Who Is This? From Triumphal Entry to Empty Tomb in Matthew's Gospel

When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, Matthew says the whole city was stirred and people were asking, "Who is this?"  In the week that followed many would find the answer to this question.  Of course, the Gospels were written in order to answer the question, "Who is Jesus?"  And also to challenge us with the question that Jesus asked Peter: "Who do you say that I am?"  As he describes the last week of Jesus ministry Matthew adds to our understanding of who Jesus really is.

ON SUNDAY we see that he is King and Savior of his people.  Jesus enters Jersualem like a king and Matthew says, "This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, Say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden" (21:4-5).

ON MONDAY he is a judge with God's authority.  "And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.  He said to them, 'It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer and you make it a den of robbers'" (21:12-13).

ON TUESDAY he is a teacher whose authority is challenged.  "And when he entered the temple the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, 'By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?'" (21:23).  There followed a long day of prophetic teaching that clearly answered his challengers.  At the end of the day Matthew tells us this: "When he had finished all these sayings he said to his disciples, 'You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.'" (26:1-2).

ON WEDNESDAY Jesus is silent while his enemies plot his death.  "Then the chief priests and the elders gathered in the palace of the high priest ... and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him"  (26:3-4).

ON THURSDAY he is both Host and Meal at the Last Supper.  "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'  And he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'" (26:26-28).

ON FRIDAY he is Suffering Servant and Sacrificial Son.  "When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.  And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor" (27:1-2).

ON SATURDAY he is dead and buried.  All are silent.

ON SUNDAY HE IS THE RESURRECTED LORD.  "But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen ... !!!" (28:5-6).

Now the question is before us -- you and me -- who do you say Jesus is?

OUR SUBVERSIVE CONFESSION

Did you know that when you make the confession of faith that we use at communion that you are also confessing to what some would consider to be subversive, counterrevolutionary activities?

This is clearly understood in China today.  "Liao Yiwu is one of the most prominent and outspoken contemporary writers in China.  His epic poem, 'Massacre,' composed in 1989 in condemnation of the government's bloody crackdown at Tiananmen Square, landed him in jail for four years" (God is Red, vii).   His other writings are also banned because the Communist government considers them to be subversive.

In 1998 Liao met a Christian for the first time, a neurologist turned preacher in a Protestant church.  Liao, himself a skeptic, admired the courage of this man and other Christians so he set out to interview several of them.  His book, God is Red, records many of his interviews.

As I read the book I found it ironic that a primary tactic of the government is to force Christians to make confessions.  One elderly Christian told of his imprisonment, beatings and torture, and added, "Before the government reversed its verdict against me ... I had written several hundred confessions."  Many were confessions of Christian activities, such as meeting together, preaching, and evangelizing -- all considered to be counterrevolutionary.

I find this ironic because, for Christians, confession is at the heart of their faith.  Confession is what it is all about.  An open, willing, unforced, confession of one's commitment to Christ.  When these Chinese Christians complied with the demand of their officials to confess, were they contradicting their Christian faith?  I don't think so.  They complied because they knew as well as the officials knew that their faith did in fact go against the interests of the totalitarian state in which they live.  Their confession of faith in Christ was indeed subversive.

It has always been that way.  In the beginning, when Christians made the simple confession, "Jesus is Lord," they were going against the Roman political and religious establishment that said, "Caesar is Lord."

When we say "Jesus is Lord," what gods in our culture do we subvert?  What is it in our culture that tempts us to worship it?  The almighty dollar?  Big-time sports?  The cult of celebrity worship?  The electronic gadget?  Whatever idol it may be, our confession of faith at the communion table says, in effect, "get behind me, Satan; only Jesus is Lord."

"You (all) Proclaim the Lord's Death ... "

To understand our regular observance of the Lord's Supper it is important to pay attention to words used and their meaning.  Simple words often have important implications.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 the Apostle Paul gave us the earliest written record of what Jesus said at the Last Supper.  He handed on the tradition that had been given to him, that Jesus spoke about the bread as his body, the cup as the new covenant in his blood, and asked that they do this "in remembrance of me."  Then Paul added an explanation in verse 26 in which two very important words appear: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

The first word that claims our attention is "proclaim," a word often used with words like "proclaim Christ," or "proclaim the good news."  It refers to the act of preaching.  Here Paul speaks about proclaiming the Lord's death, an action that he stressed in the first and second chapters of this letter.  The word also includes the idea of celebrating, commending, or openly praising.

By simply communing, therefore, we all are preachers of the good news that Jesus died for us.  It is a Visible Word, a Seen Sermon.  The pronoun, "you" is plural.  It isn't just the preacher, or a presiding elder that does it -- you all preach this sermon.  And all are needed.  When one or more are absent the Visible Word is diminished to that extent.

It is done with others.  The Lord's Supper was not meant to be an individual, private exercise.  Our gathering together is necessary for the Lord's Supper to be what it is meant to be.  When we come together we serve notice to the world that the death of Christ is real in our lives, that it impacts our lives in some mysterious yet very real way.  Our gathering and observing the Lord's Supper is evidence of the continuing power of the death and resurrection of Christ.  In this act we tell the world about the death of Christ.

The grammatical form of the word "proclaim" (present active indicative) means that it is a continuing action.  Thus, Paul adds a second important word or phrase when he writes, "until he comes."  It has the implication of doing something repeatedly until the goal is reached.  It presents the picture of a group of people who are persistent against all odds, faithful in all circumstances, and determined that come hell or high water they are going to see this through to the end.

Later in 1 Corinthians 15:58 Paul summarizes all of this by saying, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."  Let us, therefore, continue in this good work of proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes.

We Need a Drummer

A communion meditation by Judy Sobba at Twin Oaks Christian Church, Eugene, on January 1, 2012.

One side of our church's reader board recently had what some would consider a strange statement.  Our son Scott, a pastor, saw it recently and chuckled.  He thought it was funny.  It says simply, "We need a drummer."  He understood it and so do our members but I wonder what non-members think of it?  There are church signs all over town that make perfect sense, but this one says, "we need a drummer."  Of course, it refers to our praise band whose regular drummer is at home in Portland while the University is on vacation.

Mike and Susan and I were talking about this and it started us thinking.  Yes!  We do need a drummer.

What does a drummer do?  Keeps the beat so we can stay together when we sing or dance.  Keeps us going when we tire, like a military drummer.  Marching bands, when running around the field, if they can hear the drummer, will end up in the correct place, while keeping the beat the whole time.  Drummers, along with the drum major leading a parade, inspire us.

Now it is a New Year, a new start, a blank page.  But every day of every year, we need a drummer, our own personal, spiritual drummer.

We have a drummer, of course, and he is Jesus Christ.  His word helps us find the "beat in our lives," if we listen.  He keeps us going when we tire.  He keeps us moving together as Christians toward a common goal -- salvation.  He leads us in this troubled world and in our lives so that we don't get lost in all of our running around.  As Psalm 18:3 says, "I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; and so shall I be saved from my enemies."

We will follow our drummer, our Lord Jesus Christ.  We will listen to his word.  We will find the beat and rhythm for our lives.  We will worship, study, work, and pray with others to move together in faith.  Even if we scatter in all direction at times, like the University of Oregon marching band, the steady beat of God's Word can keep us from getting lost.  We only need to listen carefully, pray with faith, act with sincerity and honesty, and trust that God is leading us.

May we listen and pray now as we recall that when Jesus lived on this earth, he gave his apostles continual guidance and reassurance and then, on the night before he died, he said, "Take this bread and eat it for this is my body," and "take this cup and drink.  Do this in remembrance of me."  And so the beat goes on!

THE CRADLE AND THE CROSS

Luke 2:25-35

I love the Christmas lights although some go overboard with lavish, non-stop displays.  On the news last week was the man near Portland who lived next door to someone who had done just that.  He could not compete and so he had a neon sign made that said simply "ditto," with an arrow pointing at his neighbor's display.  I like the music of Christmas too, and the emphasis on rejoicing.  But we now are before the communion table that reminds us there is pain involved in this season.  It reminds us that Jesus was born to die. It reminds us that the cradle in a stable is joined by the cross on a hill as symbols that summarize who Jesus was and why he came.  They can never be separated.

We realize this when we read all of Luke's account of Jesus birth and infancy.  In the first two chapters of Luke we see the beauty in the story of Jesus' birth -- Mary's song, his birth in a manger, angels singing, and shepherds praising.  But then Luke tells us a story that foreshadows the pain and suffering of the cross, not just for Jesus, but also for his mother, Mary.  Shortly after Jesus was born Mary and Joseph took him to the temple to "present him to the Lord," since the law stated that every first born male belonged to the Lord.  There they came across an old man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Messiah.  I can imagine him slightly bent with age, a staff in one hand, long white beard, perhaps with some spittle dripping, but with sharp, piercing eyes.  He startled many a mother as he suddenly confronted her and lifted a corner of the blanket to look see her child.  When he saw Jesus Simeon took him in his arms, raised his eyes to heaven and declared, "my eyes have seen Your salvation."  But when he handed Jesus back to Mary he said, This baby is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed -- and a sword will pierce even your own soul." 

John Killinger, pastor and professor of preaching, tells how those words were driven into his soul.  He and his family were in Spain, in a museum, standing before one of the great Spanish crucifixion scenes.  The painting, like so many Spanish works of art, was dark and brooding, unlike the sunlit plains of Spain.  Christ hung on the cross.  In the lower foreground a woman knelt.  "Who is that?" asked their six year old.  "That's Mary, Jesus' mother," we explained.  He was quiet for a second or two and then he said, very solemnly, "that must have hurted her."  Since then, Killinger says, "I have not been able to read Simeon's words to Mary, 'a sword will pierce through your own soul also' without remembering that observation" (Fundamentals of Preaching, 121). 

Luke has hardly finished telling the story of Jesus' birth in a stable than he elicits the image of a cross on a hill and the pain and suffering it brought to Mary.  Jesus was born to die.  The cradle and the cross cannot be separated.

At the communion table, as we remember how Jesus suffered on our behalf, may we also remember Mary, and many others, even today, who know him as friend, as teacher, and as Lord who also suffer and who, in some way enter into the pain of the cross.

CONFESSION OF SIN -- EXAMINE YOURSELF

In the upper room when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, one of the things he said was, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins."  Apparently, God took sin very seriously -- enough to sacrifice his Son.  Jesus took it seriously enough to willingly shed his blood in order for us to be forgiven.

When we come to the table, how seriously do we take sin?  I would hope that we are not like the Corinthian Christians.  From chapter one through the book Paul describes a church with a lot of problems caused by sinful action.  One bore directly on the Lord's Supper.  Some were causing divisions in the church by their selfish and sectarian attitudes and actions.  At one point Paul said to them, By sinning against others ... you sin against Christ.  In those days the Lord's Supper was observed in connection with a meal.  But some were being left out of the meal.  The most needy among them, the have-nots, were being ignored by the affluent ones.  Some were stuffed and others were starving.

Consequently, in 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 he wrote: Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.


We need to be clear on what he meant.  He was not saying that you must get rid of all sin in your life before coming to commune.  That is impossible.  He is talking about self examination, about being honest with ourselves, about acknowledging our sins.  He is talking about coming in the spirit of repentance.

As the church grew and spread throughout the Mediterranean area in the first century, leaders sensed the need for specific instruction and procedures for observing the Lord's Supper, for baptism and other aspects of church life.  To make the connection between sin and forgiveness and the Lord's Supper they began to include a recognition of sin in their worship service.  One of the earliest documents to provide this information is called The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.  It provided guidance for observing the Lord's Supper, including prayers that can be said for the cup and the bread.  One of the things it says is this:  on the Lord's day assemble and break bread and give thanks, having first confessed your sins that your sacrifice may be pure.


As the years went by the confession of sin became a regular element in the order of worship.  At least from the 11th century on it was customary to have a corporate confession of sin prior to communion.  To this day many churches include this in their worship as a way to help people examine themselves, acknowledge their sin, and come to the table in a spirit of repentance.

While exploring this subject on the internet I came across one site that included many confessions that are used in worship today.  One caught my attention because we had just spent a profitable class on the Sermon on the Mount.  It makes use of the Beatitudes as a responsive confessional prayer.

L/   Blessed Jesus, you offered us all your blessings when you announced, blessed are the poor in spirit.
R/   but we have been rich in pride.
L/   Blessed are those who mourn
R/   But we have not known much sorrow for our sin.
L/   Blessed are the meek --
R/   But we are a stiff-necked people.
L/   Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness --
R/   But we are filled to the full with other things.
L/   Blessed are the merciful -- 
R/   But we are harsh and impatient.
L/   Blessed are the pure in heart --
R/   But we have not sought reconciliation.
L/   Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness -- 
R/  But our lives do not challenge the world.
L/   Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me --
R/   But we have hardly made it known that we are yours.
L/   Your law is holy and your benedictions are perfect, but they are both too great for us.  You alone are blessed.  Thank you, Lord, for your tender mercies, your loving kindness, and your gracious forgiveness which we celebrate at this table.  Amen.

ON THE DAY HE DIED

The great designer, architect and innovator Buckminster Fuller once marveled at the workings of a tiny piece at the edge of the runner of a great steamship, like the Queen Mary, called the trimtab. "Just moving the little trimtab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all," he said. "The little individual can be a trimtab. Society thinks it's going right by you, that its left you altogether. But if you're doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go." Etched in stone at his grave site, it says, "CALL ME TRIMTAB -- BUCKY." (Nancy Gibbs, Time, Nov 22, 2010)

Think of Jesus on the day of his death; try to take your mind back to the culture, history, and nature of society in that day. By normal political standards crucifixion was not unusual and Jesus was seemingly unimportant. Roman crucifixions were rather common. The practice of crucifixion pre-dates the Romans. For example, Alexander the Great conquered Tyre, a seacoast town not far from northern Galilee and crucified 2,000 of its people. Among the Romans crucifixion was generally not used for Roman citizens, but was widely used for slaves and enemies of the state. After the slave rebellion led by Spartacus, 6,000 slaves were crucified by Crassus.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth of Galilee, a nothing town if there ever was one. But, about 3 1/2 miles north of Nazareth was the large city of Sepphoris, a hot-bed of opposition to Roman rule. After Herod the Great died in 4 BC, a messianic-type leader named Judah ben Hezekiah led a revolt out of Sepphoris which was eventually put down by Varus, the governor of Syria. He destroyed Sepphoris, killed or sold into slavery 30,000 of its inhabitants and marched 2,000 more to Jerusalem where he crucified them in a single day. We can safely assume that the road from Nazareth to Sepphoris was lined with crosses. At the time, Jesus would have been a very small child. But later, Joseph and Jesus probably found employment as carpenters in Sepphoris which was rebuilt by Herod Antipas and made the capital of Galilee.

On the day that Jesus died, what was one more crucifixion? In the big picture of the Roman empire, Jerusalem was a little, obscure, back-water town and this Jesus was so insignificant as a revolutionary that Pilate saw no reason to kill him. He was just one of three that day, and one of thousands over the years. Who, on that day, would have thought his death would make any difference in the long run of things? And yet we know it did. Like the trimtab that turns a mighty ship, Jesus' death on Calvary changed the world.

Apparently, one person on that day had an inkling that something unusually significant had happened. Mark tells us: "When the centurion, who was standing right in front of him, saw how he breathed his last, he said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God" (Mk 15:39). And so he was, and for this reason we come to the table now to remember the one who died on our behalf and changed our world.