Bowling Green Covenant Church

Friday 30 March 2007

An Invocation for Palm Sunday

Humble and riding on a donkey,

we greet You;

acclaimed by crowds and caroled by children,

we cheer You;

moving from the peace of the countryside

to the corridors of power,

we salute you:

CHRIST OUR LORD.

You are giving the beast of burden

a new dignity;

You are giving majesty

a new face;

You are giving those who long for redemption

a new song to sing.

With them, with heart and voice

we shout:

“HOSANNA!”

The word paradox can make us uncomfortable until we realize that the Bible, and the New Testament in particular, is full of paradox. Our contemporary culture defines paradox as a riddle without an answer; a problem without a solution; a tension that cannot be relieved. The New Testament, originally written in Greek, uses paradox to illustrate something that is contrary to opinion or expectation; something that is strange, wonderful or remarkable. For those of you keeping score at home, the word paradox appears only once in the New Testament, in Luke 5.26.

There Jesus heals a paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. Luke tells us “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today.’” When Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the people declared that they had seen something contrary to opinion or expectation. They had seen a paradox!

The best example of a paradox in the New Testament is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. His death is the source of our eternal life. His defeat at the cross is His ultimate triumph over the rulers and authorities. His humiliation in being lifted up on the cross is the exact means whereby He is exalted so that He can draw all men unto Himself.

The crucifixion is one example of a paradox. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday is another. In fact, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is an event stuffed full of paradox. It overflows with irony, but I’ll leave that for another blog entry. For now let’s consider several things that make up the Palm Sunday paradox.

Paradox: Jesus entered Jerusalem to die yet His entrance is considered triumphal. Jesus entered Jerusalem through the main gate seated on a donkey and exalted with praise. However, in less than six days He will leave through the back gate carrying a cross and be lifted up to scorn at His crucifixion.

Paradox: Jesus inspires passionate devotion among His followers, yet they all ran away when He was arrested. The disciples obeyed His command to fetch a donkey finding everything just as He said. Yet they cannot find the courage to stand with Him in most trying hour.

Paradox: As Jesus enters Jerusalem He is hailed as the son of David, yet He will leave Jerusalem to be crucified as a son of Satan.

Paradox: On Sunday the crowd greets His approach with applause and shouts of “Hosanna!” (which means, “He saves!”). Friday, that same crowd, will maliciously mock Him at His crucifixion, “Let Him save Himself!”

The paradox of Palm Sunday is no reason to doubt its reliability. It is an opportunity to marvel at the sovereignty of God, the humility of Jesus and the depravity of a humanity blinded by its sin. Jerusalem was set abuzz by the arrival of Jesus, but He said nothing. He just rode that donkey into the coming maelstrom of mayhem in which He would be betrayed, arrested, tried, rejected, and crucified.

Perhaps the ultimate paradox of Palm Sunday is this: As Jesus enters Jerusalem He is the only person who knows what is going to happen. I wonder if at that moment the serpent whispered a slithery temptation in Jesus’ ear. “They love you, you know. You have them in the palm of Your hand. They will do anything You say. I will make sure of that. Worship me, do what I say and I will deliver the crowd and the Romans into your hands.”

Jesus heard the Tempter. He heard the crowd. But He listened to His Father’s voice. His obeyed His Father’s will. It was a moment, like all moments in Jesus’ life when His words and His works came together in perfect obedience to His Father’s will.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem it was one of those rare times when a nation’s faith, destiny and history converged to meet at one place at one time in one person. The air must have been electric with the aroma of anticipation. Some hailed Jesus as “the Son of David.” Others held their breath (and their judgment) before deciding if He was their last, best hope of salvation and deliverance from foreign domination. Still others may have come to see if the carpenter turned rabbi would turn more water into wine, feed thousands and heal more sick people. Yet amid all the buzz and tumult, amid all the people and paparazzi Jesus didn’t say a word.

We’re not used to silence from celebrities who cause a media event. Reporters shout questions at them from the crowd. They ask mundane questions like, “What do you think about this turnout?” Or, if they want to appear concerned about ‘hard news’ they’ll ask, “What do you hope to accomplish by your coming here today?”

The religious mainstream of Jesus’ time had other questions for Jesus. They were suspicious of Him. They feared Him. He posed a threat to their power over the people. They conspired to kill Him so that they could keep their grip on the masses. They questioned Jesus’ character and credentials. Who is He? Where did He come from? Who are His parents? What school did He go to? What’s His agenda? Who’s financing His campaign? Is He His own man, or is He fronting for someone else? Does He really ‘feel our pain’ or is He all style and no substance?

In Matthew 21.11, the people proclaimed, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” They were right, but they were also wrong. Jesus is a prophet. But He is also more than a prophet. You see, as just a prophet Jesus is manageable. If Jesus is manageable then we are the arbiter of how much truth is contained in His words. If Jesus is just a prophet He is still human like us. That means we can become excited by His charisma, we can cheer His championing the cause of the oppressed, we can downright get giddy over His ability to “stick it” to the establishment, but when He turns his tongue toward us and His words burn the edges of our comfort zone, we can turn a deaf ear. After all, He’s just a man. Who is He to judge us? Who is He to tell me what to do? It’s my life!

Behold another Palm Sunday paradox! Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the Son of God; the Lord Who is our Savior. Our pride attempts to manage Jesus by insisting He is just a prophet. Sin leads us to the deceptive conclusion we can believe one way and act another. It’s our unwillingness to be congruent that prevents us from fully following Him as the Son of God, the Lord who is our Savior.

For those of us old enough to remember, or who have seen the grainy film record of it, Jesus entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday has the feel of President John F. Kennedy’s drive though Dealy Plaza in downtown Dallas on a sunny November 22, 1963. JFK had no idea Lee Harvey Oswald was waiting to assassinate him as he drove through Dealy Plaza. Had he known his motorcade would never have taken that route through Dallas. What JFK did not know, Jesus did. And yet rather than taking another route into Jerusalem, or by-passing Jerusalem altogether, Jesus rode on. He chose to hide in plain sight. He entered Jerusalem through the main gate.

Jesus entered Jerusalem to die because only His death could make atonement for our sins. Only His death could save us from God’s wrath against us for our sin. His entrance into Jerusalem is a triumph because it marks the victory of God’s will over Satan’s work. Jesus’ march to the cross could not be stopped; not by the disciples’ devotion nor the peoples’ praise nor the Pharisees’ persecution. By Maundy Thursday, the disciples will learn that faith in Jesus means confronting our own fallibility. By Crucifixion Friday, the people will learn that the One they praised as Savior is also God’s Suffering Servant. By Resurrection Sunday, the Pharisees will learn that “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; (for) the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

The 20-20 hindsight of history tells us Jesus did not enter Jerusalem to claim a throne, but to be crucified on a cross. We know that a week that began with the crowd singing His praises ended with them demanding His death. We also know that the agony that filled Jesus’ heart in Golgotha will be overmatched by the joyous news that will accompany the glorious emptiness of the garden tomb.

But before the betrayal and the cross, before the burial and the resurrection there is Palm Sunday. There was a day when Jesus came to Jerusalem to be welcomed not for His sake, but for ours.

And still He came.

You think about.

P.S. I will leave you with the following prayer for this Passion week.

O Lord Jesus, in this sacred and solemn week when we see again the depth and mystery of your redeeming love, help us to follow where You go, to stop where You stumble, to listen when You cry, to hurt as You suffer, to bow our heads in sorrow as You die so that when You are raised to life again we may share in Your endless joy. Amen.

Dr. Bruce Edwards gives a sermon titled “In not of: living in the shadowlands,” To view Dr. Edwards C.S. Lewis blog, go to www.pseudobook.com/cslewis

 

 The Shadowlands [39:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Friday 23 March 2007

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8.12

Mordecai, merchant in Jerusalem

To Bartholomew, my beloved brother and merchant in Bethsaida,

Greetings in the Name of the He who is blessed forever, the LORD, the Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth. I hope you and your family is well. We are blessed, despite the hard times. The LORD, blessed be His Name, is good and His steadfast love endures forever.

Since I received your letter about your experience in Capernaum, I have been paying close attention for any news about Jesus the son of Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth, who claims to be the bread of life.

Well, my brother, Jesus has been in Jerusalem and he caused no small disturbance by his presence here. For days rumors buzzed like flies as to whether or not Jesus would show his face during the Feast of the Tabernacles. Some were saying he is a good man. Others said he is a deceiver. I had read your letter, but I kept my thoughts to myself and said nothing. As you know it is not good to take sides in such matters—it’s bad for business.

About halfway through the Feast Jesus came to Jerusalem. He went up to the Temple courts and began to teach. You are right, Bartholomew, the man speaks with an authority that compels you to listen. And some of the things he says are hard to understand. Still, when he spoke and it was as if time stopped. “My teaching is not my own,” he said, “It comes from him who sent me.” On and on he taught until someone asked, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?” This was news I had not heard. But he kept right on teaching. It was as if he knew the people who wanted to kill him could not touch him.

“I am with you for only a short time,” he continued, “and then I go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” This was a hard saying. No one had any idea what Jesus meant when he said, “You will look for me, but you will not find me,” and “Where I am, you cannot come.”

Then on the last day of the Feast, Jesus said something that left us completely dumbfounded. “If a man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” Do you have any idea what that means, Bartholomew? This statement ignited another round of discussion about Jesus. Some said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others went even further and said, “He is the Messiah.”

You should have seen the faces of the Pharisees, Bartholomew. They were as red as the sun setting in the west. Meanwhile the people’s faces shone with hope. Their hope burst into sunrise when Jesus spoke again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So not only does Jesus claim to be the bread of life, he also claims to be the light of the world. What do you think of that, my brother?

Here is what I think and this I will confide to you, my brother. When a man says “I am the bread of life,” and “I am the light of the world,” he is either a deceiver, or he is possessed by a demon, or he is telling the truth. I know some believe he is a deceiver. Certainly the Pharisees believe he is possessed by a demon, but what if Jesus is telling the truth? Suppose he is the bread of life and the light of the world? Why would Jesus say he is the bread of life if it were not true? Can a deceiver be the Messiah? Would not Jesus know people would think him a madman for saying such a thing? Can a madman be the Messiah? I have heard he even casts out demons. Can a man possessed by demons cast out demons? And then there is the incident you describe at the end of your letter where one of his men called him the Holy One of God. Bartholomew, what if Jesus truly is the Holy One of God?

If by such talk I surprise you, my brother, let me remind you Bethsaida is a long way from Jerusalem. Do you know how the Romans despise us? Have you been bitten by the wolf-like greed of the tax collectors—our own people—who eagerly join the Romans in stealing our livelihood through taxes? We are Jews, Bartholomew, but God has promised we shall not always suffer at the hands of the Gentiles. We will be delivered. Messiah will come.

If Jesus is telling the truth then Messiah may already be here. The days are not so strange that with faith we may see our hope fulfilled. For without faith, my brother, we are lost. Without hope we cannot endure. I have not yet made up my mind about this Jesus. He is not the first man whom our people have hailed as Messiah. However, who knows, with the help of the LORD who is blessed forever, he may be the last. He may be the Messiah.

We shall see.

Write when you have occasion. And I will do the same.

Shalom.

Sermon #3 of “The King, the Cross, and the Empty Tomb” series
Rev. Dr. Michael Malanga – Luke 13: 31-35
Title: “The Safety of Entering through the Narrow Door”

 

 The Safety of Entering through the Narrow Door [35:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Traveler’s Advisory

Friday 9 March 2007

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” – John 6.51

Bartholomew, merchant in Bethsaida,

To Mordecai, my beloved brother in Jerusalem.

Greetings in the Name of He who is blessed forever, the LORD, the Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth.

As you know, my brother, because of the recent famine, all the Jews around here are desperately hungry. However, what they seem most hungry for is not so much food as freedom from Rome.  Ever since the arrival of John the Baptist, the prophetic pump has been primed.  The people are edgy. The air is thick with talk about the Messiah. If talk was bread the famine would be over.

In recent days, there has been a great deal of talk about the man from Nazareth, the one they call Jesus. Have you heard about Him? Some from our village believe he is the Messiah. They are even saying this carpenter’s son will deliver us from iron grip of Roman oppression.

I know you scoff at such talk, but my dear brother, the word is spreading like wildfire. It is fueled by news of miracles Jesus is said to have performed. Why just a few days ago, Jesus did something right here in Bethsaida that I can only describe as a miracle.

Jesus had crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and as soon as everyone found out where He was, naturally they flocked to see Him. When I saw the dust rising I went down to look for myself what the commotion was all about.

Mordecai, I am not exaggerating, there must have been five thousand people there. When I arrived Jesus had just begun to speak. I made my way through the crowd to find a good place to sit on the mountainside and listen. They say with some preachers one hour can seem like twenty-minutes while others can make twenty minutes seem like one hour. Jesus was the first kind of preacher. He speaks with an authority that compels you to listen. But some of the things he says are hard to understand.

Anyway, he talked and the time passed.  Before any of us knew it, it was dinnertime, but no one had brought anything to eat.  We didn’t expect to be out that long, but there we were: far from home, with no food and no money in our purse to buy any.

When I stood up to go home I saw Jesus.  His men surrounded him. They were huddled around him. It was a very lively discussion. His men were pointing at the crowd and holding up their money pouches – they looked empty. Jesus was as calm as the Sea of Galilee at dusk. Whatever he said to his men must have shocked them. You should have seen the looks on their faces. They had just finished talking when one of Jesus’ men brought a little boy to him. Jesus talked with the boy then said something to his men. Next thing I know, Jesus’ men are making their way through the crowd telling us to all sit down.

So we sat down. Do you know how long it takes to get 5,000 people to sit down, Mordecai? Too long. Especially when you’re hungry. Anyway, after we were all seated, Jesus stepped forward. He carried a basket out of which He took five loaves and two fish. I know because I counted them (and you know how good I am at counting inventory). Jesus took the bread and blessed it, and then he and his men handed out the loaves and the fish.

At first, we all thought it was some kind of joke. Who would try to feed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish? Jesus! That’s who.

He did it, Mordecai! I am telling you the truth, brother, Jesus really fed all five thousand of us with five loaves and two fish. It was a miracle just like the miracle of Elisha and the widow’s oil.  Do you remember when Papa would tell us that story, Mordecai? It was one of his favorites, mine too (O, the money I could make if my inventory would never run out, but that’s beside the point).

You remember the story, don’t you? The widow was about to lose her sons to slavery because she didn’t have the money to pay off her husband’s debts.  All she had was a little bit of oil, so Elisha told her to ask her neighbors for all their empty jars.  Then she poured the oil into all the jars until they were all full. Then the oil stop flowing.  The woman sold the oil and paid off her debt.  That’s what it was like when Jesus fed all five thousand of us.  As soon as our bellies were full the food stopped. It was as if he made the food come out of nowhere.  I tell you, brother, the crowd went into frenzy. In their excitement the crowd began to shout “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”  Some shouted that we should make him king right there on the spot.  Somehow, Jesus made his men get into a boat while he disappeared up the mountain.

The next day, he appeared over in Capernaum, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  Someone said that he would have had to walk on water to get there so fast.  I don’t know about that, but as soon as we found Jesus, he started preaching again.

Everyone, including me, was ready to hear a rousing speech – a call to arms in fact.  Jesus had the crowd in the palm of His hand and they were ready to do whatever he said. By now we were pretty much convinced Jesus was sent from God, but as soon as he started talking something was different. He began talking about working for food that endures to eternal life instead of spending our whole life working for food that spoils.

Honestly, I didn’t really care about that. I just wanted Jesus to perform another miracle, one more amazing thing like he did the day before. Somebody in the crowd asked him to do another miracle. Could he give us bread from heaven just like Moses did for our ancestors during the Exodus?

Jesus said, “It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” the people said, “from now on give us the bread,”

I’ll never forget his answer.

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

He said it again. “I am the bread of life.” But it was what he said after this that turned the crowd against him. He said, “Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Well, Jesus had hardly finishing speaking when people began walking away. They were not happy. “This is a hard saying,” they grumbled, “how can anyone accept it?” Some even wondered whether Jesus was possessed by a demon. Who else but a madman says such things, Mordecai? Who else but a madman says, “This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world”? Tell me, Mordecai, would such words come from the lips of the Messiah of our people?

Too stunned to go home and too upset to go back to work, I stayed behind, but stood out of sight. I saw Jesus talking with His men after everyone else had gone away.  And I mean everyone. The only people left were the twelve men who followed Jesus.

He said, “Are you also going to leave me?”

“What kind of question is that?” I asked myself. Suddenly, I heard one of Jesus’ men, the one they call Simon Peter, say in a loud clear voice, as if he wanted everyone who left to hear him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

The Holy One of God, Mordecai! That’s what he called Jesus. The Holy One of God! Could he really be the Holy One of God? Could he really be the bread of life come down from heaven? Ah, but how can a man claim to come from heaven, to come from God? But since the time of Moses, when has there ever been a man who can do the things Jesus has done?

These are strange days, Mordecai, strange days indeed.

I will write again when I have more news. Until then…

Shalom.

Sermon #2 of “The King, the Cross, and the Empty Tomb” series
Rev. Dr. Michael Malanga – Luke 13: 22-30
Title: “In a word – “YES.”

 

 Lent 2007 - Sermon 2 [26:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Traveler’s Advisory

Friday 2 March 2007

“As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” – Luke 9.51 [NLT]

“And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.[1] He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven.” – The Letter to the Hebrews 12.1b-2 [NLT]

One of the more powerful the characteristics regarding God’s word for which we can be especially thankful is what the Reformers called Scriptura ex Scriptura explicanda est (Scripture is explained and must be explained by Scripture). For a case in point we need only look at the two texts above.

When Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” He was at the pinnacle of popularity. The events recorded in Luke 9 underscore this. Jesus sent out the apostles giving them “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases…and to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal,” (vv. 1-2). He fed the five thousand, (vv. 10-17). In verse 20, Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ of God.” In verses 28-36, Peter, James and John witness the transfiguration of Jesus and hear the voice of God the Father declare, “This is My Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him.” Immediately after He is transfigured, Jesus heals a boy filled with an unclean spirit (vv.37-43). Jesus is so popular His disciples are convinced He will usher in a new monarchal dynasty in Israel. They are so convinced that when the people of a Samaritan village refuse to welcome Jesus they ask if He would like them “to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Luke tells us Jesus “turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village,” (vv. 54-56).

Jesus had come to rule and to reign. But the path to the throne led through the cross. Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem because that is where prophets go to die. He was determined to gain the crown by enduring the cross. Jesus knew that popularity, like the wind, would eventually change direction. There was only One opinion that mattered, only One voice He had to obey, only One Person He had to impress – His Father. He came to die in Jerusalem and to Jerusalem He would go. Nothing would stop Him. He was determined to keep His obligation to fulfill the eternal covenant existing between Him and His Father (John 12.27-28).

Scriptura ex Scriptura explicanda est. Luke 9.51 is explained by Hebrews 12.1b-2. Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” knowing He would die the cruelest form of death—and as criminal. But He endured the cross, says the writer of Hebrews, “scorning its shame,” and He did so “because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.” This is a fact in which we need to marinate our soul.

Scriptura ex Scriptura explicanda est. Hebrews 12.1b-2 is explained by 1 John 4.10, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins,” [NLT].

The time before Easter is traditionally given to thoughts of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We like the resurrection, but avoid deep thinking about the cross. However, without the cross there is no resurrection. Without the cross our sins are not taken away and we cannot be forgiven. Without the cross there is no crown, no being seated with Christ in heavenly places, no promise of life in this life with the hope of life beyond this life. Without the cross there is no Gospel—no good news.

But there is a cross. There is a sacrifice to take away sins. There is life in this life with hope for life beyond this life. There is also, therefore, strength to run with endurance the race God has set before us. It is a strength that comes from One determined to scorn the cross for the joy of wearing the crown and for the greater joy of being seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne.

You think about that.

MM

[1] Or, Jesus, the Originator and Perfecter of our faith.