Article first published as The Meek King: Palm Sunday on Blogcritics.
Kings and Rulers. The news gives us two very different pictures.
First, we have Muammar Gaddafi. The ruler who rules by force. The one who seems to live by the slogan, "Might makes right." His speeches are filled with every form of macho rhetoric you can imagine. Revolts are met with raucous retribution.
Then we have Prince William. The ruler who rules by pomp. The family which seem to live by the motto, "The one with the bling must be king." The royals’ every appearance is a show of wealth and tradition. Praise is received from the adoring Brits, not to mention many others.
And then, there is the one who came before the cameras ever rolled and when anchors were not behind desks but aboard ships. Jesus, the king of the Jews. And he comes to rule in a way that no king before or after has tried. He comes in meekness and without pomp. He come on a donkey into Jerusalem. He came with no sword and no army. He came without any appearance of wealth, for he had none.
While many of the Jews who laid down palms must have hoped that he would soon start acting like a king and overthrow the ruthless Romans, it would not happen. His meekness and lack of pomp would continue the entire week, ending with his meek death on the rugged cross. What king had ever reigned from such a seemingly powerless and pompless place as a cross?
Oh, the road to his coronation would be a bloody affair, but not because of the multitudes of swords being swung at the enemies, but because the meek one would bleed in order to cut a new covenant with his people where their sins will be remembered no more.
All who believe and are baptized are blessed to live in this new covenant and to drink the blood of the meek one from his altar. We are blessed to know that our sins indeed are remembered no more. We are blessed to live in his kingdom under the rule and reign of his grace.
Yes, he comes like no king has ever come, in meekness and without pomp. But he comes to save. He comes to save you.
Adaptation of sermon preached Palm Sunday 2011
