Church of the Holy City

Blessed Is He Who Comes

Blessed Is He Who Comes
Rev. Dr. David J. Fekete
April 13, 2014

Zechariah 9:9-11 Matthew 21:1-11 Psalm 118

Our readings this morning are all about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In Zechariah we have a prophesy about the coming Messiah who will ride into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass. And in Matthew we have the fulfillment of this prophesy with Jesus entering Jerusalem on a white colt, the foal of an ass. The majestic entrance into Jerusalem is the climax of the Gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Two considerations make this entry into Jerusalem the high point of the synoptic Gospels. First, Jerusalem was the very centre of Israelite life in the days of Jesus. The temple was there, which made Jerusalem the centre of worship life for Israel. You could think of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel. Only it was also the greatest city in Israel. You could imagine it as a cross between Ottawa and Toronto–combining the authority of the capital with the greatness of the largest city in the country. (In the US we would think of a cross between New York and Washington DC.) With Jesus entering Jerusalem, we have the power of the Messiah entering the very core of Israelite life.
Second, in terms of the storyline of the Gospels, Jerusalem is where Jesus is crucified and resurrected. The final conclusion to Jesus whole life–the crucifixion and resurrection–occurs in Jerusalem.
From the perspective of our spiritual life, Jerusalem represents the place where God dwells in our consciousness and heart. It is the holy place in our souls where God lives. Before we can unpack what it means to our lives to have Jesus enter Jerusalem, we need to talk a little more about the story.
The accounts in the four Gospels differ when they write about Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. And their differences are significant. In Mark, Jesus is a triumphant king and also a divine God-Man. The crowd cuts palm branches and casts them in front of Jesus shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming!” (Mark 11:9-10). The crowd sees Jesus as a king who will restore David’s throne, so they say, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming!” The whole act of throwing branches and shouting the words that they do is another reference to kingship. In Psalm 118, which we read this morning, we have the words that the crowd shouts,
Blessed is he who enters in the name of the Lord . . . Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar! (Psalm 118:26, 27).
This Psalm was used to celebrate the king in Israel’s past, when the king would go up to the temple amid rejoicing, music, and the casting of palm branches before him as he climbed the steps up to the temple. By the time of Jesus’ day, the Messiah was a divine being as well as an earthly ruler. So Jesus’ divinity is proclaimed by the crowd, as well. They shout, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Luke’s account is essentially the same. The crowd shouts the same dual acknowledgement of Jesus as Divine king, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38). In John we have a similar dual acknowledgement of Jesus as God and King, but kingship is emphasized even more strongly,
Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel! (John 12:13).
But in Matthew we have a subtle shift in emphasis. Jesus is affirmed as the Son of David, since the Messiah was prophesied to come from David’s lineage. But there is no mention of kingship or of a kingdom. Instead, Jesus’ divine qualities are emphasized. As in the other Gospels, the crowd cheers Jesus as coming in the name of the Lord,
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! (Matthew 21:9).
Jesus as God on earth is the message in Matthew. So Jesus as the conquering king, which is in the other Gospels, is not in Matthew.
The first thing that Jesus does when He enters Jerusalem is to go to the temple, the very heart of Israelite life. And Jesus passionately purifies the temple, driving out the money-changers and all those who “sold and bought.”
This is a clear image of how Jesus acts as our Savior. Jesus comes into our heart and purifies it. Jesus breaks up the destructive passions that come with life in this world. And Jesus fills us with His own Spirit of love. Then the temple is truly a house of prayer. In Swedenborg’s system of correspondences, the temple symbolizes those who live in the good of love and in faith. So he writes,
Everyone who lives in the good of charity and faith is a church, and is a kingdom of the Lord, and hence is called “a temple,” and also “a house of God” (AC 6637).
Our understanding of Jesus as the Savior is Jesus who purifies us and regenerates us. We are saved when we are purified from evil and sin and our hearts are filled with healthy feelings of love. It is the risen and glorified Jesus who does this work in us. So this church emphasizes the resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ. Other Christians emphasize the crucifixion as a sacrifice that takes away our sin. So they emphasize the sin that Christ took upon Himself. The Common Lectionary selected a reading from Isaiah that brings out this doctrine. In Isaiah 53, we find a prophesy of the suffering Christ underwent,
I gave my back to the smiters,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I hid not my face from shame and spitting (Isaiah 53:6).
Rather than the crucifixion, it is the story of the resurrection that gives us hope. It is hope in the power of Jesus to come to us, drive out everything unholy from our personality, and give us a new self. Thus and thus only are we truly born again.
This is the meaning of Jesus coming into the holy city Jerusalem. It is a story of Jesus coming into our hearts. This is the meaning of Jesus driving out the money-changers from the temple. It is a story of Jesus purifying our hearts from unhealthy and unholy passions and rendering our consciousness clear with the light of truth.
Certainly, this process is one that has its road of sorrow. The crucifixion is a symbol of all the trials and deep temptations we go through in this purification process. But that is a story for Good Friday.
This Sunday is Palm Sunday. And on Palm Sunday, we consider the prefiguring of Jesus’ resurrection. And we consider the symbolism of God entering our hearts and purifying them from everything unholy. Palm Sunday is a beautiful metaphor of how Jesus comes into the lives of each of us, making us a holy temple of our God.

PRAYER

Lord, on this Palm Sunday we think back to your triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. You were welcomed by cheering multitudes, who were overjoyed at your arrival. Give us to feel likewise. Give us to feel like joy when you come to us. For we, too, would welcome you into our hearts to purify us from all sin and fill us with your holy love. When you came to Jerusalem, you drove out the money changers in the temple. So, we pray for you to drive out of our personalities all unhealthy feeling and passion. We pray that you purify the temple of our hearts with your power and love. And instead of self-seeking, my we be filled with patience, tolerance and mutual love with our fellows.

Lord, we pray for those who are sick. Send your healing love to those ailing, and comfort their family and friends. Lord, we ask for the grace of your healing love for all in need.