Message Aim: (Third Sunday of Lent) the meaning of Jesus as a Servant King as Savior.
Sermon Title: “Hidden Beauty”
Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV)
5 Let the same mind be in you that was[a] in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Synopsis:
[Illustration about Leroy the dog].
Jesus was considered by some people as a misfit – a man who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Not even his disciples could fully understand the man even though they had seen him heal the sick and raise the dead to life. They stumbled every time Jesus spoke of God’s plan to save all humanity. They didn’t get how the Messiah could fall into the hands of evil people and suffer and die. That was all so wrong to Peter who would tell Jesus that he was talking like a crazy person.
Matthew tells us that whenever Jesus spoke of the things that were going to happen in the near future, the disciples “were filled with grief”. This is not what they had in mind for their future and for the future of the Messiah. So, when Jesus and the disciples entered Jerusalem they must have rejoiced as Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem while people throw their coats and tree branches on the road. The people excitedly cheer, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” The disciples must have thought “Now at last we are going to see the Messiah swing into action”.
There can be no doubt about it. Jesus is a king. When it was announced to Mary that she would soon be pregnant, she was told by the angel Gabriel, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord will make him a king as his ancestor David was, and he will be king of the descendants of Jacob forever.”
However, hearing Jesus tell the disciples that He would end up on the cross, he appeared to be anything but a king. He would be bloody, beaten, treated as a criminal, mocked and die a shameful death. To any on-looker there would be nothing great about this man on the cross. This is not the way the King of kings and Lord of lords is supposed to be treated. If we think of Jesus as a king in human terms you are right.
Jesus is a king but a different kind of king – he is a servant king. He has come to serve, to help, to give relief and support humbly and selflessly. “He emptied himself … being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross”. If serving meant laying down his own life, then that’s what the Servant King would do. But, what does all this mean for you and me today? This all happened to Jesus a long time ago – what do they mean for us today?
The first point I want to make in talking about the meaning of Jesus as a King – He was the Son of God. He came down to earth for us: like a lamb led to slaughter. He died for us. Grasp the magnitude and the love behind that act. Here is the King of the universe, the perfect Son of the Most High God emptying himself of all power and glory and enduring such suffering for us at the hands of evil people.
Here is the God whose incredible love for us can hardly be described in human words, jeered at with so much hatred and nailed to a cross of wood as if he were the worst criminal. What humility! What love and, oh, what he accomplished there for us. “He emptied himself … humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross”. He died for us.
He came to offer up his life as the perfect sacrifice, laying down his life for every single person who has lived, is living and will live in the future. He came to release forgiveness into the world. He came to all our failure and guilt on to the cross with him and for us he dies there. For us he came and made the way open to enter eternal life. It is humbling to be loved like this – to be loved to death by God. To be loved like this gives us a new sense of our own worth, of who we really are in eyes of God. The Son of the Most High God has died for us!
My second point about the relevance of the act of Jesus for us today takes me back to the story of Leroy the dog. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem there were those who cheered and those who jeered. Those who shouted “Hosanna” and those who called out “Blasphemer”, in fact it wouldn’t be long when the cries of “Je-sus, Je-sus”, will turn to “Crucify him, crucify him!”
You see, when people saw Leroy they saw how scruffy and untidy he was, they missed seeing his warmth and love. It’s just as easy for people today as it was for the people of Jerusalem to dismiss Jesus as irrelevant and unimportant. It’s for this reason that Jesus trained his disciples to follow his example of servanthood and humility and to be pointers to the incredible love that God has for all people.
The task is no different for us and is just as difficult, some might argue that it’s more difficult. Times have changed but the needs of humanity haven’t changed one iota. Whether they realize it or not they need the love, comfort, hope, forgiveness, eternal life, strength for the present and joy of a future – all this is given freely by the one who gave himself unconditionally on a cross for us.
As we journey with Jesus may we keep in mind others. Let’s encourage one another and celebrate the wonderful Good news – Jesus died for us. He is King of our lives.
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