Your King Comes to you Humble

Your King Comes to you Humble

Based on Mt. 21:1-11

Preached on December 1, 2013


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Fellow baptized saints, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

This is how the Son of God came then. And it is how He comes now-humble, to save you. And it is a good thing for you that He comes this way. For when He comes in His glory and victory, the saving is over. But that is for a day yet to come, this is now. Yolo.

To this sinful world, His humble coming is anything but good looking-then on a donkey or in a manger, or now in water, Word, bread and wine. It is too simple for us. Too lowly. And yet, this Christ, the Son of God exists to make the Father known to us. Everything He does is about the love of His Father for YOU, dear sinner.

He did not come to see what He could get from the world or from you. He did not come to show His superiority to everybody else. He did not come to prove Himself to you at all.

Jesus came to give His life to the world. Jesus came to serve up Himself to provide for what people lack. Jesus came to sacrifice Himself for you.

That is Advent. Jesus, the Son of God, coming humble-to do His Father's will and be here for you.

But where are You in this grand parade? Where do you fit into this triumphal Gospel reading? Are you part of the crowd, or one of His twelve disciples? No, you are the donkey, the one Christ rides. You used to be bound, tied up in sin, but Christ's disciples have untied you, loosed you from sin at His Word and brought you to Him, that He might rule your heart and mind as He, your King, enters His kingdom.

And though you once were a beast of burden, saddled with sin and death and ruled by the devil, the humble way Christ rides you, the gentle way He rules you is not a burden, for He whispers constantly in your ear, "Come to me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

And there is no need to take offense at this picture, for it only further shows the humble way in which your King wishes to come to you. This King comes to die for you, for all, and not on a noble steed, not on an impressive mount which commands attention, but unassuming and mild, on a donkey. He doesn't come to die for the righteous, but for sinners.

As St. Paul writes, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

And so Jesus demonstrates who He is and what He has come to do for all as He rides a lowly donkey.

But are you ready for such a Savior, coming to you humble? Sinner that you are, the fact of the matter is you are not humble. You are anything but. You are self centered and self occupied. Life is all about you. What you can get. Who you can beat. What you can prove about yourself to others and even to God.

And this is perhaps the most incredible part. When low and lesser this Christ comes to you, He does not find you humble. But from His inferior, subordinate position, looking up into your proud eyes, He calls you to repent. Turn. Hear my Words and grasp that I am here for you. You need me, and I am here.

Your King has not left you alone in your deadly pride. He has sent disciples, pastors, and believing saints out after you to loose you from the bonds of sin, death and the devil. He has put His Word on the lips of those near you, so that you hear of His humble coming to you. Hear that He kneels beneath you with forgiveness in His pierced hands, humbly offering it to you with His Word of promise.

His called and sent servants have baptized you, have put the cloak of Christ's righteousness on the back of the donkey. Covering your self-righteousness with Christ's.

And the path before you, Your path through this life into heaven was laden with more cloaks, more of Christ's righteousness, so that you have nothing to fear, nothing to finish, nothing to do but enjoy the ride, waiting for your King triumphant day. For you have been made perfectly righteous in Him, free and safe and loved. He sits upon you and rides you into the true Jerusalem, His city of peace, the Church.

Yet while we are in that city of peace, His Church, we are also in the world and the world is drawn to see him and ask, "Who is this?" "Who is this one you call King?" For when Christ is riding upon us, it is impossible for us not to love our neighbor and do good works that serve and benefit him. So when they ask, say, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

This how God's kingdom comes to those who are not yet in it, just as it came to you dear Christian.

Yes, even right this very moment He is coming to the world as He rides with you in His city of peace on earth-His holy Christian Church, where alone is to be found His good will toward men. Because only in His church does He come to you and loose you from the bonds of sin as He is doing again today here.

Beloved, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden-to forgive you all your sins--in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen



Rev. Cameron Schnarr