William H. Willimon - "Who Is This?" (March 31, 1996)

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Pastor	Dear friends, for five weeks of Lent,	0:00
	we have been preparing by works of charity	0:03
	and self sacrifice, for the celebration	0:07
	of our Lord's Paschal mystery.	0:10
	Today we come together to begin this solemn celebration	0:12
	in union with the whole Church throughout the world.	0:16
	Christ entered in triumph into his own city,	0:20
	to complete his work as our Messiah.	0:23
	To suffer, to die, and arise again.	0:26
	Let us remember with devotion this entry	0:32
	which began his saving work,	0:35
	and follow him with a lively faith,	0:38
	united with him in his suffering on the cross.	0:41
	May we share his resurrection and new life.	0:44
Minister	Let us pray.	0:54
	Almighty God, we pray you bless these branches	0:58
	and make them holy.	1:04
	Today we joyfully claim Jesus our Messiah and king.	1:06
	May we reach, one day, the happiness	1:11
	of the new and everlasting Jerusalem	1:13
	by faithfully following him, who lives and reigns	1:16
	forever and ever, Amen.	1:20
Preacher	Let us pray.	1:27
	Lord, increase the faith of your people,	1:30
	and listen to our prayers.	1:33
	Today we honor Christ, our triumphant king,	1:35
	by carrying these branches.	1:39
	May we honor you every day by living always in him,	1:41
	for he is Lord, forever and ever, Amen.	1:45
Lector	A reading from chapter 11 of Mark's gospel.	2:04
	"When they were approaching Jerusalem,	2:08
	at Bethphage in Bethany, near the Mount of Olives,	2:11
	he sent two of his disciples, and said to them,	2:15
	"Go into the village ahead of you,	2:18
	"and immediately as you enter it,	2:20
	"you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden.	2:23
	"Untie it, and bring it.	2:28
	"If anyone says to you why are you doing this?	2:31
	"Just say, the Lord needs it,	2:35
	"and will send it back here immediately."	2:37
	They went away and found a colt tied near a door,	2:41
	outside in the street.	2:45
	As they were untying it,	2:47
	some of the bystanders said to them,	2:49
	"What are you doing, untying the colt?"	2:52
	They told them what Jesus had said,	2:55
	and they allowed them to take it.	2:58
	Then they brought the colt to Jesus	3:01
	and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.	3:03
	Many people spread their cloaks on the road,	3:07
	and others spread leafy branches	3:10
	that they had cut in the fields.	3:13
	Then those who went ahead and those who followed	3:16
	were shouting Hosannah, blessed is the one who comes	3:19
	in the name of the Lord.	3:23
	Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor, David.	3:25
	Hosannah, in the highest heaven.	3:29
	Then Jesus entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple.	3:33
	And when he had looked around at everything,	3:38
	as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12.	3:41
	The word of the Lord.	3:48
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	3:50
Pastor	Let us go forth in peace,	3:58
	praising Jesus our Messiah, as did the crowds	4:00
	who welcomed him to Jerusalem.	4:04
	(organ music)	4:09
	(congregation sings)	4:51
-	Let us pray the prayer for illumination.	12:36
All	Open our hearts an minds oh God,	12:39
	by the power of your Holy Spirit.	12:42
	So that as Jesus led his disciples into Jerusalem,	12:45
	we might follow him where he would lead us, Amen.	12:50
-	The Gospel reading is from Matthew chapter 21,	12:58
	verses one through 15.	13:01
	When they had come near Jerusalem	13:07
	and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives,	13:08
	Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,	13:12
	"Go into the village ahead of you and immediately	13:15
	"you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.	13:18
	"Untie them and bring them to me.	13:23
	"If anyone says anything to you, just say this.	13:26
	"The Lord needs them, and he will send them immediately."	13:30
	This took place to fulfill what had been spoken	13:35
	through the prophet, saying,	13:38
	"Tell the daughter of Zion, look your king is coming to you,	13:40
	"humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt,	13:45
	"the foal of a donkey."	13:48
	The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.	13:51
	They brought the donkey and the colt,	13:55
	and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.	13:58
	A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road	14:02
	and others cut branches from the trees	14:06
	and spread them on the road.	14:09
	The crowd that went ahead of them, and that followed,	14:11
	were shouting, Hosannah to the son of David,	14:15
	blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.	14:18
	Hosannah in the highest heaven.	14:22
	When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil,	14:26
	asking, "Who is this?"	14:29
	The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus	14:32
	"from Nazareth in Galilee."	14:36
	Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out	14:40
	all who were selling and buying in the temple.	14:42
	And he overturned the tables of the money changers,	14:46
	and the seats of those who sold doves.	14:49
	He said to them, "It is written, my house shall be called	14:52
	"a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers."	14:56
	The blind and the lame came to him in the temple,	15:02
	and he cured them.	15:05
	But when the chief priests and the scribes	15:07
	saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children	15:10
	crying out in the temple, Hosannah to the son of David,	15:14
	they became angry.	15:18
	This is the word of the Lord.	15:22
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	15:24
	(organ music)	15:55
	(choir sings)	16:08
-	The whole city was in turmoil.	20:40
	Everyone was asking "Who is this?"	20:43
	One of the reasons why occasionally we go downtown	20:50
	and we stand on the sidewalk with others for hours,	20:53
	waiting for the parade to begin, is we want to get a glimpse	20:59
	of someone famous.	21:05
	At last the parade begins, and there are	21:08
	the black limousines bearing dignitaries, and the bands,	21:13
	and then, at last we get a glimpse of the President,	21:17
	or Madonna, or whoever it is we've come down to see.	21:23
	We've seen these people on TV,	21:28
	we've seen them in the papers,	21:31
	but we want to see them for ourselves,	21:32
	we want to get a glimpse for ourselves.	21:36
	I yet remember my glimpse of President Eisenhower,	21:42
	zipping by in a black limousine,	21:47
	waving disinterestedly to the crowd.	21:49
	When he got through, I remember my mother asked,	21:53
	"Well, what did you think?"	21:56
	and I said, "He looks like our grocer."	21:57
	He didn't look like a president.	22:02
	Well everyone had turned out that day in Jerusalem,	22:08
	Jesus, who had made quite a name for himself	22:11
	in the hinterland, Jesus has at last come	22:15
	to the capital city.	22:19
	He always avoided coming to the big city,	22:21
	but now he is come, and a huge throng has gathered there,	22:25
	waving palms, and Matthew says one question	22:30
	was on everybody's lips that day:	22:35
	"Who is this?"	22:40
	The crowd quickly comes to some conclusions about Jesus.	22:44
	In the very next verse, answer is given	22:50
	to their Palm Sunday parade question.	22:53
	"This is the prophet,	22:56
	Jesus of Nazareth."	23:01
	The prophet, there you have it, Jesus is not primarily	23:04
	a wonder worker of miracles, he is not some Bible quoting	23:09
	rabbi, he is a prophet.	23:13
	He is a speaker of God's truth.	23:16
	That's what prophets do, they speak the truth of God to us.	23:21
	And if they hailed him as prophet, I expect that day,	23:28
	there were at least two predominant reactions	23:31
	to that declaration.	23:33
	If you were one of the little people, most people	23:37
	in the world, you might have been excited,	23:41
	because the prophets of Israel	23:46
	were always on the side of the little people,	23:48
	they always spoke up for those who had no voice.	23:51
	They spoke against the injustices	23:56
	of the rich and the powerful, that was prophets.	23:58
	On the other hand, if you were rich and powerful,	24:03
	like most of us here,	24:05
	you might have viewed the entry of Jesus into town	24:10
	with more than a little consternation.	24:13
	Because the prophets of Israel were notoriously rough	24:18
	on the idle rich and the politicians, and the powerful,	24:22
	and particularly the clergy.	24:28
	And you will note that some of that ambivalence	24:32
	characterizes some of this service,	24:33
	the music of this service, is it joyful,	24:36
	or is it a bit discordant and threatening?	24:39
	Well, if a prophet has come to us, it's hard to know.	24:44
	Prophecy had about died out by the first century,	24:48
	prophecy was rare.	24:52
	And so if it is true that a prophet is at last among us,	24:55
	it is going to be a hot time in this old town.	24:59
	John the Baptist was hailed by his followers as a prophet.	25:07
	He talked like a prophet.	25:11
	When he preached, King Herod listened in	25:14
	on one of his sermons in which he called the rich	25:17
	and the clergy and the authorities, brood of vipers,	25:20
	and King Herod murdered John.	25:23
	'Cause prophets and the powerful never are close.	25:28
	And maybe that's why prophecy is so rare.	25:33
	Speakers of the truth, that's rare,	25:35
	I can tell you as a pastor, it's lot easier to be a pastor	25:38
	than to be a prophet.	25:41
	You quickly learn, it's easier to flatter people in sermons	25:43
	than try to stand up and speak God's truth.	25:46
	Prophecy is rare in any age.	25:51
	Reinhold Niebuhr as a young pastor said that	25:55
	he always thought there were so many boring sermons,	25:58
	and so many tame little preachers,	26:02
	because preachers were afraid, they were afraid	26:04
	to ruffle their congregation for fear they'd get fired.	26:06
	And that's part of it.	26:11
	But Niebuhr said as a young pastor, he quickly learned	26:14
	that's not the whole story, no, when you're a pastor,	26:17
	you learn to love these people, you participate	26:20
	in their struggles, and Niebuhr said,	26:24
	"There's so little prophecy, because it's tough	26:27
	"to say unpleasant things to people you've learned to love."	26:31
	And for whatever reason,	26:40
	there's just not many prophets around,	26:43
	and so they said, "Look, Jesus, a prophet!"	26:47
	and the whole city was excited.	26:50
	Who is this, a prophet,	26:54
	and yet, as rare as prophets are,	26:59
	as rare are sermons that tell the truth	27:06
	and tell it straight,	27:09
	even prophets are not enough.	27:13
	Speaking the truth, that's always in short supply,	27:20
	but even that is not enough.	27:23
	Speaking the truth is tough, but doing the truth,	27:28
	being the truth, that's even more rare.	27:33
	You know this, aren't there Sundays around here	27:38
	when church seems like an exercise in deep frustration?	27:41
	You come here, I preach about what's right,	27:48
	I tell you how to do right, I just fill the air with should,	27:51
	ought, must,	27:55
	but how do you move from talk	27:59
	about what's right, to deeds that are right?	28:01
	I remember a frustrated man greeting me at the door	28:06
	at the end of one of my sermons, at a former church,	28:09
	and he said, "You know, you're always telling us to	28:12
	"go out there and do something, you don't ever tell us	28:14
	"how to go out there and do anything."	28:16
	And he was right, too much so called prophetic preaching,	28:19
	is just a bunch of scolding, moralistic browbeating	28:24
	burdensome shrewish rebuke,	28:28
	about all the things that you do not do, but how to do?	28:33
	Jesus complained about religious leaders of his day	28:40
	that were always heaping up burdens on people's backs,	28:43
	but they didn't do anything to relieve them of the burdens.	28:46
	In a great moment of honesty in the middle	28:52
	of his letter to the Romans,	28:54
	Saint Paul complained about this gap.	28:57
	This gap between knowing what we ought to do,	29:02
	knowing the truth, and doing the truth, being the truth.	29:06
	When are we preachers gonna ever learn that people	29:11
	don't do good by just being told in sermons	29:13
	that they ought to do good.	29:18
	I'm saying, something more is needed even than prophecy.	29:22
	As a pastor, some of my most frustrating moments	29:31
	are when I realize how little power I have	29:35
	to help somebody bridge that gap	29:40
	between their noble intentions	29:44
	and who they really are.	29:48
	I sit there listening to somebody's struggles,	29:50
	he wants to do better, but he can't.	29:54
	And I as a pastor, I want to help him do better,	29:56
	but I can't.	30:00
	"The good that I would do, I can't," says Paul,	30:04
	"Who will deliver me from this slavery to sin and death?"	30:08
	Something more is needed, even than a prophet.	30:16
	So when those crowds standing on the sidewalk that day	30:23
	watching that Palm Sunday parade into Jerusalem,	30:26
	when they hailed Jesus as a prophet,	30:28
	a great speaker of the truth,	30:31
	that at last a prophet of God was parading into town,	30:35
	they celebrated.	30:41
	But there wasn't much reason for celebration,	30:44
	because something more is needed, even in prophecy.	30:46
	And this is what Matthew says,	30:52
	Jesus not only courageously, prophetically	30:56
	spoke the truth,	31:00
	he is truth.	31:04
	He didn't just talk about God,	31:09
	he is God.	31:13
	In him, in this sometimes confusing, sometimes comforting,	31:16
	often abrasive Jew from Nazareth in Galilee,	31:20
	we claim that we have seen as much of God	31:24
	as we ever hope to see.	31:28
	If you stick around here this week,	31:34
	you're gonna see where our attempts to be good end.	31:37
	In just a few moments, you're gonna hear the whole story.	31:44
	You're gonna find out where our good ends.	31:50
	It's a place called Calvary, when we nail him to the wood.	31:53
	We march up there, motivated	31:58
	by our desire to follow the Bible,	31:59
	to work justice, to do right, to preserve law and order.	32:03
	To have peace in Galilee,	32:07
	and it ends in the murder of Jesus.	32:09
	You will note in our history that we never do more wrong	32:13
	than those times when we set out to do our greatest good.	32:17
	So much for our noble ideals.	32:22
	Something more is needed, something more,	32:25
	if we're gonna get close to God.	32:29
	Matthew says Jesus walks	32:35
	right down the streets of Jerusalem,	32:36
	and where does he go?	32:38
	He comes right down that aisle,	32:40
	he walks right into the temple.	32:41
	He walks right in toward the Holy of Holies.	32:44
	And there he was not just a distinguished visiting prophet.	32:50
	There he became an earthquake	32:55
	that shook the temple to it's very foundations.	32:57
	There, he doesn't just sit on a donkey there,	33:02
	he takes charge, he overturns	33:05
	the tables of the money changers.	33:08
	He tells them that they have made a mockery	33:10
	out of God's house.	33:13
	He reaches out to the poor and the maimed and the lame.	33:15
	Now those maligned money changers in the temple,	33:21
	what were they doing in church?	33:26
	They weren't just selling brochures to tourists	33:29
	like we do here in the chapel.	33:32
	What were they doing there?	33:36
	Why would you wanna change money	33:39
	in the middle of the temple?	33:40
	They were there providing a religious service,	33:44
	the temple is where you came	33:47
	to offer your sacrifices to God,	33:48
	you had to get your money changed, you had to buy	33:51
	the doves that were offered, the lambs that were offered.	33:53
	Somebody had to sell that, prepare it, bring it there,	33:57
	change your money, they were offering a religious service.	34:01
	These money changers were in there helping people	34:04
	get close to God, they were helping them	34:06
	to work out their sin, through sacrifice.	34:08
	But here comes Jesus telling them they're out of business.	34:15
	Kicking over their tables, telling the money changers	34:19
	they're no longer needed.	34:21
	Now there's gonna be another way to get close to God.	34:24
	When Jesus entered on Palm Sunday, the crowds hailed him,	34:29
	listen carefully, not only as prophet,	34:34
	but they quickly moved to saying Hosannah, son of David.	34:37
	Hosannah, they get it, they get that word Hosannah	34:43
	from the Psalms, when the king would come up to the temple	34:46
	to offer sacrifice for the nation every so often.	34:49
	He would be preceded by a choir singing Hosannah,	34:53
	Hosannah, the king is coming in.	34:56
	Prophets often trouble kings.	35:02
	Prophets often were a nuisance to kings,	35:04
	but no prophet was ever king.	35:07
	No wonder the Jerusalem political establishment	35:11
	and king Herod and Pilate	35:13
	and all their court chaplains shook.	35:16
	'Cause it's one thing prophetically to preach to a king.	35:19
	It's another for Jesus to swing in,	35:25
	take charge, and be King.	35:26
	To open up a kingdom to all those maimed and lame and blind,	35:31
	who would be excluded from our kingdoms.	35:34
	You notice that the choir did not sing today,	35:40
	"Oh young and fearless prophet of ancient Galilee."	35:42
	no, today the choir sang "Your banner wave on high,	35:45
	the cross of Christ, your King."	35:51
	And here is something for which to cheer.	35:57
	Jerusalem came to the parade, thinking that they'd come	36:01
	to get a glimpse of a prophet, a great spokesperson for God,	36:04
	but before Palm Sunday ended, people were shouting	36:09
	Hosannah, many saw God.	36:12
	And I think that's why you're here this morning.	36:17
	Even if you didn't know that's why you were here.	36:20
	'Cause you need God.	36:24
	You don't need any more advice.	36:27
	You don't need any more sermonic scolding and berating,	36:31
	and moralizing. You need God.	36:34
	That's what you want to see, that's why you stand	36:40
	on tiptoes, you want to get a glimpse.	36:44
	Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers,	36:49
	because now there was going to be new commerce	36:51
	between us and the throne.	36:53
	No longer do we need to busy ourselves with these	36:58
	petty sacrifices, our puny little offerings	37:01
	and our attempt to get close to God.	37:04
	Because in the one who bounces into town	37:07
	on the back of a donkey, God has gotten close to us.	37:10
	Now he's gonna go to the throne on our behalf.	37:15
	As our priest, our intercessor,	37:20
	no, our Savior.	37:23
	He shall do for us that which we	37:28
	shall never do for ourselves.	37:30
	And when he dies at the end of this week,	37:35
	on the cross, Matthew says the whole world just heaved,	37:38
	because he's about something big, cosmic, a kind of birth.	37:46
	And when he dies at the end of this week,	37:55
	Matthew says the veil in the temple	37:59
	was ripped from top to bottom,	38:03
	the veil separating the Holy of Holies from us,	38:06
	because now there was gonna be no veil between us and God.	38:12
	Now the veil has been torn, because in Jesus now,	38:17
	nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ.	38:22
	And that's why seeing him move in parade toward our city,	38:29
	coming into our corrupted church, coming in,	38:35
	moving toward us, moving towards you and your need.	38:39
	We are moved with the crowd from asking,	38:44
	"who is this, a prophet?"	38:47
	To singing shout, "Hosannah in the highest,	38:52
	blessed is he who comes in the name of God."	38:57
Minister	The Lord be with you.	39:16
Congregation	And also with you.	39:18
-	Let us pray.	39:19
	Oh mighty and ever living God, in your tender love	39:28
	for the human race, you sent your son, our Savior,	39:32
	Jesus Christ, to take upon himself our nature,	39:37
	and to suffer death upon the cross.	39:43
	As we crucified Christ, you crucified the sin,	39:47
	violence, and brokenness of creation.	39:53
	Through Christ the veil between you and us was torn	39:59
	from top to bottom.	40:03
	In him you bridged for all time the chasm	40:07
	that divides us from you.	40:10
	We shout Hosannahs for nothing can separate us	40:14
	from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.	40:18
	For this and all your many mercies,	40:23
	we give you thanks and praise, Lord in your mercy.	40:26
All	Hear our prayer.	40:32
-	Especially we thank you for the power of new life,	40:35
	not just the desire to be different,	40:39
	but your transformative grace,	40:42
	which has the power to make us different.	40:44
	To recreate us, Lord give us courage to draw near to you,	40:46
	so that we might receive your transformative power	40:53
	of new life, Lord in your mercy.	40:56
All	Hear our prayer.	41:00
-	Almighty God, king of kings,	41:03
	remind us that the gift of creation, and re-creation	41:06
	is not for us alone, but for all that you have made.	41:11
	Free us of the tendency to privatize your grace,	41:16
	enlarge our vision to see that you are doing	41:20
	a great cosmic work, that it is your will to transform	41:22
	the whole creation, so that it more closely reveals	41:27
	your beauty and glory.	41:31
	Lift our eyes, give us a glimpse of you,	41:34
	so that we may see not only what is wrong	41:39
	and broken in the world,	41:41
	but what is desirable and possible	41:44
	through your redeeming power.	41:46
	Give us faith to believe that the world might be different	41:50
	even as we might be different, and show us the role	41:54
	that you would have us play,	41:58
	as instruments of your grace.	42:00
	Lord in your mercy.	42:03
All	Hear our prayer.	42:05
-	We pray especially for the nations of the earth	42:08
	and peace in the world, in the United States,	42:10
	Israel and the Middle East, China and Taiwan,	42:16
	Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia,	42:22
	Liberia, Somalia and Rwanda.	42:27
	Lead them and us in the ways of peace, Lord in your mercy.	42:34
All	Hear our prayer.	42:40
-	We pray for those who are sick and suffering,	42:43
	strengthen them in the work of recovery.	42:46
	Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy	42:49
	in sickness and in health,	42:52
	and renew those who care for them,	42:55
	that they may both give and receive compassion	42:57
	and a love that perseveres.	43:00
	Lord in your mercy.	43:04
All	Hear our prayer.	43:06
-	We pray for our families and friends.	43:08
	We are grateful for all they are to us,	43:11
	and the many ways they care for us.	43:14
	We are bound together and our lives are enriched	43:16
	because of it, we lift these up to you,	43:19
	with heartfelt concern for their needs,	43:22
	which we name before you in silence.	43:24
	Lord, in your mercy.	43:33
All	Hear our prayer.	43:35
-	Lord, Christ, we are bold to offer these prayers to you,	43:38
	knowing that you are our priest	43:41
	and our intercessor with God.	43:44
	We offer them with confidence,	43:47
	that you work all things for our good.	43:49
	Thanks be to God, Amen.	43:53
	With gladness, let us present the offerings	43:58
	of our life and labor to the Lord.	44:00
	(organ music)	44:04
	(soloist sings)	44:53
	(choir sings)	45:33
	(organ music)	47:55
-	And he came out and went as was his custom,	49:38
	to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him,	49:42
	and when they came to the place, he said to them,	49:46
	pray, that you may not enter into temptation,	49:50
	and he withdrew from them about a stone's throw	49:54
	and knelt down and prayed, Father, if thou art willing,	49:57
	remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will,	50:02
	but thine be done, and being in a great agony,	50:08
	he prayed more earnestly, and the sweat became like great	50:13
	drops of blood, falling upon the ground.	50:19
	And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples	50:24
	and found them sleeping, and said to them, why do you sleep?	50:28
	Rise, and pray that you may not enter into temptation.	50:34
	And while he was still speaking, a crowd came.	50:39
	And the man called Judas, one of the 12, was leading them.	50:42
	He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said	50:47
	"Judas, would you betray the son of man with a kiss?"	50:51
	And when those who were about him saw what was to follow,	50:58
	they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword?	51:01
	And one of them stuck the slave of the High Priest	51:03
	and cut off his ear.	51:05
	But Jesus said, no more of this!	51:07
	And he touched his ear, and healed him.	51:09
	And then Jesus said to the chief priest,	51:15
	and the guards of the temple and the elders	51:17
	who had come out against him, have you come out	51:19
	as against a robber, with clubs and swords?	51:22
	Day after day I was with you in the temple	51:26
	and you did not lay hands on me.	51:28
	But this is your hour, and the hour of darkness.	51:32
	Then they seized him, and they led him away	51:38
	into the High Priest's home,	51:41
	and Peter followed at some distance.	51:44
	And when they had kindled a fire together in the courtyard	51:47
	and sat down together, Peter sat among them.	51:50
	And after a while a maid, seeing him in the light,	51:57
	gazed at him and said, "You also were with him".	52:01
	But Peter denied it and said,	52:06
	"Woman, I do not know him",	52:08
	and a little while later, someone else said,	52:14
	"Certainly you are one of them".	52:16
	But Peter said, "Man, I am not".	52:19
	And then after the interval of about an hour,	52:25
	someone else said, certainly this man was with him,	52:28
	for he himself is a Galilean, and Peter said	52:31
	"Man, I know not what you are saying", and immediately	52:33
	while he was speaking, the cock crowed,	52:36
	and the Lord turned and looked at Peter,	52:41
	and Peter remembered the words of the Lord,	52:45
	how he had said to him,	52:47
	"Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times".	52:50
	And Peter went out and wept bitterly.	52:58
	Now the men who were holding Jesus beat him and mocked him,	53:03
	they also blindfolded him and said,	53:07
	"Prophesy, who is is that struck you?"	53:08
	And they spoke all kinds of evil against him, reviling him,	53:10
	and when day came, the assembly of the elders of the people,	53:15
	both the chief priest and the scribes	53:19
	gathered together and led him away to their council,	53:21
	and said, "Tell us, are you the Christ then?"	53:23
	And he said to them,	53:31
	"If I tell you, you will not believe".	53:33
	And if I ask you, you will not answer.	53:39
	But behold, from now on you shall see the Son of man	53:45
	seated at the right hand of the power of God,	53:49
	and they said to him, "Are you the son of God then?"	53:53
	And he answered, you say that I am.	53:58
	And they said, what further testimony do we need?	54:03
	We've heard him with our own lips!	54:07
	And the whole company rose, and led him away to Pilate,	54:09
	accusing him, saying, this man has perverted our nation,	54:11
	forbidding us to pay tribute to Caesar,	54:14
	and declaring himself as Christ, the king!	54:16
	And Pilate said to him,	54:20
	"Are you the King of the Jews?"	54:24
	And Jesus said, you have said so,	54:28
	and Pilate said to the Chief Priest and the multitudes,	54:35
	I find no crime in this man.	54:39
	But they were urgent, shouting, he stirs up the people	54:42
	throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place!	54:45
	And Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean,	54:50
	and learning that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction,	54:54
	he sent him to Herod, who himself	54:56
	was in Jerusalem at that time.	54:58
	When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad,	55:01
	for he had longed to see Jesus, he had heard of him,	55:05
	and hoped that he would do some sign or miracle.	55:07
	He questioned Jesus at some length,	55:11
	but Jesus made no answer, and the Chief Priest	55:15
	and the scribes stood by, accusing him vehemently.	55:20
	And so Herod and his soldiers mocked him	55:25
	and treated him with contempt.	55:29
	And arraying him in gorgeous apparel,	55:32
	they sent him back to Pilate.	55:35
	And Herod and Pilate became friends that very day.	55:38
	And Pilate called together all the rulers of the people,	55:42
	and the Chief Priest and said, "Behold,	55:45
	"you brought me this man as one perverting your nation,	55:47
	"and after examining him before you,	55:50
	"I find him not guilty of the crimes you accuse him,	55:52
	"and neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us.	55:55
	"Therefore I shall have him flogged and release him."	55:57
	But they cried out, away with this man!	56:04
	And release to us Barabbas, and Pilate addressed them again,	56:06
	desiring to release Jesus and said,	56:10
	"Why, what evil has he done?"	56:12
	And they cried out, crucify him, crucify him!	56:15
	The third time, Pilate addressed them,	56:19
	Why, what evil has he done,	56:21
	I find no crime in this man deserving death,	56:23
	I will have him flogged and release him.	56:25
	But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries	56:28
	that he should be crucified!	56:31
	And their voices prevailed,	56:35
	and so Pilate gave sentence,	56:40
	that their wish should be granted,	56:44
	and he released to them the man who was held	56:47
	for insurrection and murder, but the man called Jesus	56:50
	he delivered up to their will,	56:57
	and as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Syrene,	57:02
	who was coming in from the country	57:07
	to carry his cross behind him.	57:08
	And they led out two others with him,	57:12
	criminals, to be put to death.	57:13
	And when they came to the place called The Skull,	57:18
	they crucified him.	57:22
	And the criminals also, one on his right,	57:25
	and one on his left, and Jesus said,	57:29
	"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."	57:35
	And they cast lots for his garments,	57:41
	and the people stood by, watching,	57:45
	but the Chief Priests scoffed and said,	57:51
	"He saved others, let him save himself,	57:53
	"if he is the Christ of God, the chosen one."	57:55
	And the soldiers also mocked him, offering him vinegar	57:59
	and saying, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself!"	58:02
	And there was an inscription which read,	58:07
	This is the King of the Jews.	58:10
	And one of the criminals hanging there	58:13
	railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ?	58:15
	"Save yourself and us!"	58:18
	But the other rebuked him, saying, have you no fear of God?	58:19
	Since you are under the same condemnation,	58:24
	and we deservedly so, for we are reaping the rewards	58:26
	of our deeds, but this man, this man has done nothing wrong,	58:31
	and he said to him, "Jesus, remember me	58:38
	"when you come into your kingdom."	58:43
	And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you,	58:47
	"today you will be with me in paradise."	58:52
	It was about the sixth hour and darkness	58:57
	covered the entire land, until the ninth hour,	59:00
	when the sun failed, and the curtain of the temple	59:05
	was torn in two.	59:09
	Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice said,	59:12
	"Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit."	59:16
	And having said this, he breathed his last.	59:22
	And the centurion, who had seen all that had taken place	59:33
	when he heard this, he said,	59:40
	"Certainly, this man was innocent."	59:41
	And all the multitude who had come out to see the sight,	59:48
	when they saw what had taken place, they returned home	59:53
	beating their breasts.	59:59
	And all his acquaintances and the women from Galilee	1:00:02
	who had followed him, stood at some distance	1:00:06
	and saw these things."	1:00:12
	(organ music)	1:00:34
	♪ I danced in the morning when the world was begun ♪	1:00:42
	♪ And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun ♪	1:00:47
	♪ And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth ♪	1:00:52
	♪ At Bethlehem I had my birth ♪	1:00:57
	♪ Dance then wherever you may be ♪	1:01:03
	♪ I'm the Lord of the dance said He ♪	1:01:08
	♪ And I'll lead you all wherever you may be ♪	1:01:12
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance said He ♪	1:01:17
	(organ music)	1:01:23
	♪ I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame ♪	1:02:39
	♪ The holy people said it was a shame ♪	1:02:43
	♪ They whipped and they stripped and hang me on high ♪	1:02:48
	♪ And left me there on the cross to die ♪	1:02:53
	♪ Dance then wherever you may be ♪	1:02:58
	♪ I'm the Lord of the dance said He ♪	1:03:03
	♪ And I'll lead you all wherever you may be ♪	1:03:07
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance said He ♪	1:03:11
	(organ music)	1:03:17
	♪ I danced for the Scribes and the Pharisees ♪	1:03:39
	♪ But they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me ♪	1:03:42
	♪ And I danced for the fishermen for James and John ♪	1:03:47
	♪ They came with me and the dance went on ♪	1:03:52
	♪ Dance then wherever you may be ♪	1:03:57
	♪ I'm the Lord of the dance said He ♪	1:04:02
	♪ And I'll lead you all wherever you may be ♪	1:04:07
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance said He ♪	1:04:12
	(organ music)	1:04:18
-	Please stand.	1:05:32
	And now go in peace and the God of peace go with you, Amen.	1:05:37
	(organ music)	1:05:46

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Who Is This?" (March 31, 1996)

Description:

Sermon start time: 20:40. Sermon end time: 39:02.
The preacher claims that Jesus is not just a prophet who speaks truth, but God who does truth and is truth. By receiving Jesus, people have truth and can live truthful lives. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers, because now there was going to be new commerce between us and the throne.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r41r6nf8s

Date:

March 31, 1996

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

Matthew

Chapter and Verse:

Matthew 21:1-11

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0468
ref9719_3kr
uachapelsermaud
duke:321615
dcrmv001445
ark:/87924/r41r6nf8s
b4b5e073-a2e6-4706-90ae-2fea573fcbba

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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William H. Willimon - "Who Is This?" (March 31, 1996)

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Duke University Archives