1. Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this Palm Sunday as we begin Holy Week is taken from Isaiah 50:4-9, it’s entitled, “Jesus Sets His Face Toward the Cross,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of this, the holiest of weeks of the Church Year, the week we celebrate Christ’s Passion, death, and resurrection for us and for our salvation. Today as Christ comes to us, we mingle our songs and our shouts of praise with those of the first pilgrims who welcomed our coming King: “Hosanna!” we cry, “Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
3. But who is King Jesus anyway? What kind of a king is he? And what has he come to do? We look at him, and we see a strange king, no doubt, a lowly king. Lowly he rides. Humble, mounted on a donkey. What king comes riding in like this? But Jesus is not like other kings. Jesus hasn’t come to conquer any nations, to ascend any golden thrones, to live and reign as the mighty ruler of some spectacular earthly kingdom. He’s come to die. Jesus hasn’t come to be served, but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many. This is who he is: the Father’s humble Servant, on a mission. And that mission is to die. So lowly he comes. Obedient he comes. Humble he comes, with his face set toward the cross, our Servant-King, trusting that his Father will deliver him from his foes. Who is Jesus? He is the Father’s Servant, come to do his will. He’s headed to the cross. And now, there’s no looking back. Jesus sets His face toward the cross as His Father’s obedient servant, trusting that in all things His Father will deliver Him from His foes.
4. In the Old Testament, we hear the willing voice of the Father’s Servant speaking. He tells us who he is: He is God’s Servant, a disciple, a learner. Isaiah 50:4–5 says, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.” He is a willing disciple, for God helps him, and he trusts his help. He knows he will not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7 says, But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”
5. He tells us why he’s come: To preach. That is, “to sustain with a word him who is weary” (v 4), to comfort sinners with the good news of salvation. To stand up against his adversaries in a great contest (v 6). He will suffer their abuse. They will beat him, shame him, spit upon him, kill him. Why does he do it? For all this, he will die. This, in fact, is why he’s come.
6. He tells us that he is faithful: He submits to suffering in willing obedience to God (vv 5–6). He submits in the perfect faith that God will vindicate him. Isaiah 50:8 says, “He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.” Therefore, he is resolute: he sets his face like flint. He will go willingly and confidently into that great contest with his adversary. And he will never look back.
7. Now we see the Servant coming on Palm Sunday. We see who he is: He is a lowly servant, riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Mt 21:5). And yet he is Israel’s King, the Christ, the Son of David (Mt 21:9). Even more, he is the Son of God. St. Paul says, he is the one who left his Father’s throne and emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Phil 2:7).
8. We see why he’s come: To preach. For three years, Jesus is busily fulfilling the purpose of his ministry as he laid it down in Mk 1:14–15, 38 and Luke 4:16–30, 43. To die. Where is he headed? To his trial, Passion, suffering, and death.
9. We see that he is faithful: His humble steed plodding ever forward, God’s Servant submits to the road that leads from here to Calvary. As the perfect man of perfect faith and obedience to God, his face is set like flint, and he is never turning back.
10. We’ve all been to court before—or at least we’ve seen fake trials on TV. We know the necessary players that make up a courtroom: a defendant, attorneys, a prosecutor, the witnesses, a bailiff, and, in the center, the judge, who passes sentence. Going to court is not so pleasant an experience, especially if you’re a defendant. More especially, if you are a guilty defendant. But imagine this: you’re an innocent defendant charged with a crime you never committed. The judge knows it; you know he knows it. But he condemns you anyway. Can’t you protest?! Can’t you shout?! This isn’t right!
11. Now imagine a courtroom where the defendant is Jesus, the prosecutor is Satan, the witnesses are the disciples (they give pathetic testimony, or none at all, in his defense; they’re some of the best evidence for the prosecution!), and the judge is God the Father. Jesus rides into that court on Palm Sunday, is tried during Holy Week, and is condemned to die on the cross on Good Friday, in your place, for you. The Father condemns the innocent Jesus with your punishment. That can’t be right! Somebody do something!
12. But Jesus doesn’t protest, doesn’t shout. Through it all, along with deep sadness, he holds a quiet, solemn confidence. He is resolute, even willing, to receive your condemnation (Is 50:5–6). Because he knows this judge. He is one with the judge. He trusts that the judge is just. Yes, the judge will sentence him to every measure of punishment to be meted out, in what to any observer would seem the ultimate miscarriage of justice. But Jesus knows the judge will finally vindicate him (50:7–9a), not allowing his Holy One to see corruption. He will raise his Servant from the dust. And raise him the judge does, a mere three days later. The disciples are witnesses to his glorious vindication, and their witness is true.
13. Therefore, we believe in the Servant who died for us on Good Friday. We believe who he is. There he is before us: mocked, flogged, spit upon, beaten, crucified. But we realize by faith that this bloodied one is God’s Suffering Servant.
14. We believe that he was faithful: We hear him praying in the garden, “Thy will be done.” We hear his voice cry out from the cross, even though forsaken, “My God, my God!” Yes, Jesus obeys the Father’s will and accepts the horrible suffering as the perfect, trusting, faithful, obedient Servant of God.
15. We trust why he’s come: In the hymn, “A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth,” the hymnwriter Paul Gerhardt imagines this conversation between the Father and Son in heaven: “ ‘Go forth, My Son,’ the Father said, ‘And free My children from their dread Of guilt and condemnation’ ” (LSB 438:2). The reply: “Yes, Father, yes, most willingly I’ll bear what You command Me” (438:3).
16. So then, why has the Servant come? To die. He came to suffer condemnation we deserved for sin, as the Lamb who takes the sin of the world takes away our sin. To make us righteous. Through faith in his sacrifice for us, we are justified and have heaven. And to rise. On Easter, Jesus is vindicated as our Lord of life—just as he had trusted the Father would do. That is the assurance that we who are in him by our Baptisms will also be vindicated, raised again to life.
17. On Palm Sunday, we raise our voices in praise to the Father’s obedient Servant, going to the cross to fulfill the Father’s will and give his life for our salvation. We cry, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” No looking back for him! Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard Your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
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