“One
of Those Weeks?”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. Have you ever had “one of those days,” or worse yet, “one of those
weeks,” when everything seems to go wrong? This morning we ask: Was Holy
Week “one of those weeks”? Was Good Friday “one of those days”? Did
everything go wrong that week? Was Jesus’ last week of earthly life a
tragic failure? Or was it really a marvelous success? Holy Week began successfully enough on the first Palm Sunday.
That day our Lord’s popularity with the people was at an all-time high. As
he rode into Jerusalem, huge crowds lined the way, waving palm branches, and
throwing their coats on the road as a royal carpet for the coming king. “Behold, your King is coming!” The people shouted with joy, the
children sang out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” But, by the end of
that same week, the crowds were shouting even louder, “Crucify him!
Crucify him!” By Good Friday, Jesus’ popularity with the people was at an
all-time low. Why? Why did the crowds turn against Jesus? Why did the
scribes and Pharisees plot to kill Jesus? Why did Judas Iscariot, one of
his own disciples, help their plot by betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver?
Why did the other disciples, Jesus’ closest friends, deny and desert him? Why? Because the crowds, the scribes and Pharisees, Judas
Iscariot, even the other disciples all thought Jesus had “one of those weeks”
when everything went wrong. They considered Holy Week to be a failure.
And by the end of that week, they thought Jesus himself was a failure too. “Behold, your King is coming!” The crowds were ecstatic on Palm
Sunday because they were expecting Jesus to be a mighty earthly King, who would
overthrow their Roman oppressors with military might in a riotous revolution.
But, this King wasn’t what they wanted. This King didn’t come riding into
Jerusalem on a warrior’s white steed or a conqueror’s chariot. This King
came riding on the lowliest and most humble of animals—a donkey! To the
crowds expecting a powerful military and political revolution, this King was a
failure. So they turned against him. The scribes and Pharisees were expecting the Messiah when he came to
congratulate them on being such good people, and reward them for their own
self-righteousness. But, this Messiah wasn’t what they wanted. This
Messiah condemned them: “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full
of hypocrisy.” To the hypocritical, self-righteous scribes and Pharisees,
this Messiah was a failure. So they plotted to kill him. And Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, helped in their plot.
Judas had the mistaken notion that following Jesus would make him rich and
powerful. Since he was treasurer for the disciples, and stole from their
money bag, it seemed natural he would become Secretary of the Treasury for King
Jesus when he established his earthly kingdom. Then, like so many corrupt
politicians, Judas could rally loot from the national treasury on a massive
scale. But, once Judas realized Jesus cared nothing about earthly power
and riches and glory, he too concluded Jesus was a failure, and following Jesus
would get him nowhere. So he agreed to betray him for what he really
wanted: money, 30 pieces of silver. The other disciples were also expecting events to turn out differently
that week. It began so wonderfully on Palm Sunday—the crowds cheering and
shouting, the palm branches waving, the carpet of coats into the capital city.
The disciples thought they would hitch their wagon to a rising star, as the old
saying goes, and be swept up to the pinnacle of power on the coat-tails of a
popular politician. They were expecting Jesus to exploit his popularity
with the people and quickly seize control of the country, probably by the end of
that very week setting himself as a powerful earthly King. And of course
all his loyal disciples would be rewarded by becoming very important people in
Jesus new kingdom. But, Holy Week didn’t turn out the way they expected. Instead of following Jesus to the pinnacle of political power, on Good
Friday the disciples all denied and deserted their master as he was stricken,
smitten, and afflicted. It looked like Holy Week was a failure, and Jesus
himself a failure too. How many times we have denied and deserted our master. Like the
disciples, denying and deserting Jesus because following him doesn’t make us
popular with the world. Denying him by what we say and do. Deserting
him by what we fail to say and fail to do. How many times we have betrayed our Lord. Like Judas Iscariot,
betraying him by considering earthly treasures and pleasures more valuable than
Jesus. How many times we have rejected the Messiah. Like the scribes and
Pharisees, rejecting him because we don’t want to hear about our sin and
wickedness and hypocrisy. How many times we have turned away from Jesus. Like the crowds
who shouted “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, we are at times excited about our faith.
But, all too soon we grow cold and indifferent, turning away from our Lord like
the crowds who shouted “Crucify him!” on Good Friday. We are no better than the disciples who denied and deserted him.
We are no better than Judas, who betrayed him. We are no better than the
scribes and Pharisees, who plotted to kill him. We are no better than the
crowds crying out, “Crucify him!” For we too, in our own lives, have
denied and deserted and betrayed and rejected and turned away from Jesus. Our only hope is the success of Holy Week. For, Holy Week wasn’t
“one of those weeks” when everything went wrong. Good Friday wasn’t “one
of those days.” Holy Week was the perfect fulfillment of God’s eternal
plan of salvation for the world. A week where everything went exactly
right, just according to God’s plan, for your salvation. As Peter tells
the people of Jerusalem, “This man was handed over to you according to the
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, whom you put to death by nailing
him to a cross.” According to plan, Jesus rode through the cheering crowds into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, but walked out through the jeering crowds carrying his
cross to Calvary on Good Friday. According to plan, Jesus suffered and
died as a sacrifice for all your sins. According to plan, Jesus rose
triumphant from the dead on Easter morn. According to plan, your sins are
all forgiven, on account of Jesus Christ—his perfect life, his unjust suffering,
his sacrificial death, his glorious resurrection. As Paul says in Romans,
“He was put to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our
justification.” That was the success of Holy Week. To the world, it looked like Holy Week was a tragic failure. But,
according to God’s plan, Holy Week was a marvelous success. When you
yourself sometimes feel like a failure in the eyes of the world, remember how
the world judged even Jesus a failure on Good Friday. But, the world was
proven wrong in the victorious conclusion of Holy Week on Easter morn. Sometimes your whole life may feel like “one of the weeks,” “one of
those days.” But, despite the judgment of the world, you too are not a
failure. To God, you are precious, valuable, beloved, an important part of
his plan. So precious, so valuable, so beloved, so important to God that
he gave up his own Son for you. As Paul says in Romans, “This is how God
demonstrates his love for us: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” “Behold, your King is coming!” When Jesus comes again at the last
day, he will not be humbly riding on a donkey, but gloriously coming on the
clouds. As Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading, “At the name
of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord.” “Behold, your King is coming!” “Come” he will say to you.
“Enter the kingdom prepared for you.” “Hosanna in the highest!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord.” Amen. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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