on our own, we had no power to free ourselves, and we needed someone who did. And so there enters the field “the Man chosen by God,” as Luther says—Jesus Christ, the new David advancing against the ancient Goliath in the name of the Lord of hosts.

Such was our misery that we could do nothing on our own. The coming of Christ refutes those philosophies that try to convince us that man can save himself—Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the New Age mixtures so popular in today’s Western world. The coming of Christ also refutes the modern fairy tale that man is not really that bad, that we can all work together to build paradise on earth… The coming of Christ commands us—and allows us—to be honest with ourselves. Humanity is addicted to sin, and like every addiction, it destroys a person, yet the person does not want to let go of it. If we could truly see how deeply rooted it is in our very bones, we probably could not bear it.

Even as Christians, I suspect this is your experience. How often a thought comes, a careless word, an idea—and then we think: “My God, help! How terrible!” People out there try to justify themselves—but without Christ, without the grace and forgiveness of God, who could live a life where you are surrounded by evil everywhere you turn?

But as Christians, this evil has not won, because Christ has carried out His triumphal march.

Even if you struggle against sin, even if you wake up every day with a thousand voices in your head reminding you how bad you are… none of this has power over you. In a world now captive to alcoholism, exploitation, oppression of others at every opportunity, and raging anger, we have the promise that none of this will dominate us.

Even if shame and guilt continue to torment you, and every day the devil reminds you of every wrong word, every evil action… these things can no longer define you! Since Christ marched in triumph, you are no longer the murderer, the fornicator, the angry one, the hateful one. Your identity has changed, and it is still being transformed from glory to glory.

Even if you feel the scars and pains of your past, they do not have the final word! You are no longer the child wounded by an absent father, the girl abandoned by her family. The pain remains, but it no longer has the right to tell you who you are.

Now, in fact, since Christ has marched in triumph over His enemies, we too march under another banner: Christus Victor, “Christ the Conqueror!” (Hmm… an excellent name for a church!) Since our King has made Himself ours, since He has triumphed over the kingdom of death, we are no longer the band of the miserable—the desperate, the thieves, murderers, and the impure. Now we are THE JOYFUL ASSEMBLY AND CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN ENROLLED IN HEAVEN, the righteous who WILL SHINE LIKE THE SUN IN THE KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER, the bright stars of the new creation, predestined to become like the Son of God Himself!

Do you know why? Because this band of wretches now has a King—a King who has conquered death, the devil, and sin; a King who has chosen to share His victory with these miserable wretches. And His name is Jesus of Nazareth, the Anointed of God, who came in the name of the Lord of hosts, fought, and won!

The words of Martin Luther come to mind: “After our creation, after we had received from God the Father every kind of good, the devil came and brought with him disobedience, sin, death, and every kind of misery. And so we found ourselves under the wrath and displeasure of God, condemned to eternal damnation, deserved by our own works. There was no counsel, help, or comfort, until this eternal, only-begotten Son Himself came to save us from our misery and wretchedness. Thus all those tyrants and jailers have been driven out, and in their place has come Jesus Christ, Lord of life, righteousness, and every good and salvation. He has saved us from the jaws of hell (we poor, lost people!), has redeemed us, freed us, and brought us back into the favor and grace of God. He has made us His own, placed us under His care and protection, to govern us with His righteousness, wisdom, authority, life, and salvation.”

We say the same things in our Eucharistic Prayer. I have little time, so we will have to return to it next week. But carry in your hearts the words of that prayer: “He was about to be handed over to the passion to destroy death, break the chains of the devil, crush hell, enlighten the righteous, imprison sin, and reveal the resurrection…” The victory march of our God!

Technically, it is still Lent, so it is not yet time to say that word that begins with “A” and ends with “lleluia.” For that, we will wait until next week. In the meantime, let us cry out: “Hosanna!”—Hosanna to the Christus Victor, to the new Lord, who has entered the city where we were prisoners, has broken down its gates, and has taken us and made us His own.

“HOSANNA! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!”