And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Luke 11:9(KJV)
Paint me a
picture is an expression that founds another
well-known truth -- a picture is worth a thousand words. When I was twelve or thirteen years old, our Pastor, A. Kenneth
Olson (whom we youth called
P.A.K.O. for short took a group of us young boys on a canoeing and camping
trip. When we began there were some
warnings…including a few hanging offenses such as, no
profanity, no clowning around in the canoes, and use of the buddy system;
absolutely no single canoes separated from the group.
Several
days into the trip we were beginning to get restless and adventuresome; young
teens do that, you know! We had camped
on the side of a mountain, overlooking a very large lake, 3-4 miles wide. Late in the afternoon, three of us decided it
was time to do something bold, or stupid!
We rigged a sail on one of the canoes, and set off in the
ever-increasing afternoon wind, to cross the lake. We were out to disprove the oft-repeated
danger theory about buddy systems. We broke at least twelve of the hanging
offense rules.
The wind's
velocity in the afternoon, coming down off the nearby mountain, picked up
rapidly. Much like the Sea
of Galilee in the account of Jesus walking on the water, our lake
became a torrent when we were right in the middle. One of us got quite nervous (I will never tell which one), and I did
something even dumber than participating in this forbidden adventure, standing-up
in the middle of an already rocking canoe!
The vessel tipped, dumping sail and sailors into late October water,
which was perhaps 5 degrees above freezing.
With the
wet sail and superb rigging – which we could not undo in our predicament – the
canoe refused to be righted in the water.
All we could do was hang on and hope we remembered correctly that sharks
do not inhabit fresh water. We also
argued (through tears) about whose fault this was, and what was to become of
us. We prayed, we cried, we begged God
for deliverance. A couple of us got
saved again and promised God we would be good from this day forward if He would
just get us out of this mess.
It seemed
like days. However, within an hour or
so, we heard, and then saw the lead canoe headed our way. At that moment I wanted to let go and
drown. That blonde-headed huge man in
the front of the lead canoe was P.A.K.O.! Man, if I had ever heard a sermon it was going
to be now. We were caught; we were
toast! But, when we were safely on
board, the anticipated sermon never came.
What we got were blankets and hot chocolate from a thermos bottle. Back at camp there were hot dogs roasted over
an open fire, and a quietness that was calm, kind of weird, and somewhat
unsettling! It would have been easier to
bear if somebody had read us the riot act!
Nearly
fifty years have passed, but what is still etched in my mind is the picture of
the man leading the way, coming to save me.
Such was the picture of the Man from Nazareth Jerusalem
What
significant picture was Jesus giving to us when He rode into Jerusalem
1. He is the picture of peace
We need
peace today, certainly. It was no
different in Jesus’ day. The people in Jerusalem
Jesus came
into town riding on a young donkey. Had
the Lord come riding upon a stallion, it would have been a sign of a
warrior. But, Jesus chose the animal
that symbolized coming in peace. The
response of the people was to lay-down branches and clothing in His pathway, symbolic
of honor and a peaceful reception. The
people knew this meant peace.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion Jerusalem
We live in
a day of Gigabytes, Megahertz, and super highways. We live in a time of noise and
confusion. We live in a time of wars and
threats of nuclear annihilation. We also
live in an age of war, uncertainty and nervousness, where, for most people,
peace is only a vague, unrealized concept.
Even when our government and the United Nations send troops they call peacemakers.
For those
who accept Jesus Christ, gentle and riding on a beast of peace, it’s not just a
concept it is our concrete and unchangeable destiny; it passes all
understanding!
2. He is the picture of sacrifice
The beast
upon which Jesus rode had never been ridden. Worship in the temple was with the best of the
flock. That’s the nature of genuine
sacrifice; only the best is to be given.
Some years
ago, our daughter, Jennifer had a friend whose parents were quite wealthy. They were not believers. At Christmas Jen wanted to exchange presents
with her friend. We were a little afraid
that materialism would turn her head.
When we met the family, we found out that they had bought each other
only one simple gift for Christmas. They
had located a very needy family, and anonymously showered them with gifts worth
many times what they had spent on each other.
It has always bugged me that this family had learned to act in true
Christmas fashion, with sacrificial giving to others, than many Christian
families whose legacy is a string of credit card meltdowns each January.
The
movements of Jesus just prior to this Triumphal
Entrance included Jesus telling his disciples His mission was to be their sacrifice
– they did not understand. John and
James responded by asking if they could be His generals in charge of
something.
In an age
when sacrifice means buying the Mercedes instead of the Rolls; and using a
condom instead of waiting for marriage and fidelity, Jesus dying for us as a
perfect sacrificial lamb is almost incomprehensible. Most people would not give up a spot in line
at the bank or yield the right of way at an intersection. But here is the Christ, the spotless Lamb of
God, coming to die for sinful men. It is
no wonder we must shout, Hosanna!
He is the
picture of peace, sacrifice, and...
3. He is the picture of hope
In God's
Smuggler, the first couple of chapters tell the story of Brother Andrew’s early life – one
section of which dealt with his hell-for-leather
days in the Dutch army in Indonesia
He hadn't
had the gibbon for many weeks before he noticed that when he touched it in some
areas around the waist it seemed to hurt him.
So, he examined the gibbon more closely and found a raised welt that
went around his waist. He carefully laid
the animal down on his bed and pulled back the matted hair from this welt until
he could see what was causing the problem.
He discovered that evidently when the gibbon had been a baby someone had
tied a piece of wire around his middle and had never taken it off.
As the
monkey grew larger the wire became embedded in his flesh. Obviously, it must
have caused him a great deal of discomfort.
So that evening Andrew began the operation, taking his razor and shaving
off the monkey's hair in a three-inch-wide swath around his middle. While the other boys in the barracks looked
on, he cut ever so gently into the tender flesh until he exposed the wire.
The gibbon
lay there with the most amazing patience. Even when he obviously was hurting him the
gibbon looked up with eyes that seemed to say, I understand, until at long last he was able to get down to the
wire, cut it, and pull it away.
Instantly, as soon as the operation was over, the gibbon jumped up, did
a cartwheel, danced around his shoulders, and pulled Andy's hair in joyful glee
to the delight of all the boys in the barracks.
After that, my gibbon and I were
inseparable. I think I identified with him as strongly as he with me. I think I
saw in the wire that had bound him a kind of parallel to the chain of guilt
still so tight around me – and in his release, the thing I too longed for.[1]
Today
there are people without hope right in your town. They are bound by guilt over their own
separation from God. It is a chain
tighter than any maximum-security prison.
There is need for Hosanna in this
town. There is need for salvation.
The
question is, what does Christ want us to do about that?
To consider before you leave here
Someone
once said that Jesus borrowed everything He needed during His last week.
·
He borrowed an animal on which to ride into Jerusalem
·
He borrowed a room in which to eat
·
He borrowed a tomb from which to resurrect and proclaim victory!
I believe
He is calling us believers to borrow those things back.
·
Today we must borrow His ride, leaving our comfortable pews to go tell
the good news.
·
Today we must borrow His upper room, bowing in worship and
fellowship.
·
Today we must borrow His tomb, dying daily to self, picking up our
crosses to follow Him, and doing whatever it takes to announce the sacrifice
of Christ, the hope of Christ, the peace of Christ to a world
that shouts Hosanna, save us now.
Go to VIDEO
[1]James S.
Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), 68.
[i] All Scripture quoted is from The
New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated) Title Image:
Benjamin Robert Haydon via
Wikimedia Commons
No comments:
Post a Comment