Sunday's Message - The Entry (Luke 19:28-40)

During the season on Lent, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church will move thought a sermon series entitled “His Last Week: The Last Seven Days in the Life of Jesus.” As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection, we're looking at the following six events in Jesus's last week here on earth and consider how each can shape what we believe and how we live right here and now. 

• March 6 – The Entry (Luke 19:28-40) 
• March 13 – The Cleansing (Luke 19:41-48)
• March 20 – The Meal (Luke 22:7-23)
• March 27 – The Prayer (Luke 22:39-46)
• April 3 – The Trial (Luke 22:66 – 23:12)
• April 10 – The Cross (Luke 23:26-49)

During this first message, we used Luke 19:28-40 to discuss Jesus's entry into Jerusalem.

You can stream all our services live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

Luke 19:28-40 [Contemporary English Version]

When Jesus had finished saying all this, he went on toward Jerusalem. As he was getting near Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead. He told them, “Go into the next village, where you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

They went off and found everything just as Jesus had said. While they were untying the donkey, its owners asked, “Why are you doing that?”

They answered, “The Lord needs it.”

Then they led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back and helped Jesus get on. And as he rode along, the people spread clothes on the road in front of him. When Jesus was starting down the Mount of Olives, his large crowd of disciples were happy and praised God because of all the miracles they had seen. They shouted,

“Blessed is the king who comes

    in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven

    and glory to God.”

Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 

“Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting!”

But Jesus answered, 

“If they keep quiet, 

these stones will start shouting.”

The Entry

Well, congratulations, we’ve entered the season of Lent, which means that Spring will be here before we know it (Praise the Lord) and that Easter is just six weeks away. And since that’s the case, I thought it would be interesting to use this time to look at six events that occurred during Jesus’s last week as written by the Evangelist Luke. But you know, we’re going to do more than just look at what the happened, we’re going to consider how each of these events might impact us in some special. In other words, instead of just focusing on the facts, we’ll dig into the meaning and application.

And this morning, we’re going to start by looking at how Luke described Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. Of course, I’m well aware that this is something we should be doing five weeks from today, you know, on Palm Sunday. But since this really kicked off Jesus’s last week, I believe it makes a lot of sense to start here, with a story that most folks who’ve been around the church for a while know like the back of their hand. And it’s interesting, when you compare what Luke wrote with the same accounts in Matthew, Mark and John, man, they’re all pretty much on the same page, with one important exception. For example, they all start the same way, you know, with Jesus giving his disciples instructions about a colt and then them going off and finding it just like Jesus said. That’s pretty much the same in all four. And you could say the same thing about Jesus riding into the city, with people laying their clothes on both the donkey and the road and then with those same people leading and following Jesus into Jerusalem. And although palm branches are only mentioned in the Gospel of John and, when you read it in the Greek, Matthew seems to have Jesus riding two animals, again the four stories are very close. And I’ll tell you, I think that also applies to what the people, the crowds said. As Luke wrote, “They shouted,

‘Blessed is the king who comes

    in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven

    and glory to God.’” [Luke 19:38, CEV]

And even though there are small differences in the other accounts, they’re still remarkably similar.

But I’ll tell you, that really changes once you get to the end, you know, after Jesus enters the city. For example, according to Mark, “After Jesus had gone to Jerusalem, he went into the temple and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went back to Bethany with the twelve disciples.” [Mark 11:11, CEV] That’s it. And in Matthew, “When Jesus came to Jerusalem, everyone in the city was excited and asked, ‘Who can this be?’ The crowd answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.’” [Matthew 21:10-11, CEV] And according to John, “A crowd had come to meet Jesus because they had seen him call Lazarus out of the tomb. They kept talking about him and this miracle. But the Pharisees said to each other, ‘There is nothing that can be done! Everyone in the world is following Jesus.’” [John 12:17-19] Now this is how the entry ends in Mark, Matthew and John. But Luke, man, his ending is really different. Remember, he wrote, “Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting!’ But Jesus answered, ‘If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.’” [Luke 19:39-40, CEV] Now that’s how Luke ended his account.

And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our focus this morning. In a nutshell, we’re going to focus on the words “If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.” [Luke 19:40b, CEV] You see, we’re going to talk about what these words might mean and how they might affect what we feel and what we might choose to do. 

And you know, given some of the stuff we all face, man, I think these words can be pretty important for us, and I’ll tell you why. You see, I think it’s really easy for us to feel overwhelmed,  you know, as we try to get done everything we’re suppose to do and to do it all as close to right as possible. Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. As some of y’all know, yesterday was Debbie’s birthday. And I don’t think she’d mind me telling you that she just turned thirty-nine again. And I’ll tell you, that’s why our daughter Maggie and her boyfriend Colin came up from WVU, and to be honest, I feel a lot more comfortable with him dating my daughter, especially after showing him my collection of skinning knives. Anyway, when you combine the birthday and the visit with the fact that I usually work all day on Saturdays to get ready for Sunday, man, I started feeling overwhelmed somewhere around 4:30 a.m., last Monday morning. I just couldn’t see how I was going to get everything done I wanted to get done  and to do it well-enough so that the Personnel Committee wouldn’t have to have another meeting after worship today. I felt like I was about to drown. But isn’t that the way we all feel from time-to-time? Whether we’re at school or at home or at work, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

And I’ll tell you, I think we can also experience this feeling around the church, especially when we think about everything we could and probably should be doing. Of course, when I’m honest with myself, I recognize that preachers have a lot to do with this kind of thinking. I mean, I’ve got to admit, we, meaning preachers, we often spend a lot of time telling to you about what you should be doing, and if you’re already doing it, how you should be doing it more and better. As a matter of fact, I think it’s pretty easy for folks in the pew to assume that “Guilt 101” is a required class in seminary. But please remember that what you may experience is a lot like what I often feel when I leave some church meeting after listening to all these things other pastors have done or are doing and I’m struggling just to keep my nose above water. No, I think being overwhelmed is felt on both sides of the pulpit.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s why Luke’s ending so important for us to remember. You see, when Jesus answered those Pharisees who wanted him to shut his disciples up, Jesus seemed to be telling them and through Luke, telling us that spreading the good news, well, it really isn’t about us at all; instead, it’s actually in God’s hands. In other words, if we decide to keep our mouths shut and if we decide to stay in our pews and behind our pulpits and if we decide to be silent and still, as a matter of fact, if we decide to imitate a bunch of broccoli and do nothing at all, my goodness, if that’s our decision, guess what? The proclamation of the gospel isn’t going to be muted and the sharing of the good news isn’t going to be silenced and the presence of folks who are willing to roll up their sleeves and actually do the work God has called and equipped them to do, man, they are not going to disappear. Why? That’s simple: “If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.” [Luke 19:40b, CEV] Put another way, if necessary, God could cause asphalt to do the job we’ve been given to do. I mean, isn’t that what Christ is saying, when he answered the Pharisees? Sure it is.

And I’ll tell you why I think remembering that is important, especially when our stress level is high. You see, first, when we feel overwhelmed, I think remembering these words will enable us to feel a whole lot of peace and comfort, and here’s why. Like I said, when you get right down to it, it’s not about us; it’s about God. It’s not about all the “shoulds” and the “ought tos” we’ve been told; it’s about the one who loved us before he lay the foundation of the universe and the one who lived and died and was raised so that we might have an example provided and a burden lifted and a hope restored and the one who, right here and now, surrounds us with us presence, opening our eyes so that we can see and our minds so that we can understand and our hearts so that we can feel. Again, it’s not about us; it’s about God. And if, for whatever reason, we’re silent, the stones will start shouting. And if knowing that doesn’t offer some sense of peace and comfort to people who feel overwhelmed, well, frankly I don’t know what will. You see, that’s the first reason for remembering these words. 

And second, when we remember what Jesus said to those Pharisees and what Luke is saying to us, especially when we’re feeling overwhelmed, I think we’ll also feel a sense of freedom and confidence that we may not have felt before. I mean, just think about it. Jesus said, “If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting”; [Luke 19:40b, CEV] therefore, the work of God is going to be done, with or without our help. Of that we can sure. But remember, Jesus used the word “if,” not “when,” and I think that’s really important. I mean, because he said “if,” that doesn’t mean that “they” will stay quiet. They could, but they didn’t have to. In other words, they could still yell and scream and shout. They had a choice. They had free will. And brothers and sisters, what was true for them is also true for us. You see, even though we could choose to be silent and still, that’s not our only choice. Instead, we can choose to use all those gifts and talents that God has given each one of us to do the things God has called and equipped us to do. And we can decide to come together as a body, as a community, and we can combine our gifts so that they compliment all the others, and enable us to do great things for the kingdom of God. And we can make our minds up to be bold as we step out and to start loving God and one another, because we know that if we don’t succeed and if we fail to the kind of men and women we want do be, these words are still true: ...Jesus answered, “If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.” [Luke 19:40, CEV] We can take a chance. We can be bold. And when we’re overwhelmed, I believe knowing this will enable us to experience freedom and confidence. And that’s the second reason remembering these words are so important.

You know, when you think about it, Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem was wonderful. In fact, I think it was the perfect way to start the roller coaster that would be his last week. And that’s probably the reason all four evangelists tell just about the same story. But as we’ve been talking about, at the very end, Luke’s account was a little bit different. He wrote, “Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting!’ But Jesus answered, ‘If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.’” [Luke 19:39-40, CEV] Now that’s what he said. And I’ll tell you, I believe these words are worth remembering, and I’ll tell you why. When we start to feel overwhelmed because we’re not doing everything we’ve been told we should be doing, we can remember that, when push comes to shove, it’s about God and not us; therefore, we can experience a genuine sense of peace and comfort. That’s one. And two, when we start to feel overwhelmed because we’re not always sure what’s right or best, we can remember that God has given us the opportunity to do his work in our world; therefore, we can experience a new sense freedom and confidence. You see, I believe this can happen when we remember, “But Jesus answered, ‘If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.’” [Luke 19:40, CEV]