1 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:10,040 We're going to be looking at a passage in our series, Journey 2 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:14,920 to the Cross out of Luke, chapter 19, and kind of help us 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:16,960 get our mind in the right place for that. 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,840 Years ago, when I was teaching full time at Boise Bible 5 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,760 College, the college decided to do a Good Friday service 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,760 themselves and with the students and all that. 7 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:26,960 And I was going to speak of that. 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,520 And so we were preparing for the Good Friday service as a family, 9 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,160 getting ready to go there. My son at the time was about 10 10 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:38,440 years old and my son is was the consummate party animal. 11 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:43,760 He loves very social, loves people loves, you know, would 12 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,040 get excited about any social opportunity he could. 13 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,800 And so we're going down to the college and he knew a bunch of 14 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:51,920 these college students and they were really gracious to this 15 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:53,920 young little 10 year old boy. And so he felt like he was 16 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,760 friends with all these students. So he was super excited to go to 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,760 the college for the Good Friday service, except that it was a 18 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,080 Good Friday service, but he didn't understand that as a 10 19 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,400 year old. And so we go to the college, we 20 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,640 go through the whole service, and as most Good Friday services 21 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:17,040 are, it was a rather solemn, somber type of service focusing 22 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:21,600 on the cross of Jesus. The service gets over and it's 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,960 very solemn, very quiet. And we're walking out of the 24 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:29,360 Chapel at the college and my 10 year old son looks at me very 25 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:35,560 distraught, very upset and says, Dad, why didn't you tell me it 26 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:41,520 was going to be like that? He, he was expecting a 27 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,120 celebration. He was expecting fun with his 28 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:49,280 friends. He was expecting all sorts of 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,960 joy and, you know, laughter and good stuff. 30 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:54,560 And it's a solemn, serious service. 31 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,840 Dad, why didn't you tell me it was going to be like that? 32 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,080 And I bring that up because we're going to look at a parable 33 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,880 today out of Luke chapter 19 that I think one of the major 34 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:14,680 things it does is it forces you and I to check our expectations, 35 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,720 to wrestle with what we're expecting and what we're 36 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,080 expecting Jesus to be, what we're expecting that requires of 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,680 us. This parable forces us to think 38 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,520 about our expectations and it's a challenging parable. 39 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,640 It's hard to even totally get our mind around it, maybe 40 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:37,360 understand everything that Jesus is saying. 41 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,920 And it's going to force us to reflect on, I think, 2 key 42 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:46,280 questions once we get to the end of it, all right? 43 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,960 And so we are, if you recall, journey to the cross with Jesus. 44 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,440 We've been here from Luke Chapter 9 all the way till now. 45 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,680 Next week we'll get to Palm Sunday. 46 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,840 But right before that, here we are, Luke 19 and here's what 47 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,120 happens. Luke 19 verse 11. 48 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,120 Now while they the crowd of people in the city of Jericho, 49 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:12,080 while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to 50 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,640 tell them a parable. And here's the reason why, 51 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:22,920 because he was near Jerusalem and they were were all expecting 52 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:26,000 the Kingdom of God to appear immediately. 53 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,960 And Jesus is about to tell this parable and he's going to tell 54 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,720 it for that reason because he's near Jerusalem. 55 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,000 He's almost made, you know, on the final leg of the strip. 56 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,280 And they're expecting the Kingdom of God to appear. 57 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,600 And to a certain degree, they're right. 58 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,080 Correct. When Jesus goes to Jerusalem, is 59 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,200 the Kingdom of God going to appear? 60 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,240 Yes. In fact, all four of the gospels 61 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,920 present Jesus's crucifixion as his coronation day. 62 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,080 Today he's crowned his king, enthroned his king, right? 63 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,440 And so he's on his way to Jerusalem, and the Kingdom of 64 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,880 God is going to appear. Now, in order to hear the 65 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:05,400 parable he's about to tell them, we, we have to remember exactly 66 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,960 where we're at both in the story of Luke's gospel and where we're 67 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,640 at sort of in the historical setting of the day. 68 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,240 We can't hear this parable rightly without that. 69 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,800 All right, so little bit of back story, Jesus is in the city of 70 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,880 Jericho. He arrived in Jericho with the 71 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:26,480 previous day, hailed as king by a blind man named Bartimaeus. 72 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,360 Jesus, son of David, son of David, is a royal title. 73 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,120 Jesus, king, son of David, have mercy on me. 74 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,800 And Bartimaeus, who's blind, wants to see, and Jesus heals 75 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,560 him. Jesus then goes and spends the 76 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,200 night at Zacchaeus house. And we know that whole story. 77 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,480 It would have been an easier passage to preach today than the 78 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,520 one we've got, but we assigned ourselves hard passages for this 79 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:49,320 series. All right. 80 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,040 And so he, he spends the night at Zacchaeus's house. 81 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:56,000 And now it's the next morning and Jesus is leaving the city of 82 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,080 Jericho. He's about to make the 17 mile 83 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,720 climb up the hill out of Jericho to Jerusalem, where he'll get on 84 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,440 a donkey and ride into Jerusalem in what we call the triumphal 85 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:07,840 entry. That's where we're at in the 86 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:10,960 story. And so he's on his way to that 87 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,280 event, leaving the city of Jericho. 88 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:18,120 Now, where he's at in the city is incredibly important. 89 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,720 And if we don't know the historical background, we can't 90 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,560 hear the parable the way the very first audience heard it. 91 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,400 We're not the original audience of this parable, this crowd in 92 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,720 Jericho in the year 8030. They're, they're the, the 93 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,360 original audience and they knew some things that we probably 94 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,640 don't know. First of all, they knew that 95 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,560 it's been about 20 years since they had a king over the region 96 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,440 of Judah. The Last King was a guy named 97 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:50,120 Herod Archelaus. That was the Last King, one of 98 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:55,440 the sons of Herod the Great. And in that context, you just 99 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,960 have to understand how both Herod the Great and his son, 100 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:05,000 Herod Archelaus, how they became kings in about 40 BC. 101 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,480 Herod the Great, when he was wanting to be king over the 102 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:13,200 region of Judea, he travelled all the way to Rome, about 1400 103 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:17,160 miles away, and, you know, pitched his bid to be king to 104 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,280 Caesar. And Caesar appointed Herod the 105 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,800 greatest king. Well, years later when Herod the 106 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,800 Great died, now there's all sorts of unrest in his Kingdom 107 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:33,600 and various ones of the sons, as among other people are vying for 108 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,960 his Kingdom, and his Kingdom ends up getting split up between 109 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,440 several of his sons, one of whom was Herod Arkelaus. 110 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,920 And this particular Herod brutal guy. 111 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:49,400 In fact, before he actually got appointed officially king, he 112 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:55,640 executed 3000 Jews in Jerusalem at Passover because he didn't 113 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,280 like the unrest that had erupted in the wake of his father's 114 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:01,280 death. And Jesus is on his way to 115 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:08,680 Jerusalem at Passover. And Herod Arkelaus made the same 116 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,520 trip that his father had, the great had, and he traveled all 117 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,560 the way to Rome after putting down this unrest to put in his 118 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,960 name, put in his bid to become the king over Judea. 119 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:25,880 Well, here's what happens. He travels to Rome and the Jews 120 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,080 because of what had just happened with him killing so 121 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,640 many Jews. The Jews desperately did not 122 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,600 want this particular man to rule over them as king. 123 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:38,640 So they sent a delegation of 50 leading men from Jerusalem to 124 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:43,000 follow him to Rome. And and they countered his bid 125 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,280 with please don't make this Herod king over us. 126 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,000 We don't want him to rule over us. 127 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,800 Caesar decided to go for a compromise. 128 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,720 He made Herod the ruler over them, Herod Archelaus ruler over 129 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:57,840 them. He just didn't give him the 130 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,560 title king. And he comes back to Judea now 131 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,680 in power and with brutal might, puts down all opponents to his 132 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,080 throne. And he begins to rule for the 133 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:14,360 next decade over the Jews. Now that whole story is only 20 134 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,400 years old when Jesus tells this parable. 135 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,120 And as you listen to this parable, you cannot help but 136 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,320 hear some of the echoes of Herod's experience. 137 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,200 And what makes it even more compelling is the fact of where 138 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,880 Jesus is standing. He's on his way out of Jericho 139 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,039 to the hill where he's going to climb to Jerusalem. 140 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,760 And right at the base of that hill where that road begins to 141 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:46,520 make the climb, are three different palaces built by Herod 142 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,360 the Great and remodeled by Herod Arkelaus. 143 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:52,600 I put some pictures up so we could see just to get an idea. 144 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:57,120 This is an artist's rendition of one of the palaces, the palace 145 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:01,160 complexes of the Herods, right where Jesus standing when he 146 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,960 tells this parable. Next picture shows another one. 147 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,960 There were three of these giant palace complexes that had all 148 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:12,520 been built by the Herod's and had been recently remodeled by 149 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,640 Herod Arcadus, the Last King to rule over them. 150 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,920 Jesus is standing in the shadow of these palaces that are a 151 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:23,160 reminder of the Herods and a reminder of their power and a 152 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:27,280 reminder of the brutal way they ruled when Jesus tells this 153 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,680 parable. So with that in mind, let's read 154 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:31,720 the parable. It says this. 155 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,480 So Jesus, because they're all expecting the Kingdom of God to 156 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:40,800 appear, tells this parable. And he said a nobleman, somebody 157 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:45,400 with noble blood, went to a distant country to receive the 158 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:47,320 Kingdom for himself and then return. 159 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:49,400 Can you hear the echo of Herod the Great? 160 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:52,400 Can you hear the echo of Herod Arkelaus? 161 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,640 Everybody standing listening to this parable in the shadow of 162 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,400 these palaces, They would immediately been thrown back 20 163 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,480 years earlier when Herod Arkelaus made the very same trip 164 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:09,040 and he called ten of his own slaves and gave to each of them 165 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:13,560 10 Minas and said to them, do business with this money until I 166 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,880 come back. A A Mina was worth about 100 167 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:21,120 days wages, 4 to 4 1/2 months in our terms wages. 168 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,160 So he gives a Mina to 10 different servants and says 169 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,160 here, I'm trusting you to take care of my Kingdom, do some good 170 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,840 business with this money while I'm gone until I come back. 171 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:38,240 Verse 14. But his citizens hated him just 172 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:43,120 like the Jews hated Herod Arkelaus and sent a delegation 173 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,360 after him on his journey saying we don't want this man to be 174 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:48,840 king over us again. Do you hear the echo of the 175 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,760 story that just happened a couple decades earlier? 176 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:54,920 Everyone standing there listening to this parables 177 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,800 already starting to to think about the Herods and the Last 178 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:03,320 King, Herod Arkelaus. We don't want this king to reign 179 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:08,400 over us. When he returned after receiving 180 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:12,360 the Kingdom, he ordered that his slaves to whom he had given the 181 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,880 money be summoned so that he would learn how much money they 182 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:17,800 had made with the business they had conducted. 183 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,520 While he was gone, the first slave appeared and said, Master, 184 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,760 your miner has actually made 10 more miners. 185 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,720 And so the new founded king said to him, well done good servant, 186 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,800 well done good slave. Since you've been faithful in a 187 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:36,000 little thing, you will have authority over 10 cities. 188 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,240 This is the way the kingdoms of the world work, isn't it? 189 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,840 You do the bidding of the king and he rewards you with 190 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,000 positions of prominence and power and prestige. 191 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,520 That's just what happens. The second one came and said to 192 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:55,280 him, your mind has made 5 minus. He said to him also you will be 193 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:59,440 over 5 cities. But then another one came and he 194 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:05,360 said, master here's your mind aback I kept it tucked away in a 195 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,720 handkerchief in the cabinet while you were gone, for I was 196 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:15,200 afraid of you because you are a demanding man. 197 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:21,720 Literally, you're a harsh man, you're a difficult man, and you 198 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:27,000 take up what you don't deposit and you reap where you don't 199 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:28,760 sow. Both of those lines. 200 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,000 And we have records in, like Josephus, an early Jewish 201 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:35,840 writer, that take those same sorts of phrases as not 202 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,920 compliments. To be someone who takes money 203 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,680 that he didn't deposit or to reap what he doesn't sow. 204 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:45,720 That's not a compliment. And so this man is saying, look, 205 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,120 I I knew how strong you were and how harsh you were, and I knew 206 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:50,840 that you, you take stuff that doesn't belong to you. 207 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,400 So I just wanted to make sure I didn't make a mistake. 208 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:57,200 Here's your minor back. How does the king respond? 209 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,720 Well, he said to him, Well then from your own lips I will judge 210 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,000 you, you worthless slave. Now did you know that I'm a 211 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,800 demanding man, taking up what I don't lay down and reaping what 212 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,040 I don't sow? Well, why didn't you at least 213 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:12,440 put my money in the bank so I could have gotten it back with 214 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:13,840 interest? I mean, at least then I would 215 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,440 have gotten something for the mine I gave to you, right? 216 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:22,160 And and then he said to the other slaves who were present, 217 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,840 take the mine away from him who had the one, and give it to the 218 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,440 one who has 10 minus. They said to master he already 219 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:32,280 has 10 minus. He said, I tell you, everyone 220 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,400 who has more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, 221 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,040 even what he does have shall be taken away. 222 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:44,480 And then As for these, any enemies of mine who didn't want 223 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,800 me to be king, who came on the delegation and protested my 224 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:51,600 appointment as king. As for these enemies, all of 225 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,120 them who don't want me to be king, what should happen to 226 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,760 them? Go and slaughter them in my 227 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:03,680 presence. Sure you want a king. 228 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,680 That's how the story ends. Nice story. 229 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:13,200 Jesus, right? What are we supposed to do with 230 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:19,120 that? And when you read this parable, 231 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,680 the very next line after that is a reminder of where we're at. 232 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,640 And he then proceeded to make his way to Jerusalem. 233 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,120 Verse 28. He was going on ahead to 234 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,480 Jerusalem. And remember, they're all 235 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:37,000 expecting him to become king. What do we do with this parable? 236 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:43,240 Well, I think the first thing we need to to reflect on out of 237 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,240 this parable is this. It's a parable, as I said, that 238 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:50,600 forces us to examine our expectations. 239 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:53,720 And the first kind of expectation that forces us to 240 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:57,160 examine is what kind of king are you expecting? 241 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:03,360 Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to be crowned king. 242 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,360 And they're all excited. All the crowds are excited. 243 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,160 I mean, he entered into Jericho just the day before being hailed 244 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,960 the son of David. And then he honored the title by 245 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,240 healing the blind man. I mean, he, the, the, he's been 246 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,960 making this journey and crowds are following him and he's 247 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:25,080 healing people and he's teaching and everyone knows it is it's, 248 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:29,520 it's the game-winning drive. We're on the way. 249 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:35,680 The Kingdom is coming and Jesus knew exactly what kind of images 250 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,040 of Kingdom pulsed through their hearts. 251 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,920 Not just the crowd's hearts, even some of his own disciples 252 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:47,400 hearts. Jesus has actually warned his 253 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:51,480 own disciples 3 times that are recorded in the Gospel of Luke. 254 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:53,720 What's going to happen when he gets to Jerusalem? 255 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,160 I'm going to get there. They're going to reject me, 256 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,520 they're going to beat me, they're going to kill me. 257 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,520 That's what's going to happen. And we keep getting told and his 258 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:04,560 disciples don't get it. Why don't they get it? 259 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,360 It's not because they're dumb. It's not because the words 260 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,160 aren't clear. They don't get it because it 261 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:13,200 doesn't fit their expectations. The paradigm they're working 262 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:17,160 office is the same paradigm everybody who loves kings and 263 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:21,680 kingdoms works off of in the Kingdom of man. 264 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,640 How does a king get ahead? How did Herod RK Loose get 265 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,360 ahead? By putting down unrest and 266 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,360 killing 3000 Jewish pilgrims who didn't want him to be king and 267 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,360 then going to Caesar and bidding and making promises so they can 268 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,160 begin positions of power and authority. 269 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:42,760 That's the way it works in the Kingdom of man. 270 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:48,560 This is what kings do. They they grant favors to people 271 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,320 who do their bidding. They manipulate and get their 272 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,120 own way with power and abuse of power. 273 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,000 That's the way the kingdoms of man work. 274 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:02,800 And so Jesus on his way to Jerusalem with this crowd around 275 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,839 him, and they're all so stoked, finally the Kingdom of God is 276 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:11,280 going to come. And Jesus tells the parable to 277 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,480 say, hold on, hold on, push pause. 278 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,480 What kind of Kingdom are you picturing? 279 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,960 What kind of king do you think I am? 280 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:29,080 And their expectation for a king and a Kingdom that was in their 281 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:32,840 mind so nationalistic, all of a sudden Judea and Israel is going 282 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:34,480 to become the greatest Kingdom on earth. 283 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:38,000 And the disciples they're asking vying for position, James and 284 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,320 John, can we have the chief seats right and left, Right. 285 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:44,000 We, we all want that. That's so often the way we too 286 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,160 even think. We still think in terms of the 287 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:53,160 Kingdom of man, worldly power, domination, destroy your 288 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,640 enemies, brutalize them however we can, get ahead. 289 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:03,240 That's so often the way we too think, so often what we want. 290 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,600 I mean, think of maybe a superhero movie. 291 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,480 How great of a movie would it be if the superhero shows up in the 292 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:15,040 climactic scene and gets crushed and smashed by all the bad guys? 293 00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:21,520 The end credits roll, walk out. We don't want that kind of 294 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,320 superhero. Think of a a western where the 295 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:27,520 the the supposed hero in the story walks into the town and 296 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,080 rides in with his posse and and then they all get shot and 297 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,040 killed and all lay dead. Credits roll and that's the end 298 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,840 of it. It's not what we want. 299 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,920 It's not the way we expect kingdoms to work, right? 300 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,040 The good guys smash the bad guys. 301 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,120 That's just the way the Kingdom of man works. 302 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:49,320 And the reality is for all of us that when we think about that, 303 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:52,200 we have that kind of configuration in our mind. 304 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:56,280 And we want a king who's going to bring the golden age in as we 305 00:18:56,280 --> 00:19:01,080 expected, as we picture it. Whatever kind of king it is, 306 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,640 whatever kind of ruler it is, we're always looking for the guy 307 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:08,000 to put in power, to use his power to bring the golden age as 308 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,160 we picture it. And that's exactly what the 309 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:14,080 crowd in Jericho was picturing. For Jesus, the Kingdom of God is 310 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:15,880 about to come. He's going to ride into 311 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:17,640 Jerusalem. He's going to obliterate the 312 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:19,160 Romans. He's going to kick out our 313 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,760 enemies. We'll rise to power and it'll be 314 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,200 us again, and we will be great again. 315 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,160 So that's the way the Kingdom of man works. 316 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:29,600 That's the way we want it to work. 317 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,120 We don't have another configuration in our mind for 318 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:38,760 how it works. And yet for Jesus, he's going to 319 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:40,320 ride into Jerusalem. That's going to look a little 320 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:45,720 bit different. The original audience hearing 321 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,360 this parable had no idea what was going to happen in 322 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:52,800 Jerusalem. They didn't know what was going 323 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:54,760 to happen. They just, they just saw the 324 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,600 miracle powers and they just were pulsing with excitement 325 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,800 that finally, maybe once and for all, we will be freed and we 326 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:04,920 will be able to be the Kingdom that God wants us to be again. 327 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,640 And they were picturing a king just like all the other kings of 328 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:13,400 the world, only on their side. That's what they were expecting. 329 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:15,880 That's what they were looking forward to. 330 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,520 But Jesus is going to ride into Jerusalem and I'll look a whole 331 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,800 lot different. How many of you are familiar 332 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,840 with the Chronicles of Narnia series? 333 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,160 Famous scene in Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe? 334 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:35,840 We put it up here on the screen and tell me what's happening in 335 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:42,720 this scene. Aslan the Great Lion has handed 336 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:46,600 himself over to the White Witch and her evil hordes, and he's 337 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,760 being executed on the stone table, right? 338 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,680 And from the shadows, Susan and Lucy watch as she brings down 339 00:20:54,680 --> 00:21:02,520 the knife and she kills Aslan. And in the story of the Lion, 340 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:08,000 the Witch and the Wardrobe, this is the way that the the White 341 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,880 Witch and the evil powers are going to be defeated. 342 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,640 This is the only way. Everyone is preparing for 343 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,520 battle. They're all preparing for war. 344 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:20,480 But Aslan hands himself over and is killed, and that's how the 345 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:25,560 White Witch is defeated. The Bible has its own sort of 346 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:31,880 portrayal of the same sort of thing, a picture of the way it 347 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:34,720 happened for Jesus in the Book of Revelation. 348 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,360 In Revelation chapter 4, John is caught up into the throne room 349 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:41,520 of heaven. He sees God sitting on his 350 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:45,880 throne, the angels praising God around him, and he's holding a 351 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:50,840 scroll in his right hand. And the scroll has seven seals 352 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:52,560 on it. And as we turn the page from 353 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,840 chapter 4 to chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation, there's God 354 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,720 holding this scroll that seems to represent the book of 355 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,560 history. And who can reign over all of 356 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,840 history. And, and no one in all of heaven 357 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,360 or on earth is found that can open the scroll. 358 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:10,040 There's no king to rule on God's behalf. 359 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,440 And John begins to weep and to cry in Revelation chapter 5. 360 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:19,360 And then Revelation 5, verse five, one of the elders said to 361 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:25,200 me, said to John, stop weeping. Behold the lion from the tribe 362 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,800 of Judah, the root of David. Again, if you're not familiar 363 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,200 with your Bible, those are Old Testament titles for the 364 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,320 Messiah, the king, the anointed one. 365 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,080 This is a king scene. Who is the king? 366 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,920 The lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has 367 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:42,200 overcome so as to be able to open the scroll in its seven 368 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,560 seals. And then verse 6, as John says. 369 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,920 And then I saw between the throne where the four living 370 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:57,240 creatures were, and the elders, not a lion, majestic, powerful, 371 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,160 great, conquering. I didn't see a lion. 372 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:07,080 What did I see? I saw a lamb standing as if 373 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:14,000 slaughtered. I saw a lamb standing with its 374 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:19,960 throat cut and blood down its chest slaughtered, having 7 375 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,480 horns and seven eyes which represent the seven spirits of 376 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,880 God sent out into all the earth. And then we jumped down to verse 377 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:32,640 9 and all the heavenly hosts sang a new song saying worthy 378 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:37,640 are you to take the scroll as king and rule over all things, 379 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,160 break its seals. Why? 380 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:46,520 Because you were slaughter and you purchased people for God 381 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,640 with your own blood from every language, tribe, people, and 382 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,760 nation. How did Jesus become worthy to 383 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:56,200 reign as king? By riding in on a War Horse and 384 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,000 obliterating his enemies like the nobleman in the story. 385 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,520 Is that how he became king? How did he become worthy to open 386 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,400 the scroll? By using power and dominating so 387 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:07,840 that everyone would hail him as king. 388 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:13,720 Is that how he became king? He became a lamb slaughtered to 389 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:17,640 death. That's why he's worthy to reign. 390 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:21,800 And that's not very kingly stuff. 391 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,360 We don't like our kings to get slaughtered. 392 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,200 We like our kings to be powerful enough to do the slaughtering. 393 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:37,600 But Jesus rides into Jerusalem after this parable, rides down 394 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,560 the hill, not on a War Horse, as we'll see next week, but on a 395 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:45,960 donkey, gentle and lowly of heart, and stops on the hill and 396 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,160 looks over Jerusalem and weeps for Jerusalem. 397 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000 No crushing, no dominating, weeping for them. 398 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:57,480 And then hands himself over to his enemies, for his enemies to 399 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:04,000 smash him and crush him. Well, that doesn't feel very 400 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:10,360 victorious, that doesn't feel very great or awesome, does it? 401 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,400 We don't like those kinds of heroes, do we? 402 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,920 And yet all four gospels proclaim in their own way, 403 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:27,680 that's how Jesus became king. And Revelation chapter 5 says 404 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,160 that's what made him a worthy king. 405 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:36,640 That's how the Kingdom of God advances that way. 406 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:44,160 So what kind of king and Kingdom are we expecting when we come to 407 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:48,920 Jesus, When we step in to align ourselves with Jesus, what kind 408 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,720 of Kingdom do we want and are we looking forward to? 409 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,800 That's the first question. But then there's the follow up 410 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,520 question. And the follow up question is, 411 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,520 so if that's the way the Kingdom of God came, if that's the way 412 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:08,360 Jesus conquered, then what would it look like to be faithful to 413 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:13,400 this king? Because kings always reward 414 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:19,600 faithfulness, don't they? They always reward those who are 415 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,360 faithful to them, just like the noble men in the story. 416 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:27,320 So what does it look like to be faithful to this particular kind 417 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:32,440 of king? You know, we, we don't have a 418 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:37,120 whole lot of confidence in power and weakness, do we? 419 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:43,400 And yet the cross, Jesus going and being executed is not just 420 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:47,000 like an optional extra in the story of Christianity. 421 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,640 It's not even just a feature like on the car. 422 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:55,880 It's like baked into the whole story and all throughout the 423 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,760 gospel, all throughout the the letters of the New Testament, 424 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:04,640 this is baked in power and weakness, taking up your cross 425 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,840 and following me, laying down your life for the sake of 426 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,240 others. It's woven into the whole story 427 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,520 of what it means to step into the Kingdom and to follow Jesus. 428 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,800 So what does it look like to be faithful to this kind of king? 429 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,360 The kind of king who doesn't destroy his enemies, what loves 430 00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:27,440 them to death? What does it look like to be 431 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,480 faithful to him? But what it means, what it looks 432 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,560 like is it looks like we pattern our life the same way. 433 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:44,160 Self sacrifice rather than serving ourself, self giving 434 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,680 rather than self getting where we try to get everything our way 435 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:50,960 and get what we want and make everyone serve us. 436 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:54,720 It looks like we empty ourselves for the sake of others, just 437 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,360 like Jesus emptied himself for our sake. 438 00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:02,800 That's what it looks like to be faithful and that you see that 439 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:04,600 all throughout the New Testament. 440 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,720 For example, in all our relationships in the family of 441 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,040 God between our fellow believers. 442 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,640 What's the pattern? The pattern is consider others 443 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,960 more important than yourself. Just as Jesus emptied himself 444 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:21,720 and went to the cross. Philippians chapter 2 he emptied 445 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:26,000 himself he didn't serve himself he didn't advance himself he 446 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,240 didn't promote himself he didn't have to get his own way. 447 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,480 He poured himself out for others. 448 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,440 What would it look like for you and for me to be the kind of 449 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:37,400 people who are faithful to this kind of king so that we pour 450 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:42,240 ourselves out for others? Or you see it in marriage, in 451 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:43,600 the family, in the New Testament. 452 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:46,240 Husbands, love your wives. How? 453 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:53,600 As Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 454 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:55,680 Husbands love your wives the same way. 455 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,200 Don't serve yourself. Don't expect your wife to cater 456 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,880 to your whims and your wishes, right? 457 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:08,280 You pour yourself out for her. You lay down your life for her. 458 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,400 You seek her best interest, not what you want, but what's good 459 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:15,560 for her. You see it with family. 460 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,520 We had all these families on and these kids, right? 461 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,960 What is it going to mean to raise your kids in the Lord? 462 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:23,520 Well, I'll tell you one of the things it means. 463 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:27,720 Fathers, don't be harsh with your kids and embitter them. 464 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,360 Again, same context as the one about marriage, right? 465 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,600 Parents, don't snap, don't demean, don't belittle, right? 466 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:43,000 Be gentle, be self emptying and self giving. 467 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,680 That's what it means to be faithful to this kind of king in 468 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,320 all the little choices, in our own little sphere of influence, 469 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,080 our own little Kingdom if you will, where Jesus has made us a 470 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:57,640 viceroy of his Kingdom as little kings and Queens on his behalf. 471 00:29:57,680 --> 00:29:59,160 What does it look like to be faithful to Him? 472 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,200 Looks like we walk the same way He walked. 473 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:07,280 We lay down our life for others like he laid down our life for 474 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,080 us. You even see that in the 475 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,280 teaching of Jesus with regard to difficult people and people who 476 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:19,400 oppose the way of Jesus. Love your enemies and pray for 477 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:25,520 those who want to harm you. This is the way of the King. 478 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:30,760 This is the way of the King. You want to be faithful to King 479 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:32,520 Jesus? We sang all these songs already 480 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,600 with Thrones and kingdoms and all hail King Jesus. 481 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,000 You want to actually all hail King Jesus? 482 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:44,080 Then walk the way of the King. Get up tomorrow morning. 483 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:48,520 Begin the day with a prayer. Lord Jesus, would you show me 484 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,640 and give me the grace to lay down my life for the people you 485 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:57,880 bring my way today, for my wife, for my husband, for my kids, for 486 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:03,440 my neighbors, for my coworkers. Teach me to serve others the way 487 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:07,080 you served me. Begin the day with a prayer. 488 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:12,320 Lord Jesus, show me where in my own heart the dark powers of 489 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:17,640 selfishness and self-serving still reside and by yourself 490 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:22,480 sacrifice change me and to be a self giving self sacrificial 491 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:26,200 kind of person. What does it look like to be 492 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:33,000 faithful to King Jesus? Well, it looks like it looks 493 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,360 like we follow one. Who says you want to see the 494 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,960 evidence of my victory? Look at my hands, look at my 495 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:49,120 feet, look at the the spear scar in my side and do the same. 496 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:55,080 Do the same. And if you do that, someday 497 00:31:56,040 --> 00:32:00,240 Jesus himself will say to you, Well done, good and faithful 498 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:05,760 servant, enter into your rest. Thanks for joining us today. 499 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,760 If you would like to watch the full service, check out the link 500 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,600 in the description. For next steps and to learn 501 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:13,880 more, visit calvaryboise.com.