Matthew 27:11-66
Alan Taylor / General Adult
Palm Sunday / Sunday of the Passion / Matthew 27:11–66
‌
+ In Nomine Jesu +
‌

‌
Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
‌

‌
Today is both Palm Sunday and the Sunday of the Passion. That being the case, you’ve heard two different Gospel readings this morning. The first one, from John 12, was the Palm Sunday narrative, the account of Jesus’ kingly coronation, which was read at the very start of the service. The second, from Matthew 27, is a portion of the Passion narrative. Matthew 27 is the passage we’ll be looking at for the message this morning. Since it’s rather lengthy, we’ll be focusing on a general theme that runs throughout the text, that being the Kingship of Jesus.  
‌

‌
I’d like to begin this morning with a question. Why did people hate Jesus so much? I’m asking first in the context of the reading for this morning. Even though Pontius Pilate was ready and willing to release Jesus, because he found no fault in Him, the crowd chose Barabbas instead, a murderer, to be released to them. They wanted Jesus to be crucified. Why? 
‌

‌
I suppose, as you read through the account of Jesus’ passion, you could attribute some of the action of the people to what is sometimes called a “crowd, or a mob mentality.” You’re aware of how these things work. A crowd of people assembles and they tend to take on a life of their own. For good and ill they develop sort of a oneness,  unified in voice. People cry out for something, in this case, Jesus’ death, and the cry grows louder and louder, simply because that’s how crowds tend to behave. It’s sort of a “group think” mentality that often takes over and prevails. 
‌

‌
Certainly, some of what happened that day could be attributed to a mob mentality. But there’s more to it than that. By the way, just so you know that I’m not spending all this time on simply a historical question, with little or no relevance to today, we should probably keep in mind what modern psychology tells us about love and hate. The opposite of love is not actually hate, as we might think. I mean, you can not love someone without hating them. The opposite of love is actually indifference. However, in the case of the crowds who called out for Jesus’ crucifixion that day, hate is an appropriate word to use, given Matthew’s description of what transpired. Indifference is probably more the appropriate term for how many people view Jesus today. So many people, roughly 2/3 of the world’s population, don’t love or hate Him. Rather, He is simply viewed with indifference.  Why do you suppose that is? 
‌

‌
When we look at Matthew’s account of the day of Jesus’ trial, it’s clear that there is a common theme running through the text.  From the very beginning, a question was asked of Jesus.  Pontius Pilate said, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied to Pilate, saying, “you have said so,” which, admittedly is a rather vague answer. Still, the crowd that assembled that day knew that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. That’s evident by the fact that a plaque stating the charge against Him was later place over His head on the cross, written in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The plaque said, “This is Jesus. The King of the Jews.” Earlier they had mocked His kingship. “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.” 
‌

‌
Generally speaking, the Jews were not opposed to having a king. In fact, way back near the beginning of the Old Testament, God was their King. He lead them by way of prophets and judges, whom He would send to them from time to time. Still, He was their King. But at some point, they decided they wanted a king just like all of the other nations around them. And so, God gave them King Saul, and then later, He gave them King David and then a whole slew of other kings to follow. As to King David, the people rested all of their hopes on him and his descendents, waiting years, decades and centuries, for his offspring to come and reign forever. So, they weren’t opposed to having a king. They were opposed to THIS KING, TO JESUS!  
‌

‌
Meekness and humility aren’t traits that are not commonly found, or even expected among kings. Especially when the king is expected to be a mighty warrior, one who delivers his people from bondage and oppression. It was just a week before Jesus’ trial that He rode into Jerusalem for His coronation as the King of Israel. It apparently took the crowds awhile to process what they saw that day, Jesus riding on the back of donkey, but they soon did, and their cries of Hosanna, “come, Lord, and save us,” quickly turned to “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” Jesus, it seemed, wasn’t their KING after all. He couldn’t be! In all of His meekness and humility He disappointed them! And so, for His audacity, for His mockery of them as a nation, they would see Him crucified. And they wouldn’t settle for anything less!
‌

‌
Today, people tend a take a little less aggressive position toward Jesus. Indifference is a better term to use than hate. Many people find only a small place for Him in their lives, if any place at all. After all, why do you suppose our attendance will nearly double next Sunday, Easter Sunday, over what it is today? I’m sure there are a lot of reasons, but one of them is centers around who Jesus claimed to be, that He came into the world to reveal Himself as OUR KING. A king, you see, sets the rules. He calls for the allegiance of His subjects, even for their devotion. In Jesus’ case, He rules the world, and even our individual lives, which means, WE DON’T!  People must answer to their KING, and they must measure up to what the KING expects of them! And again, in the case of Jesus, since He is God in human flesh, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, we are to have no other gods before Him, which includes ourselves and anything else that tends to fill up our days and consume our lives.
‌

‌
While Israel despised Jesus’ meekness and humility, both are critical and central to our salvation in Him. We are told that “those who passed by derided (Jesus), wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”
‌

‌
In humbling Himself, Jesus set aside the the full use of His divine power in His life and ministry. He did what  He had to do for the sake of those who derided Him and mocked Him. Indeed, He did what He had to do for the sake of those who are indifferent toward Him. People in the crowd said, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel.” Little did they know how profoundly true those words about Jesus were. 
‌

‌
There are so many things about Jesus, the King of Israel, that are unique. But if we come away from here this morning with only one point of His uniqueness etched in our minds, let it be this; this King of Israel, who is also your King and my King, is none other than God in human flesh. That is a significant thing to confess and to believe. When Jesus humbled Himself and went to the cross to pay the price for your sins and mine, it  was God who paid that price. To put it plainly, “God died for YOU!”
‌

‌
“Well might the sun in darkness hide
‌
And shut His glories in
‌
When God, the mighty maker died
‌
For His own creatures sin.” 
‌

‌
“Thus might I hide my blushing face
‌
While His dear cross appears, 
‌
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
‌
And melt mine eyes to tears.”
‌

‌
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
‌

‌
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
‌

‌
+ Soli Deo Gloria +