Scripture reading: Luke 19:28-40: 28   And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Sermon text: Philippians 2:5-11: 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Introduction

I began Lent with a sermon on Ash Wednesday called, “Thy Kingdom Come.” In that sermon, I said, “to the Jews, Daniel’s prophecy in chapter 9 specifically told when the last kingdom would come, amazingly down to the year in which the kingdom would appear. The Jews had counted from the command to rebuild Jerusalem issued by Artaxerxes to Nehemiah in 444 B.C. The Jews knew that according to Daniel, the “anointed one” — the Messiah — would appear in our year A.D. 33. The time was near!”

Here we are: the prophecies unfolded before their eyes. Daniel had written of the coming of their Messiah, the Anointed One. Zechariah had prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (9:9). When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, every Jew in sight understood the significance of the event. They believed that Jesus’ entry signaled the beginning of the restored Davidic Kingdom, a kingdom in which the Jews would rule over the nations and all evil would find itself banished forever from humanity’s presence.

Well, the King has come. He’s now in Jerusalem, and everyone is waiting to see what He’ll do about the Temple corruption, the Romans, the onerous Pharisees, and everything else that needs fixing. Unfortunately, as always, the humans underestimated the enemy and therefore underestimated their King. Jesus had far bigger issues in mind, and as St. Paul told the Philippians, He has a far greater plan in store for Creation than a mere human kingdom. Jesus did the unthinkable by leaving heaven to accomplish the unimaginable through the salvation of all Creation. Because of His time on earth and His defeat of sin, Jesus has brought salvation to everyone who will believe in His name. Jesus’ kingdom is here now, but it will culminate in a resounding moment of praise that will crown all time and events.

Until then, how do we, the servants of the Kingdom, demonstrate its presence in a sin-soaked world that desperately needs to know our King?

Sermon

St. Paul wrote Philippians from Rome c. A.D. 60, while he awaited his hearing before the emperor Nero. While in Rome, St. Paul had plenty of opportunities to see human society at both its best and its worst. At this time in Roman history, Nero had greatly improved the lives of commoners by reducing taxes and supporting them against the Roman Senate. However, St. Paul also witnessed the extravagance of Nero’s building projects and the financial burden these projects placed on everyone in the Empire. Even worse, St. Paul witnessed the brutality of Roman slavery and the depravity of Roman society.

Therefore, when St. Paul wrote to the Philippians about their true King, Jesus, he could contrast him with conditions in the human empire of Rome and its caesar Nero. Unlike Nero, Jesus would serve His subjects and therefore give them an example of service and love to emulate. Jesus would call His subjects to follow Him in humility. This call continues to apply to us today.

Jesus’ example leads us to lower ourselves to raise others. vv. 6-8. Remember that the Jews expected their Messiah to exalt them above all other nationalities, especially the hated Romans. The Jews expected the Messiah to appoint them to rule over all Gentiles and pagans. Many Jews eagerly anticipated giving the Romans a dose of servitude as the Romans had meted out on the Jews.

Jesus, however, gives us a totally different example to follow. In these 3 verses, St. Paul used several words to describe Jesus’ actions, none of which lead us to believe He expects us to exalt ourselves against those we really want to dominate.

First, St. Paul used the word, “form of God.” The Greek word used here supplies us with our term “metamorphosis,” or “change forms.” The word “morph” means “form.” St. Paul tells us that Jesus is God! He is the very form, internally and externally, of God. God Himself rode into Jerusalem in A.D. 33 to the accolades of His people.

However, St. Paul then told the Philippians that although Jesus was (and is) God, He did not “count equality” as “a thing to be grasped.” In other words, Jesus did not come to earth to duplicate His divinity; He did not come to earth to duplicate His heavenly reign. Instead, Jesus would establish a new kind of kingdom on earth.

St. Paul said that Jesus “made Himself nothing (KJV “emptied Himself”).” This action, what is known in theology as the kenosis, tells us how Jesus assumed human limitations. Although Jesus healed people, we have no record He did so at every possible occasion. Although Jesus knew what people were thinking, we see no evidence that He constantly read people’s thoughts. Although Jesus could have prevented His own death, He chose instead to suffer death so that He might identify with the human fear and apprehension of death, not to mention its agony.

St. Paul then expanded on the point. Jesus could have “emptied Himself” and still assumed the role of an earthly king. Jesus could have been born in a palace, surrounded by servants and the opulence of aristocracy. Instead, St. Paul said that Jesus took on “servanthood.” The Greek word here is often translated as “slave.” Jesus chose to serve others, not be served Himself. We see numerous examples of this in the Gospels, not least of which is Jesus’ action on the night before His betrayal when He washed the disciples’ feet.

Another question arises: Couldn’t Jesus have accomplished His mission of evil’s defeat in a way other than assuming a human body? Of course. However, Jesus Himself said in John 3:16 that God loved the world so much that He would “send His only begotten Son” that “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” There’s more to the story than the mere defeat of sin, as magnificent as that event proved. Jesus had another, more wonderful part of the plan to accomplish: He wanted to redeem us in the process. That redemption would call for a human death that could atone for Adam’s sin. As St. Paul told the Corinthians, “as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).” St. Paul told the Romans that “If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

Therefore, Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” In the Roman world, crucifixion ranked as the lowest death a person could experience. Only slaves, murderers, and traitors were crucified. Roman citizens were exempt from this horrible death.

Do these words tell us something about Jesus’ expectations for His subjects? Of course they do. If Jesus thought we were worth the humiliation of assuming a human body and dying like a slave, we cannot hold ourselves any higher. Anyone who needs to know of God’s love should see that love in us through our service to Christ, the Church, one another, and everyone in the world. Jesus Himself told His disciples, “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Those who need salvation will listen to us only if they see us living godly lives that demonstrate our love for them and for each other.

Jesus’ victory over sin will lead to His exaltation over all Creation. vv. 9-11. We now know that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem merely began the defeat of sin. By the end of the week, we’ll celebrate Jesus’ institution of Holy Communion, the constant memorial of His sacrifice for us; we’ll also commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday.

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem never signaled the beginnings of an earthly kingdom as the Jews anticipated, but it still signaled a kingdom had come. The King had come, and His kingdom would usher in His ultimate exaltation.

St. Paul told the Philippians that because of Jesus’ victory at crucifixion, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” The word for “highly exalted” refers to the ultimate honor; no honor exists above this honor. God has exalted Jesus above every ruler on this earth. God also gave to Jesus “the name that is above every name.” This exaltation of Jesus’ name has already occurred at His ascension. We now serve the King of Kings!

Because Jesus has been exalted, the ultimate victory over sin is inevitable. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth:” regardless of whether or not someone bows down to Jesus in this life, that person will bow before Jesus in eternity. “Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father:” You will confess Jesus as Lord; will you do it now when it counts, or will you do it when it is too late?

St. Paul has told the world that those who confess Jesus as Lord, believing God has raised Him from the dead, “will be saved.” St. Paul has also told us that everyone will eventually confess Jesus as Lord and witness Him as alive. Only those who make this confession, based on belief, in this life will find themselves living in eternity with our Lord and King.

Conclusion

All this will happen “to the glory of God the Father.” Everything that has happened in history will somehow bring glory to God, including our salvation.

Does Jesus example still apply to us? Jesus gave us an example of service to others. We must follow this example so the world will know that Jesus cares about everyone, regardless of race, social status, or religion. Everyone needs to know that Jesus died for their salvation so they can have the opportunity to receive that salvation. Our example of service and love will lead people to the confession of Jesus as Lord.

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem electrified the Jews more than we can imagine. His death crushed their hopes for the kingdom they so desperately sought. However, Jesus’ resurrection ushered in the kingdom of God. We are His subjects. We must obey in His service in this life. We must answer the calls to worship Him; to love Him and the world He created; and to minister to a dying world that exists in a living kingdom. The kingdom is here. Have we told the world?