Tim Keller | March 30, 2003
Today’s sermon comes from a series on the life of Jesus described in the gospel of Luke. The first part of the gospel (the first nine chapters) has to do mainly with the question, “Who is this Jesus?” The second part of the gospel of Luke (the nine chapters in the middle) addresses the question, “What does it mean to follow Jesus?” Now we’re going to look at a passage from the last part of Luke which gives us an existential encounter with Jesus.
In Luke 19, the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem marks the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. The central theme here is that Jesus is king. We’re going to look at four ways that he reigns: the real king, the transformational king, the paradoxical King, and the confrontational King.
The book of Luke tells a story of Jesus’ grand arrival in Jerusalem. Here, it points out that Jesus is not just a king, but the King who changes everything. He’s not just a copy of old stories. He’s the one who carries on the story that started in Genesis, a story about making all things new again. His rule brings peace even when everything else is in turmoil. He promises a future where everything is healed, changed, and completely restored.