“Now.... or Later?”
Text: Philippians 2:5-11
3/29/2026
In the name of Him who we confess as our Lord and Savior, dear friends in Christ. Over the centuries, people around the world have had one custom or another to acknowledge the authority of their leaders. For instance, it has been the practice of soldiers for thousands of years to salute their superior officer. By doing so, they are showing their submission to that officer’s authority over them. Even for those who were not in the military, there was a custom of acknowledge authority. The most common one was bowing down on bended knees. Usually, this also included bowing your head forward to the ground. It was a visible sign that a person was acknowledging the authority of someone else, and submitting to that authority. As I said, the ancient world is filled with examples of this custom. In fact, the Bible itself gives us numerous examples of it.
I don’t know exactly when it happened, but this custom eventually began to fade in the western world. It seemed that the only place where a person would bow down anymore was in churches during worship. But in many Protestant Churches, that custom has also faded away in just the last 50 years or so. I can still recall worshipers being expected to kneel before and after Holy Communion in our Lutheran church when I was a boy. I have memories of my parents kneeling on the floor and praying beside the pew. But that custom is gone now, although I wish we could resurrect it. The only time that we ever really consider kneeling anymore is at the Communion rail for the Lord’s Supper. The other special times of kneeling is during the rite of confirmation or a wedding ceremony.
Is it any wonder, then, that we have a hard time grasping the significance of what St. Paul wrote in the Epistle Lesson? He says: “Therefore God has highly exalted him {Jesus} and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Paul says that every knee will bow before Jesus. He’s talking about a physical act which acknowledges the authority of Jesus. He goes on to say that along with this outward action comes a confession with the mouth. Actually, bowing before Jesus is an unspoken confession in itself, isn’t it? The posture of the body and the words from the mouth both acknowledge Jesus Christ’s authority as Lord of the Universe and Lord of our lives.
Let’s not be naive, though. A person can bend their knee and bow before Christ and they can even speak the words that “Jesus is Lord” with their mouth, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they believe it in their hearts. Just look at the Gospel Lesson for today. There was a crowd of Jews who were asked by Pilate what he should do with Jesus. They cried out for His crucifixion. What an amazing change in their confession. As you heard in our processional reading, many of those same Jews welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem just 5 days earlier on Palm Sunday. They were shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” (John 12:13) as they laid their palm branches down before Him. They called Him their King. But now they were denying His Lordship as they demanded that Pilate put Jesus to death. Later, some of those same people, mocked Jesus as He hung on the cross.
And what about the soldiers? Our Gospel text tells us that they dressed Jesus like a king with a scarlet robe. They placed a crown of thorns on His innocent head and a fake scepter in His hand. They even bowed before Him and spoke the words confessing Him as the king. But they didn’t mean a single word they said. They were just mocking Jesus. Their confession was fake just like their insincere kneeling.
But before we get too excited about condemning those soldiers and the Jews, we need to see that we’re no better than they are. Confirmation Day will take place here (hopefully) in May. But many churches celebrate it today on Palm Sunday. It’s a wonderful opportunity for those young Christians to bow before God and publicly confess that Jesus is their Lord and King. But there’s a dirty little secret that we Lutherans don’t like to admit. Within 1 year of confessing Jesus as their Lord at Confirmation, over 50% of Confirmands stop attending church. As I always say, we can’t read what’s in a person’s heart. But their actions certainly make us question the sincerity of their confession—much like the crowds on Palm Sunday who one day praised Jesus and a short time later denied Him.
All of us confirmed members need to regularly make sure that the confession of our hearts and of our lips match. Yes, we’ve received instruction in the faith. But keep in mind that head knowledge is not the same as a saving faith which sincerely confesses Jesus as Lord. James 2:19 tells us that the demons have a greater knowledge than you do of who Jesus is. And yet this verse says they shudder at that truth. It’s because they don’t acknowledge Him as their Savior. There is a huge difference in their knowledge and confession. And it’s the difference between heaven and hell.
“But Pastor, I’m part of the 50% who didn’t stop coming to church after Confirmation Day. In fact, I come pretty regular to worship. Then I must be alright, huh?” Think again. Ask yourself about the confession you made this past week. Did your words and actions make a mockery of your faith in Jesus Christ? Was your attitude towards others one of humble service? Was it the same attitude as Jesus, which Paul encourages us to have? Or was it an attitude of selfishness and pride? Does your confession of Jesus last only as long as Sunday morning or is it obvious to people all week long. If we answered yes that our confession seems fake at times, then we too have joined the soldiers and Jews in mocking and denying Jesus as our Lord.
Really, when it comes down to it, there are only two choices for all of us. It’s simply a matter of now or later. You can bow before Jesus right now and confess Him as your personal Savior. Or, you can mock Him throughout your life and deny His Lordship. But come Judgment Day, St. Paul says that every single knee will bow to Jesus. That includes the knees of all believers, all unbelievers, the devil, and all his demons. Yes, every knee will bow to acknowledge the authority of Jesus. And every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. But there will be a big difference between the confession of the believers and the unbelievers. Believers will bend their knees willingly out of love and respect for their Savior. Unbelievers, though, will bend their knees unwillingly. They have no choice; they have to acknowledge the authority of Jesus as the righteous Judge of the world. However, their denial of Him as their personal Savior will condemn them to eternal death in hell.
I know, all of this sounds pretty depressing. After all, it’s Palm Sunday. This is supposed to be a joyous day, right? Well, I’ve saved the best for last. Because you see, God is a forgiving God. Through the obedient death of Jesus on the cross He has forgiven every last one of our sins. He’s forgiven all of our false confessions. He’s forgiven all of our words and actions which mock and deny Jesus as our Savior. We rejoice in that forgiveness. And it leads us to bow our hearts and our knees in confession of Jesus as our Savior. That’s what happened with the Roman Centurion near the end of the Gospel Lesson. He very well might have joined the mocking of Jesus just a few hours before. But the Holy Spirit worked in his heart and showed him that Jesus really was the Son of God. That Centurion was then able to confess the Lordship of Christ—not only Lord over his life but Lord over all of us. Who knows; he may have even kneeled at the foot of the cross as he made his confession. He certainly bowed his heart.
Friends in Christ, if there was forgiveness and hope for him then there is forgiveness and hope for us all. God is happy to welcome you back, no matter how badly you’ve sinned or how long you’ve been gone. He still loves you and wants you to willingly confess Jesus as your Savior. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess this, Paul says. It’s just a question of whether a person does it now or later. Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, your confession can be right now so that you can enjoy the benefits of knowing that you are forgiven and will spend eternity with God in heaven. May God bless us all with a renewed confession of Jesus Christ as our one and only Lord and Savior. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!