Sermon Outline for Mt. 21

RLD

"Hosanna - God Save Us!"

Focus (What does the text say to its listeners?):

As God brings new and good things into the world, excitement will

build. But this human excitement is not to be trusted. Instead, those

who have studied God''s work in the past will recognize the signs that

God''s will is being accomplished.

Function (How does the text affect its listeners?) Matthew not only

reports on the public celebration of Jesus, he interprets these events

in accordance with God''s scriptural assurances of justice and peace. We

can do the same in our lives, if we allow God''s concerns for a just

society to guide our thinking.

Introduction

Discerning Good and Evil in Popular Movements

Computers and Internet usage is very popular. But what is truly useful

in this fad? What is good and helpful, and what is mere excitement over

something new?

1) I am now able to check dozens of scriptural references for every

short reading from Matthew. In the past, I missed much of that because

my memory was not that good and because I did not have time to manually

look up every reference and type it.

2) In order to organize complicated events, I use e-mail every day. I

can carefully type in every detail I need addressed, and the person I am

working with can receive that e-mail, read it when they have time, and

respond in detail. Unlike phone conversations, I have a written record

of the things we agree to, and unlike mail, I can communicate with

someone several times a day.

The next question, if indeed the computer is a powerful and useful tool,

is how can it be used not just for good, but for evil?

1) Yes, there are websites filled with useful and accurate Biblical

information. But hate groups can also spread their information. Or,

much more commonly, simply inaccurate information can look as

professional as truly accurate information.

2) Just as I can communicate quickly and effectively using e-mail, so can drug dealers

and terrorists. How do we distinguish what is good and evil in popular movements?

The Popularity of Jesus

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he received the excited welcome of the

people of Jerusalem. But how much of that excitement was good and

helpful? The crowds of this same city turned against Jesus in just a

few days. But those who ministered alongside Jesus, saw the quiet power

in his ministry. After he cleared the Temple of religious businessmen,

who were probably very excited about the success of their enterprises,

he welcomed the ones who could never have afforded the sacrifices that

were being offered in the Temple. He welcomed the ones who were

normally excluded from the Temple.

As God brings new and good things into the world, excitement will

build. But this human excitement is not to be trusted. Instead, those

who have studied God''s work in the past will recognize the signs, amid

all the excitement, that God''s will is being accomplished.

Three Prophecies

Matthew is one of those people. Matthew would agree with the crowds

that something truly great and exciting was happening on that day.

Matthew''s thought is guided by his understanding of holy scripture.

Everything Jesus does reminds him of a prophetic promise

Matthew describes three key actions taken by Jesus. First, there is

his prophetically symbolic way of entering into Jerusalem. The prophets

Zechariah and Isaiah told of a time when God would restore justice in

Jerusalem. There would be struggles leading up to that time, but God

would bring a time of peace. That is why Jesus rides a donkey instead

of a war-horse. He is bringing a promise of comfort and peace.

The second key action of Jesus, is his clearing of the Temple. This is

more of a threat. The prophet Jeremiah says that the people who twist

and abuse the worship of God in order to make a prophet will be forsaken

by God. Jeremiah tells them to go to the desolate ruins of a city

called Shiloh. That city, he reminds them, was once a place where God

was worshipped. But when the people abandoned the ways of justice and

love, God abandoned that place.

Third, is the healing of the blind and lame. As in Isaiah 29:18-19 and

35:5-6, this is a promise of restoration.

Matthew''s mind was trained on holy scripture. And so he focuses not

just on the excitement of Jesus entering Jerusalem, but on the result.

Once again, the Temple of God is a blessing to the people of God.

Discerning God''s Action in Our Lives

Examples of these three actions described above.

1) God coming to us with a message of good news and grace. Perhaps the

freedom and prosperity of our nation, which peacefully brings together

people of many different nationalities and religions is a gift in which

we can see God''s action.

2) God warning us that our deliberate parting with God''s ways will lead

to pain and destruction. The Enron debacle is an example of how we can

use the freedom and prosperity of our nation in ways that hurt working

people while allowing the ""ruling class"" to become wealthier.

3) God working to bring healing and health, even after we have gone

astray. We can trust that, if we remain focussed on God''s agenda of

love and justice, we can help the people who were hurt by the Enron

collapse and put in place safeguards to make this kind of disaster less

likely.

Conclusion

As God brings new and good things into the world, excitement will

build. But this human excitement is not to be trusted. Instead, those

who have studied God''s work in the past will recognize the signs that

God''s will is being accomplished.