“The things that make for peace”

Meditation on Luke 19:28-42

Palm Sunday 2014

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      After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’  So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’

      As Jesus came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

***

    When I arrive at Meadows on Thursday morning for my Bible study, some of my students are already gathering in anticipation of our class, though it won’t begin for another 15 minutes.  The one who is nearly always sitting inside the entrance to the senior apartments when I arrive is there again watching for me—just to make sure I make it in OK, pressing the right combination of numbers that will unlock the door with a click!

     Other students are finishing their 9 a.m. coffee, but they, too, are watching out the dining room windows for my car. The last dregs of coffee are drank and cups put away. Other students are checking on people, knocking on doors of those who usually attend—making sure they know it’s time to begin. Pastor Karen is here!

      I am smiling and visiting with people from the moment I walk through the entrance and as I turn left and slowly make my way down the hallway to the activities room. The short walk takes a few minutes because some of the folks in the group use walkers, but mostly because we talk as we walk. And because that conversation is precious pastoral care time to me, I don’t rush.

      Inside the room, other students are already setting up, moving chairs so they will have a good view for the final lesson in our Lenten DVD series, “The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus.”

       I didn’t know it, but Thursday would be a perfect ministry day for me. And not just because I was well prepared with notes and handouts for my lesson, the DVD player was working great, and I was able to figure out the two remote controls. And not just because the weather was sunny and mild and spring seemed to finally have arrived in southwestern Minnesota! It was perfect because Christ was with me as I ministered—and I knew it! I felt His presence with me continually, throughout the morning Bible Study and then throughout the afternoon as Lou Ann and I brought communion to parishioners in nursing homes.

      I felt Christ’s presence in our conversations and prayers. In the laughter we shared. I felt His presence in the Word and Sacrament that we offered to people hungry for the Lord and longing for fellowship with God’s people.

      I was blessed to feel Christ with me in the present moment—something that can be a challenge in this day and age, when distracted multitasking and living in a state of perpetual anxiety about the future seem to be an acceptable way of life. Why do we take pride in our tight schedules and full calendars? And why do we place a higher value on working hard and building up accomplishments than working hard to grow relationships?

    This is not Christ’s way—and we shouldn’t make it ours. We have Christ’s presence, as he promises in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always—to the end of the age.”  And we have His peace. Christ says in John 14:37, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

  ***

    As we read of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke, we hear echoes from the Old Testament. Psalm 118, an ancient hymn of Israel written before the exile, speaks of the joyful praise of the people during the “royal entry on the occasion of an annual ritual of re-enthronement” (Joel Green, p. 683). Beginning at verse 20, we read, “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord.” And then at verse 26, we read, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches up to the horns of the altar....”

    We find other echoes of the Luke passage from the Old Testament, including the language of “the king,” in Zechariah 9:9 and 2 Kings 9:13. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 2 Kings 9:13 includes the detail about the cloaks. “Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’”

       Jesus’ foretells this scene—including his sorrow over the Holy City’s rejection of the Messiah—earlier in Luke. Beginning at Luke 13:34, Jesus says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

     Accounts of Christ’s triumphal entry are found in three of our 4 gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke. But Luke’s account is different from the other two in that it emphasizes peace; both the disciples and Jesus use the word! Luke connects peace to belief in Christ and becoming a follower of Him. For Luke, embracing Christ’s salvation enables and inspires us to live a new way of life.  

      Jesus weeps as he draws near to Jerusalem. The city He loves is unable to see Him for who He is—the Savior, the Son of God! For if they accepted Him as their Savior and the Son of God, then they would seek to follow in His loving ways. In verse 44, he laments the future destruction of the city because they fail to “recognize the time of (their) visitation from God.”  And in verse 42, he says, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes.”  

     ***

    On Thursday, I didn’t worry about the time or that I might not get everything done that I had planned to do. I didn’t fret if I couldn’t keep to my schedule of seeing one parishioner every hour, including travel time to Clara City and back. And during visits, I didn’t check for new emails, phone messages or texts. Focused on the work of the Lord and bringing the love of Jesus to people in need, I was able to live in the present. And the reward was Christ’s joy and peace!

      Our Lord’s salvation isn’t something far off in the future; it’s here and now! New and abundant life with Him begins the moment we first believe.

      Christ’s joy and peace comes to all who obey His command to love God and neighbor and put God’s grace into practice. His joy and peace are gifts to those who intentionally set aside the worries, work, and routines of our everyday life and take time to praise and worship our King, as a crowd of His followers did on one perfect day in ministry—almost 2,000 years ago.

     When our humble Messiah triumphantly rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.  And "the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” 

Will you pray with me? 

Holy One, thank you for opening our eyes and hearts to your everlasting presence with us. We thank you that salvation and the truth of Christ’s identity hasn’t been hidden from our eyes. We thank you for Jesus Christ, our Savior. The King of kings and Lord of Lords.  Help us to remain focused throughout this Holy Week on your Son and His work of salvation for us—indeed, for all the world! Humble us so that we are more like Jesus, who was not too proud to ride a colt of a donkey as he made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem so long ago. And as we seek to be your servants, lead us to make changes in our lives, according to your will. Help us to live in the present and not worry about things we cannot control. Remind us every day that your salvation is here and now—and not just in the future, when we live with you in heaven. Give us courage to speak of your salvation and bring your love to people in need. Grant us your peace as we lift our voices to sing Christ's praise. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! In him we pray. Amen.