Grace and peace to you in the name of our triumphant King of kings and Lord of lords, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Matthew 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ⁵ "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" ¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" ¹¹ The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

O victorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as you rode triumphant into the gates of Jerusalem so many years ago, also ride into our hearts this morning that we may give you all the glory, honor and praise that you deserve. Amen.

When did the cheering stop for Jesus?

Some years ago a book was written by a noted American historian entitled "When The Cheering Stopped." It was the story of President Woodrow Wilson and the events leading up to and following World War I. When that war was over Wilson was an international hero. There was a great spirit of optimism abroad. People actually believed that the last war had been fought and the world had been made safe for democracy.

On his first visit to Paris after the war Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs. He was actually more popular than their own French heroes. The same thing was true in England and Italy. In a Vienna hospital a Red Cross worker had to tell the children that there would be no Christmas presents because of the war and the hard times. The children didn’t believe her. They said that President Wilson was coming and they knew that everything would be all right.

The cheering lasted about a year. Then it gradually began to stop. It turned out that the political leaders in Europe were more concerned with their own agendas than they were concerned about a lasting peace. At home, Woodrow Wilson ran into opposition in the United States Senate and his League of Nations was not ratified. Under the strain of it all the President’s health began to deteriorate. In the next election his party was defeated. And so it was that Woodrow Wilson, a man who barely a year or two earlier had been heralded as the new world Messiah, came to the end of his days a broken and defeated man.

It is a sad story, but one that is not unfamiliar in our world. In a few years from now we will no longer be cheering the Florida Gators for winning the NCAA tournament. We will soon forget that Reese Witherspoon won the Academy Award for best actress in "Walk the Line". Even now we no longer marvel at the achievements and advancements of Walt Disney who brought so much to movies and animation. Every year there is less honor given to our military veterans in parades and less respect paid to monuments of our national heroes. Eventually the cheering stops.

That is what happened to Jesus.

On Palm Sunday when Jesus rode victoriously into Jerusalem he was greeted with cheering and praise and hosannas. But by Friday morning the cheering had stopped? What happened?

Today we will see why the cheering stopped for Jesus between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king. Not as a vicious, tyrannical king who rules by force. He came as a humble and gentle king who rules by love and grace. As a king, Jesus is totally unique. He is a King that is worth cheering for.

When it comes to heads of state, the world loves pomp and a good show—even if those heads of state are mere figureheads like Queen Elizabeth or King Ferdinand. In a PBS documentary about England’s monarchy, some of the Queen’s loyal subjects were asked their opinions about the monarchy’s future. One commoner suggested that the Queen had outlived her usefulness and that she cost taxpayers too much money. He didn’t like that because she’s probably the richest woman in the world. But, he said, she won’t go because she puts on a bloody good show. We don’t have a king or a queen in this country, but the pomp and circumstance that surround our president would be the envy of any Pharaoh or king. All that pomp suggests something about people’s attitudes.

Most political pundits believe that President Lincoln was much too homely to have ever succeeded in politics in the television age. He was no J.F.K. Compare that will something Isaiah said about Jesus: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." (53:2) There were no trappings of royalty surrounding Jesus, even when he was welcomed and acclaimed as King on Palm Sunday. No, Isaiah says: "He was despised and rejected by men. … Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (53:3)

What the world wants is a king who can produce, one who can ensure an easy life and a good time for all. That’s one reason why Boris Yeltsin had such a rough time in Russia. His reforms, aimed at putting food on the table, a car in the garage, and a tractor down on the farm, weren’t getting the job done fast enough. So his political enemies wanted him out.

There were expectations like that in the hearts of people in Jesus’ day too – especially after he fed the five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish. The next day people tried to take him by force and make him their king. Small wonder.

But Jesus offers neither a good show nor an easy life. He is no king of diamonds wearing a golden jewelry. He didn’t come to Jerusalem on Air Force One. He came on a donkey. He wanted to send an important message to those people and now to us too. On Palm Sunday the multitudes found something about him appealing, but they quickly changed their minds. Somehow that donkey didn’t fit the bill. Jesus is not what the world wants.

Jesus is not the kind of king that the world wants. The world wants a leader who will give them everything – like one gigantic welfare system. And sadly, we often get caught up in thinking like the world thinks. We become concerned with wealth, health, happiness, and career advancement. We expect our King to give us downy fresh shirts, porterhouse steaks, air-conditioned homes, and indoor plumbing. We take these things for granted and then we want more. We expect our King to get rid of our bunions, our bad breath, and our dandruff. Then, we whine and complain because Jesus doesn’t give us everything we desire. We moan and groan because he doesn’t remove every pain and suffering, or even take away the little aches and pains. We can become very much like the world in our thinking.

A lot of you men saw Mel Gibson’s movie, "Braveheart" for the fighting and bludgeoning. A lot of you ladies saw Mel Gibson’s movie because of, well, Mel Gibson. In the movie William Wallace, a Scottish commoner, attempts to unite the feuding clans of Scotland in their fight against England in the 13th century. He attempts to gain the help of Robert the Bruce, the leader of the most powerful clan. Bruce refuses to help and in describing why he says: "Wallace is an uncompromising man. Uncompromising men are admirable. But only a compromising man can be king."

On Palm Sunday an uncompromising man became King of all history. Jesus could have compromised and given his subjects everything they wanted. But, in the end, he would have been hurting them all. They wouldn’t know how to handle having everything they ever desired. For a time they would enjoy their newfound plunder. But after a time they would again become envious, greedy, and quarrelsome, even more than people are now. They would become fat, bloated, and lazy, even more than people are now. We should be thankful that Jesus our King is wise enough that he doesn’t give the world everything it wants. We couldn’t handle it. It would destroy us.

But while Jesus is not what the world wants, he is exactly what the world needs. He is a king like no other king the world has ever known. He stands in sharp contrast to all worldly rulers.

Contemplate that contrast. Kings cannot be interrupted, yet Jesus once let little children interrupt one of his "cabinet meetings" with his inner circle of disciples. Kings are surrounded by royalty, yet Jesus let people like Zacchaeus and Levi, hated tax collectors or women who were "women of the night," taint his public image. He let diseased folks and deformed cripples spoil his press conferences. And with a gentle rebuke, he declined Peter’s offer to form a secret service and be Jesus’ personal bodyguard. And on the eve of Palm Sunday, he came to the capital city, stood atop the Mount of Olives to survey the scene, and then wept tears over what he saw. Can you imagine a king or a queen or a president doing that today? They would do it mostly for political reasons. Jesus did it all because he cared.

With that picture in mind, you can easily sense the sarcasm in the voices of those who asked Jesus, "When will the kingdom of God come?" God’s kingdom already has come. It is a spiritual kingdom. God’s kingdom keeps on coming every time we bring another child to his baptismal font, every time we unite together at the Lord’s Table, and every time we share God’s Word with one another. It comes when Christ our King comes to us. It comes in the power of changed lives and loving hearts. It comes in the form of a fellowship of forgiven and forgiving sinners. This fellowship is totally disinterested in reforming the world but totally absorbed in renewing hearts and lives, starting with our own.

So, as you ponder what your King did on Palm Sunday, thank God and rejoice that your Savior is not a king of clubs who sits on a throne and commands your allegiance with force. He is a King of hearts who comes into your heart and wins your allegiance with his forgiving love. He doesn’t treat us like peons, pawns, or peasants. He treats us as lords and kings and priests called to communicate the power of his grace and love to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and to one another.

Why did the cheering for Jesus stop? I believe the cheering stopped during Holy Week because Jesus began to talk more and more about a cross. In the early part of his ministry Jesus talked about the spiritual kingdom of God. The people misunderstood this kingdom to be a restoration of Israel to the days of King David’s glory. On top of that, Jesus began to talk more and more about sacrifice — of giving his life. The people did not comprehend. They didn’t understand sacrifice. How could Jesus be king and still sacrifice himself? They didn’t think he meant it.

Little Bobby was in a pee-wee baseball game when he got up to the plate, looked over to the coach, and saw the coach give the signal to sacrifice bunt. Bobby proceeded to take three big swings and strike out. The coach ran up to him and said, "Didn’t you see me give you the signal to sacrifice." "Yea," the boy replied. "But I didn’t really think that you meant it."

Isn’t that what we so often say to God? "Yes, Lord, I heard all that talk about Jesus’ sacrifice but I didn’t really think that you meant it. I’m not bad enough to need someone to sacrifice himself for me." The cross says emphatically that God did mean it. We are bad enough to need Jesus to sacrifice himself for us.

That is why we cheer for Jesus today. He is our King. He is not anything like what the world wants. But he is everything the world needs. He doesn’t give us everything we want. That would destroy us. He mainly gives us what we need. And the most important thing we need is his sacrifice. That is what saves us. His sacrifice is what gives us salvation. Don’t ever stop cheering for your King. Follow your King today and always. Shout "Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna in the highest." Our King deserves our cheers. Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:21)