“Everlasting Love and Faithfulness” 2013

Jeremiah 31:1-7 Luke 19:29-40

Jeremiah 31:1-7

At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.” For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.”

Luke 19:29-40

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.”

Before the collapse of the old Soviet Union,

they used to put on a huge parade every 1^st of May,

with ranks and ranks of troops, tanks and rocket launchers

passing by in review

as a display of their military power and might.

It was all quite impressive, intended to send

a message of strength and domination to the world.

* In ironic and stark contrast,

the Luke text is about another sort of procession, as Jesus,

the infinitely all-powerful Creator of the universe

came riding into Jerusalem on a spindly young donkey

with his disciples shouting joyfully, vs. 38

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”

Like the military parade of the Soviet Union,

Luke’s description of Jesus entering Jerusalem

was intended to send a specific and deliberate message,

- which was not about worldly power and domination.

Though many were hoping for, and expecting

a powerful Messiah to defeat the Roman occupation,

that’s not why Jesus came, as he explains in Luke 19:10,

For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.

The story actually begins when Jesus and his disciples

were back in Bethany, the outskirts of Jerusalem

as they were nearing the end of their long journey.

vs. 29-31

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.’”

That phrase, ‘The Lord needs it’,

is more literally translated, “Its Lord or Master needs it”,

or “the one to whom it belongs needs and wants it.”

I very much doubt that Jesus had previously purchased a donkey,

but rather,

the statement should be taken as a theological claim

based on who Jesus Christ really is.

The idea is that everything

belongs to and is under the authority of its Creator.

So the donkey and all the contents of our lives,

really belong to our God who made each one of us,

and who knows us completely and loves us relentlessly…

… as stated in the Heidelberg Catechism:

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I belong—body and soul, in life and in death—not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins … and that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

It is the same claim, promise and call repeated throughout the OT:

“I will be your God,

and you shall be my people, my chosen, my beloved.”

So, “Why are you untying that colt?”

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

Why do you play bells or sing in the choir?

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

Why do you teach Sunday School, or help out with Salt and Light?

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

Why do you come out and help on workday?

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

Why do you give, and why support our children & youth ministries?

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

Why do you pray for our church, care about our mission & outreach?

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

Why do you give your money, time & talents, pray, lead and serve?

- because the Lord needs it, it’s what the Lord wants.

The basis for this is responding to God’s grace,

- not that I have been seeking the Lord,

but rather, responding to God, first seeking me.

There is another theological claim also imbedded in this passage,

the truth that Jesus was always fully in control

and fully aware of all the details ----

- he knew where the colt would be

- he knew what the owners would ask

- he knew the disciples would bring it to him.

The author of Luke wants to make it very clear,

that just as getting the colt was all according to God’s plan,

so too, all the other events of the passion story,

were also on purpose and exactly as God planned…

… the crucifixion of Jesus was not random or accidental,

it was not a flash crowd gathered by cellphone,

but absolutely deliberate, and exactly as God intended.

* Jesus was certainly not the hapless victim of circumstances,

but in faithfulness, obedient in fulfilling God’s purpose…

… meaning that there was something significant going on

something that began back in the Garden of Eden

and past the last word of Revelation into eternity.

That point is clarified and emphasized in the Luke passage

by connecting with at least 5 specific OT prophecies,

to establish that it was all within the witness of the OT;

further confirming that it was God’s plan all along,

to love, to save and to show mercy to sinners…

… and even though the Pharisees would have

liked to hold back the praise and celebration,

creation itself would cry out

were the disciples stifled and silenced.

vs. 39-40

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.”

The core of this passage is that it’s God’s purpose and intention

¹being fulfilled as God planned before the beginning,

²as described by the Hebrew prophets along the way,

³and neither the Pharisees, Rome or the world

could possibly hold back the Good News.

But then, what exactly is God’s purpose, and what does God intend?

* That is a crucial question answered throughout Scripture,

and Jeremiah 31 describes it well: vs. 1, 3

At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says the Lord: … I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Those words of Jeremiah were addressed

to people who had just been taken in exile to Babylon,

whose world had been shattered… and as à

in their discouragement, disappointment and defeat,

… all seemed hopeless and lost forever.

But the word “forever” more accurately describes

God’s love, purpose, compassion and faithfulness,

than it does human suffering, struggle and loss,

for in time, the Babylonian captivity did end.

* The message of the Jeremiah text is the Lord’s declaration:

I will be your God, I love you and you are mine.

I am the God of Exodus who heard the cries of my people

and by grace led you though the wilderness journey…

… to rest and make your home in the Promised Land…

… I am indeed, the God of everlasting love and faithfulness ---

-- which is described in vs. 4-5 in very practical terms,

with 3 concrete descriptions of what will happen again:

¹again I will build you

²again you will dance with tambourines

³again you will plant and enjoy the fruit.

That whole section of Jeremiah is a bold declaration

of joyful promise and hope for a defeated people in exile.

And looking back through history,

we know the Lord fulfilled and exceeded all those promises

that is was just a part of something more significant

the process of God working his plan for our salvation.

Our salvation, which is God’s forever love for us

that has always been coming,

and cannot be silenced or held back by anyone;

God’s relentless love and call of grace.

Today, for us as we are moving into Holy Week,

as we are confronted by the terrible, bloody and cruel

inhumane suffering and death that Jesus endured;

the Luke passage makes it very clear that those events

were indeed a part of God’s plan to save us because of God’s extraordinary love for us…

… and not some random or accidental circumstance.

So as we are thinking more about the events of Holy Week,

let us focus on God working out his plan to save

on God our who loves, and whose salvation is in process,

& not so focused on just the suffering & crucifixion.

The critical message of both of these two passages is that

even after all the horror that was done to Jesus Christ,

the words in Jeremiah are still God’s promise to us: vs. 3

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

* This is our hope, the word of God that makes all the difference.

There are many today, who are worried, wounded & struggling.

These are not easy days for many, as they deal with

difficult problems, or feeling hopeless and lost.

Could be severe health problems, or mental health issues,

harsh financial pressures, worry over and uncertain future,

impossible decisions to make, harsh disappointments,

the lists of struggles and troubles is endless…

… but into that darkness Jesus has promised, John 8:12

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Life’s difficulties and disappointments can be overwhelming,

causing us to feel defeated, discouraged, hopeless and lost;

but these two passages reassure us – God’s care is real,

and God is up to something for our good and growth.

In these days we may wonder, but can I really count on God?

* My answer goes back to my childhood, an image of God,

I recall from when I was a boy growing up in Massachusetts.

I remember going to the North shore where we picnicked and played

on boulders the size of trucks by the ocean near Gloucester…

… where for ages upon ages

ocean storms, nor’easters & hurricanes had pounded.

When I last visited,

many of the hotels and man-made structures of my youth

had been swept away by storms, perhaps many times,

but those boulders hadn’t changed or shifted,

they remained constant and unmoved…

… and I am pretty sure

God’s gracious love and mercy are something like that…

… and such are the words and promises of the Lord: Jer. 29:11, 31:3

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. the Lord appeared to him from far away. (For) I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.