2008. 3. 16 Rev. Kim, Young Bong

The Gospel According to John Sermon Series
“The Gospel of Life (92)”
Our King Riding On the Colt

1.

Today is Palm Sunday by the Liturgical Year. The name Palm Sunday derives from the story that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted Him waving palm branches. So, our church distributes palm branches every year to people who come to Sunday service. Please take the palm branch home, fold it into a cross, and hang it where it can be easily seen. After one year, we will collect the palm crosses and burn them to make ashes, and use the ashes for the service on Ash Wednesday.

There is no way to know when the church began calling today Palm Sunday, but strictly speaking, it was not named correctly. If one were to name this day to commemorate what had happened, it should be named “Colt Sunday,” rather than ‘Palm Sunday.” Let me explain why.

2.

At the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was a city enclosed by castle walls, like the old Seoul, Hansung. To enter the city, one needed to pass through the castle gate. At that time, Jerusalem was bustling with people who had convened to celebrate Passover. Jesus entered Jerusalem after intending to do so for some time. It was a very important and meaningful turning point for Jesus. Wouldn’t there have been a special purpose, if He did not avoid entering the city, even when he knew He might be killed going in? Because of this special purpose, Jesus entered Jerusalem near the time of the Passover, and He entered riding on a donkey.

Jesus on a donkey! Imagine that. Also imagine Jesus on a handsome white horse. Sometimes when I take a walk, I encounter people enjoying horseback riding. To a pedestrian, it is a wonderful sight to see a person on a horse. Could there be any animal more splendid than a horse? Its sleek body, stout muscles, shiny skin, dignified stride, and powerful sound of the footsteps, all make one stop and stand to admire it.

But then, how about a donkey? Worse yet, a young donkey. Imagine its short legs and chubby buttocks, dry skin, weak muscle, the look of a comedic character. Imagine a grown man riding on it. This is not the image of a warrior, nor an image of a king. Rather, it is closer to the image of a clown.

Why did Jesus enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey? This was to show what kind of King He is, according to the words of the prophet Zechariah. Hundreds of years ago, the prophet Zechariah said, “Say to the Daughter of Zion (the meaning of the Daughter of Zion is the residents of Jerusalem). See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of donkey.” (Matthew 21:5) As Jesus approached the Daughter of Zion, that was, the residents of the Jerusalem, He showed with His conduct that what was spoken through the prophet had been fulfilled.

The colt is a symbol of gentleness and mildness. It symbolizes frailty. At times is also symbolizes foolishness and stubbornness, but put in a positive way, it means keeping a strong will to go one’s way, without swaying to the right or the left. This was the thought that Jesus had as He entered Jerusalem on a colt. He headed toward Jerusalem as king. But the throne He had in mind was not one of power, victory, and glory, symbolized with a white horse. In contrast, it was of humility, dedication, and sacrifice, which are symbolized by the colt.

3.

The crowds, who watched Jesus riding a colt and entering the gate like a clown, spread their cloaks on the road and waved branches of palm trees and shouted of joy to Jesus. They welcomed Him even singing Psalm 118, which had been sung whenever a king was inaugurated. This means the crowd recognized that Jesus was King. But, isn’t this odd? Their reaction may have been understandable if Jesus put on a full armor and rode a white horse and entered with many soldiers for attack. But He brought undisciplined crowds. He rode a colt. How could they still recognize Jesus as the King? What happened?
Perhaps, the people of Jerusalem had heard a rumor about Jesus. Based on the incredible miracles He performed in Galilee, they might have come to a conclusion like this; “Having this kind of abilities, He could expel the Roman army and make Israel independent. He must be coming to Jerusalem. As the General Maccabi did before, he will be the King, who rebuilds the great Israel.’ They could have eagerly looked forward to Him arriving in Jerusalem. Finally, they heard the rumor that He, Jesus of Nazareth, was coming to Jerusalem. They thought the time had arrived and could not hide their joy. They waited for Jesus to arrive in Jerusalem. After the long wait, finally Jesus showed up in front of them. So how exciting this must have been?

Because of this excitement, they might not have realized that Jesus was riding a colt. Because they already concluded Him as the King who was to restore Israel, they might have seen Him as a warrior riding a white horse. Jesus didn’t intend to drive out the Roman army by force. He didn’t intend to become king by amazing people with miraculous powers. It wasn’t His intention to build a nation on earth. However, the crowd wanted this. That’s why they welcomed and shouted for joy waving with the branches of palm trees. They didn’t think about the reason why Jesus came riding on the colt.

The Korean old saying, “Two persons dreaming two different dreams lying on the same bed” might well describe this situation. Jesus, who rode the colt and entered into Jerusalem, pondered upon the coming passion, insult, pain and death, which would take place in Jerusalem. He believed that this was the path on which the King of Jew needed to walk. He believed that only by doing this, a way to reign all people in love could be opened up. But the people of Jerusalem expected Jesus of Nazareth to come to Jerusalem and wield His power to drive out the Roman army and build up the Kingdom of Israel. That was their reason to rejoice. To be exact, they did not rejoice for Jesus, but because of the expectation that their desires would be fulfilled.

Do you know that the crowd, who cheered and waved the palm branches, only five days later, instigated by the high priests and Jewish leaders, shouted toward Jesus, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” They felt that they were betrayed by Jesus. When they realized that there was a difference between Jesus’ intention and their expectations, they turned their back on Jesus. They didn’t want the King riding the colt. They wanted a warrior riding on a white horse. They didn’t want the king serving them. They wanted the king who was as high as the sky and ruled over them.

4.

A king riding on a donkey, a king not belonging to the world, a king serving with love not commanding by power and money, and a king dying for his people not taking away their wealth ? Jesus of Nazareth was such a king. Kings in the world try to be higher, live longer and acquire more fortune but Jesus on a donkey only dreamed of being low, trying to give more; and didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his life. His sovereignty was to win people’s hearts, not to occupy land. It was to move people’s hearts, not to suppress them.

Let me ask you all. What kind of king do you want? The new Korean president said during his inauguration speech that he would be a president that serves his people. He as a Christian seems to know that power is a tool for serving. We’ll see how he puts his words into practice in the future but his statement is heading in the right direction. All the posts including president, king, CEO, government minister or even an owner of a convenience store are supposed to serve. Thus if a king says he would govern by serving his people, this king is the true king. This kind of king deserves our welcome.

But what’s reality? What does the story of the Jews who asked to crucify Jesus tell you? When Pilate said “Shall I crucify your king? (John 19:15),” why did the chief priests answer “We have no king but Caesar”? It means we rather prefer a king, who commands us, not one that serves us, doesn’t it? What a contradiction!

People seem to find a king who serves his people less attractive. Rather, an ambitious king who wields his power, expands territory and tries to lift his name seems more attractive to people. In world history the leaders people respect were those who tried to unify the world. People sacrificed their lives without hesitation for them. However, leaders who sacrificed their happiness to take care of their people and not for his power were not welcome.

Let’s assume we are the Jews at the plaza of the governor’s palace about 2,000 years ago. Do you think we would have thought differently from them and acted differently? You might wish to say yes but the opposite is highly probable actually. Neither you nor I might like a king like Jesus Christ. We might not like a king riding on a donkey. We wish to see a king riding a top-of-the-line limousine. We might wish to have a king like a Roman emperor rather than the powerless and unattractive Jesus.

Having said that, how close are we to the Jews asking Jesus to be crucified? Reading about the Jews in the Bible readers think ‘How bad the Jews are!’ but we need to be really careful about it. We should not build any antagonism against the Jews. I don’t know how much pain our Christians have given to the Jews and their descendents for 2,000 years because of this antagonism. The Jews are not the enemy of Jesus. The reason Jews crucified Jesus was because of the crooked greed in their hearts, not because they were Jews. As long as we have this kind of greed in our minds, it makes not difference if you are a Jew, Roman, Korean, or English.

5.

When reading the story of Jesus who was judged and died on the cross, we should look at ourselves instead of sending arrows of criticism towards others. We need to see the misguided desires in our own hearts. Jesus who came on the donkey, Jesus the King of servanthood, Jesus the King of self-sacrifice ? our own misguided ambitions have led him to death on the cross. All of us search for a king who will fulfill our warped ambitions. And it is those same false desires we need to face clearly.

All of us have self-aggrandizing desires. And in order to aggrandize ourselves, we use all kinds of contrivances and schemes. All of us have power ambitions, even if it means stepping on those we call our friends. We also have the desire to use others, and this truly a malicious desire. Sometimes we even want to use our life partners in order to fulfill our desires. We have desires to never be outstripped by others. Instead of losing to others, our warped desires lead us to choose the path of death instead.

I heard this story in the early days of my immigration to this country. The Jewish people believe, “Let both you and I live!” The Chinese supposedly believe, “Let you die but let me live!” But how about Koreans? “Let both you and I die!” Therefore, it is said that competing with Koreans is the greatest challenge. Sometimes, this belief looks correct and at other times, it does not appear so. However, the one thing that is true is that in any culture, when the adage, “Let you die but let me live!” does not work, it leads to “Let both you and I die!” Even the Jewish people are not exempt. Among themselves, they may have believed in “Let both you and I live!” but there were many instances where they did not believe so towards other peoples. So the problem is not which culture one belongs to. All human beings, no matter from what culture, have such warped desires.

All of us want to fulfill these warped, wild, and wicked desires. Some seek to fulfill those desires through violent means while others make an effort to fulfill those desires through more refined means. Outwardly there may appear to be a difference, but inwardly they are the same. We may differ in degrees but all of us have the desire to be greater than others, more powerful than others; we also have the desire to do as we please and show off in front of others. If we cannot fulfill those desires on our own, we find vicarious satisfaction in seeing others act in that way. This is the reason crowds can become enthusiastic about an evil dictator.

We cannot devote our lives to fulfilling these desires. Those are actions that kill not only others but also ourselves. We must harbor the hope to heal these desires. That is the only way to save not only others but also ourselves. And in order to do that, we must remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and stand in judgment in light of our warped desires. We must remember that with the same hands that a few days before had waved palm leaves, they cried, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” and in that scene we must be able to see our own misguided desires. We must give our lives to Jesus who was sacrificed and died on the cross because of those same ambitions. We must pray, “Jesus our King, reign over me!”

When Jesus who rode on that young donkey come to reign over us, we become involved in work that does not lift us up but makes us humble; that does not make us more important, but more modest; that does not make us more domineering, but more subservient; also more self-sacrificing in saving others. When we are healed from our ambitions, we will love that young donkey that appeared without honor; we will realize that the hard path of the cross will become the path of Life. There is no other path to change our human nature; there is no other path to change the war zone of our lives into an everlasting playground.

6.

As can be seen in the text of John we read today, Pilate ordered that the plaque be hung on Jesus’ cross. So that everyone who passed by could see, the words on the plaque was written in three languages, in Hebrew, Greek, and Roman. The plaque read ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of Jews’. The high priests only later saw this and requested to Pilate that the plaque be rewritten to read ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the self-proclaimed King of Jews’. But Pilate left it as it was. So it came to be that the plaque hanging on the cross silently witnessed the truth. Jesus, who came riding on the donkey, died on the cross as king of Jews. To Jesus, dying on the cross was like being enthroned as king.

What does the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection three days after death, and His ascension to sit on the right hand of God? There is no way to accurately explain the meaning of resurrection, ascension, or of sitting at the right hand of God. There are those who boast that such things can be accurately explained, but because of this it is difficult to accept this doctrine. This is because they explain using such awkward logic and still force us to believe. Resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of God, are all things that are beyond our experience. Therefore there is no way that we can accurately explain them.

But the essential message that the doctrine of Jesus’ resurrection after death, and His ascension to sit on the right hand of God intends to convey is this. Jesus of Nazareth who was put to death is working in a way that is not of this world, and that He is governing all beings in an invisible way. ‘Christ-Hymn’ in Philippians 2 most movingly and profoundly depicts this truth.

Jesus of Nazareth who came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, Jesus who died on the cross because He walked the way of service and sacrifice, Jesus who was ostracized and rejected as an unpopular king, this Jesus became resurrected and ascended to heaven to become the king of kings, lord of lords. Where He reigns there is true peace. Where He is present, darkness recedes, and where he governs life overflows. When He comes to our hearts our twisted desires are treated. Jesus who was resurrected and ascended to sit on the right hand of God works even now, gently, humbly like the king that came riding on a donkey, invisibly, inconspicuously, like the sun melting the snow in the spring, like fresh new shoots piercing through frozen ground.

Though the way He works is gentle and mysterious, His sovereignty spreads far and penetrates deep. When exposed to His mysterious and gentle sovereignty, it inevitably changes every aspect of our being. Though at first it may seem minuscule and insignificant, it becomes like the yeast that spreads and expand the whole dough, changing our whole life. Because of this those who have experienced this kind of change confess toward Jesus, “Jesus, my king!” This is a confession that without His reign there is no hope in our life.

7.

In the beginning of the sermon I said that it is more appropriate to call the Sunday that starts Passion week “Colt Sunday” rather than “Palm Sunday”. I wonder if the reason for this has become clearer now. The Palm branches that the crowd held and shook in their hands are emblematic of their twisted desires. On the other hand, the young colt that Jesus rode to enter Jerusalem symbolizes the way of life that we can walk once we are treated for these desires. It symbolizes the path that Jesus first walked, the path that is expected of us to walk, the way of service, the way of humility, the way of sacrifice, the way of concession. This is why I say that this day’s meaning is better symbolized with a young colt than with Palm tree branches.

If it were up to me, I would like to call this Sunday “Colt Sunday” from next year on, and even put a young colt in front of the church entrance. With these, the message that we ought to consider may be delivered more clearly. But we really don’t need to go to such lengths. It isn’t so bad to call this Sunday “Palm Sunday”, and give out palm tree leaves following church tradition. Through the palm branch, we will need to be able to look at our own tainted desires.

My dear esteemed congregation, let us examine the palm branch that we hold in our hands. Take this home and fold it carefully into a cross. Fold the crooked desire into a cross and put it up on a wall that is well visible. And then let us kneel down toward our Lord Jesus, who rode the colt, who even now reigns with an invisible loving hand. Let us pray that through His sovereignty we will be treated of our distorted desires, and that the very core of our being will be restored through His mysterious and gentle governing hand. With that, let us stubbornly walk the way that goes opposite to what this world teaches, like Jesus did. Jesus of Nazareth, He is the only true king who is worth ruling the land of our hearts.