Sermon Tone Analysis

*“What Kind of Jesus Are You Looking For?”*

Mark 11:1-11                                                                       Pastor Bruce Dick – BEFC

Palm Sunday                                                                                        April 1, 2007

            Every one of us has been disappointed in our lives.

In fact, it is safe to say that every one of us has been disappointed more times than we can count.

But disappointment is an interesting concept.

Behind the idea of disappointment is the idea that we had a high expectation of something.

Behind the deep ravine of disappointment was a mountaintop of expectation or desire.

Something peeked our interest to a high or even very high level, higher than we normally would have, and something blew up that dream.

The result was disappointment.

I must have been in 6th or 7th grade and it was VBS time in our church.

Our class had a young man by the name of Nolan Beal as our teacher that week and he promised that as a reward for our hard work that week that he and his friend Wayne would take us to Snyder’s Lake as a class.

His friend Wayne had this awesome ski boat.

It was small and fast and the best description I can give you is that it looked like a manta ray.

It was like one giant wing.

That boat was fast and he could turn it so short that it could turn on the part of the motor that stuck in the water.

He also made us this promise, that if any one of us, who were about 12 years old, wanted  to learn how to ski, they would teach us.

Well, I was in for that!

The day came for our little outing to Snyder’s Lake and everyone else was playing on the beach or in the water.

Me?

I was sitting on the dock with a pair of skis on my feet.

I was ready!

I didn’t worry about what would go wrong; I wanted to ski behind this incredible boat.

But then something happened.

As they got close to the dock, which was in kind of a little corner of the lake, his motor hit a submerged rock.

And when they pulled up the motor, the prop was bent too badly to continue that day.

I hoped upon hoped that they could fix this thing or that there was a spare, but no such luck.

The boat was done and so was I.

And this little 12-year old boy saw his hopes dashed.

What I had so desperately hoped for, was so excited about was gone – in an instant.

But you have been disappointed too.

How many of you guys growing up would catch the eye of this pretty girl and if you convinced yourself, you are pretty sure she was looking back at you.

Oh, your heart went into fibrillation!

You crossed her path every time you could, in the hall, in class, on the way into or out of school.

And it seemed like she really liked you.

And so one day, with sweaty palms, you dialed her number; you’re going to ask her out on a date.

She answers and you can barely breathe but you make small talk for all of 30 seconds and then pop the big one – /“Would you like to go to the movie this Friday?”/

– and she says, /“Oh that’s so sweet, but I planned to stay home and wash my hair this Friday.

But thanks so much for asking.

That’s really sweet.”

/And you’re devastated.

(It’s all coming back to me now!)

I could go on and on with lists of disappointments – grades on a test; rejected for a job; even a pregnancy test that is negative; the doctor who, instead of telling you that you are in great health says that you have cancer.

The greatest disappointments come with the highest dreams or expectations.

2000 years ago, dreams and expectations were very, very high, a fever pitch.

Jesus is coming to town.

/Yes, this famous rabbi is finally going to do what we had always dreamed he would – he’s going to become our king.

We believe he’s the Messiah; we can’t understand why he has waited this long to announce what our ancestors have been telling us was coming.

And rumor has it that he/ /will make his grand entrance this week.

Oh, I don’t want to miss this./

The Jewish people had such high expectations on what we call Palm Sunday.

They were looking for Messiah all right, but not a spiritual one; they wanted one like the Roman emperor who would ride in on a white stallion and save them and rescue them and tell them everything was going to be all right.

So what if he’s a rabbi; why can’t a rabbi with such s’mikhah – authority – do it?

No one else has been able to.

But the problem with their expectations and so many of ours today is that we’re hoping for one thing and the reality is another.

We have this picture in our mind and the reality is something entirely different.

We imagine ourselves the president of a business or corporation all the while we’re stacking boxes as a stock boy; we imagine ourselves in a Porsche 911 and we drive a 1983 Chevy.

It’s not wrong to dream; in fact I would encourage you to dream.

It’s just that sometimes we construct an idea of the way things should be, the way we want them to be and that was never what God had in mind.

I think that the story of the Triumphal Entry, as we call it, is a story of misplaced and disappointed expectations.

The Jews were looking for one thing and Jesus was another.

They expected and wanted so badly a political rescuer and Jesus was a spiritual liberator.

They expected a powerful ruler with a sword and a white horse and Jesus was a messenger of peace on a donkey.

They wanted this simple but brilliant rabbi to rescue them from all their external troubles; this rabbi was there to pay for their sins and cleanse them internally.

The heart of the matter was what kind of Jesus they were looking for.

Their expectations were one thing; the reality was another.

In fact the reality Jesus offered was superior in every way to what they were looking for; but in their disappointment, they couldn’t see that.

I want you to take a look at that story with me this morning in Mark 11:1-11, as has already been read.

And as we simply walk through the story, I want you do be doing one other thing; I want you to begin to think about this question:  *What kind of Jesus am I looking for?*

Am I expecting A and he offers B?  Am I looking for this and he gives me that?

And after we have looked at this story, we’ll come back to that question.

So take a look with me again at Mark 11:1-11.

What kind of Jesus were THEY looking for?

VERSE 1:  You perhaps remember that Jesus has been on this 9-month, slow journey to Jerusalem.

He’s working his way from north to east and now across the Jordan River, first to Jericho, where he heals a blind man, saves Zacchaeus, and now is working his way through the rough terrain up from the low wilderness up the back side of the Mount of Olives.

He has many people following him in addition to the 12 disciples.

And every one of them had expectations of what kind of Jesus they were looking for.

Some *loved his miracles* and didn’t dare miss a single day for fear they’d miss seeing another.

Some loved his *teaching;* after all he taught with such s’mikhah – authority; some loved the way he just ripped on the *religious leaders*; man, the way he talked to them was just fun to listen to; some followed because his *life had touched* theirs; there were a whole number of things that his followers were looking for as they followed him.

They get to the two towns near the top of the ridge of the Mount of Olives and Jesus, the master planner, who knew what he was doing, why he was doing it and when to do it, gives these famous instructions in verse 2. 

            VERSE 2-3:  You’ll find the colt of a donkey (not a horse) tied up; he’s never been ridden before; that’s OK; you untie it and bring it to me.

And if anyone asks, just tell them the Lord has need of it.

He’ll bring it back here shortly.

VERSES 4-6:  Not surprisingly – why should they have doubted Jesus?

– they found things just like Jesus had said down to the detail of the guys asking what in the world they were taking that donkey for?

VERSE 7:  I wonder what the disciples were thinking as they put their outer cloaks on that donkey.

/“Jesus has always stayed away from publicity before.

This is going to make a statement that no one will miss.

I wonder if this is the day he realized that he can take over and that the people are behind him?”/

1000’s of questions and thoughts must have been echoing through their minds.

VERSE 8:  Remember that there were tons of other folks there too.

They were following Jesus, but they were also going to Jerusalem for the annual Passover, which every Jewish male and his family were to attend.

This was going to be a Passover unlike any before!

Jesus heads out from the place where they were staying, sitting squarely on top of that donkey, which for some reason wasn’t bucking or fussing or anything – I wonder if anyone picked up on that?

So here is Jesus, gentle shepherd, riding on this donkey, fulfilling prophesies as he does.

Interestingly, the donkey was the animal of choice for royalty through the time of David, who also rode on a donkey as king.

But after David, it was decided that the donkey was no longer a fitting symbol for a king, so the stately horse was chosen.

Zechariah 9:9 had predicted this:  /“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”/

(Zech.