“The Passion According to the Prophets”
Sermon 1: “The Suffering Servant” (Isaiah 53) Jump to “The Suffering Servant” Sermon
Focus: Isaiah foretells Jesus’ suffering 700 years before it happened. Isaiah’s prophecy about the suffering servant shows how His pain brings healing for us.
Sermon 2: “The Rejected Prophet” (Amos 2:12) Jump to “The Rejected Prophet” Sermon
Focus: Like the prophets before Him, Jesus too was rejected by His own people. But this rejection is a central part of His mission of salvation of His people.
Sermon 3: “The Shepherd Who Lays Down His Life” (Ezekiel 34:23-24) Jump to “The Shepherd Who Lays Down His Life” Sermon
Focus: False prophets were crushing God’s people leading them away from the Word. Ezekiel’s prophecy points to God’s promise of a true shepherd who will care for His flock. Jesus comes and fulfills this by laying down His life for His sheep.
Sermon 4: “The Triumphant King” (Zechariah 9:9) Jump to “The Triumphant King” Sermon
Focus: The sermon focuses on the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy in Jesus’ triumphal entry, showing that He comes not with worldly power but with peace and salvation. His victory is won through His sacrificial death, offering us eternal life. It invites us to embrace His humble kingship and reflect on His sacrifice during Lent.
Sermon 5: “The New Covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31-34) Jump to “The New Covenant” Sermon
Focus: New Testament = New Covenant. Old things have passed away. Jeremiah states the promise of a new covenant written on hearts. Jesus fulfills in as he shed his blood on the new covenant for us
CLOSING: “Voices at the Cross… from the Prophets to The Prophet” – Good Friday Sermon Jump to Good Friday Sermon
Sermon 1: “The Suffering Servant” (Isaiah 53)
Intr – I am Isaiah. A servant of the Lord. A prophet, called to speak a word that is often hard to bear. I walk the streets of Jerusalem, crying out to a people who have turned their hearts away from God. They seek their own way. They trust in their own strength. They long for a Saviour—but not this kind of Saviour.
Yet the Lord has given me a vision. A vision that does not look like victory. It looks like defeat. It looks like sorrow, pain, and suffering. It is the vision of the Servant—the One who will redeem us, but at a great cost.
Pierced for Our Transgressions
It happened like this: One day, God gave me a vision. I saw a man, but not the kind of man anyone would expect. He didn’t look royal or majestic, and He certainly didn’t come with armies to destroy our enemies. No, He was humble, rejected, despised. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. I could feel the weight of it, the weight of His pain, like a burden He carried not just for Himself but for everyone else.
As I watched, I felt a deep sorrow, because I knew how this Servant would be treated. I knew how the people would look at Him and turn away. He was despised. People turned away their faces, as if ashamed to look at Him. “Who is He?” they whispered. “Nothing special. Just another man suffering the consequences of His own actions.”
But they wouldn’t understand. They wouldn’t understand that He was not suffering for His own sins. No, He was suffering for ours. And they were wrong. This was no ordinary man suffering for His own sins. He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah, Yeshua. Jesus.[1]
I wanted to cry out to the people, to make them see! “This is not His suffering—this is ours!” But they would not listen. They would not understand. And here’s the part that crushed me the most. They’d think that this Servant was being punished for something He’d done wrong. They would see His suffering and say, “He deserves it.” They wouldn’t know that His suffering was for them. They wouldn’t see that His pain was the only way to heal the brokenness and pain.
The Lamb Who Was Silent
I watched as He was led to the slaughter like a lamb, silent, bearing the full weight of the world’s sin without a word of protest. No one would stand up for Him. No one would defend Him. The people would stand back, watching, not understanding what was happening. But I knew. I knew that He wasn’t just some man who had been forsaken by God, but God’s answer to the world’s sin.
I heard the Lord say, “It is through His suffering that My people will be healed. Through His wounds, they will be made whole.” And I knew it was true. I saw that this suffering wasn’t meaningless. It was the price of our healing. It was the price of our forgiveness.
No one stood up for Him. They all abandoned Him. And then, the final blow. He was cut off from the land of the living. Buried in a rich man’s tomb. It was finished.
Or so it seemed. For then, I’ve learned from the Lord that “By His Wounds we are Healed”.
By His Wounds, We Are Healed
I know, it sounds backwards, doesn’t it? How could the Servant’s suffering bring healing? It doesn’t make sense in the world’s eyes. But God’s ways are not our ways. The Servant’s pain, His sacrifice, would restore what we had lost. It would be the turning point in the history of the world, the moment where God would take our shame and replace it with His grace, take our guilt and replace it with forgiveness.
But still, it wasn’t easy to bear. I couldn’t help but wonder, as I saw Him suffering in my vision, how it could be that this was God’s plan. How could this man—this humble, despised man—be the One to save us? But the Lord revealed to me: Through His suffering, we are healed.
- Our guilt? Taken upon His shoulders.
- Our shame? Covered by His wounds.
- Our death? Destroyed by His death.
Therefore we who, like sheep, have gone astray, what of us? We are forgiven. We are healed. We are made whole again.
The Wisdom of God, the Foolishness of the World
And here’s the thing that God showed me: this suffering Servant wouldn’t stay dead. His death would be the means of our life, and though the world would mourn His death, they would rejoice in His resurrection. He would conquer death and sin, and because of Him, we would be able to stand before God, not in our own righteousness, but in His.
I know this seems like foolishness to the world. They would say, “How can you trust in a man who suffered, a man who was rejected, a man who died?” But I tell you, this is the wisdom of God, hidden from the wise and revealed to those who trust in Him.
For You, Today
Now, this is not just a story of the past. This is your story today.
Are you suffering? He knows suffering. / Are you broken? He was broken for you. / Do you feel abandoned? He was forsaken in your place. / Do you carry guilt? He carried it to the cross.
And in exchange, He gives you His righteousness, His life, His peace. “By His wounds, we are healed.” This is why we gather. This is why we kneel at His altar. This is why live as a Christian Community, united around His Word and Sacraments, in the fellowship of His name, in the actions that show our faith in the Messiah, the Silent Lamb, whose voice we want to make heard around the World.
We can do all of this not because we are strong. Not because we are worthy. But because He was pierced for us.And because He lives. The world mocks it. But we believe it. And in believing, we receive life.
Conclusion: I am Isaiah. I spoke of what was to come. But you—you live in the days when it has already been fulfilled.
And so, I leave you with this: Look to the Servant. Look to the cross. See His suffering—and see your salvation. For through His wounds, you are healed. Amen.
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[1] I saw it clearly. He would be pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. You see, all the sin, all the rebellion, all the ways we turn from God—it would be laid on Him. I could feel the weight of it, the depth of it, as He carried our brokenness on His shoulders. He wasn’t carrying His own guilt, but ours. He would bear it all—our lies, our anger, our selfishness, our pride—and He would carry it all to the cross.
Sermon 2: “The Rejected Prophet” (Amos 2:12)
Sermon – March 19th, 2025 – Wednesday Lent Service
Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC
Text: Amos 2
Theme: “The Rejected Prophet”
Introduction – I am Amos—a shepherd, a dresser of sycamore figs, a man called by God to speak a word that no one wanted to hear. I am not from a family of prophets. I did not seek this calling. But God’s will is God’s will. The Lord took me from tending my flocks because He had a mission for me. However, it was a mission that very few would take pleasure in fulfilling: He sent me to proclaim His truth to a people who didn’t want to hear it.
And what did they do? They did what my people have done again and again with God’s prophets: they silenced them.
They told me, “Do not prophesy!” They rejected the Word of the Lord. My people of Israel thought they were secure. They believed that their wealth, their power, and their rituals were enough. But their hearts were far from God. You could tell just by looking around. You would see oppression of the poor, perversion of justice, and lives lived in self-indulgence while ignoring God’s commandments. Then, when the Lord sent His messengers to call them to repentance, they turned them away. They did not want to listen. They did not want to hear. They rejected the prophet.
The message we received was clear: Do not prophesy. They did not want to hear that the Lord was bringing judgment. They trusted in their own strength; they thought their position as God’s chosen people would protect them from the consequences of their sin. “Do not prophesy,” they said.
The Pattern of Rejection
This is not a new story. It is a pattern as old as Israel itself. God sent His prophets, almost every single time, the people rejected them. They rejected Moses in the wilderness. They rejected Elijah and Elisha. They rejected other prophets. And now, they also rejected me, Amos. “Do not prophesy!” they said. “Do not speak to us of judgment and repentance.”
But the Word of the Lord cannot be silenced. It will be spoken, whether people listen or not. And this rejection did not stop with me. For the greatest prophet of all was yet to come. And He, too, would be rejected.
Jesus, the Rejected Prophet
Long after my time, He came. Not only a prophet but the Prophet.
When Jesus came, He was not born into a family of priests or scribes. He came as a carpenter’s son, a man from Nazareth—an outsider in the eyes of the religious elite. And yet, He spoke with authority, proclaiming the kingdom of God.
What happened when the people met Him and heard Him preach? They marveled at His words, but they did not understand. They saw His miracles, but they did not believe.
Then history repeated itself. The leaders of Israel, like those in my day, wanted to silence Him. They accused Him of blasphemy. They conspired against Him. They handed Him over to be crucified. “Crucify Him!” they cried.
The rejection I faced as a prophet pales in comparison. Jesus faced it in full. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, as Isaiah says. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. They saw His miracles but mocked Him. They heard His words but rejected them.
This was the ultimate rejection, for He was not just another prophet—He was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior.
And in the end, they sought to silence Him. They nailed Him to a cross. They thought they had won. They were wrong. His rejection was necessary—it was part of God’s plan of redemption. For Jesus, the Messiah, was not just another prophet. He was the fulfillment of the message—the Word made flesh.
Rejection as Part of Salvation
This rejection, painful as it was, was part of God’s plan. Just as the people of Israel refused to listen to the prophets, they refused to listen to Jesus. But in their rejection, God was working salvation.
Here’s where you need to notice that my message, which sometimes seems too negative or gloomy, speaks not only of coming judgment but also of coming restoration. “In that day,” the Lord said, “I will raise up the fallen tent of David… I will restore My people” (Amos 9:11-12). Judgment would not be the final word. God’s mercy would triumph.
Jesus’ rejection led Him to the cross, where He bore the sins of the world. But the cross was not the end. On the third day, He rose again, bringing life and salvation to all who believe.
The Stone the Builders Rejected
As you know, the people rejected me and the other prophets. They rejected Jesus. But the Lord declared, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). What they rejected, God made the foundation of our salvation.
– They tried to shut Him up, but His truth echoes louder than ever.
– They tried to cast Him out, but He gathers all people to Himself.
– They tried to bury Him, but He rose victorious from the dead.
He killed death to offer life to all.
In Jesus, God’s mercy was fully revealed. The rejection of Jesus was the price of our acceptance, the suffering of the Servant was for our healing.
For You, Today
The world has not changed much since my time. People still reject God’s Word. There are still hearts that try to silence the voices calling them to repentance. They still turn away from the truth that makes them uncomfortable.
But here is the good news: though the world rejects Him, Jesus does not reject you. Though many turn away, He calls you to Himself. He has taken your sin, your rebellion, your rejection, and He has borne it all on the cross. And in exchange, He gives you His righteousness, His life, His salvation.
Today, I ask you: Do you see it? Jesus is not just another prophet. He is the rejected Prophet—rejected for you. He was cast aside so that you might be received. He was ignored in your place so that you would be heard.
– Do you feel cast aside? He was cast aside for you.
– Do you feel ignored? He was ignored in your place.
– Do you feel forgotten? He was forsaken so that you would never be.
His rejection is your redemption.
Conclusion – So join me in not being afraid to stand with Him. Do not be afraid to proclaim His name. Do not be afraid, even if that means you will be counted among those who the world rejects. For you belong to the One who was rejected for you.
Look to the cross. See His rejection—and see your salvation.
Amen.
Sermon 3: “The Shepherd Who Lays Down His Life” (Ezekiel 34:23-24)
Sermon – March 26th, 2025 – Wednesday Lent Service
Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC
Text: Ezekiel 34:23-24
Theme: “The Shepherd who lays down His life”
Introduction – My name is Ezekiel, a prophet of God. I was called to speak for the Lord in an extremely difficult time— one of devastation and exile. My people of Israel had been taken captive from our promised land into a far away kingdom—Babylon. I lived there among my people, far from our homeland, far from the temple. I saw the scattered sheep, walked among them. I heard their cries, and their manifest desire for a shepherd to care for them.
We were exiled because we were broken, betrayed, and abandoned by those who were supposed to care for us. Again and again, our kings had consistently failed us. Our priests, in their turn, were not in ministry for the Word but for the wealth. They turned to selfish gain and were unfazed as the people were being oppressed. To make matters worse, almost all our prophets had abandoned the truth and spoke blatant lies in the name of the Lord.
But amid all the defeat, shame and loss of hope, God shows that He had not forgotten us. He called me to deliver His promise—a promise of a true shepherd, one who would gather the lost, feed the hungry, and heal the wounded. A shepherd who would not rule for his own gain but for the sake of the sheep.
The False Shepherds
When the Lord called me to be His prophet, He called me to speak against what I saw. And so I did. As I said, the leaders of Israel, those who were supposed to guide and care for the flock of God, were unfaithful and unreliable. Instead of shepherding the people with justice, they had exploited the weak. Instead of binding up the broken, they doubled down on crushing them further. Instead of searching for the lost, they were not troubled by driving them away.
This situation kindled God’s wrath. “Woe to the shepherds of Israel,” He said, “who feed themselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” (Ezekiel 34:2). This is the saddest part of the whole situation: those false shepherds were not just neglectful. They were not just being lazy, living in a laissez-faire style—”everyone can do what you want, we don’t care”. They were predators, they were attackers, they were shamelessly devouring the very ones they were supposed to protect.
The True Shepherd
In that context of oppression, fear and anxiousness, God made a promise. The Lord promised to raise one Shepherd, one who would truly care for His people. He put His words in my mouth and this is what I spoke: “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:23)
That was puzzling. David? The Great King David reigned as king of our people from around 1000 BC to 960 BC and likely died around 960 BC. That was even before our Kingdom was split in two, Israel and Judah. My prophetic ministry began in 593 BC and continued at least until 571 BC. That means by the time God gave me this prophecy to be proclaimed, David had been dead for approximately 400 years. How then would the Lord send his Servant David to feed His people?
The answer is in the fact that this was no promise of an earthly king—this was a promise of the King. The True Shepherd to come was the true Son of David. The Good Shepherd. The One who would not come to steal, kill, or destroy but to give life.
Jesus, the Fulfillment
Centuries after I spoke these words, God’s servant David, the true Shepherd, arrived. Exactly as I had prophesied, which proves God’s word to be true once again. That, by the way, was the sign of a real prophet—if the words he uttered came true or not. As Moses wrote in Deuteronomy, a prophet is known by whether his predictions come to pass. [1]
The prophecy I spoke in the name of the Lord came true in its fulness when the Good Shepherd, Jesus, came into this world. He did not come in royal garments though but enveloped in swaddling cloths. He did not come with an army to defeat earthly kingdoms, but with healing hands to bring people into the Kingdom of God. As opposed to the false shepherds of my time, He did not come to take and exploit, but to give and extend salvation. To all.
And when He came, He said words that echoed my prophecy: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
This is the beauty and perfection of the Good Shepherd’s work of love: He did what no king of Israel ever did. He laid down His own life to save the flock. He took the cross for the corrupt, the wounds of the wandering sheep, the scourging for the scoffers. He was not like the false shepherds who exalted themselves out of love of gain—He humbled Himself out of love for the sheep.
The Shepherd in Our Lives
Today I invite you to look around you, the world in which you live now. Though I spoke centuries ago, the pattern continues. This is a world, a generation that is still full of false shepherds. You will find many voices that promise security but lead to fear. You will encounter leaders who serve themselves rather than their people. False prophets and greedy shepherds who live seemingly unfazed as they twist God’s Word to make it more comfortable, more appealing. Especially, more profitable, since they are not in the business for the love of souls but for the love of sales. Just like the false shepherds of my time, there are those who will not shy away from following their passion for profit rather than passion for The Prophet—Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Saviour of His People.
But the true Shepherd still speaks. He still gathers His flock through His Word and feeds them. He cares for them and leads them in their daily life. Just as through my prophetic ministry the Lord declared, “I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them,” He fulfilled His promise in Christ Jesus, who declared, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”[2] My words of prophecy declared that God would establish a covenant of peace through His shepherd. Jesus came and fulfilled this prophecy by reconciling us to the Father through His sacrifice.
And the Good Shepherd doesn’t merely tend the sheep from a distance. He walks among us. He knows our weaknesses and your wounds. His rod and staff are not instruments of punishment but of protection and guidance, bringing comfort to those who follow Him.
He calls you by name. He leads you to green pastures. And He laid down His life for you.
Conclusion – I am Ezekiel. I saw the scattered sheep. I heard the promise of the true Shepherd. And now, you have seen Him too. His name is Jesus. He is not just a shepherd—He is your Shepherd.
And He has laid down His life, so that you may live.
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[1] Deuteronomy 18:21-22: “And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
Jeremiah 28:9: “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”
[2] John 10
Sermon 4: “The Triumphant King” (Zechariah 9:9)
Sermon – April 2nd, 2025 – Wednesday Lent Service
Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC
Text: Zechariah 9:9
Theme: “The Triumphant King”
Introduction – “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Perhaps you are familiar with these words. Do you remember their context?
I am Zechariah, a prophet of the Lord. I lived in a time when our people were in trouble—deep trouble. Suffering was our daily bread, and sorrow, our daily water. Foreign rulers came to our land and took us away from the life that we knew and were familiar with. We were exiled, oppressed, and hopeless. Jerusalem was in ruins, and the temple was destroyed.
In that scenario of despair, God called me to a mission that may seem rather odd. I should speak words of hope. A people trapped in a crushing present would now be promised a crowning future. That might be really hard to believe. Those words seemed too good to be true. Nonetheless, the Lord promised through my preaching that a king would come.
However, this King would not be like the kings we had seen before, who ruled with power, oppression and pride. He would be the Humble King, coming in humility to bring peace and salvation for His people—and for the entire world. I saw it clearly, and I spoke clearly as well: “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” (Zechariah 9:9).
The Promise of the Triumphant King
As I said before, God gave me these words to speak to the ears of my people in a time of great despair. Our kings had failed us, our people were lost, and we were far from the promised land. In such a context it is easy to feel that no one cared for us, no one tended to God’s flock, no one would be willing to lead with righteousness or humility.
The promise of a future King to restore our hope and bring us peace and salvation made sense when one looks to the past. In the history of my people Israel, we had time and time again, kings who promised peace, spoke of better days, and instilled promises of hope. But those were shallow, false promises. Instead, what we got were wars and suffering. The cycle seemed endless: wars, betrayals, broken promises. Repeat. It’s easy to see how the people were desperate for someone who would not come crashing down on them with rules and ravaging greed, but would lead them in righteousness, constancy, and peace. Someone who could bring true salvation.
Now, imagine what it must have been like to hear the prophecy I uttered. The people were longing for a king, a warrior, someone who would conquer their enemies and restore the kingdom to its former glory. But I spoke of a different kind of King—one who would come humbly, riding on a donkey. Not a majestic warhorse, not an imposing chariot, but a donkey, a symbol of peace. This King would not bring about victory through war, but through righteousness and salvation. This humble King would be the One who would not only come for His people, but would give His life for them.
Jesus, the Fulfillment
Many years passed after I spoke these words. Centuries later, the promise that God gave me to proclaim was fulfilled. Jesus, the Son of God, entered Jerusalem exactly as I had foretold. On a day that must have seemed just like any other day in the city of Jerusalem, something incredible happened. The crowds gathered and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”[1] There He was, the Great and Glorious King, promised by me and many of the prophets through words of Divine revelation. Not in a glorious chariot or with a great army, but humbly, riding on a donkey.
Can you imagine it? The King had come, one who came not to serve Himself with power, but to exercise the power to serve. The crowds on the streets could not contain their joy. They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9). He came to fulfill the promise that I had spoken centuries before: “Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey.”
The Paradox of the Triumphant King
Although, here’s the paradox of this King: He is the triumphant King, but His triumph comes through His humility and His sacrifice. Jesus did not come to conquer nations or to establish an earthly throne. He came to conquer death and sin. He came to reconcile God and man. As the crowds waved their palm branches and laid their coats on the ground, they probably had no idea that their King would soon be crowned with thorns and that His throne would be a cross. Actually, some in that crowd that shouted “Hosanna” on that Palm Sunday might be among those who would soon be crying, “Crucify Him!” just days later. People who welcomed Jesus as their King would later dismiss Him as a criminal.[2] But in that moment, even if unknowingly, they were proclaiming the truth: the King had come.
Jesus had come to establish a different kind of kingdom—one that would triumph over sin and death. My prophecy was about the heavenly King. The One who would come to bring salvation through His suffering and death. Imagine hearing about a King who cares for “you,” rather than the type of kings, who time and time again, cared more about themselves. What a set of promising, refreshing, saving words!
I prophesied that He would come humble and mounted on a donkey, and that is exactly what He did. But He would also die, humbly and obediently, in order to bring salvation to all. His triumph was not in military might, but in His perfect sacrifice on the cross for you and me. And He would rise again in victory.
The Triumphant King in Our Lives
In your day today, you too are called to rejoice. You too are called to shout, “Hosanna!”(which means: “Save us!”) because our King has come, and He is still with us. He still reigns, not from an earthly throne, but from the throne of grace. Jesus’ victory is different from worldly expectations. His Kingdom is not about earthly power, but about spiritual redemption, as He guides us with His love, His mercy, and His forgiveness. He comes to us in the Word, and in the Sacraments, with His Real Presence in humble bread and wine, to bring us peace and salvation.
When you face trials and suffering, when you are tempted to look for strength in earthly solutions, you are called to place our faith and trust in the humble King with your whole heart. His victory is our victory. His triumph over sin and death is our triumph. The King has come. He has laid down His life for His sheep. And He reigns—forever and ever.
Conclusion – I, Zechariah, proclaimed the coming of a King who would bring salvation through humility. And that King has come. He came humbly, riding on a donkey, bringing peace. He came to lay down His life for us, to reconcile us to the Father.
This is not too good to be true. For Jesus is, “The Good One”. And Jesus is “The Truth.” Therefore, this word is for you too: “Rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for your King has come”. And He has come to save you. Amen
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[1] They recognized something in Jesus, even if they didn’t fully understand it. Jesus, the One they had seen healing, teaching, and performing miracles, was riding into Jerusalem—just as I had prophesied, riding on a donkey.
[2] During Holy Week, one of the most striking contrasts in the Gospels is the shift from Palm Sunday’s joyous celebration to Good Friday’s angry condemnation. Many have wondered: were the same people who welcomed Jesus with palm branches also the ones who, days later, shouted for His crucifixion?
The Biblical Evidence
The Gospels do not explicitly say that the same individuals who shouted “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday later cried out “Crucify Him!” on Good Friday. However, they do present a dramatic shift in the attitude of the people of Jerusalem.
- Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:9, John 12:13): A crowd joyfully welcomes Jesus, hailing Him as the Son of David and the coming King.
- Good Friday (Matthew 27:22-23, Mark 15:13-14): Another crowd, incited by the religious leaders, demands Jesus’ execution before Pilate.
What Do Lutheran Theologians Say?
Lutheran scholars have long reflected on this contrast. While some overlap between the two crowds is possible, many emphasize that different groups of people were likely involved.
Martin Luther
On the Cross as the Victory of Christ: In his “Sermons on the Passion of Christ” (1529), Luther expounds on the necessity of Christ’s suffering and death:
“Christ had to suffer and die to bear the sins of the world. The very fact that He was rejected, scorned, and crucified by the people shows that He was bearing the sins of the world. The crowds, who hailed Him with joy one day, would be the same who demanded His death, for sin is so deeply embedded in human hearts that even the closest followers of Jesus could not understand what He was truly doing.”
Luther describes the fickleness of human nature in his Lectures on Galatians:
“The human heart is like a ship tossed to and fro on the waves. Today it is full of joy, and tomorrow it is full of sadness. Today it is ready to sing Hosanna, and tomorrow it is shouting, ‘Crucify him.’”
R.C.H. Lenski – The Interpretation of St. Matthew and St. Luke
Lenski, in his commentary on Matthew and Luke, discusses the nature of the crowd that welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday and contrasts it with those who demanded His crucifixion.
On the Palm Sunday Crowds (Matthew 21:9)
“The multitudes that went before and that followed after had caught the excitement of the moment. They were pilgrims and residents of Jerusalem who saw Jesus as the great prophet, perhaps even the promised Messiah who would restore Israel. Yet their understanding was shallow, and their faith was not grounded in the truth of His mission.”
Lenski notes that the people were moved by enthusiasm and political expectations rather than a deep recognition of Jesus as the suffering servant.
On the Crowd Before Pilate (Matthew 27:22-23)
“This was a different crowd, incited by the chief priests and elders, who worked to turn public opinion against Jesus. Many of those who hailed Him had little knowledge of what was happening in the halls of power. The chief priests manipulated the gathered crowd, many of whom would have had no strong convictions about Jesus either way.”
Lenski argues that the crowd before Pilate was likely composed of different people than those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. However, he does not rule out that some who were present on Palm Sunday could have also been swayed by the religious leaders and joined in condemning Him. He sees the shift as less about individual betrayal and more about the fickle nature of public sentiment when influenced by authority figures.
Paul E. Kretzmann – Popular Commentary of the Bible
Kretzmann, in his Popular Commentary of the Bible, also discusses the contrasting attitudes of the people in Jerusalem during Holy Week.
On Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:9)
“The people were enthusiastic, welcoming Jesus as a King, yet their enthusiasm was misguided. They did not yet understand the nature of His kingdom, which was not of this world. Their acclamation was based on their own desires, not on the true knowledge of Christ’s mission.”
Kretzmann emphasizes that their praise was real but rooted in misunderstanding. They expected a political Messiah, not one who would suffer and die.
On the Crowd Before Pilate (Mark 15:11-13)
“The high priests had been working against Jesus for days. They had chosen the perfect moment, in the early morning when the faithful followers of Jesus would not yet be aware. The crowd before Pilate was made up largely of those whom the chief priests had swayed—likely different from the multitude that had welcomed Him. Their cry for His crucifixion was the voice of a mob, easily manipulated.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer – “The Cost of Discipleship”
Bonhoeffer, a 20th-century Lutheran theologian, addresses the fickleness of human nature in the context of following Christ. In The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer reflects on the idea of cheap grace and the true cost of discipleship. Although he does not directly address the crowd’s shift on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, his reflections on human sin and discipleship can be applied to understanding the crowds’ behavior. “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This speaks to the rejection of Christ and the misunderstanding of His mission. The crowd, who initially hailed Jesus as King, failed to understand that His kingship was not of this world and that His path involved suffering and death for the salvation of humanity.
Hermann Sasse – “We Confess Jesus Christ”
Hermann Sasse was a 20th-century Lutheran theologian who often reflected on the significance of Christ’s passion. In We Confess Jesus Christ, he explores the role of the Passion narratives in understanding the nature of sin, redemption, and Christ’s work. Sasse argues that the rejection of Jesus by the crowds is part of God’s redemptive plan, revealing both the depth of human sin and the fulfillment of prophecy:
“The rejection of Jesus by the people of Israel…is not a tragic error but is rather the means by which God fulfills His salvation plan. It is through the suffering and rejection of Christ that the world is saved, even as the very people who hailed Him as king now demand His crucifixion.”
Robert Kolb – “The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way”
Robert Kolb, a well-known contemporary Lutheran theologian, in his Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way, touches on the role of the crowds in the Passion of Christ. While Kolb doesn’t dwell on the crowds’ behavior specifically, he highlights the rejection of Jesus as part of the sinful human condition that needs Christ’s redemptive work:
“The rejection of Christ by the very people who had celebrated Him is a stark reminder that the human heart is darkened by sin. The cries of ‘Hosanna’ are fleeting, and when the will of God is revealed in the cross, the sinful heart rebels. Yet, it is precisely in this rejection that God’s plan of salvation is fulfilled.”
Whether or not the exact same people were present at both events, the contrast between Palm Sunday and Good Friday reveals deep spiritual truths:
- Human nature is fickle. People are easily swayed by emotions, expectations, and outside influences.
- Sin blinds people to Christ’s true mission. Many who welcomed Jesus expected a political king, not a suffering servant.
- Christ’s rejection was necessary for our salvation. As Hermann Sasse wrote, “It is through the suffering and rejection of Christ that the world is saved, even as the very people who hailed Him as king now demand His crucifixion.”
Sermon 5: “The New Covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Sermon – April 9th, 2025 – Wednesday Lent Service
Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC
Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Theme: “The New Covenant”
Introduction – I am Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord. I lived in a time when our city, Jerusalem, was devastated. The temple, the very place where God had chosen to dwell among us, lay in ruins. Our people were lost, scattered, exiled, and broken.
But there was a reason for that situation. God’s judgment had come upon us because we had, over and over again, broken the covenant that He made with us at Sinai.
You know how the pattern goes: one begins to move slightly away from God’s Word, creating their own ways, their own words, and their own narratives. But what starts as a slight deviation eventually turns into blatant idolatry. Our people had turned from His ways, chasing after false gods. This led to trusting in our own strength and ultimately rejecting God’s Word and His commands for our lives. There could be no other outcome but hard consequences falling upon us.
Have you ever felt like that? You strayed from God’s Word—a little, or maybe a lot—and suddenly found yourself in a place you never intended to be? You’re hit hard with the consequences of your actions, and in that moment, all you crave is a message of comfort and hope.
So hear my message today. For in the midst of devastation, the Lord gave me a message of hope—a promise from His grace that would change everything. The Lord told His people that He would establish a new covenant. Not one written on tablets of stone, like the covenant given to Moses, but one written on the hearts of His people. His words were truly comforting and encouraging: He would forgive our iniquities and remember our sins no more.
The Broken Covenant
When the Lord speaks of a new covenant, it implies a previous one. That was the perfect covenant He made with our ancestors at Mount Sinai. This covenant was made out of love and grounded in His gracious and solid promises. But as you can read in the pages of God’s Word in the Old Testament, time and time again, we failed to keep it. Many prophets before me warned the people of the consequences of their rebellion. At times, they listened, repented, and returned to the Lord, but so often, they refused to hear.
God was faithful, but we were faithless. He was steadfast, but we wandered. The Law was meant to bring safe boundaries, but we turned it into a burden. As sinners—imperfect and ever rebellious—we kept breaking our end of the covenant. Did we need proof of our failure? We only had to look at the exile that had befallen us, the destruction of the temple that broke our hearts, and our shattered nation that was no more.
And yet, God did not abandon us. Instead of casting us aside, He gave me a vision of something greater to proclaim—something new. A new covenant.
The Promise of the New Covenant
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…” (Jeremiah 31:31). This new covenant would be greater than the previous one. It would be the perfect fuliflment of God’s Will. The Lord knows how bad we are at obeying and keeping our end of things in the covenant with Him. So this new covenant would, again, not be dependent on our ability to uphold it—He Himself would write it on our hearts. He would be our God, and we would be His people. He would forgive us fully and completely.
But how? How could a holy and just God simply disregard sin and accept us in Grace, giving us peace and life? What about all the rituals, the sacrifices, and the demands of the first covenant?
Jesus, the Fulfillment of the New Covenant
Centuries later, the answer was revealed. The Messiah, the Son of God, came into the world. The Messiah we all hoped for came to to fulfill God’s Promises. Jesus took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. On the night before His death, He lifted a cup and said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). He was speaking of this new covenant—the one I had foretold.
Just as in the Old Testament, the new covenant—the New Testament (for that is what “testament” means: covenant)—was not based on our obedience but on His grace. God acted in grace in the Old Testament, and in the new covenant, that grace was fulfilled in Christ. That’s why it depended not on our ability to keep it but on His Son’s ability to fulfill the Law and give His own blood for us.
Jesus did what we never could. He fulfilled the Law perfectly and then gave Himself as the sacrifice to make this new covenant a reality. The forgiveness I announced in Jeremiah 31 was secured through His Cross. No more sacrifices, no more rituals, for the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, was offered for all. No longer was the temple the place of God’s presence, but Jesus Himself became the meeting place between God and man.
Because of Him, His Law of Love is written on the hearts of believers by the Holy Spirit. Through faith in Christ, we are made new. We belong to God—not because of our obedience, but because of His grace.
The New Covenant in Our Lives
This news is for you, too. It means that your sins are forgiven—completely and fully. It means that God does not hold your past against you. He does not remember your iniquities. That burden of guilt that weighs upon you? It has been lifted.
It also means that your relationship with God is not based on rules, rituals, or religious performance. It is based on Grace. You belong to Him because He has called you by name and written His law on your heart. The works you do and your desire to follow and do His will and fruits of the faith in this New Covenant that He has given You through the action of the Holy Spirit.
It means that you live as people of the new covenant—people who trust in Jesus Christ, the One who has made all things new. As you heard from the Gospel today, this new covenant in His blood is offered in the Sacrament He instituted, giving you the forgiveness of sins and life eternal. As often as you celebrate the blessed Sacrament, you receive His real presence, strengthening your faith and reaffirming over and over again that God’s new covenant will never fail.
You may fail, go astray, and wander in sin. But He will always keep His side of the covenant and always call you back to Him in repentance and faith.
Conclusion – I, Jeremiah, spoke of a time when God would do something greater than we had ever known. That time has come for You. The new covenant has been established in Christ. His blood has sealed it. His grace has made it ours.
The old things have passed away. The new has come. You are forgiven. You are His. And He will remember your sins no more. Amen.
CLOSING: “Voices at the Cross… from the Prophets to The Prophet” – Good Friday Sermon
Sermon – April 17th, 2025 – GOOD FRIDAY
Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC
Text: Philippians 2:5-11, Psalm 118, Dt 32 and John 12:12-19
Theme: “Voices at the Cross – from the Prophets to the Prophet”
(Capping off the Series: “The Passion according to the Prophets”]
Intr – (Pastor/Isaiah) Dear friends: tonight, we gather beneath the shadow of the cross. Good Friday.
But we are not alone.
Across centuries and scrolls, across empires and exiles, voices still echo— Voices who longed for what we now see: the day in which the greatest of all promises, foretold by every true prophet, was fulfilled. We were the prophets, who spoke of sorrow and hope, of judgment and redemption. We saw Him—dimly, from afar. The Servant. The Shepherd. The King. The Prophet. The Covenant.
During our Lenten Series, through the series, “The Passion According to the Prophets.” We brought voices that pointed to the promise that we know God has fulfilled. Tonight, we speak again. Isaiah, myself; Ezekiel, Amos, Zechariah and Jeremiah. Listen, not only to our words—but to the One these words reveal. Jesus, the man on the Cross for us. For the World.
PASTOR LUCAS [ISAIAH] First, hear from me, a prophet who saw suffering… and healing.
I am Isaiah. I walked the streets of Jerusalem, calling out to a people who didn’t want to listen.
But I saw Him—long before He came. A servant. Suffering.
I saw Him despised, rejected. I saw the stripes laid across His back.
I saw the sorrow in His eyes. And I knew—this pain was not His.
It was ours.
“He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities… and by His wounds, we are healed.” He did not speak in His own defense. He bore it silently. Like a lamb led to the slaughter. This is the Servant of the Lord. The One you now see hanging on the cross for the sins of the world.
But I was not the only one who saw Him.
[AMOS enters] Pastor: Hear now from a blunt and burdened voice—one who cried out for justice and truth.
BRUCE – AMOS
I am Amos. A shepherd. A fig tree dresser. A man no one asked for.
But God called me to speak. I cried out against false peace and shallow worship. I warned them: “You silence the prophets. You reject the Word.”
And now—look. On that Good Friday, the people rejected more than a prophet. They rejected the Word made flesh. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” The Only and One Prophet, Priest and King – Jesus. They shouted, “Crucify Him!”
But this…this was not failure. Where many so disasters, tragedy and the end of hope and dreams, God was in action. The appointed the Rejected One is to become the Chosen One. The one who was cast-out by those who couldn’t listen to the promise was the Cornerstone upon which the promise was made – and fulfilled.
His rejection is our redemption. His silence… our salvation.
[EZEKIEL entering]: Now, hear from a prophet among exiles—one who spoke of a Shepherd for the scattered and broken.
BILL – EZEKIEL
I am Ezekiel. I lived among the exiles. Far from the temple. Far from hope. Our shepherds had failed us—feeding themselves instead of the sheep. I walked among a very sad picture of the people of God. I strolled among the wounded and the weary, in need of comfort and Hope.
Then God gave me a word of promise: “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David… and he shall feed them.” Some went skeptic: “How come, if David has been dead for centuries?” they would mock. But the promise was bigger than that. It pointed to someone greater. Someone eternal.
And now you see Him. Jesus. The Good Shepherd. He does not run from danger. He lays down His life for the sheep. He carries the broken. He binds the wounds.
He gives His life—for them. For us. For you.
[ZECHARIAH enters] Pastor: Listen now to a prophet of hope—who spoke of a King unlike any other.
SIMON – ZECHARIAH
I am Zechariah. I was called to speak light into darkness. To proclaim the coming of a King—not with chariots or armies,
but riding on a donkey. “Behold, your King comes to you… righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey.” And they shouted “Hosanna!”
But they didn’t understand. Their King came not to conquer, as many of them expected to, but to suffer, as many of them were not prepared to. He did not come to ascend a throne, but to be lifted—on a cross. A triumphant King… crowned with thorns. He was a righteous ruler… but He was condemned as a damned criminal.
Reason can’t grasp it. Human strength and wisdom can’t fathom it. And yet—He is the King. The King who calls His people into His Kingdom which will have no end.
[JEREMIAH enters] pastor: Lastly, listen to the weeping prophet—who spoke of ruins… and a new covenant.
STEVEN – JEREMIAH
I am Jeremiah. I watched the temple fall. I wept over its ruins. I saw the brokenness of our people… and of our promises. Even though God was always faithful to every single word He uttered, we failed on our end. Repeatedly.
But in the rubble, God gave me hope: “I will make a new covenant… not like the old one…I will write it on their hearts. I will forgive their iniquity. I will remember their sin no more.”
Tonight we see that New Covenant becoming reality. The covenant is inaugurated with blood. Not with the blood of bulls or lambs…But with the blood of the Lamb.
Jesus, the New Covenant in flesh and blood. He fulfills the Law.
He bears the curse. And in Him…we are forgiven. Fully. Forever.
ISAIAH: And now—you know. We saw Him from afar.
But you… You have seen the fulfillment. The evangelists told you how He was betrayed with a kiss…handed over to sinners… mocked… beaten… crowned with thorns. They told you how He carried His cross, how He was nailed to it between criminals,
how the sky grew dark, and the temple curtain was torn in two.
They told you how He cried out, “It is finished,” and breathed His last. And now, standing here with us at the foot of the cross, you know what it means.
The suffering was not in vain. The silence was not defeat. The cross was not the end. From promise… to fulfillment. From the prophets… to the Prophet. This Jesus is the One.
The Servant.
The Shepherd.
The King.
The Prophet.
The Covenant.
Your Savior.
[ALL PROPHETS (softly, reverently):] “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
Rev. Lucas Andre Albrecht
