"Behold, Your King Is Coming to You"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Who is this?” That is the question that lit up Jerusalem when our Lord entered there at the start of the Passover week. Who was this man who stirred up the crowds so, simply by riding a donkey into town? Who could cause an impromptu hero's parade and have the people shouting his accolades?

Indeed, who is this king who comes riding on a donkey? This is the question the world would love to have answered. And so many have offered their own answers to the question.

Is Jesus a great teacher? Well, yes. Jesus is the greatest teacher there ever was. But He is not just a teacher. After all, what teacher would really die for the sake of his students? The best of teachers of this world teach their students how to defend themselves from attack, not how to endure and withstand attack. And would it not be easier to defend yourself than to endure the attacks of this world? It would feel good to flex those intellectual muscles and give the talking heads of this day and age a piece of your mind. It would feel vindicating to let loose with the fury of your tongue at those who mock and revile you. It would feel like you had done a great thing if you could shut up and shut down those who oppose you with your arguing skills.

Or perhaps Jesus is a prophet? After all, He certainly followed in the tradition of the ancient prophets and seers. He proclaimed visions of heaven. He taught people with the wisdom of God. It would even explain His death, since the Jews were fond of persecuting and executing their prophets when they displeased the king or the queen. But what prophet ever claimed to be God? None of the Old Testament prophets would have dared to make such a claim. Isaiah would never have claimed to bring the Kingdom of God by his presence. Even the great Moses was not worthy enough to enter the Promised Land on earth, much less open the gates to the eternal Promised Land. And Jesus is certainly unlike the prophets of today. He makes no call for economic armageddon. He makes no political power-plays. He issues no ultimatums to His people. He is not here to raise taxes, fix your healthcare system, or simply stick it to the man.

The crowds of Jerusalem knew who Jesus was. They cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!... This is the prophet Jesus.” The crowds that surrounded Jesus knew that He was the one whom the prophets had foretold. He was the one who would save them from their sins. And yet, though He was a king, Jesus did not come with royal fanfare or a massive entourage, but He entered the city of God “humble, and mounted on a donkey”. Jesus entered the city with nowhere to stay, so that He sent His disciples to beg the hospitality of a stranger so that they could eat the Passover.

And yet, this humble prophet-king is the long-expected savior of the nations. He is the one “who comes in the name of the Lord!” He is the one who, in His blessed nativity, will enter the benighted sphere of our human existence. He is the one who, in His glorious death on the cross, will blaze forth in the darkness to change our dark to light, our death to life. He will come in the Name of the Lord, to put the Name of the Lord upon us and claim us as His beloved sons and daughters. That bright rising star will outshine all the flashy fireworks of the day and age. That still, small voice in the stable will silence the shouting of the pundits and prophets. That one humble man will alter the history of all men. And He will bring us light and life and healing. He will march forth from His throne in the womb of Mary to conquer our enemies and blaze the path to paradise.

In His coming, He will establish the Kingdom of God among men. “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it.” All nations shall see the glory of the Lord, and they shall flow to it. That great sign and standard shall be firmly planted upon the mountain of the Lord. In the cross of Christ, we shall see the glory of God shown in His great and wondrous love. We shall be drawn to Him, together with all the faithful from every nation, tribe, and tongue. And the lowliest of mountains upon the earth shall become the most high and exalted as the people of God ascend to His holy place. “and many peoples shall come, and say: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.'”

And we who have worshipped Him according to His word and promise shall see the Lord face to face. We shall look upon the one whom we have pierced, and He shall fill us with His grace and joy. We will walk in His paths, and upon His path we shall enter His Holy City – Zion, the city of God. “For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” In His light we shall see light. In His city, upon His holy mountain, there shall be no more war or strife or argument or death. Righteousness and peace shall kiss. The Lion of Judah is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And in that day, all nations shall join their multitude of voices into one great unending hymn, together with all the host of heaven:

Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Sabaoth!

Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!

Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is He, Blessed is He, Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.