THE OBEDIENT SERVANT COMES TO DIE.
In
the name + of Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming
Messiah more vividly than any other prophet.
He recorded five servant songs.
The first one was in our Old Testament lesson, beginning, “Here is my
servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight” (Isaiah 42:1). While many Jews in Jesus’ day were looking
for a Messiah-King, Isaiah alerts us that we should be looking first for a
servant.
The crowds who celebrated Jesus’ entrance
into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday had their focus on a king, on a problem-solver,
and on glory. They were not entirely
wrong, but they were not right, either.
St. Luke tells us, “As he was approaching the slope of the Mount of
Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud
voice, for all the miracles they had seen” (Luke 19:37). I suppose you can’t blame the crowds for such
praise. Just ask the people whose sight
was restored, whose limbs were made strong enough to walk, whose cleansing of
leprosy allowed them to return to their families and communities, or whose
bodies were freed from demon possession.
Or ask the families who got to see their loved ones restored to health. How could they not praise Jesus for the miracles
they had seen?
The praises continued with the crowds
saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace
in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38)! It was foretold that the Messiah would
establish a kingdom that would enjoy unending glory and uninterrupted
peace. Who does not pray for such things
to this day? No matter who is protesting
about what, all people want peace and glory even if they have different ideas
about what that means. The Messiah-King
is supposed to usher in a kingdom of peace and glory that is eternal. The crowds were not entirely wrong to expect
that, but they were not right, either.
Although Jesus came to establish a kingdom, he comes first and foremost
as a servant.
St. Paul reflected on this when he wrote: “Though
he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to
be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant”
(Philippians 2:6-7). Even though God
the Son is King of the Universe, full of glory, power, and majesty, he emptied
himself of those things. That does not
mean he lost them or was stripped of them.
God the Son never stopped being God the Son. Rather, he emptied himself by taking on the nature
of a servant. That means that Jesus did
not make regular use of his glory, power, and majesty. We do get a glimpse of that in his miracles. But even when Jesus made use of his glory and
power, it was not to dazzle or amaze. He
is not an entertainer, but a servant. He
used his miraculous powers to serve people in need—the sick, the
demon-possessed, the dying, and even for those who had already died. Jesus is an obedient servant.
Now, if Jesus is a servant, that means he
has come to do the will of someone else.
A servant follows the orders of his master. So, Jesus came in obedience to his heavenly
Father. That meant more than just
keeping the Commandments. “When he
was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross”
(Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus came as
an obedient servant, and the obedient servant came to die.
Other kings have demanded unquestioned
obedience from their subjects. I recall
hearing a story about Alexander the Great (and this may be an urban legend) who
was preparing to lay siege to a city.
The king of that city was not ready to just roll over and surrender. But to demonstrate how committed his troops
were to him, Alexander had them line up and ordered them to march. Dutifully, the soldiers marched single-file,
right off of a cliff. There was no hesitation
or resistance. They followed Alexander’s
orders until he gave the order to halt.
Once the king saw that Alexander’s soldiers would obey his orders even in
facing certain death, he recognized that he could not resist Alexander’s
army. He surrendered immediately.
The death of Jesus, however, is not just a
show of allegiance. Yes, Jesus went to
the cross as his Father commanded. He went
without hesitation or resistance. He
proved himself an obedient servant. Jesus
served in obedience to his Father, but he served for the benefit of you. Jesus did exactly what he was sent for,
anointed for, and ordered to do: “The Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus willingly gave up his life to be the
ransom price that delivers you from your sins, from death, and from the devil. The obedient servant had come to die for you.
You and I have not been the willing and
obedient servants that God wants. We bristle
just hearing the word, “servant.”
Americans have been trained: We are not servants of anybody. From cries of “Don’t tread on me” to “My
body, my choice,” we have embraced the spirit that refuses to submit to others. But here is the stark reality: You are a
servant no matter what you think. The question
is: What do you serve? Who is your master?
St. Paul asks, “Do you not know that
when you offer yourselves to obey someone as slaves, you are slaves of the one
you are obeying—whether slaves of sin, resulting in death, or slaves of
obedience, resulting in righteousness” (Romans 6:16)? We all want to believe that we are free to do
whatever we want. And in some respects,
it is true. You are free to serve your
ego which riles up your anger when others do not honor you with what you
believe is proper respect. You are free
to serve your selfish motives which cause you to manipulate others so that you
get your way. You are free to serve your
pride which causes you to be jealous of other people’s success because you want
that praise for yourself. But this is
not freedom at all. Do you know
why? Because you cannot turn off your sinful
inclinations. You continue to sin even
when you don’t want to. This means you
are enslaved to sin. You are a captive of
the devil because you are doing what the devil desires. Even if you would be foolish enough to boast
that you are free from keeping God’s word, you are not free from his
judgment. Repent.
The obedient servant has come for
you. He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday
to present himself as the sin offering for you.
The obedient servant came to die for you. By taking up your sin, Jesus went to the
cross to be forsaken by the Father and to suffer the cursed death. This is where the Father dealt with the penalty
for all your sins. By sacrificing
himself for you, Jesus has set you free from your sin, from its curse, and from
its penalty. Although it meant a death
of shame, pain, torment, and damnation, Jesus went to the cross. He went without hesitation and without resistance
because it meant your salvation. The
obedient servant came to die for you.
“Therefore” (Philippians 2:9). This is the conclusion that Paul
highlights. Because Jesus willingly obeyed
his heavenly Father, because Jesus died a sacrificial death to set sinners free
from their sin, “therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). The obedient servant was raised from the dead
and lives. More than being raised from the
dead to live, Jesus is also exalted and reigns over all things. Jesus, the man from Nazareth, possesses all
glory, power, and majesty. He is the
Messiah-King, reigning over heaven and earth and everything that has been
created, seen and unseen.
Even though Jesus possesses all authority,
he is still a servant because he lives to serve you. He lives to proclaim a full pardon from all
your sins. He lives to assure you that you
will be delivered from death. He lives
to silence every accusation of the devil.
He lives to guide you, direct you, and protect you so that you will not
be swept away by your sins again. Jesus
releases you from captivity of the devil and from slavery to sin.
The obedient servant has made you obedient
servants. When you were baptized into
the name of Jesus, you were united to Jesus in his death. The sinful nature was put to death in you so
that it no longer controls you. God
raised you up a new creation; sin is no longer your master. Now you have a new master. You are servants of righteousness. That means you want to flee from all wickedness
and to do what is good, right, and salutary.
Yes, you will struggle with sin as long as you are in this flesh. But the Holy Spirit has worked in you a pure
heart and a right spirit so that you are grieved by your sins. You want to follow God’s word because you
love your Savior and delight in his word.
The obedient servant has made you obedient servants.
You recognize that God has a higher purpose
for you than worshiping yourself, using people, or cursing strangers on the
internet. That is not how our Lord treats
you. He came as an obedient servant who
died to save you, and you love him for it.
You recognize that his service and his attitude are noble, righteous, and
beneficial. Therefore, you concur with
the words of St. Paul, “Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
The obedient servant makes you obedient servants. God the Son died for you so that you could
live as obedient children of God now and forever, without hesitation or resistance.
It is no wonder the crowds celebrated
Jesus when he entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. They yearned for a king, for a
problem-solver, and for glory. They were
not entirely right, but they were not entirely wrong, either. For, Jesus has established an enduring
kingdom. He lives and reigns. All people whether in heaven, in hell, or on
earth will have to confess him Lord. We
rejoice to do that because our Lord was pleased to serve and to save us. Every knee will bow before him. We are honored to bend our knees before King
Jesus, because we know that he will exalt us.
Our Messiah-King will come again. Our hopes will be fulfilled. Our praises will be vindicated. Our glory will be unending. Our peace will go on uninterrupted. For the obedient servant is now the everlasting King. Blessed is the King. Peace on earth and glory in the highest!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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