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Jesus said, “…you will find a donkey tied and her cold with her…”

᛭ INI ᛭

King Jesus comes into Jerusalem. He comes using the ritual of Solomon. Jesus’ actions mean something, that’s what ritual is. An action that points to or teaches a deeper meaning and reality. He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey like Solomon did (1 Ki 1:33, 38).

The people get it, so they take up their own rituals. They take up a religious ritual: Psalm 118. They also mix religion with politics. They put their cloaks on the ground like at the coronation of Jehu, the Old Testament King of the rebellious northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Ki 9:13). They take up palm branches (1 Mac 13:51), their national symbol. We’ve got the Roman Eagle, Canada’s got the Maple Leaf, the Jews of Jesus day had the Palm Branch.

Jesus also comes as promised in Zechariah 9. The true King, the Salvation of the LORD (Is 62:11), would ride a donkey. A prophecy is something the LORD promises to do. He promised to do another Solomon style coronation in order to bring about the salvation of His people. But this promise, and the corresponding ritual of riding, point us to this great comfort:

WHENEVER JESUS SHOWS UP, HE GETS EVERYTHING READY, EVEN HIS PEOPLE.

(I.) He really does get it all prepped before hand!

He tells the disciples to do what He’s already prepared for them to do. “You’ll find a donkey and colt. Bring them to me.” “They did just as Jesus directed them.” Same thing with the Passover later in Holy Week. They wanted to prep the passover for Jesus, but He directs them to a place where everything’s already prepared for them!

He also paved the path to Pilate and cross. Since Jesus is the LORD of the Old Testament, check out last week’s sermon, He’s King of kings. According to His and His Father’s will, there was a Caesar Augustus, so that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Same thing with Pontius Pilate—that the Son would “suffer under Pontius Pilate.” The cross, where He would suffer and die for our sins, was prepared, even those who’d be crucified on His right and left. (Mt 20:23)

By the Holy Spirit, He prophesied His own arrival in the Old Testament to prepare His people, so they’d recognize and receive Him when He shows up. It’s why He used Zechariah: “Behold, your King comes riding on a donkey.” He used the Prophet Daniel to lay out the various empires that would come after Daniel, so believers would get the rough estimate of when He’d show up, that they’d “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing have life in His Name.” (Jn 20) He even prophesied that He’d be rejected by the religious leaders in Psalm 118.

Psalm 118 tells us that He even prepares His people’s hearts and mouths. That’s not just the crowds at Jerusalem, but it’s the same for you and for me. By the preaching of His cross He saves us, His Word “creates in you a clean heart” (Ps 51), “a new and living heart” (Ezek 36). He creates faith, and He fills your heart and mouth with praise: “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God” (Ps 40:3). That’s especially so when we pick up the Old Testament hymnal, the book of Psalms, as Paul and James say, “sing Psalms.” (Col 3; James 5) That’s what the people did in Matthew 21, and we do, too, when we sing the Sanctus: “Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest.” The sanctus blends the archangel’s song of Isaiah 6 with the people’s song of Psalm 118, because we really are singing with “angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven.” (It’s why we keep the Sanctus around…)

(Transition)

Jesus takes up the ritual of the King. It’s who He is. He, “in lowly pomp, rides on to die.” The people thought certain things about Jesus, and those thoughts affected their actions. Their words were right, their actions a bit murky. Actions speak louder than words. Rituals speak deeper than words. You can often ignore words but not actions.

What you believe affects how you worship. This is something the modern church, and protestant churches especially, have rejected. Does what we “do” or I “do” during the service matter? Wrong question. Does it have meaning? (I’ll use politics to prove this.) The thinking goes that actions are meaningless, that what you “do” doesn’t matter as long as you’ve got right thoughts or answers or motives or feelings. But if what we “do” in church doesn’t matter, then a sport’s player kneeling for the National Anthem doesn’t matter either…

See, actions do have meaning! And so as biblical Christians, we believe that along with eating and drinking “Christ Words are the main thing in the Sacrament.” (SC VI.4) That belief, that meaning is confessed in actions! Singing them is one way, according to the Pastor’s ability, of course, but at least slowing them down, emphasizing them. What would speaking them faster than an auctioneer mean?

But Jesus’ Words instituting the Sacrament as well as His actions at Jerusalem, both tell us that

WHENEVER JESUS SHOWS UP, HE GETS EVERYTHING READY, EVEN HIS PEOPLE.

(II. The Lord’s preparing produces praise, antipathy, or apathy from people.)

When Jesus says what He says or does what He does, even getting everything ready, including His people, this produces a few reactions. It can produce hatred for Him and His Words. It can produce apathy. But it will also produce praise!

Jesus prepares everything that I’ve talked about today from Palm Sunday to Calvary, even Holy Communion, because Jesus preps everything for the forgiveness of sins and preps everything to flow out from the forgiveness of sins. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and End, and everything in between! Same with His salvation and forgiveness. Always more of each in exponential measure! Not just one Hosanna but two!

You can ignore what Jesus says, but not ignore what He does. It’s one thing for Him to say He’s the ransom, but another for Him to do it! Die and rise! It’s one thing for Him to say He came for sinners, to be their doctor who prescribes forgiveness. It’s another when He institutes Baptism, Absolution, Preaching, and Supper which are all for the forgiveness of sins! (Each unique in their delivery and other promises, of course.)

The religious leaders could in some sense ignore Jesus’ preaching that He was King and Prophet and Priest, but they couldn’t ignore when He fulfilled all those offices as He cleared out the temple of the money changers later in Matthew 21. Same with my preaching and how I conduct services. Same with eventually bringing in every Sunday Communion. I can preach and teach till I’m blue in the face, but “do” something that confesses the same thing? Actions speak louder than words. Quarterbacks kneeling can’t be ignored…

The disciples rejoice not only at what the Lord says but what He does! Disciples don’t add their own actions to Jesus’ salvation. They don’t play smorgasbord with His Words or with His Sacraments. Ignoring whatever they’ve decided to. No, they rejoice and receive and pass on all that He gives. Christ Your God instituted Baptism, Preaching, Absolution, and Supper all for your forgiveness. We receive all with the same joy!

When it comes to His Supper, He prepares you to receive it. “That person is truly well prepared who has faith in these Words,” (SC VI.5) His Words: “My body and blood for you for the forgiveness of sins.” His Words “on the night He was betrayed,” His Words in John 6, His Words through Paul in 1 Corinthians 10–11, Words in Acts 2 and 20 through Luke, drive what we do with His Supper not our thoughts or traditions…

(Conclusion)

Actions speak louder than words. You can ignore words, but you can’t avoid actions. This was absolutely true in Jesus’ day. It’s also true for us, whether its politics or the Christian faith. The ritual of riding a donkey meant something, so did the people’s have their national symbol around. Same with the new ritual of some who kneel during the Star Spangled Banner. It would be good to recover this mentality in the church. Actions speak louder than words—not just ours, but Jesus’! His Words and Actions all have the same purpose: to save His people, who often care more about the actions of politicians or sport’s players rather than His actions at the cross or at church in His Word and His Sacraments…

WHENEVER JESUS SHOWS UP, HE GETS EVERYTHING READY, EVEN HIS PEOPLE.

Whether that was Palm Sunday or the Last Supper or Calvary. Same with you and Me. He gives us His Word. Not only for our learning but for our speaking and singing, as it was good then so it is good now. Same with His Word and Sacraments. Baptism, Preaching, Absolution, and Supper He preps you for them and preps them for you. He gets everything ready. Just speaking of His Supper, You couldn’t have Communion without Him giving it, without Him dying, without Him giving a wheat and grape harvest, without Him founding a church here—for the forgiveness of your sins.

“Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” indeed!

᛭ INI ᛭