Year A Palm Sunday

Text Philippians 2:5-11 – Jesus’ humiliation is our glory

Matthew’s Gospel was a Gospel that was specially written to a Jewish audience.

There are some indicators that support that idea.

The Family Tree in Chapter 1 shows Jesus family going back to Abraham – the father of the Jewish nation.

This is in contrast to Luke’s Gospel that was written for a non-Jewish audience that has Jesus’ family tree going back further to Adam – the father of all nations.

Matthew refers to the Kingdom of Heaven rather than the Kingdom of God, a safeguard against breaking the 2nd commandment of taking the name of God in vain – something the Jews still do today using the word Adonai instead of the name of God Yahweh when referring to God.

Matthew sets out to prove to the Jews that Jesus is the promised Messiah they had been waiting for – the Son of God.

Matthew’s Gospel is important for all of us because we too at times struggle wondering whether Jesus is truly the one in whom we can place all our hope.

John the Baptist struggled in his time of imprisonment and sent some of his own disciples to check with Jesus – are you the one we have been waiting for, or should we expect someone else (Matthew 11:3).

Last week we heard doubts by Mary and Martha because Jesus had not come to their help when their brother Lazarus was seriously ill, even though he had plenty of time to get there before he died.  (John 11:1-45)

Today also we see people starting to question whether Jesus really is the one.

People are questioning whether Jesus and the church really make a difference in our lives.

We began our service to the shouts of praise and support for Jesus as he rides into Jerusalem.

Here is the one they were expecting to take on the Roman enemy and restore their dignity and authority.

But surely they begin to question him – he comes riding on a donkey.

Some had always questioned Jesus – isn’t this Mary’s son?

Isn’t his father the carpenter?

How can he be the Messiah?

Nevertheless they throw their support behind him – after all, there’s no one else.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

But something changes.

Jesus doesn’t seem to fit the image they had created for him.

He’s arrested, he’s humiliated, he’s betrayed by his own disciples.

Are we really going to put our trust in him?

Get rid of him – crucify him.

Let’s find someone else.

In the meantime, maybe it’s not too late to get back on the good side of Caesar:

– crucify this Jesus character.

He’s not our King.

We have no King but Caesar (John 19:15)

It’s easy to put our trust and hope in Jesus when things are going well.

When the money’s there – when the work’s there – when our health is there – it’s easy to thank God for all our blessings.

But what about when things turn pear shape?

What about when God doesn’t come through with the goods.

What do we say then?

Matthew’s Gospel is important because it not only supports Jesus as the promised Messiah for the Jews, but he also reaffirms that despite what happens, Jesus is still the one that we are to put our hope in.

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is called “Immanuel”, God with us – a promise linked to our Baptism.

Maybe it didn’t look that way as he was tortured, humiliated, spat upon, and put to death.

Maybe it doesn’t look that way as we look at the state of the church with its declining numbers, the sexual abuse reports, the number of churches closing, the claims of irrelevancy in today’s “smart” technological world.

But it is only through Jesus that we have the hope of eternal life in death.

Paul reminds us that Jesus’ humiliation was in fulfilment of what was going to happen to the Son of God.

Christ willingly emptied himself of the glory that the people of his day were expecting and let the world do its worst to show that no matter how bad things get – God will always come out on top.

The world did its worst so that God could do his best.

Christ humbled himself, obedient to God his Father, even unto death.

The worst that the world could do – and still Jesus came out on top.

God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When the world does its worst to you – when it takes away your possessions, your career, you hopes and inspirations, when it takes away your health and dignity, even your life – God is there to lift you up just as he lifted up his Son.

In Baptism, you are given the name that is above all names.

You are given the name – child of God.

And nothing can take that away from you.

Difficult times raise difficult questions for the Christian faith.

What was God doing while his Son hung there between heaven and hell; between life and death? Between the hosannas and the shouts to crucify -- the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, to the not so triumphal exit on Good Friday -- where was God?

Where was God when I was going through my difficulties?

Where was God when I really needed him?

Well, believe it or not, God was there with you.

He is Immanuel – God with us.

Last week we heard about God’s compassion as Lazarus lay in the grave with his sisters and friends weeping.

While they were weeping – Jesus was there weeping with them.

That probably doesn’t sound like much.

But it fulfils God’s baptism promise to us – I am with you always till the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)

Maybe we expect more from God, just like the crowds expecting an almighty, all-conquering King.

Maybe we expect God to heal us every time we’re sick.

Maybe we expect God to find us a employment every time we lose our job.

Maybe we expect God to pay the bills when there’s not enough money for us to do so.

But that’s not what the Christian faith is about.

The Christian faith answers the question that no-one else can answer.

The Christian faith provides hope where no-one else can provide hope.

What happens when death arrives?

There is no pill that can answer that question.

There is no amount of money that can pay for that answer.

Only Jesus can answer that question for us.

And he does that by dying the death we will die but then rising from the dead and being exalted to the highest place in heaven.

And there he now sits, at the right hand of God, praying for us and paying for our sin so that when we die we will join him in heaven.

If you don’t believe that then you still have to answer the question – what happens when I die.

Everyone has to answer that question, and only Jesus provides hope as St. Paul says:

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Paul’s companion Luke affirmed that when he said:

Eternal life is found in no one else other than Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven given to humankind by which we can be saved.” (Acts 4;12)

We vote out of office our leaders when we believe they are no longer offering what we want.

Sporting teams drop players, sack coaches, poach players from other teams when the side is losing.

But when it comes to the most important question we will ever face – what happens in death, there is no other option.

There is no other name by which we are offered eternal life.

So let us confess Jesus Christ as our Lord for there is no greater name nor hope in life.