Sermon -- 1st Sunday of Advent (December 1, 2024)

LUKE 19:28-40

BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The Gospel for the first Sunday of the Church Year has historically been the account of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  He entered Jerusalem as a king, and that is how the crowds received him.  “The whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud voice, for all the miracles they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest’” (Luke 1:37-38)!  The Psalm of the Day encouraged people to receive this king willingly and gladly.  “Lift up your heads, you gates.  Lift yourselves up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in.  Who is this King of Glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:7-8).   

     In times of war, a city would close its gates.  They would deny entrance to an approaching army while the citizens would stay inside for refuge.  The plan was to outlast the enemy, hoping that they would run out of supplies and then withdraw.  When Alexander the Great marched on cities, some kings knew that their cities could not overcome or outlast his army.  So, they opened their city gates to let him in.  They surrendered and willingly subjected themselves, hoping that Alexander the Great would treat them favorably.

     The Psalmist urged the citizens of Jerusalem to open the gates, to lift up those ancient doors, so that the King of Glory would come in.  This King is Jesus.  He came not to subject the people to cruelty and slavery, but to liberate them from their enemy.  He came to establish a kingdom of peace.  The people of Jerusalem were urged to welcome this king and receive him because he is good and because he saves.  And this, they did.  They sang his praises and thanked God for his coming.  Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

     This is where the Psalm and Jesus’ appearance seem to be at odds with one another.  When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds cheered him enthusiastically.  They escorted him right into Jerusalem.  But Pontius Pilate did not call upon any forces to confront him.  That’s because Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  He came in humility, without any military force or weaponry.  That’s not how the Psalm describes him: “Who is this King of Glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  …Who is he, this King of Glory?  The Lord of Armies—he is the King of Glory” (Psalm 24:8,10).  The Psalm says that this king has come to do battle, and that he is the Lord of Armies. 

     So, what kind of battle is this king engaging in?  Who is his enemy?  What does he hope to gain?  And how does he hope to conquer when all he has is a donkey, and a borrowed donkey at that?

     The Passover crowd was partly right in what they hoped for from Jesus.  St. Luke said, “The whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud voice, for all the miracles they had seen” (Luke 19:37).  Part of the havoc that sin wreaks on this world are the illnesses, disabilities, and diseases that we face.  St. Luke was a physician.  He had tended to people with various ailments over his lifetime.  He did not dismiss every problem as demon-possession.  The good doctor was acquainted with the various ailments that Jesus encountered, and he identified them accordingly.  Luke recorded Jesus healing a fever (Luke 4:38-39), leprosy (Luke 5:13), paralysis (Luke 5:24-25), a withered hand (Luke 6:10), and even restoring the dead back to life (Luke 7:14-15 and Luke 8:54-55).  The crowds had seen these miraculous healings and rejoiced that the Lord had sent such great relief from suffering.  That in itself was all the reason they needed to praise him.  Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!

     But the Psalm does not praise Jesus for healing.  It identifies Jesus as a warrior who goes out to battle.  He did not ride forth on his donkey to bind wounds, but to inflict them.  He came to trample the enemy under his feet and to put the enemy to death.  “Who is this King of Glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8). 

     The King came to destroy the enemy who had taken his creation captive.  Satan claimed the whole world for himself when he seduced Adam and Eve into sin.  Once they had eaten the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were controlled by sin.  Sin influenced all their motives and emotions, words and works.  And nothing has changed.  Psalm 24 asks, “Who may stand in [the Lord’s] holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, whose soul is not set on what is false, who does not swear deceitfully.” (Psalm 24:3-4).  We all have dirt on our hands.  Our hearts are unclean and uncharitable.  How much of what you do is determined by your own self interests?  If you are generous and hope to get recognition for it, is that not done for yourself?  If you are polite in order to receive special treatment in return, is that not done for yourself?  If you do good works expecting God to notice and to reward you for it, aren’t those good works done for your good?  Even our good works are not good.  Sin also produces evil thoughts, insulting words, and petty, vengeful acts in us.  The devil may plant the ideas in your head, but you are the one who willingly does them—just as Adam and Eve willingly rebelled against God.  In this way, you were held captive by the devil.  And just like the snake that he is, he wraps you up in his coils to drag you down to death.

     But see!  Your king comes to you.  The Passover crowds greeted him rightly: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest’” (Luke 1:38)!  The king has come to wage the war we could not win.  He has come to conquer our foe and to set us free from this terrible captivity to sin, death, and the devil.  He has come to restore peace between God and mankind by taking away everything offensive in you.  If he takes away your sin, then the Father has no reason to be angry with you.  And you have no reason to fear or flee from the Father.  There is peace in heaven and peace on earth.  It has been secured by Jesus who has come to restore you to life, to pardon you of all guilt, and to grant you peace.  Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.

     Of course, you know how the Lord Jesus has delivered you from your enemy.  He entered Jerusalem without weaponry or military support.  He came to conquer by being slain.  He set you free by giving himself in exchange for you.  He who had clean hands had them nailed to the cross for you.  He who had a pure heart had it pierced with a spear for you.  He who did not swear by what is false silently died for every sinful syllable you have uttered.  Jesus exchanged his innocence for your guilt.  Jesus exchanged the Father’s love for his divine wrath.  Jesus gave up his life and cast himself into death. 

     Satan thought he could possess the entire human race if he put the Son of God to death.  But in doing so, Satan produced his own defeat.  Jesus’ death paid for the sins of all mankind.  The Father’s wrath was emptied out upon Jesus.  But because he suffered and died in innocence, the perfectly obedient Son who did the will of his Father, death was not able to keep him.  Jesus burst forth out of the grave.  Jesus left the battlefield alive and victorious over sin, death, and the devil.  Satan is as powerless as a corpse on the field of battle.  The devil’s reign of terror has ended.  Jesus has established a kingdom of peace. 

     Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  Jesus came in the name of the Lord to win back all the people who were taken captive by Satan.  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle has won you for himself.  You are now his prize, his cherished possession, the object of his affection.  Your Lord, Jesus Christ, lives and reigns for you.  Jesus has established a kingdom in which he gives new life to all who believe in him—a life of peace with God, a life of peace in a world of strife, and a peace that will go on into eternal life. 

     Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  He still comes to you as God’s word is preached and his sacraments are administered.  We come with our hearts flung wide open to gratefully receive our Savior-King and the blessings he brings to us.  We still sing the song of the Passover pilgrims when our Lord is about to give us his body and blood.  “Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  Our King comes to us humbly veiled in bread and wine.  He comes to save us.  He makes us participants in his death and resurrection.  The sinful self is put to death, and the new creation is raised up to live before God in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.  Jesus has revealed his salvation which allows us to go through life and even to depart from this life in peace.

     Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.  He comes and gives us his words of truth so that we remain faithful to him.  Our King guides us so that we are no longer seduced by the devil’s cunning lies.  Our King corrects us so that we flee from the sins which would take us captive again.  Our King consoles us so that we are not overcome by the sorrows of this world.  Our King encourages us to continue in good works even when they are not acknowledged or appreciated.  Even though we appear humble and weak—just as Jesus appeared riding on a donkey—our King leads us triumphantly through life.  For our King reigns, and our glory will be revealed in the kingdom to come.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

     The King of Glory came into this world as a humble servant who lived and died to win us for himself.  The King of Glory comes to us regularly when we gather in his name to receive his good gifts.  The King of Glory will come again to judge the living and the dead.  Then, his glory will be evident to all.  And when all people see him, they will have no choice but to bend the knee to King Jesus.  Not only will this be our choice, it will be our delight to bend the knee before King Jesus.  After all, it is our joy to do it now.  Our King will open the gates to his heavenly kingdom so that we may come in and dwell with him forever.  We will forever declare him blessed; and to our endless joy, he will call us blessed, too.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.