Trey H. Little

Sermon Text:  Matthew 20:29-21:11

April 17, 2011 (Palm Sunday)

Albany, Texas

“Life’s Big Question:  What Do You Want Me To Do For You?”

Please open your Bibles to Matthew 20:29—we have a lot of ground to cover and a short time to do so.  We have another question to ponder and we have a parade to attend.  What an exciting day today—Palm Sunday 2011—let’s get to it.

            Shouting, by definition, is:  “Any sudden, loud outburst or uproar.”

Now, most of us are very proficient at the art of shouting.  I confess that there have been times in recent weeks when I think I could have won the prize for “Best Shouter” in my house.  Because there were times this past week when I had a sudden, loud outburst over something, and in the big scheme of things, it was not worth shouting over.  To be honest, as I reflect on the different times when I have shouted, most of them have been spurred by anger.  Most of them have been the result of my not getting what I wanted. 

How are you at shouting?

Have there been times over this past week when you too have been pushed to shout?  As you think of those situations now—what emotions are running through you?  Are you still upset?  Do you feel like shouting again today?  Will you continue to shout until you get what you want?

In our sermon text for this morning, there was a bunch of shouting.

Verse 30 says, “Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, THEY SHOUTED, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.”

Verse 31 says, “The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet” (sound familiar) “but they SHOUTED ALL THE LOUDER, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

If we look further down in Chapter 21 we read, “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed SHOUTED, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”

The way I see it—SHOUTING is Biblical!

The question is, of course—what or who are we SHOUTING for?

The two blind men were shouting for healing and mercy—they wanted their sight.

The large crowds on that first Palm Sunday—they too were shouting for healing and mercy—they wanted their King.

Two different scenarios—both consisting of large crowds—both with their eyes and hopes fixed on Jesus—both faced with a BIG QUESTION.

Verse 32 of Chapter 20 says, “Jesus stopped and called them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?”

Their shouting for mercy caught the attention of Jesus.  He assumed their shouting meant they wanted something from Him.  His assumption was correct—the two blind men wanted their sight.  They wanted to see what Jesus saw.  They wanted what many of us take for granted. 

But you know, I think the people at that big parade wanted something also.  Although Jesus never asked them the question directly—in a sense I think it was on the table.  They wanted Him to set them free.  They wanted Him to fight for them.  They wanted Him to usher in political power and authority.

But if we look a little further into the texts we see that the very presence of Jesus and His compassion has a way of changing everything.  The two blind men received their sight and followed Him.  And—when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred!

And so I wonder on this Palm Sunday—how has Jesus changed everything for you?  Has He?  How about this:  “What do you want Jesus to do for you?”

Perhaps you want Jesus to give you sight?  Perhaps your vision has been a bit foggy when it comes to your spiritual path.  Do you want Jesus to give you sight for the lost?  Do you want Him to give you vision for this church?  How about for your future?

Or maybe you are looking for a King.  Maybe you have finally decided that it is time to lay down your own crown and allow Jesus to be your King.  Maybe today will be the day that you will join in the shouts of enthusiasm for “Hosanna in the highest!”  Maybe today can be the day you find your heart “stirred” because you have actually seen Jesus and you are ready to let Him reign over your life.

Shouting—“Any sudden, loud outburst or uproar.”

Friends, this morning I want to encourage us all to do a little more shouting.  On this Palm Sunday—what if we not only thought about what we want Jesus do for us but also about how we can SHOUT to the world what He has already done for us?  What if the world around us—what if the people sitting next to us this morning—heard us shouting praise and honor and worship to the King of kings more often than they heard us SHOUTING in anger about the things and people that let us down? 

You see, that is precisely what happened to Jesus.  Many of the same people who had SHOUTED “Save us now!” on that Palm Sundayquickly stopped.  Many of the same people who had SHOUTED “Lord have mercy on us” quickly stopped.  Many of those that wanted Jesus to do something for them—quickly no longer need Him for anything.  Their shouts of praise and honor quickly turned to “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!”  All they wanted Him to do for them now was to leave them alone—even if that meant His death.

Friends, my prayer for us all this morning is that we will never stop SHOUTING.

I pray that we will not allow the crowds to influence us but instead we will be an influence on the crowds—wherever they may be.  I pray there will never come a day when we think we don’t need Jesus to do something for us.

Let me close with this: It is an interesting perspective provided by Corrie Ten Boom—a Christian who certainly knew something about shouting, suffering, and God’s grace.  Certainly, here testimony has impacted countless lives and has resulted in her personal fame and recognition to grow significantly in the world as well.  In an interview, she was asked if it was difficult remaining humble while hearing so much acclaim.  She replied immediately, “Young man, when Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments in the road and shouting praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey that any of that was for him?”  She continued, “If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in his glory, I give him all the praise and all the honor” (Mike Hamby, The Triumphal Entry).

Friends, that’s SHOUTING for Jesus! 

And the need for Christ in this church; in this community; in this world, is so great today that someone must SHOUT for Jesus.  Someone must give voice to the recognition of His greatness and His power to mend broken lives, to resurrect dead hopes, to set persons on the right path again, to enable them to live with dignity and purpose and wholeness, and give them sight to see; to fill their hearts with compassion; to move our world in the direction of peace; to heal the broken hearted; to turn our wailing into dancing; to transform our ANGER into JOY so that our SHOUTS will be for HIM not US!

Life’s Big Question:  “What do you want me to do for you?
            Life’s Big Challenge:  Being that “someone.”  .

Life’s Big Mistake:  Ceasing to SHOUT for Jesus!

AMEN.