In Jesus, God takes away fear.

 

Sermon for Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021

Grace, mercy, and peace to you all from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

John 12:1-16  Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus who had died, the one Jesus raised from the dead.  ²They gave a dinner for him there.  Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him.  ³Then Mary took about twelve ounces of very expensive perfume (pure nard) and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.  The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  ⁴But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray him, said, ⁵“Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  ⁶He did not say this because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief.  He held the money box and used to steal what was put into it.  ⁷Jesus replied, “Leave her alone.  She intended to keep this for the day of my burial.  ⁸Indeed, the poor you always have with you, but you are not always going to have me.”  ⁹A large crowd of the Jews learned that he was there.  They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead.  ¹⁰So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too, ¹¹because it was on account of him that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.  ¹²The next day, the large crowd that had come for the Festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  ¹³Taking palm branches, they went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!”  ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written: ¹⁵Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look!  Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.  ¹⁶At first, his disciples did not understand these things.  But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him, and that they did these things for him. (EHV)

In Jesus, God takes away fear.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            There is a little Greek word used repeatedly in this text that, because it isn’t considered a very important word, is often not included in the translation.  However, it is a word that connects what is previously reported to the thought of the next sentence, so it is usually translated “then” or “therefore,” or “accordingly.” 

Now, immediately before the first sentence of our sermon text, John tells us that “The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he should report it so that they could arrest Jesus.” (John 11:57)  Therefore, one might suppose that with a credible threat hanging over His head, Jesus would play it safe, go into hiding, and not appear anywhere near Jerusalem, but that’s where this little word pops in—Jesus was facing a serious threat against his life, therefore, He openly attends a public banquet given in His honor for raising Lazarus from the dead.  Therefore!!?  What it shows is that Jesus has no fear of anyone, or of what anyone might do to Him, because He knows His mission, He knows who is in charge, and He knows the ultimate outcome.

Because he was the one raised, therefore Lazarus was a second guest of honor, his sister, Mary, was thankful for the gift of her brother’s life and she believed Jesus’ forecast of His imminent suffering and death, therefore, she prepared to honor Jesus in the best way she could.  Also, people were believing in Jesus because He raised Lazarus from the dead, therefore, the crowds were coming to see Lazarus as well as Jesus, so the leaders of the Jews were also devising plans to kill Lazarus. 

All these little connections are important, because they show that there are always, and only, two possible reactions to learning about Jesus: on the one hand will be those who hear the word, see the evidence, and the Holy Spirit works faith in their hearts.  Therefore, they glorify God.  On the other hand, there are always those who reject the word, or the evidence, and remaining true to Satan, they despise Jesus.  Those who despise Jesus, tend to go in one of two directions: either apathy or blind, raging hatred.

In faith and thanksgiving for the miracle of raising Lazarus, Jesus’ friends in Bethany hosted a dinner in his honor.  John tells us that Martha was serving as she was so inclined to do to show the love she had for her Savior.  Her brother is there as a second honored guest because he was the one raised, and then John points out Mary.  Mary had hung on every word Jesus had to say.  She trusted Him completely, and now she recognized, with Jesus’ disciples, that His prophecy of upcoming suffering and death was very likely to happen.  Perhaps she suspected that if the high priests had their way, she would never get the chance to honor Jesus in death as was their custom, so she decided to honor Jesus at this dinner.

Mary spent what amounted to a year’s wages for an ordinary worker on the perfume.  We are not told where she got the money, but she gladly made this offering to the Lord.  Not only was the value extraordinary but consider this picture—Mary anointed Jesus’ head and feet with this pure, expensive, unadulterated perfume, but she humbled herself to use her hair to dry Jesus’ feet.  A Hebrew woman’s hair was considered her crowning glory, but Mary exemplified a servant’s attitude in the extreme.  Using perhaps her life savings, she gladly anointed Jesus’ feet and dried them using her hair, which many would have considered her greatest treasure, as a servant’s towel.  This is the faith God works in a person who believes Jesus is her Savior.  Selfless love and honor for her Lord.  Why, because In Jesus, God takes away fear.

We don’t know the background of these two women, but we do know that faith in Christ took away their fear of death, fear of public ridicule, and fear of condemnation.  They believed Jesus is the promised One God was sending to save them for eternity.  Therefore, earthly possessions, boasting, and works were not necessary anymore.  Both women could give freely and thankfully to the Lord, for they knew He was giving them life everlasting in heaven.

Contrast their faith with that of so many others around them.  As soon as Mary broke open the jar of perfume, Judas opened his mouth to rebuke and shame her.  Some might think he made a valid point.  Even his fellow disciples listened to Judas’ pious sounding, but faithless, words and also began to shame her.  Notice, however, that Jesus defended Mary’s action.  Jesus understood her intent to honor Him, and in honoring Jesus, she was also honoring His Father in heaven.  Consequently, Mary’s faith and works will be honored in the kingdom of heaven as long as this world lasts and beyond.

We sometimes hear the same criticisms today.  “Don’t waste your money and effort on church buildings or mission work when there are so many poor people who need help,” say so many of those who are apathetic to the Lord as they criticize spending any money to show honor to God.  Many like-minded people might even claim to be believers, but like Judas, their apathy about Jesus makes them easy prey for the devil. 

Judas never intended to be a killer, he just didn’t care about what He heard and saw in Jesus, and the devil wiggled into Judas’ thinking until greed took over, after which he betrayed his Savior into death.  Judas did not care about the poor but about lining his own pockets.  Therefore, he agreed to betray Jesus for a few silver coins, and consequently, he lost his salvation forever.  The point is not that we shouldn’t be concerned about the poor, but rather, that Jesus should always be first in our hearts, and then love for those around us will also be evident in our lives.

Along with Judas, the Jewish leadership rejected Jesus, but in them we see the other reaction of people who don’t believe—blind, raging hatred.  There will always be those in this world who, having rejected the Savior God sent, will also hate and despise those who follow Jesus, and irrationally, they will want to kill the followers along with Jesus, just as the Jews planned to murder Jesus and Lazarus.

We saw this reaction again just this week when a writer for a major US publication wrote a hateful article about a basketball team from a Christian college playing in the NCAA tournament.  The writer declares that no confessional Christian should be allowed to participate in any public speech, or activity, nor to be defended in any way for anything we teach.  The article is filled with invectives and compulsive hatred for anyone who believes in Jesus.  Carried to its logical conclusion, that writer’s words would lead to annihilation of Christians.  Yet, we do not fear, because In Jesus, God takes away fear. 

To the world, the events John reports might seem random.  Some even claim there are contradictions between the four Gospel writers who each report on different aspects of the day.  However, through John, the Holy Spirit is teaching us that we have nothing to fear, because Jesus came to accomplish exactly what God had always promised for the salvation of all who believe.  Furthermore, Jesus carried out every promised and prophesied detail so that we could see the evidence recorded by eyewitnesses, and through the faith worked in us by the Holy Spirit, believe in Jesus and be saved to life everlasting.

Because this is the point of everything in the Bible, St. Paul wrote, “This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)  In order to save us, Jesus had to do everything His Father asked in perfect humility, weakness, and obedience, but as we have heard in our midweek Lenten services year after year, Jesus arrived at His cross on Calvary with both friend and foe alike admitting that He had done all things well. (Mark 7:37)

Six days after this dinner honoring Jesus, all the disciples fled away in fear for their lives.  Peter had so boldly promised he would never betray Jesus, but terrified, he did—three times in quick succession.  The people that on the next day boldly praised Jesus shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” would but five days later be agitating for His crucifixion.  All of it because that was God’s plan to end the separation between us and Him.

This isn’t the end of the story, of course.  The disciples who fled in fear later boldly preached forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ Jesus without regard for their personal safety.  After Jesus had risen from the dead and the Holy Spirit fixed their faith in Him, they knew Jesus is the Savior for all people, and along with forgiveness and salvation comes everlasting peace with God and a home in heaven.  In other words, In Jesus, God takes away fear. 

You and I, today, are also living in a society that seems to be growing ever more hostile to Jesus, and to His followers.  Hatred of Christians appears to be rampant in many parts of our world.  Across the planet, more and more Christians are martyred every year.  Here at home, hostility to Christians, and Christian morality, is not only promoted but praised as a more acceptable way of life.  We should not be surprised at Jesus’ words, “In this world you are going to have trouble.” [At the same time, may we never forget His promise:] “But be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

For you and me, Jesus overcame the world.  He defeated temptation.  He defeated fear.  He defeated the devil and our frail human flesh.  Wiping out our debt of guilt for all our sins and weaknesses with the sacrifice of His holy life, Jesus had accomplished everything needed for the Father to count you as righteous in His eyes, and through faith in Jesus, worked in you by the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments and hearing God’s Word, you are counted holy in the kingdom of heaven. 

As believers in Jesus, your future is secure no matter what happens to you in this world.  So, whether we should have to face suffering, sorrow, persecution, pain, or even death (whether natural or martyrdom), we can live in peace and joy, for Jesus has us firmly in His everlasting care.  Your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, and you have peace with God.  Therefore, In Jesus, God takes away fear.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.