03/30/2024
When the cheering stopped
Luke 19:28-38
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a c**t tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the c**t, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the c**t?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the c**t and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[a]
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
Gene A. Smith, an American historian, authored a book entitled, “When the Cheering Stopped.” The book told of Woodrow Wilson, and the events surrounding WW1. Upon the end of the war, people were optimistic. They believed that the last war had been fought. The dream was that the world had at last been made safe, and the way had been paved for democracy and freedom everywhere.
When Woodrow Wilson paid his first visit to Europe, he was greeted by large crowds, and he was cheered every place he went. In many people’s eyes he was more popular than the greatest war heroes throughout the land. He was viewed as an icon of hope.
In all, the cheering lasted for about a year. Then it began to stop. The political leaders throughout Europe were interested more in their own agendas than a lasting peace, and the people slowly lost hope. On the home front, Wilson met opposition in the Senate, and his league of nations was never ratified. Under tremendous stress, his health began to fail. In the next election, his party lost. Woodrow Wilson, who almost two years earlier was heralded as a hero, came to his last days as a broken and defeated man.
History is filled with examples of people who started out humbly, rose to great popularity, and came to the end of their life in utter humiliation.
In our text today, we see such an example. Jesus, the son of a carpenter, educated in Nazareth, one who gained favor with men, one who was cheered and praised, would soon be mocked, scorned, and cast aside by the same ones who did the cheering.
On Good Friday the cheering stopped! Why did the cheering stop?
First the cheering stopped because the people did not see Jesus as a King. They wanted a general, King David, a lion, they got a lamb. The People did not know Jesus was the Christ, and even the ones that knew could not understand what had to happen for him to be our savior.
As Christians we still have a hard time understanding why God would do this for us, as our sin and guilt overwhelm as we learn the truth, because of our disobedience the cheering had to stop.
But because of God’s love for us on Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead and the cheering begain anew and will never stop. We are Christ’s Church let us always be cheering. Amen
