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City Light Church Sermons
Hosted by Vicksburg, Mississippi · EN
This is the full collection of sermons preached at City Light Church in Vicksburg, MS. For more information on the church and its ministries, please visit citylightvicksburg.org
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The Gospel of Luke: Eyes for the Blind
1w ago00:51:07Tap to summarizeSERMON SUMMARY Main Point: Seeing Jesus is an act of grace that only comes from Jesus himself. On May 31, 2026, Pastor Brian Crawford preached from Luke 18:31-43, a passage Luke intentionally placed two stories side by side: disciples who can see but cannot see, and a blind man who cannot see but sees everything that matters. The central question running through the whole sermon is simple and searching: what does it actually mean to have eyes for Jesus? The disciples were physically present but spiritually veiled. Jesus tells the Twelve exactly what is about to happen in Jerusalem, with remarkable detail. He describes betrayal, mockery, flogging, death, and resurrection. And yet Luke records three separate phrases to describe their response: they understood nothing, the saying was hidden, and they did not grasp it. Pastor Brian Crawford argues this is not casual confusion. It is a complete veiling of the eyes, one that only God can lift. The disciples had every advantage and still could not see. Seeing Jesus is never the reward for proximity or religious effort. The cross was God's deliberate plan, not a tragedy he allowed. Pastor Brian Crawford draws on Peter's sermon in Acts 2:23 to show that every person involved in the crucifixion, from the Jewish leaders to Judas to the Gentiles to the crowds, bore real guilt. And yet all of it unfolded according to God's foreknowledge and predetermined plan. Human responsibility and divine sovereignty both stand. The suffering was unbearable and real, but the resurrection on the third day makes this moment one of unspeakable joy held inside unbearable pain. Bartimaeus saw Jesus because grace was given to the humble, not the privileged. The blind beggar had no theological training, no eyewitness experience of miracles, and no social standing. Blindness in the first century meant economic ruin, social rejection, and religious shame. And yet when the crowd told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, he called out "Son of David," a title packed with messianic weight drawn from 2 Samuel 7. Pastor Brian Crawford points out the stunning irony: the man with no eyes sees what the disciples with every advantage could not. Grace, he argues, lives in humility. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, and that includes the grace to see. Jesus stopping for Bartimaeus is a picture of how grace restores dignity. The crowd tried to silence the beggar. Jesus stopped. In stopping, he publicly honored a man everyone else dismissed. Pastor Brian Crawford makes the point directly: it does not matter how many people look past you. If Jesus sees you, you are seen. Faith is grace given to see Jesus rightly and ourselves honestly. Pastor Brian Crawford closes by defining faith not as willpower or religious striving but as a grace-given ability to see Jesus as the Son of David and Savior, and to see ourselves as people who have nothing to bring and everything to receive. Bartimaeus did not hide his need when Jesus asked what he wanted. He said it plainly. That kind of honest, humble confession is exactly what Jesus invites every person into, believer and seeker alike, every single day.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Held
2w ago00:46:24Tap to summarize“Now they were bringing even infants to him so that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”” Luke 18:15-18 If we come to Jesus holding nothing, we will receive everything. If we seek to hold something to qualify us, we will receive nothing. In this passage, Luke uses a word that is reserved for infants and toddlers, rather than just “children" to characterize these that were being brought to Jesus. These children cannot hold anything, they can only be held. Their fate is in the one who is holding them. Children were seen as liabilities in this time, so it makes sense that the disciples would have rebuked parents. But the disciples were wrong, and they didn’t see the value in the children that Jesus did. Jesus was even angered that the disciples were rebuking the parents. Children are shown as our models of kingdom citizenship. They are needy, feeble and weak, and require constant attention, feeding, changing, etc. to keep them alive. And if we don’t come to the kingdom of God in the same way, we will not gain entry. We need to be children with no accolades, no riches, no protection, no accomplishments. It is not what we are holding onto that will save us, but Who is holding us! The Rich Ruler in Jesus's parable that follows represents the anti-thesis of inheriting eternal life. The ruler is wealthy, respected, important, and a keeper of the law. He shows up asking the right question, and to the right person. But his posture before Christ is wrong. Even the ruler’s address is correct - he calls Jesus “Good.” This wouldn’t have been a normal introduction during this time. So even saying “good teacher” the Ruler is attributing to Jesus the attributes that would have been reserved for God. But the ruler doesn’t understand - none of us can get there and achieve righteousness, except through God Himself! So Jesus asks him to obey one more thing -- Jesus asks him to give up the thing that makes him who he is. Money and possessions are a powerful source of delusion and identity. But this is not just about Greed. Our own identities are idols for us. The rich young ruler's actions show that he’s breaking the first commandment - worshiping his identity via his wealth as his god. The people around Jesus then ask “if this guy cannot be saved, then who?!?!” And Jesus answers, “with God, all things are possible.” When we loosen the grip on our lives, and give up our own strength, we allow God to dictate our lives. What is holding you from being held? What do we hold onto to find worth before God?
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: When God Hears the Sinner
3w ago00:45:10Tap to summarize“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayedthus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”” Luke 18:9-14 In this parable we have two men with two postures, two prayers, and they leave with two different positions before God. Through this parable, Jesus outlines what genuine faith looks like. Contempt towards others is a primary fruit of self-righteousness. When we, like the Pharisee, have built our own pillars upon which we stand, we will look down on others and elevate ourselves. We will not possess the humility necessary for justification. Two people - a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisees were the powerful and religious elite (socially well-connected and the "really good church folks of the day). The tax collector would have been the social outcast and seen as a traitor. Both of these individuals went up the hill to seek after God. Two postures - The Pharisee prays about himself. He sees himself above and beyond the people who cannot reach his position. God is an accessory to this man’s prayer. The main character is himself. The prayer expresses no need. Two positions: The Tax collector is completely mournful, standing away, head down and beating his breast. He sees the gap between himself and God and knows that there is nothing in him that can close that gap. His prayer expresses His need and His desperation. Begging God to turn His judgment from him. In the end, the tax collector’s heart allows him to go home justified. But the Pharisee is not justified. There is no room in the kingdom of Heaven for those who think they are there because of themselves.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: The Kingdom and the Persistent Woman
4w ago00:38:24Tap to summarize““And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”” Luke 18:1-8 ESV Widows in Jesus's day would have been particularly isolated, and context indicates the widow in this story had no male family to offer her support- no husband, but also no brothers, no father, nor grandfather. Jesus uses this parable to instruct His church to handle troublesome days: to keep praying without losing heart. Luke gives us a bleak picture for the widow. She had no choice but to appear before a judge on her own behalf: she has no family to advocate for her. But to make matters worse - this judge is wholly unrighteous. But this widow is able to break this judge and get the mercy and justice she needed. Her persistence alone causes the unrighteous judge to relent. Jesus directs the church to exercise this same persistence. And how much more will the righteous judge care for His children? Persistence in God is all we will ever need - the unrighteous judge's phrase “beat down” in the Greek is an image of someone punching an opponet over and over until the opponent gives up. The widow with no real power wins just because she just keeps showing up. If her persistence makes the unrighteous judge give in, how much more will our persistence work with a righteous judge who also longs to bring us justice and mercy and grace and salvation? Persistence in God is all we will have when it is all said and done - this is a warning to keep praying, keep persisting and not lose heart. When we experience the terrible things in the world, it can be heavy. And Jesus asks “can I find any faith in all the earth?” He has unbelievers in mind, of course, but He’s speaking to His disciples. It’s easy for believers to fall into a series of functional unbelief. Going to service, but never going to meet God there. The lord wants the unbelievers to turn to him, but also the persistent believers to have faith through His physical absence. This woman is alone, and without power. And yet she showed up, each day delivering a single punch to the judge. She didn’t quit on the first attempt, nor the 100th. But eventually… she did win. Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming back for those who are still praying, still loving our neighbors, still blessing our enemies, and not losing heart.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Longing for the Kingdom
May 300:45:00Tap to summarizeSermon Notes 5/3/26 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.[i] 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”[j] 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse[k] is, there the vultures[l] will gather.” Luke: 17: 20-37 We, innately, have a longing for a king and powerful leader and the influence that brings to us individually. . In this verse, Jesus starts with addressing those on the outside first - the Pharisees - telling them the kingdom is not a physical place, or one of worldly influence. Jesus says that his kingdom does not display what we assume kingdoms should. If we go looking for the kingdom of God in the places we expect a kingdom to be. Any kingdom we find that promises everything we want, and claims to have Jesus, is nothing more than a house of cards. Instead, the kingdom of God is in the “midst of you.” The Pharisees are told, point blank, that the Kingdom is not within themselves, but rather standing physically among them at that very moment! It is Christ Jesus! The kingdom of God is not locked up in political power, or a location, but in a “Who.” To see the kingdom of God, look to Jesus and not take our eyes off of Him. . Then Jesus turns his attention to the disciples. He uses this as a moment to warn us. Hardship has a tendency to make us desperate. Struggle will increase, and in your longing, false prophets will tell us “the end of your struggle is over there.” But Jesus tells us, DON’T GET DISTRACTED! Many of us define God’s will by the path of least resistance. That’s why we’re so easily distracted and lead astray. In our desperation and longing for Christ, we are easily distracted by counterfeit christs who offer us ease, and require nothing of us. Stay. On. The. Path. Don’t turn to deception in our exhaustion, because that’s when deception is at its strongest. Christ gives us several descriptions to protect us! He tells us when He comes back, everyone will know. It will be undebatable. There will be NO room for skepticism. None will foresee it, but everyone will see it at once. He also tells us that His return will come with suffering and persecution. Jesus tells us His kingdom will come through suffering. So, the return of Christ will NOT come with ease and everything we want. So we should not lose focus on Christ in our own suffering. When you suffer for Jesus, it doesn’t mean you are outside of God. It means that you are most likely, right where you need to be. And we should remain undistracted by the normal good of life. The pursuit of the normal good life can be incredibly distracting. When Christ comes back, life will be normal. We’re living, working, playing, eating and drinking, and we’re in relationships. It’s SUPER easy to build a life without Christ. People think that there’s going to be a lead up to the return of Christ - things changing, stuff start shutting down. But it’s going to be abrupt. That’s what Christ is telling us here. The normal good life carries the ability to mask our pursuit of Christ. Jesus will one day show up, and the life we live with is the life we will be judge by. The normal good life doesn’t sound too evil. But if we’re hypnotized by it, and we have no energy placed in the pursuit of Jesus when He shows up, then we’ll lose our life and the life we hoped to live. Lastly, the arrival of the Kingdom will cause separation. Many, in the end, will cling to the life behind us. We shouldn’t. In order to say hello to the kingdom of God, we must say goodbye to the kingdom of men. And not be surprised when we must cut ties with people who love us and things we love. The king you were made to long for is not any person who exists in your time. You were made to long for Christ. Keep your eyes fixed on Him through the distractions.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: The Master's Mercy | healing | sin
Apr 2600:33:32Tap to summarizeSermon Notes: April 26, 2026 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19 . We all have something in our lives that makes us feel like we’re on the outside looking in. That's what these lepers are experiencing prior to this story. Leprosy meant complete exclusion in Jewish culture. This is a picture of all of us: because of sin, we are all on the outside, and all have a need we can't fulfill ourselves. The lepers in this story understood that. They refer to Jesus as "Master"--using a word that meant "one who has authority over all else." Even what they ask for specifically--not just "healing," but "mercy," shows their understanding of their complete and utter dependency on Jesus. Jesus doesn't touch them or heal them as an immediate response--instead he commands them to go to the priests, and they respond to that by submitting to his command, understanding that because of his authority the command superseded all other circumstances. The miracle met them along the way--"as they went." By having obedience and faith, they moved before understanding. This is true of our lives--Jesus often asks us to do something before it makes sense. And we must go, and we meet God along the way. Once they were healed, only the Samaritan--the one most on the outside of Jewish culture--who came back. Oftentimes, it is those who are most on the "outside" who are most receptive to mercy. And this Samaritan fully gives himself over to the praise he offered God--"praising with a loud voice" and "falling on his face." This is the posture we should adopt in our own heart when we express thanks to God for his mercy and blessings. Like this Samaritan leper, we should not separate the gifts we receive from the ones who gives it. We should not be like the nine who never returned to offer thanks. It is easy, when we ask something of God and receive it, to get caught up in living our own lives and forget the one who gave it to us. Don't forget God's mercy and be lulled into a life of forgetful comfort without taking a moment to say thank you to the Master for his Mercy. Jesus tells the thankful Samaritan his faith has made him "well," using the same word the Bible uses for salvation--all ten of the men received healing in their body, but the Samaritan received healing and deliverance for something deeper than his skin. His soul was touched.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Family Matters
Apr 1900:48:09Tap to summarizeSermon Notes: 4/19/26 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Luke 17:1-10 In this text, Jesus is no longer speaking to the Pharisees, but is speaking to the disciples, such that they might conduct themselves in a way that would not allow sin the air to breathe. Sin is a trap: when we indulge in it, it hurts us. Jesus notes that this life will have plenty of these traps, but he also pronounces "Woe" on the one who sets the trap. He pronounces "woe" on those who would twist scripture to imply it gives the freedom to sin: to indulge in hate, lust, greed, etc. Those with power and influence who twist scripture in this way can shatter the faith of their victim, and Jesus says that it would be better if their physical body were destroyed than if they face the consequences of hurting people in this way. Jesus also notes that the family of God corrects one another AND restores one another, via forgiveness. We are called to correct our brothers and sisters, but not in a way that defeats or humiliates. We must perpetually correct and forgive. It is an indictment of the family of God when we serve a God who forgives but don't extend that forgiveness to others ourselves. When the apostles are told they must perpetually forgive they understand the implications and realize they can only do so via God's direct help. There's no way a person can live this way without God's help. Jesus says that it's only possible through faith... even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed. The passage ends with a parable of a servant given responsibilities. You do not celebrate a servant who does only what he is commanded. We are commanded to forgive and to have faith. We get no special gift or celebration for fulfilling our duty. God has done so much for us already. He owes us nothing more.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Money with No Name | Need | Greed
Apr 1200:43:52Tap to summarizeSermon notes: April 12, 2026 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”Luke 16: 19-31 Jesus tells this parable to the Pharisees who use their position to justify their greed and love of money. Note the contrast between Lazarus and the rich man.. The rich man lives sumptuously. Lazarus lives in poverty, wishing only to quell his hunger with scraps from the rich man’s table.Lazarus is denied food every day. At death, the rich man is in hell and torment, but Lazarus is in heaven and finally at peace. Notice the role that the dogs play in the story: their care for Lazarus contrasts with the rich man's denial of Lazarus's worth. Also note that Jesus gives the poor man a name: “Lazarus.” It means “the one who God helps.” That is the only thing we need to know about this man. The rich man instead is known only for his money and his status and security. We must ask ourselves what name we have written on our heart. When the characters die, Lazarus “who God helps” is now helped by God into heaven. But the rich man has no one to help him. None of His possessions and wealth and status can save him when he leaves this world. The rich man asks for two things: 1)Mercy from his suffering, which is denied. Hell is what happens when the provider of life is no longer there to sustain it. This man is not in hell because he was rich, but because he trusted in his riches to keep him safe. The man even says “send Lazarus” to provide me relief. He knows the man’s name. He knew him and still ignored him. And we are shown the audacity of his pride, to ask Abraham to order Lazarus to help him. He still sees Lazarus as a servant. His heart is still prideful, even in his suffering. Make no mistake that in life, Lazarus was at the rich man’s gate - a barrier between them. And now, there is still a gate between them. 2)The second thing the rich man asks for is a warning for his family. But he’s still asking Abraham to order Lazarus! And Abraham’s answer is striking! If your family won’t believe what the forefathers said to do, they wouldn’t believe someone coming back from the dead either! We get examples of that in Jesus's ministry and even via Jesus himself. The Pharisees still reject the sign Jesus shows them, when he resurrected Lazarus during His time. And their fate is the same of everyone in our time who rejects Jesus’s own resurrection. We should identify ourselves with Lazarus - the “one who God helps.” Recognize the help you need today is not with what is in your bank account. But your greatest need is Christ Jesus, in whom we have everything we need. Don’t wait until you are on the other side, to see those around you as God sees them. By then, it’s too late.
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Easter Sunday: Lessons from a Resurrection
Apr 500:40:40Tap to summarizeSermon notes April 5, 2026 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:11-31 In most any documentary, the filmmaker will pull in many different people to have many different perspectives so that we get a better story. That is what is happening in our text with the story of the resurrection of Jesus. Each encounter with Jesus tells us something about living the Christian life. In the first story, Mary has an encounter with the resurrected savior as she is weeping over someone seemingly having taken the body of her Lord. Mary had been delivered and discipled throughout Jesus’s ministry. In a culture where women were second class citizens, Jesus raises their dignity and honor. Jesus calls her name, “Mary” and she recognizes His voice. And from that moment, everything immediately changes. Her posture shifts from a woman grieving to a woman who is given a message! And He tells her to give the message to “His brothers.” The resurrection of Jesus makes us all family. This is the only time that Jesus uses the word “brother” to talk about His disciples. Note that even when we, like Mary, lose sight of his plan, He still knows our name. The disciples encounter Jesus as well. Afraid for their lives, they had locked themselves inside a room. There are only ten people there. But then ten people become eleven. Jesus appears and says “peace be with you.” And Jesus shows them His wounds. Note the interesting different aspects of Jesus's resurrected body. He remains recognizable and retains His wounds, eventually he will eat with them, but he’s also moving into and out of rooms without opening the door! The emotion in the room shifts immediately! From sadness and fear to peace. And again, we see Jesus's audience transition from followers to apostles and missionaries, as He gives them a mission. Last, we have Thomas’s encounter. Thomas makes a bold statement. He is doubtful of the disciples' claim that Jesus is back alive. Thomas was grieving not only his master, but the hopes of his future. His hopes have been so damaged, that he doesn't believe the 10 men he’d spent the last 3 years of his life with when they say “Jesus is alive!” And with one incredible gesture, Jesus shows up right in the middle of His doubt, and shows Thomas mercy. Jesus doesn’t abandon the doubting. He comes after them! And Thomas calls Jesus “My Master and my Creator!” His posture moves from doubt to awe! And that’s why John closes the way He closes. “I wrote this book so that you might read and believe.” Like any good documentary, John pulls together several points of view, so we get a full picture of the story!
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Palm Sunday: Who is this?
Mar 2900:30:20Tap to summarizeSermon Notes 3/31/26 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11 “Who is this?” Is the question before us in the text today. The response from the crowd is very different depending on the identity they perceive. Prophecy shows us who this is - This is the first time that Jesus presents Himself as king. He fulfills the prophecy regarding the coming king of Jerusalem. Jesus enters Jerusalem, not as a random man, but a king that was centuries in the making. He knows everything about this moment! It demonstrates that he is not just a man. He is making his announcement as “the ancient of days.” If he knows everything at this moment, then it means he knows everything that is about to happen to Him. And it highlights that His love for us is not accidental. He is the King of Promise. Matthew even gives us the genealogy of Jesus, showing that he is in the line of succession of David and of Abraham. But note how He comes - not as a conquering king like Rome or Caesar. He comes on a colt, and he doesn’t even have a saddle. The cloaks on the donkey is a mark of disgraceful poverty. The kingdom of God is different than the kingdoms of this world. It is not diminished by humility. Before the city even gets to ask “who is this” prophecy has already answered. Praise shows us who this is - They laid out cloaks on the ground for Him to enter and Palm branches and are shouting “Hosana.” This is a royal welcome! A welcome for a king. Hosanna is a Hebrew plea “I beg you to save (us deliver) us.” The crowd is even singing scripture aloud in reaction to what they are seeing. Yet even upon entering, he is prepared to be the “stone rejected by the builders” and in response to this, the lord tells us “if we were to keep silent, creation itself, the stones, would cry out to praise.” For all the shouting and all the branches and cloaks, the question is still asked - “who is this.” The answer that comes is "the prophet Jesus". They’re not wrong. But they’re not right either. The tragedy of this moment is that you can be near all the praise and worship, and still miss the point of it. Jesus is the king. He is worthy of praise. Lastly, Jesus shows us who He is through propitiation. The truth of his actions are loaded with meaning. The crowd crying Hosanna (which means save us) is answered by Jesus’s action. Scripture affirms itself over and over, Jesus’s mission was to save the world from sin. The king comes, but he comes to die. The triumphal entry is triumphant, but it also comes through sacrifice. Jesus is the sacrifice, the propitiation, for our sins. So the crowds cry “save us” and the Gospel answers, “I will.” If Jesus is only a prophet, we still have no peace with God. If Jesus is King and Lord and God, and sacrifices Himself as a perfect blood sacrifice for all sin - the world’s cry “Hosanna” - save us. Your answer of “who is this” changes everything. If he is king, submit to Him, and If he is Savior, trust Him.
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