St John's - The Word

March 16, 2008
Pastor David Kuhnle

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Last Hoo Doo Days' parade, Senator John McCain visited Neola. Now that's a big deal. Regardless of how you feel about Senator McCain, it is a big deal to have a man of his stature visit little ole Neola. Strange thing about it was that when he walked by us, I didn't recognize him. Eileen said, "There's McCain." "Where?" I asked. "Over there," she said. "Where?" I asked again. "OVER THERE!" she said. I looked and saw a small, old man walking down the street, slightly hunched over wearing blue jeans. He was not what I expected.
The people of Jerusalem had no problem recognizing Jesus when he came to town on that first Palm Sunday. He was the guy on the donkey. But just because they recognized him doesn't mean they got him. They all had ideas about Jesus. They were all only partly right.
This all took place at the beginning of the biggest week of their year. It was Passover. People from all over the known (i.e., Roman) world were there to celebrate. Josephus estimated that the population of Jerusalem, normally 60,000, grew to over one million during Passover. This is like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July and Hoo Doo Days all rolled into one. This year, people were especially excited. Rumors about Jesus were going wild. He was coming and this time he would set up his kingdom.
They were partly right. He was coming and he would set up his kingdom. But it was not what they were expecting. They all had different expectations, and they were all only partly right.
Some saw a worker of miracles. He healed the sick; he gave sight to the blind; he fed huge crowds with next to nothing. And just a couple of months ago, he had raised an important citizen of Bethany from the dead. They hoped that he would perform miracles for them. They saw Jesus as a bread king. He would make life easy for them. Free food and health care - they would have it made with Jesus.
But they were only partly right. Jesus did do great miracles. But he did not come just to perform for people like he was on a stage in Las Vegas. His miracles were signs that the Kingdom of God had come. But they had no idea what greater miracle was about to take place. Just one week later, he would rise from the dead. In doing so he will destroy the power of sin and death and open the way of eternal life for us.
Some saw a deliverer. The people of Israel had never known what it was to be free and not under the oppression of somebody. It had been the Babylonians, then the Persians, after that the Greeks, and now it was Rome. They'd read about the glory years of Israel when David the great warrior king led them to prominence. Under Rome they lived in poverty and oppression. But now Jesus, the Son of David, had come to free them.
They were partly right. Jesus came to deliver his people, but a greater deliverance was at hand. The problem that haunts mankind is not poverty or political oppression. The problem is sin and death; and the real enemies are our own sinful flesh, the world and the devil. Jesus came to deliver us from these on the cross.
Some saw an adversary. They saw someone who was a threat to their power and way of life. As Jesus rode in to Jerusalem, the Pharisees saw him fulfill the scriptures. They saw the people flocking to him, calling him a king. They saw him as a threat to them because he had publicly opposed them and had called them hypocrites. As Jesus rode by, they began to plot his death.
They were partly right. Jesus is a threat to all who want to live life on their own terms without God. But that way of life will lead you to hell. Jesus also came to save us from that. He offers us life and salvation as a gift of grace through faith.
People today make the same errors. Some see Jesus as a good guy. The Doobie Brothers sang, "Jesus is just alright with me." He is a rather inoffensive guy who meant well. They were partly right. Jesus is good, but to think of him as inoffensive is to completely miss the point. Some see Jesus as an example of humility and holy living. If I can imitate Jesus, I will be a good person. They see him as a moral teacher and philosopher.
They are only partly right. Jesus did teach morals, but he also said things that are so outlandish that they must be true or he is insane. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me." He said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." If you say things like that, you'd better be able to back them up. Jesus did back them up. He rose from the dead proving his claims to be true.
Some see Jesus as an adversary, someone who is a threat to their power and way of life. Strangely, they have a better understanding of Jesus than the first two. They understand that to take Jesus seriously means that we repent and surrender our wills to his will. To take Jesus as your savior means taking up the cross. It means to die to self and to live for God. If you're determined to live on your own terms, then you are making Jesus your adversary.
To be partly right is to be mostly wrong. Jesus says that many will go to hell having the wrong idea of him [Matthew 7:21-23].
Only after they saw Jesus glorified did they recognize him. Jesus' true identity and mission would be revealed that week. He came for this very hour. Jesus came to fulfill his Father's will to save us. This is where he is glorified - on the cross dying for us sinful creatures. His death and resurrection accomplished our salvation. Paul tells us that Jesus humbled himself to the point, dying on the cross, not to be our example of humility but to pay the price for our arrogance and pride. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some will do so grudgingly because they had it wrong in this life. Those who recognize him have his salvation. For them this will be a joyous confession of victory.

"At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him." John 12:16 Only Partly Right March 16, 2008 Pastor David Kuhnle Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Last Hoo Doo Days' parade, Senator John McCain visited Neola. Now that's a big deal. Regardless of how you feel about Senator McCain, it is a big deal to have a man of his stature visit little ole Neola. Strange thing about it was that when he walked by us, I didn't recognize him. Eileen said, "There's McCain." "Where?" I asked. "Over there," she said. "Where?" I asked again. "OVER THERE!" she said. I looked and saw a small, old man walking down the street, slightly hunched over wearing blue jeans. He was not what I expected. The people of Jerusalem had no problem recognizing Jesus when he came to town on that first Palm Sunday. He was the guy on the donkey. But just because they recognized him doesn't mean they got him. They all had ideas about Jesus. They were all only partly right. This all took place at the beginning of the biggest week of their year. It was Passover. People from all over the known (i.e., Roman) world were there to celebrate. Josephus estimated that the population of Jerusalem, normally 60,000, grew to over one million during Passover. This is like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July and Hoo Doo Days all rolled into one. This year, people were especially excited. Rumors about Jesus were going wild. He was coming and this time he would set up his kingdom. They were partly right. He was coming and he would set up his kingdom. But it was not what they were expecting. They all had different expectations, and they were all only partly right. Some saw a worker of miracles. He healed the sick; he gave sight to the blind; he fed huge crowds with next to nothing. And just a couple of months ago, he had raised an important citizen of Bethany from the dead. They hoped that he would perform miracles for them. They saw Jesus as a bread king. He would make life easy for them. Free food and health care - they would have it made with Jesus. But they were only partly right. Jesus did do great miracles. But he did not come just to perform for people like he was on a stage in Las Vegas. His miracles were signs that the Kingdom of God had come. But they had no idea what greater miracle was about to take place. Just one week later, he would rise from the dead. In doing so he will destroy the power of sin and death and open the way of eternal life for us. Some saw a deliverer. The people of Israel had never known what it was to be free and not under the oppression of somebody. It had been the Babylonians, then the Persians, after that the Greeks, and now it was Rome. They'd read about the glory years of Israel when David the great warrior king led them to prominence. Under Rome they lived in poverty and oppression. But now Jesus, the Son of David, had come to free them. They were partly right. Jesus came to deliver his people, but a greater deliverance was at hand. The problem that haunts mankind is not poverty or political oppression. The problem is sin and death; and the real enemies are our own sinful flesh, the world and the devil. Jesus came to deliver us from these on the cross. Some saw an adversary. They saw someone who was a threat to their power and way of life. As Jesus rode in to Jerusalem, the Pharisees saw him fulfill the scriptures. They saw the people flocking to him, calling him a king. They saw him as a threat to them because he had publicly opposed them and had called them hypocrites. As Jesus rode by, they began to plot his death. They were partly right. Jesus is a threat to all who want to live life on their own terms without God. But that way of life will lead you to hell. Jesus also came to save us from that. He offers us life and salvation as a gift of grace through faith. People today make the same errors. Some see Jesus as a good guy. The Doobie Brothers sang, "Jesus is just alright with me." He is a rather inoffensive guy who meant well. They were partly right. Jesus is good, but to think of him as inoffensive is to completely miss the point. Some see Jesus as an example of humility and holy living. If I can imitate Jesus, I will be a good person. They see him as a moral teacher and philosopher. They are only partly right. Jesus did teach morals, but he also said things that are so outlandish that they must be true or he is insane. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me." He said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." If you say things like that, you'd better be able to back them up. Jesus did back them up. He rose from the dead proving his claims to be true. Some see Jesus as an adversary, someone who is a threat to their power and way of life. Strangely, they have a better understanding of Jesus than the first two. They understand that to take Jesus seriously means that we repent and surrender our wills to his will. To take Jesus as your savior means taking up the cross. It means to die to self and to live for God. If you're determined to live on your own terms, then you are making Jesus your adversary. To be partly right is to be mostly wrong. Jesus says that many will go to hell having the wrong idea of him [Matthew 7:21-23]. Only after they saw Jesus glorified did they recognize him. Jesus' true identity and mission would be revealed that week. He came for this very hour. Jesus came to fulfill his Father's will to save us. This is where he is glorified - on the cross dying for us sinful creatures. His death and resurrection accomplished our salvation. Paul tells us that Jesus humbled himself to the point, dying on the cross, not to be our example of humility but to pay the price for our arrogance and pride. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some will do so grudgingly because they had it wrong in this life. Those who recognize him have his salvation. For them this will be a joyous confession of victory.
Copyright © 2000-2006 St John's Lutheran Church Honey Creek, Iowa