LUKE 19:28-40
THREE WORDS OF TRUTH:
Blessed Is He.
In the name + of Jesus.
The praises sprang forth: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38) The Jerusalem choir may not have been as polished as the angels, but they knew the lyrics well enough. The same song of praise that was sung in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was sung at Bethlehem when Jesus was born. And it was sung for the same reason—the Savior had come. Blessed is he! The Savior had come to restore all things.
While the motive of the angels was pure and the knowledge of the angels was perfect, it was not quite so for the Passover pilgrims. They were overjoyed to see Jesus enter Jerusalem. The reason? St. Luke records it: As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that 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 19:37-38) The crowds had witnessed the miracles Jesus had performed, and they praised him for it.
They knew the miracles of Jesus. Some may have benefited personally from them. But the knowledge of the crowds was not as complete as Jesus would have liked. They knew Jesus as the one who cured leprosy, disease, blindness, and paralysis. They knew him as a miracle worker. They may have acknowledged him as a prophet. But few confessed him as the Messiah or the Son of God. Nevertheless, Jesus accepted their praise.
The crowd may not have been believers, but they were right about this: They cried out “Blessed is he!”, rejoicing and praising God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. (Luke 19:37) Jesus corrected problems that had afflicted many. They all knew that it was not normal for people to be lame, blind, deaf, or mute. They had seen or experienced the challenges brought on by disabilities, diseases, and demonic oppression. They longed for relief from physical ailments, mental torment, and spiritual anguish. They longed for it; Jesus delivered it. This was worthy of praise. And so, they sang three words of truth: “Blessed is he!”
We recognize what they did. We don't simply accept bodies that are afflicted with cancer, heart disease, broken bones, depression, poor eyesight, or eczema. When we have problems, we don't shrug our shoulders and say, “Oh, it's God's will. I guess I will have to suffer this pain or handicap which may even cut my life short.” No, we go to the doctor to get these problems addressed and, if possible, cured. Jesus is not here to lay hands on us for a miraculous healing, as much as we might want him to be. But he has granted us medicine to alleviate symptoms and to provide relief and healing. For this, we can all be thankful.
The amount of money and effort that we invest in health and healing is staggering. But if we fear, love, and trust in medicine above all things, we are worshiping the wrong God. Science and medicine will never invent a remedy for death. Even the people that Jesus healed eventually died. The ailments we have are symptoms of a much greater deficiency—that we are not holy and pure. We are corrupted by sin. In our bodies, we bear the curse of sin, death, and decay. Health regimens, prescriptions, and therapy may have some benefit, but they cannot elude the death. They do nothing to remove our guilt or to lift the curse of sin.
Sometimes you will hear people mock you for your faith, saying that you use Jesus as a crutch to get you through life. This grossly underestimates both the problem of sin and Jesus' work as Savior. You don't give a crutch to dead people. A crutch helps someone merely limp through life. If you're dead, a crutch is useless. Jesus did not come to supply temporary relief from the effects of sin. He came to give life to those who are dead in sin and even to raise back to life those who have died in the faith. When Jesus provided healing, he gave a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is. It is not momentary relief from pain or disease. It is total removal of these things. Disabilities, disease, and death all come because of sin. Therefore, Jesus came to take sin away from us.
Blessed is he! “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38) Jesus came to establish a kingdom where all things are right and restored to perfection. He puts an end to all disorder, death, and decay. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in order to put an end to every curse and consequence of sin. In order to take sin away from us, he had to put it on himself.
The crowds who sang “Blessed is he!” as Jesus rode into Jerusalem were already there for the Passover celebration. The lambs would not be slaughtered for four more days; but the lambs would have been chosen and set apart on the 10th day of the month. It was the 10th day when Jesus entered Jerusalem. He was presented by the Father as the Lamb of God. He was set apart to be slain for the sins of the world. Jesus, bearing all sin and guilt, would be mounted to a spit and roasted in the fire of God's wrath for the sins of the world. Jesus let death consume him so that you would be rescued from death and given new life. The blood of the Lamb was shed for you. You have been marked with the blood of the Lamb so that death passes over you. Now, you feast on the Lamb and partake in his blood so that the curse is lifted from you. You and I celebrate as those who are delivered into a kingdom which is not ruled by death, darkness, and decay, but by life, light, and everlasting peace.
Blessed is he! “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38) Jesus suffered and died to redeem you from sin and death. And he rose to take up his reign as king over all things. Jesus lives and reigns, assuring you that you are set apart from sin and will be delivered from death. Your body may still be afflicted by disease or disability, but that is because we all have sin-stained bodies. But your King will grant you release even from these. At the resurrection of all flesh, Jesus will give you a body that will never again be marred or scarred, never again be faulty or frail, never again be touched by disease or death. The glimpse Jesus gave through his miraculous healings will be the new reality in his glorious kingdom. He will not give you a crutch, but a perfect, incorruptible, imperishable body and a glorious, everlasting life. Blessed is he!
Stunningly, the Pharisees wanted no part of Jesus or his kingdom. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:39-40) It is not just people who are redeemed by Jesus; creation itself will be restored to what God had created it to be. St. Paul writes to the Romans: “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21) “Blessed is he!” sang the crowds, eager for Jesus' kingdom. And if they had not sung, the creation itself would have. For, God's salvation had come. His kingdom was being established. All things were being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and all things would be restored to the glorious creation God had designed and intended. Even if mankind would not cherish it, the stones, the fields, the trees, and the weather will.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. He comes in God's name to do God's work—to save sinners. He comes again in bread and wine so that you can partake in the body which was slain and in the blood that was shed. Through these, he delivers you from death and decay, and he shall bring you into life everlasting. For Jesus, our King, lives and reigns; and we shall reign with him. We long for his coming when we and all creation will cry out: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38).
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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