LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:11	hello
0:13	today let’s talk about our
0:16	sorrowful
0:19	savior approximately 500 years before
0:22	the birth of Jesus Christ Zechariah the
0:25	prophet spoke of the
0:27	Messiah Zechariah Chapter 9 verse
0:32	99 Rejoice greatly oh Daughter of Zion
0:36	shout in Triumph oh daughter of
0:39	Jerusalem behold your king is coming to
0:44	you he is just and endowed with
0:48	salvation humble and mounted on a donkey
0:52	even a cult the F of a
0:55	donkey it is to these words that the
0:58	gospel writers refer when they describe
1:00	the Palm Sunday entrance of Jesus into
1:03	the city of
1:04	Jerusalem Jesus fulfills these words of
1:08	Zachariah Jesus does come to the city
1:11	Jerusalem humble and mounted on a donkey
1:14	he is endowed with salvation and he is
1:17	acclaimed by the multitudes hosana to
1:21	the son of David the title son of David
1:25	literally named Jesus the king the Palm
1:29	Sunday parade clearly was a fulfillment
1:31	of the prophecy of Zechariah when he
1:34	wrote behold your king but
1:38	ironically it was only a few short days
1:41	after Christ’s Palm Sunday entrance that
1:44	the governor pilate spoke the very same
1:47	words when he saw the beaten and bloody
1:51	Messiah pilate tried to release Jesus on
1:55	three separate occasions pilate declared
1:58	Jesus innocent finally in a desperate
2:01	effort not to violate his own conscience
2:04	pilate stood the mangled Messiah before
2:06	the crowds and he said behold your
2:11	king their response was vehement we have
2:14	no King but Caesar crucify
2:18	him the king that the prophet Zechariah
2:22	foretold was not the one that the Jewish
2:24	leaders or the Jewish people expected it
2:28	seems that instead of expecting a humble
2:31	Messiah they expected a warrior or a
2:34	political revolutionary or a military
2:37	General in the midst of Roman brutality
2:41	Sanhedrin insecurity and religious
2:45	zealotry virtually everyone missed the
2:49	presence of God in the form of the
2:51	suffering
2:53	servant oh they saw the man who stood
2:56	before Pilate he was flogged and beaten
2:59	almost to death he was bloody and
3:01	mutilated spat upon and scorned but he
3:04	was not the king that they expected no
3:07	and in their
3:09	ignorance they did not recognize God’s
3:11	true Messiah Jesus Christ the Sanhedrin
3:15	and the multitude made a mistake they
3:18	expected to see the Messiah and suddenly
3:20	their lives would be filled with Triumph
3:22	and power they did not expect that the
3:26	Messiah would show up in the middle of
3:29	Sorrow
3:30	and
3:31	suffering like the sons of Zebedee who
3:35	requested places of ruling power on the
3:38	right and left hand of Jesus the first
3:41	century Jews wanted a messiah to whom
3:44	they could say Lord don’t make us suffer
3:47	Lord make us
3:49	superior but is that the message that
3:52	God gave through the prophet Zechariah
3:55	when he told us to behold your
3:58	king point1 what pilate
4:03	saw pontious pilate was in an unenviable
4:06	position he had to please and plate his
4:09	Jewish subjects enough so that they
4:12	would pay their taxes however he had to
4:14	frighten and oppress his Jewish subjects
4:17	enough so that they would not become
4:19	violent and
4:21	rebellious on the one hand pilate had to
4:24	be a governor who elicited the respect
4:27	of the Sanhedrin on the other hand
4:29	pilate had to be a governor who earned
4:32	the Commendation of his
4:34	Caesar were he to fail in walking this
4:37	tight RPP he would quickly be removed
4:40	from
4:41	office so condemning Jesus that Good
4:45	Friday morning was the last thing that
4:47	pilate wanted to do when confronted with
4:50	the sanhedrin’s demands to put Jesus to
4:52	death pilate told the Jews to judge
4:55	Jesus themselves but they complained
4:59	that they were not not allowed to put
5:00	anyone to
5:01	death so pilate chose to speak with
5:05	Jesus
5:06	himself inside the pratorum they spoke
5:10	together of Kingdoms and of Truth pilate
5:14	found no guilt in Jesus pilate declared
5:17	his verdict Jesus was
5:20	innocent outside the Sanhedrin and the
5:23	crowd decried his decision pilate
5:27	offered them a solution the Jews had a
5:29	custom a prisoner could be released on
5:32	Passover they could choose barabus an
5:35	obvious insurrectionist and murderer or
5:38	Jesus an innocent man here choose in
5:42	Rage they cried give us
5:44	barabus in
5:46	response pilate had Jesus
5:49	scourged the soldiers made sport of the
5:52	body of Jesus Christ was beaten with the
5:55	whip of nine tails studded with bone and
5:58	Metal at various intervals tearing away
6:02	his flesh down to the bone the soldiers
6:05	torturously whipped his body afterward
6:09	they repeatedly struck him in the face
6:11	in this condition pilate presented Jesus
6:13	to the crowd I find no guilt in this
6:17	man a second time pilate declared the
6:20	Lord’s innocence crucify him crucify him
6:24	thundered the
6:26	crowd pilate took Jesus into the
6:28	pratorum again again pilate spoke of his
6:31	authority to release Jesus the Lord
6:33	Jesus spoke of pilate’s authority which
6:35	had been given to him by God now pilate
6:39	really was anxious to release Jesus
6:42	pilate returned outside to face the
6:44	Sanhedrin and the crowd seated at the
6:46	Judgment seat he received a message from
6:49	his wife she had been tormented with bad
6:52	dreams about Jesus do not have anything
6:54	to do with this innocent man she
6:57	wrote Jesus stood before pilate and the
7:01	enraged crowd he was barely recognizable
7:05	bloody and broken Twisted with pain and
7:08	loss of blood pilate declared him
7:13	innocent perhaps in his pathetic state
7:16	the crowd would have pity pilate said to
7:19	the crowd behold your
7:23	king crucify him they
7:27	screamed pilate washed his hands
7:30	I am innocent of this man’s blood he
7:34	declared and delivered Jesus to be
7:37	crucified all of this is a restatement
7:40	of what you already know but what you
7:42	may not know is this six years after the
7:45	crucifiction and resurrection of Jesus a
7:47	local Council formally complained to
7:49	tiberias Caesar about pilate’s abusive
7:52	use of power Tiberius summoned pilate to
7:56	Rome it was a long trip pilate left for
7:59	Rome but he reached the city after
8:01	tiberias had already died and the new
8:04	emperor gas did not send pilot back to
8:07	Judea pilate was replaced he was no
8:11	longer governor and suddenly Pontius
8:13	Pilate seemingly disappeared from the
8:16	pages of
8:18	History however about 150 years later
8:22	tulan claimed that pilate wrote a letter
8:24	to tiberious Caesar telling tiberias
8:27	that Jesus did miracle
8:29	and was purported to have risen from the
8:32	dead trulan believed that pilate had a
8:35	complete change of heart after meeting
8:37	Jesus
8:39	Christ about a hundred years after that
8:41	uus a prominent historian a Christian
8:44	Bishop of Palestine and a counselor to
8:47	the emperor Constantine wrote something
8:50	else surprising about Pontius Pilate uus
8:53	supported a story that maintained that
8:56	pilate had committed suicide because of
8:58	his remorse for what he had done to
9:02	Jesus finally it’s noteworthy that the
9:05	Coptic Church of North Africa and the
9:08	Church of Ethiopia both believe that
9:12	pilate was a Christian and more both
9:16	Church bodies recognize Pontius Pilate
9:19	as a saint and a
9:22	martyr one cannot help but wonder when
9:25	pilate told the Jerusalem crowd behold
9:30	your king did pilate himself realize
9:33	that the mangled man the sorrowful
9:35	savior was God’s true
9:39	Messiah point two what you see it may be
9:43	that pilate learned the truth not only
9:45	that Jesus was the son of God but that
9:48	the Son of God came as a suffering
9:50	servant maybe pilate learned that but
9:53	the question for today is have we made
9:56	the connection in our own spiritual
9:58	lives do we recognize Jesus as the
10:02	suffering servant and do we Behold our
10:05	King in the moments of our suffering do
10:10	we understand that God chooses to
10:12	demonstrate himself in Affliction and
10:15	anguish in sorrow and suffering he has
10:19	demonstrated himself that way in his own
10:22	life does he demonstrate himself that
10:24	way in
10:27	ours God knows that we are not able to
10:29	see him in his glory it may also be true
10:33	that we do not seek God in times of our
10:35	own Glory but perhaps especially in
10:37	moments of our sorrow and our
10:40	suffering we recognize our desperate
10:42	need for a savior in those moments our
10:46	hearts can focus on Jesus and we can
10:49	Rejoice that we have spiritual hunger
10:53	and need in the midst of
10:55	suffering Jesus the suffering servant
10:58	comes to share in in our suffering we
11:00	find ourselves near to
11:02	Jesus we come to understand the love of
11:05	God in his suffering and the comfort and
11:08	love of God as he joins us in our
11:13	suffering is your suffering then somehow
11:15	a strange blessing in which Jesus comes
11:19	near to you and joins himself to you in
11:24	your
11:24	sorrow is your sorrow
11:27	somehow also so a Divine gift in which
11:31	your deepest
11:33	longing is to see fulfilled the
11:36	statement behold your
11:39	king point three an early catechism
11:43	before Christ’s crucifixion the Thunder
11:45	Sons James and John wanted seats of
11:47	Glory at the right and left hand of
11:50	Jesus but in the months and years that
11:52	followed they learned one of the
11:54	greatest lessons that Jesus had to teach
11:56	they learned that God’s true Messiah was
11:58	with with them in their times of trial
12:01	and
12:02	tribulation this truth became so Central
12:05	to their Christian lives that it became
12:07	included as a kind of catechism
12:09	instruction for virtually every new
12:12	Christian the apostles learned this
12:14	Truth at the time of the death and
12:15	resurrection of Jesus and perhaps 2,000
12:18	years later we are learning this truth
12:23	again in Paul’s letter to the church at
12:25	Rome Paul gives a wise teaching Romans
12:30	0.208333333
12:32	3-5 we
12:34	exalt in our
12:37	tribulations knowing that tribulation
12:39	brings about perseverance and
12:40	perseverance proven character and proven
12:43	character hope and hope does not
12:46	disappoint us because the love of God
12:49	has been poured out within our hearts
12:52	through the Holy Spirit who was given to
12:55	us St Paul told the church to rejoice in
12:59	their
12:59	sufferings especially then the love of
13:02	God was poured out into their
13:05	hearts but was this teaching a fluke was
13:08	this a unique or singular statement no
13:12	not at all James the brother of Our Lord
13:16	a leader in the early
13:18	church gives a word of profound
13:22	teaching and hope James tells the church
13:26	where true Joy is found J James 1:
13:31	2-4 consider it all joy my
13:36	brethren when you encounter various
13:39	trials knowing that the testing of your
13:42	faith produces endurance and let
13:45	endurance have its perfect result that
13:47	you may be perfect and complete lacking
13:52	nothing the flesh may desire honor and
13:54	Glory or luxury and wealth or comfort
13:57	and pleasure
13:59	but none of that really gives
14:02	Joy only in Jesus Christ is their
14:06	fullness of joy and peace that lacks
14:10	nothing St Peter adds his voice to these
14:14	other Apostolic
14:16	catechisms Peter is writing to
14:18	Christians enduring intense persecution
14:20	in pontis galatia capadia Asia and
14:24	bethenia 1 Peter 1: 6 and 7
14:30	you who are protected by the power of
14:32	God through faith for a Salvation ready
14:34	to be revealed in the last time in this
14:38	you greatly Rejoice even though now for
14:41	a little while if necessary you have
14:43	been distressed by various trials that
14:46	the proof of your faith being more
14:48	precious than gold which is perishable
14:51	even though tested by fire may be found
14:53	to result in praise and glory and honor
14:57	at the revelation of Jesus
15:00	Christ all three of these extraordinary
15:03	Apostolic writers make the connection
15:05	between our suffering and our joy a joy
15:10	that is found only in the power and the
15:13	presence of Jesus Christ the mangled
15:17	Messiah the suffering servant is full of
15:21	not only Heaven’s
15:22	Glory but God’s love our loving savior
15:26	visits us and Comforts us as joins us in
15:30	our moments of deepest suffering
15:33	conclusion beloved not one of us likes
15:36	to
15:37	suffer but when you do
15:39	suffer when You Face trials and
15:42	temptations God’s word gives you a new
15:46	perspective consider it all joy because
15:51	in that moment there is one who is
15:53	present with you who knows your sorrows
15:55	and is not afraid to join you in them
15:59	then you can join the chorus of God’s
16:02	faithful from Zechariah to zakus from
16:05	James and John to Peter and Paul and
16:10	maybe maybe even Pontius Pilate too for
16:14	all the hosts of Heaven cry out to you
16:16	rejoice greatly oh Daughter of Zion
16:20	shout in Triumph oh daughter of
16:22	Jerusalem behold your king is coming to
16:27	you
16:31	yes
16:40	[Music]
16:49	[Music]
16:54	amen