Return to the Homepage Home
 Worship Schedules, Education, Fellowship, Outreach Worship & Service
 Sermon Archive Sermons
 A copy of the Sunday Prayers of Intercession Prayers
 Pastor Lynne's monthly newsletter Pastor's Page
 Articles and tidbits from the monthly newsletter Newsletter
 This month's events as well as the monthly calendar Current Events
 Read the Sunday School News Letter! Sunday School News
 Events for grades 7 to 12 Youth
 Other websites of interest Links
  
 Login to Administer this site Admin Login

St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
2903 McPhillips Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA R2P 0H3
http://www.stlukeszion.ca

Phone: (204) 339-0412
Fax: (204) 339-0412
E-mail: stlukeszionchurch@gmail.com
site design by clayton rumley

 

Palm / Passion Sunday
Sunday, April 10th, 2022

click here for past entries

Loving God, we don’t always understand your ways, but we come to you, trusting in your love.  Help us to know that you are with us, whether in joy or sorrow, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Today, as we enter into Holy Week, we hear the perspective of Judas Iscariot – the one who betrayed Jesus.  The “Iscariot” part of Judas’ name most likely refers to where he is from, which is Kerioth, in southern Judah.  It is added to distinguish him from another Judas, who was also a disciple of Jesus (Lk. 6:16).  We imagine that these are some excerpts from the journal of Judas Iscariot:

         “Today I thought that Jesus was finally going to take his place as Messiah and king.  He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, just like the prophet Zechariah had said (Zech. 9:9).  People waved their palms and shouted “Hosanna!” – a fitting welcome for the Messiah, and a good victory parade for any king.  It seems that people were finally recognizing Jesus as the Messiah – especially after he had raised Lazarus from the dead with so many witnesses.

         But even after this kingly welcome, Jesus kept on talking as if he was going to die soon.  Of course, I knew that the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus, but surely, if he could raise the dead, he could also outwit the religious leaders, and get rid of the Romans to boot!  Still – Jesus kept on saying and doing things that were really hard to figure out.

         Even before he rode into Jerusalem, he had allowed Mary to waste a whole pound of expensive perfume on him.  I had suggested selling it and giving the money to the poor instead, but Jesus actually defended her!  Even then, he was already talking about his burial.

         At the same time, he kept on talking about being a servant.  Why would he, who obviously had such great power, keep talking about dying?  And why would he, who should have been ruling the people of Israel as God’s Messiah, keep on acting as if he were a servant?  It was especially embarrassing when we were having supper and he got up to wash everybody’s feet.  He seemed to think that he was teaching us, but what a strange way to teach!  I kept getting my hopes up, and then he disappointed me over and over again.

         Finally, I knew I had to force his hand.  I knew I had to try and get him to show his power, once and for all.  So, I made a deal with the religious leaders to do exactly as they had asked.  I would show them where he was, and they would give me the price for a slave (which seemed to be what he wanted to be).  And so, they arrested him and took him to the house of the high priest.

         I was sure that Jesus would do something to show them his true identity and take his rightful place as the Messiah.  However, as time wore on this seemed less and less likely.  They kept him there all night, slapped him around a bit, strung him up, and then took him to Pilate in the morning.  Once he was in Pilate’s hands, it soon became clear that Jesus would be crucified.

         This wasn’t at all what I had intended, but it was too late.  The chief priests wouldn’t take back the money, and an innocent man was going to be crucified.  What have I done, Jesus?  What have I done?  And when did things go so horribly wrong?”

         Judas, it seems, had misunderstood what kind of a king Jesus was going to be – and he certainly wasn’t the only one.  While earthly kings give the orders to put others to death, Jesus is the king who dies for the sake of others. 

         In the gospel of John, soon after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he speaks to his followers about a grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying.  When this doesn’t happen, it remains just a single grain, but when “it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn. 12:24). Undoubtedly, Jesus was not simply talking about wheat, but was referring to his own death.  Sure – Jesus had the power to give life to those who had died, like Lazarus.  However, it would only be through his own death and resurrection that Jesus could bring life to all people.

         His followers, though, did not understand this at the time, and were absolutely devastated when Jesus was crucified.  Those who knew him couldn’t bear to see him suffer like this.  Many people today feel the same way when they see what is going on in our world – particularly in Ukraine right now.  Yet, our sorrow is not just for one person, but for millions.

         Jesus, as one who suffered himself, is right there with them – and with us – sharing their sorrow.  And we continue to look to the God who can bring life out of death, and who came in love for the life of the world.  Amen.

Palm / Passion Sunday (NL 4)      John 12:12-19; 19:16b-22

April 10, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2022 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved


Previous Sermons
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
January 2003
March 0201