It is an all to common situation. Sometimes happening in real life and occasionally in the movies or on TV. A small boy gets picked on at the park or on the playground at school. A number of bigger, meaner boys make it a habit of taking the boy’s lunch money or whatever item he has that they want; sometimes a jacket or ball glove.
The boy tries to deal with the situation himself, but eventually his bigger brother discovers the bullies. The next time they try to intimidate the small boy his big brother comes into view from behind a building and confronts them face to face. Of course they quake in their boots and, at least in the movies, the boy gets all his belongings back and the bullies never bother him again.
In real life it doesn’t always play out this way. In real life the bullies simply run away for a better opportunity, yet will eventually strike back at the boy with greater voracity than before. Even in the midst of their attack the small boy would probably cry out, "you just wait until my big brother gets a hold of you."
We have probably all suffered, at some point in our lives, at the hands of a bully. There is probably some little hint of memory that has been piqued and pulls us back to our own experiences with intimidation. Maybe an older sibling, a co-worker, or classmate was the bully. Maybe we didn’t really have a big brother figure that we could call on, but if did have, we would have!
Let’s consider where the Lord is taking us this morning...
Scripture
The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. 5 The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
The prophet Isaiah had been taken to Babylon with the other Israelite captives. Seventy years they stayed, but were finally allowed to return to their homeland. Isaiah’s responsibility was to help the people learn from what they had been through and he was called to herd them back into a right relationship with God.
In the opening verses of this chapter the Lord identifies that it was not God who exiled them, but the natural result of their own sin. The people of Israel had turned to idol worship and as a result God’s hand of protection was removed and the Babylonians were allowed to move uninhibited into Israel. God reiterates this, after the fact, as at this point in the book the people have returned to Israel. God just wants them to understand that their captivity was the result of their own error.
Then, as we have just heard, He wants to stand up for them. Isaiah tells the people that even though they had sinned and caused a 70 year captivity for themselves, even though they had turned their backs on God, God still wanted to stand up for them.
It’s like the big brother coming to the aid of the smaller boy who is getting picked on at the playground. God comes on the scene and tells the people He is going to take care of them... even though they don’t deserve it.
In one all too often true scenario, the small boy on the playground starts mouthing off to the bigger kids who are really minding their own business. They try to ignore him but he gets in their face and uses all kinds of derogatory remarks. They confront him, knowing they are bigger than he is and can easily pound him into the ground, they think a little show of force will make their point so they push him down and go back to their game. He jumps up mad and begins to use even stronger language.
The end result is, of course, they beat him up until he runs home crying. Then, not getting the straight story from the boy, the big brother goes to the playground and whoops the others. But, if this was God and Israel, the big brother would know the truth and come to defend the smaller anyway. That’s what God is saying. Even though the people of Israel didn’t deserve to be protected He still had the grace to cover their sins and restore them to their homeland.
This, my friends, is the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on what we have come to call Palm Sunday. You and I are the little brother who has caused our own trouble. We are the ones who have sinned; it is us who has done many of the things that God does not want us to do, and we have done it repeatedly. It is us, who often knows what God wants us to do, and yet we find any convenient excuse to keep from doing it. We have separated ourselves from our God and focused on other things. We have allowed the daily routines of our lives to get in the way of being the person God wants us to be.
I’m not suggesting that any of us has done this intentionally... we are not trying to hurt God. But I think we all are guilty of distraction. Turn with me to Matthew 7:13-14, "13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
The road to destruction is wide and easy to follow... the narrow road that leads to life is close by; so close, in fact, that we can be walking on the road to life and look over and see the things on the path to destruction. Sometimes we see things we like so we turn to watch and without even realizing it we have stepped over to that road. Sometimes, as we are walking the narrow path we see things that God wants us to do, yet we don’t really want to do them, so we step across to the other road to avoid having to do them.
These are dangerous things to do. Turn to Luke 13:23-29. This is the same passage with a little more detail. Why is it so dangerous to allow ourselves to be distracted? Verse 23-f, this is Jesus talking... "He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' 26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' 27 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' 28 "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out."
Those distractions that cause us to lose our way and end up walking the destruction road lead us to a very bad ending. Those little moments when we step over to the wide path to avoid what is in the narrow road just ahead of us does the same thing... takes us to a very bad ending.
We, all to often, are the cause of our own destruction.... but we have a big brother. We have someone to whom we can run to for help. Unlike the big brother on the playground, our Big Brother, Jesus, knows the truth. We can’t come up with some fancy story about how we were treated unfairly. We can’t use lies to twist the story... Jesus knows the truth. God is everywhere, we can’t go someplace He’s not at. And, God knows everything, we can’t lie our way out of the truth. God knows exactly what we have done, or NOT done, that has taken us off the narrow path. Even though He knows exactly what we have done, He runs down to the playground to defend us. Jesus knows the truth and still comes to our defense.
This is Jesus riding into Jerusalem. This is Jesus coming to rescue us. Even when we aren’t worthy of rescuing, Jesus comes anyway... because He loves us.
There is another twist on this story. The boys on the playground, having pushed the younger brother down, heard him say he was going to get his big brother. They knew the bigger brother could beat them all, so they went and got their big brothers and all these boys were ready and waiting on the trouble maker’s big brother to come. When he did come, they beat him badly, they ganged up on him. Several held him down while others hit and kicked and spit and used belts to whip him. When they were done they tied him to a tree and went off and left him there.
When Jesus came riding in to Jerusalem to rescue us, He knew full well that the boys of the playground were waiting. He knew what was about to transpire. He knew He was going to get badly beaten and hung on a tree... But He came to rescue us, anyway.
Think about this: Jesus knew the truth of the situation. He knew that we, the younger brother, caused our own problems. We are in trouble because of what we have done to ourselves. Jesus also knew that all the big boys of the entire neighborhood were laying in wait for Him and that He was going to get beaten so badly He would die. And yet, He comes to rescue us, anyway.
Conclusion
The question we need to consider is this: what happens to the younger brother?
In the playground scenario he walks along with the big brother as he makes his way to the playground. He says good things to his big brother, he encourages him, cheers him on, so to speak. But when they get to the place where the other boys are waiting, he stands aside and watches the beating that rightfully belongs to him. He was the one that caused all this trouble, yet it is his big brother that is now paying the price.
The end result is; when the big brother dies of his wounds, the other boys decide to let the younger boy alone. They don’t need to do anymore. The price for his un-righteousness has been paid in full.
Jesus rides into town with thousands of people lining the roadway. They are waving palm branches and cheering and shouting, "Hosanna." They are encouraging Him. They don’t know what is about to happen, but for right now they know who Jesus is and they are happy He is coming to town. The events of this next week will lead us to Golgotha and the greatest celebration of the entire world... but for now... Jesus rides into town to take on the bullies. He is coming to rescue us. Amen.
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