WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.960 And doing Luke chapter 19, Luke 19, verses 28 to 44. 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:20.879 ! 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:29.440 So, if you watch a TV program, and you get the box sets, you can watch over and over again, 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:29.440 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:35.100 what you find is, as you watch it for the second or third time, that certain new things keep 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:42.060 jumping out at you, don't they? Or if you go to an art gallery, and you sit before a painting, 00:00:43.060 --> 00:00:49.740 you will find that as you sit and look, that things jump out of the painting which you've 00:00:49.740 --> 00:00:55.420 never seen before. And I think that's the way it is with the triumphal entry. That as 00:00:55.420 --> 00:00:59.120 we read these passages, which are so familiar, which for many of us, they've been familiar 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:04.739 with us since we were children, we're often seeing something we've not seen before. And 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:11.979 as we go back and read and read and re-read, particularly the passion narratives, and we 00:01:11.979 --> 00:01:15.780 see new things. So let me encourage you this week, if you're not in the habit of reading 00:01:15.780 --> 00:01:21.039 your Bible regularly, or if you're not in the habit of kind of daily reading your Bible, 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:29.560 that you've slipped, why not this week take the four Gospels, and read, what does Luke 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:33.320 have to say about the triumphal entry, and then the following day, look at what does Matthew 00:01:33.320 --> 00:01:37.860 have to say about the crucifixion, and read Mark's account of the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:43.620 and then John, and read them over this week, next morning, Sunday morning, get up early and 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:48.340 read what each one has to say on the resurrection. I promise you that as you do that, you will find 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:55.700 things you've not seen before. So let's go back and set the scene. It's what we call Palm 00:01:55.700 --> 00:02:04.040 Sunday. It's the week before Jesus' resurrection. And I want us to see four things tonight. I 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:10.879 want us to see, first of all, an unnoticed miracle. An unnoticed miracle. Look at verse 30. 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:18.620 Jesus saying, go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a coat, 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:28.379 baby donkey tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. Go to verse 35. 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:37.099 And they brought it, that is, the donkey to Jesus, throwing their cloaks on the coat, and 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:44.519 they sacked Jesus of it. Do you see the words there, which are interesting, in verse 30? 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:53.400 On which no one has ever yet sat. We are city people, aren't we, in the main? And that doesn't 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:59.180 mean very much to us. But I think if you get raised on a farm, that will immediately raise 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:09.620 an eyebrow, won't it? This was a wild coat. This is an unbroken donkey. He is untamed. 00:03:09.980 --> 00:03:16.200 Some of the ones at the beach, you know, that you kind of pull along. And Luke deliberately 00:03:16.200 --> 00:03:21.900 makes the point, and Jesus makes the point, doesn't he? He says, it has to be a coat that 00:03:21.900 --> 00:03:27.040 has not been ridden on before. That's why I grew up in Swansea, you may not know that. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:31.099 In the school I played with you, you would go to every Wednesday afternoon, you would 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:35.439 go to different schools and play rugby. So if you went to Oslovera, there would be sheep 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:38.560 on the rugby pitch, and before you played, you would have to get the sheep off the rugby 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:45.639 pitch. But if you went to Penland, there would be wild horses and donkeys on the rugby pitch, 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:50.819 and you would have to try and get them off the pitch. It was absolutely terrifying. I don't 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:56.219 know whether you've seen a wild horse or a wild donkey. You can't get hold of them, can 00:03:56.219 --> 00:04:03.520 you? Unbroken donkeys will bite you. They will try what they do. They will try and 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:08.860 scrape you to get onto them against feats and fences and barns. So for Jesus to get on 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:17.620 an unused coat and ride so calmly, well, it's quite something, isn't it? Why an unused coat? 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:23.939 Well, we could look at the theological side, couldn't we? And we could say, well, it had 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:29.620 to be set aside for holy use. It's interesting, as then, this theme of something unused. You 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:39.620 think of the womb of Mary, the Virgin Mary. Her womb is unused before it housed Jesus. And 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:45.439 then you go to the end of Jesus' life, and Joseph of Arimathea, that tomb that he was buried 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:51.939 in, was unused. But in the Old Testament, that is fitting. When something is set aside 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:59.540 for holy use, it could not have been used before. Before that time or for anything else. Now, 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:03.540 there is fulfilment in the Old Testament in the life of Jesus that we will not realise until 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:08.900 we get to heaven. But I think it goes beyond that, that this coat was unused because it 00:05:08.900 --> 00:05:17.660 was set aside for holy use. There's an unnoticed miracle that occurs every day over and over 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:22.600 again. We try to see it. Jesus used an unbroken coat. He rode a coat and was not thrown off. 00:05:22.660 --> 00:05:28.960 He rode a wild coat and he used it for his own purpose. And there is a sense, isn't it, where 00:05:28.960 --> 00:05:32.800 that is what Jesus has done in every single one of our lives. We can all relate to that. 00:05:33.540 --> 00:05:40.520 Every single one of us has got wild and rebellious hearts and untamed hearts. And Jesus causes 00:05:40.520 --> 00:05:45.100 us to submit to his will and to his authority. And so we ought to smile as we read this story. 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:51.100 We ought to say to our children, to our friends, I am like that donkey. Every day Jesus has 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:57.160 to conquer my will, conquer my mind. It's a continual action in my life. You must break my will. 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:03.379 You must tame my tongue, Lord. You must put blindness on my eyes. There is a taming, a domestic 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:07.759 justification that needs to occur. None of us are born with hearts that were more likely 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:12.279 to be chained or broken by others. So when we look at the world, we don't say, well, that 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:17.860 person is just too wild to Christ. Because we know, don't we? We can choose the most unlikely 00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:23.159 person in all the world to become a Christian if we can say, well, my heart, well, it's certainly 00:06:23.159 --> 00:06:28.459 as bad as that person's heart. None of us are born with hearts that are more likely to be 00:06:28.459 --> 00:06:35.219 broken than others. There's a breaking that goes on and on and on. Every day Jesus battles for my 00:06:35.219 --> 00:06:39.359 will to turn my tongue and master my heart. You see, it's an unnoticed miracle, isn't it? 00:06:41.099 --> 00:06:46.759 That just goes by us. Secondly, we see a planned announcement. I was told this this morning. Let's 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:54.659 see it again. Verse 29. Verse 29. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount that is 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:59.340 called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, go into the village in front of you 00:06:59.340 --> 00:07:03.320 where on entering you will find a coat tied on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring 00:07:03.320 --> 00:07:10.680 it here. If anyone asks you why you're untying it, you shall say, yes, the Lord has need of it. 00:07:12.300 --> 00:07:15.820 So those who were sent away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying 00:07:15.820 --> 00:07:19.000 the coat, he said, I want to say to them, why are you untying the coat? And they said, the Lord 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:24.040 has need of it. And they brought to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the coat, they sent 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:29.200 Jesus on it. And as he walked along, they spread their cloaks on the road. So again, 00:07:29.260 --> 00:07:34.280 we need to ask the question, why didn't Jesus walk into Jerusalem? He'd made the journey many 00:07:34.280 --> 00:07:39.020 times before, but he'd never gone to this sort of trouble, did he? He just walked into the 00:07:39.020 --> 00:07:45.000 city. And yet this time he goes to great lengths to arrive in a particular way. And many times 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:49.180 from the beginning of his ministry, he had announced that he was the Messiah, that he was deity. 00:07:49.180 --> 00:07:55.139 It wasn't that that title was laid on him, it was a title from the very beginning, a title 00:07:55.139 --> 00:07:59.079 that he was reaching out to claim. So do you remember when he came back, we talked about 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:04.180 it again this morning, he went to his home synagogue, and they give him the scriptures, and he turns 00:08:04.180 --> 00:08:10.379 for passage that everyone in the synagogue knew spoken Messiah. And he reads that passage by 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:17.000 his own choice. And then he said to the congregation, well, we're looking forward to the day the Messiah 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:24.160 comes, aren't we? No, he didn't. No, he says, this day before your very eyes, in your very 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:31.180 hearing, this passage has been fulfilled. Messiah is here. And they understood what he was saying 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:36.539 and they tried to kill him. And so as he enters Jerusalem on this last week of his life, before 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:41.620 the cross, he was choosing to say it one more time. But why did he choose to say it here? 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:53.000 Matthew chapter 21, verse 4, quotes that passage, doesn't it? From Zechariah chapter 9 that 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:58.759 we looked at this morning. Let me read it to you. This took place to fulfill what was spoken 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:02.360 by the prophet, saying, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you, 00:09:02.419 --> 00:09:11.360 humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The rabbis of Jesus' 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:18.379 day, they knew exactly what Zechariah chapter 9, verse 9 was about. And if you asked a rabbi 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:23.360 in Jesus' day, well, who is the guy riding on the donkey from Zechariah chapter 9, verse 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:30.159 9, they would have said, it's the Messiah. That's how he will come to Jerusalem. So as 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:35.240 Jesus comes to Jerusalem in this crucial week, the week before his crucifixion, as he enters 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:40.759 it, he says, I must come on a donkey. And the crowds understand what he's doing. Chapter 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:45.019 19, verse 38, they say, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. It's Messiah. 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:54.080 Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. They look at him and they call him king. This 00:09:54.080 --> 00:10:00.740 is Messiah. This is the king. And notice Jesus is making claim for himself again, isn't he? 00:10:00.740 --> 00:10:08.560 This is either egomania at its height. This is a man saying, I am Messiah, and I will ride 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:16.399 into Jerusalem as the son of God. Just like the son of God was supposed to do. And Jesus 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:23.039 is the one who orchestrates this, not the disciples. C.S. Lewis puts it beautifully like this. He 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:27.759 says, if you've gone to Buddha and said, are you the son of Rama? He would have said, my 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:32.759 son, you are still in the veil of illusion. If you'd gone to Socrates and said, are you 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:38.459 Zeus? He would have laughed at you. If you'd gone to Maharad and said, are you Allah? He would 00:10:38.459 --> 00:10:43.519 have first rent his clothes and then cut off your head. If he'd asked Confucius, are you 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:49.679 Nirvana? I think he probably would have replied with remarks that are in bad taste. The idea of 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:54.759 a great moral teacher saying what Christ said is simply out of a question, in my opinion. 00:10:55.819 --> 00:10:59.739 So, it says, the only person who can say that sort of thing is either God or a complete lunatic 00:10:59.739 --> 00:11:04.839 suffering from delusion. He is never regarded as a mere moral teacher. He did not produce 00:11:04.839 --> 00:11:09.879 that effect on any of the people who actually met him. He produced mainly three effects, didn't 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:16.559 he? He produced hatred, he produced terror, he produced adoration. There is no trace of people 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:22.899 expressing mild approval of him. So, you look at this passage and you see an unnoticed 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:28.759 miracle with the cult. And you see a planned announcement that is orchestrated by Jesus. 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:36.919 And then you see, thirdly, a simple praise. Look at verse 37. As he was drawing the ear 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:42.439 already on the way down from the mountain wallets. The whole mountain of his disciples began to 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:46.080 rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that he has seen. 00:11:47.280 --> 00:11:51.240 Saying, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory 00:11:51.240 --> 00:12:00.220 in the highest. Most of these folks, they sincerely believe that Jesus was Messiah. But they've 00:12:00.220 --> 00:12:07.520 got a complete misunderstanding of what he'd come to do. I think I could argue and say every 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:15.360 person in this room, even the little ones, have probably a better understanding of what 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:22.600 Jesus came to do than the crowd at this point. Of who he was and what he came to do, including 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:28.399 his disciples. Do you realise that? That every one of us here tonight probably understands 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:36.919 more about Jesus than they did on that day. Because a crucified Saviour was beyond their 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:45.059 reference. The cross for them was beyond their comprehension. But notice, which is very 00:12:45.059 --> 00:12:50.799 interesting, is that Jesus does not try and correct their theological misconceptions. There 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:58.199 is no longer than that. But what does Jesus do? Well, he accepts their praise. And he loves 00:12:58.199 --> 00:13:05.159 their simple praise. Well, I hope as a church family, we are a church family that loves the 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:12.199 Bible. And we love to study the Scriptures. And I hope we love theology. We love to learn 00:13:12.199 --> 00:13:16.799 about God. We love to learn about Reformed theology because we believe it teaches us about what the 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:23.079 church has taught about God. And I hope that we enjoy that. I hope we read that. I hope 00:13:23.079 --> 00:13:28.639 we discuss it. That's a good thing. Never be put off from that. But I want you to notice 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:36.519 here, Jesus did not say to those around him who knew much, much less. He did not say, you've 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:44.339 got no idea what you're doing. You don't know what you're doing. He just laughed for them. 00:13:44.340 --> 00:13:52.660 He enjoyed their praise. And they did not yet get that he had come to die for their sins. 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:59.740 They did not yet get that. They did not yet get the cross. But they had one thing right. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:04.379 They understood that he was the Messiah. And that he had come to their city and that was 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:10.860 all the matter. Then he came to Jerusalem. Now I occasionally go and speak in places where 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:15.680 their theology is very, very different to mine. Christian Union is a kind of a bugbearer 00:14:15.680 --> 00:14:21.180 of my life. So I was at Kingston Christian Union earlier this year. It was the most incredible 00:14:21.180 --> 00:14:30.200 thing. And we were singing. Singing has changed. They were now leading. And they stopped singing. 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:36.220 Just the guys at the front were singing like a soldier. And there were many things that I 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:41.300 didn't appreciate. At times I thought some of the guys leading the service was quite bananas 00:14:41.300 --> 00:14:46.980 really. And it grated on me. But I did have to say this. They did love the Lord Jesus. 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:53.480 And that was evident. And some of them loved the Lord Jesus more than me. I'm sure of that. 00:14:53.480 --> 00:15:00.259 And we do have to recognise that. And we do need to understand that we in Luke 19, these 00:15:00.259 --> 00:15:07.100 people, they had absolutely no idea what their theology at this point. And yet Jesus accepted 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:15.000 their simple praise. It's quite shocking. An unnoticed miracle, a plain announcement, a simple 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:22.420 praise. And then fourthly an early celebration. Look at verse 37. As he was drawing near already 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:26.099 on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice 00:15:26.099 --> 00:15:32.399 and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen. Saying, blessed 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:37.379 is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. An early 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:44.299 celebration. This is a party, isn't it? This is a celebration. And for years I've wondered 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:51.240 about it. It seems so out of place, doesn't it? Where is Jesus going? He is riding to the 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:59.680 cross. It seems so out of place. It's like singing a funeral dirge at a wedding. It's like 00:15:59.680 --> 00:16:06.860 singing a wedding song at a funeral. This isn't the time for it. This is no such place for 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:13.740 such joy and laughter. Just a few hours from now, just a few days, Jesus would say, he would 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:18.539 have a lot of utter horrific words. He would say, just flick over the page in Luke 22 and 00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:27.740 verse 53. When I was with you, day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me, 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:36.860 but this is your hour. And the power of darkness. That's where Jesus had him. Jesus had him 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:43.779 to a place where darkness reigns. And that's why this parade, it seems so paradoxical, doesn't 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:48.580 it? This singing and this dancing, it seems so out of place. But there's a great message 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:56.200 here for us tonight. There are many times in this fallen world, too many times when darkness 00:16:56.200 --> 00:17:06.559 reigns. But we are still called, we are still called to the dance. We are still called to 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:16.419 the song. And there are some Christians that never, ever, ever understand that. They never 00:17:16.419 --> 00:17:22.279 understand that Jesus has called us to the dance. That he's called us to the song. That 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:26.519 he's called us to the party. They say things which are theologically correct. They say we 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:32.619 live in a fallen world. And of course, that is true, isn't it? There are some terrible things 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:36.019 in this world. There are some terrible things in your lives at the moment. Some of which 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:39.919 you're experiencing. And yet Paul said to the Philippians in the middle of it all, didn't 00:17:39.919 --> 00:17:48.079 he? Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice. And these people who would be 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:53.239 so continually locked in their pessimism, they must go to Jesus and say to Jesus, well I 00:17:53.239 --> 00:17:58.019 know what's going to happen on Friday. I'm on the inside track, Lord. I know that this 00:17:58.019 --> 00:18:02.799 is not a time for dancing and singing. I know more than these people. Jesus, I'll mourn 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:09.039 with you. And Jesus would say, then well you are mourned by yourself. For I will sing and 00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:15.720 I will dance with my people. Jesus, this Friday you will be hanging on a Roman cross and God 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:22.259 will pour the wrath of heaven and judgment upon you. And Jesus would say back to us, yes, 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:29.379 by Sunday my grave will be empty. And this is just an early celebration that these people 00:18:29.379 --> 00:18:36.200 are giving the King. And on notice miracle, a planned announcement, a simple praise, an 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:43.720 early celebration, finally and lastly, an overlooked prophecy. Look at verses 39. I love this. 00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:50.319 Verse 39, some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, teacher rebuke your disciples. And 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:55.299 he answered them, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.799 Now if you read the commentaries on this, I will say, well Jesus is obviously speaking 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:06.839 metaphorically, isn't he? He's speaking in a kind of generic way, creation recognizes he 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:13.859 is the Lord, I am the King. But actually I don't think that's right. I don't think this 00:19:13.859 --> 00:19:20.240 is hyperbole. I don't think this is spiritual truth. I think this is a prophecy. So I've turned 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:27.980 over with me to Matthew chapter 27. Let's see later on that week what happened. Matthew 00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:43.880 chapter 27 verses 50 and 51. It's on page 835. Verse 50 of Matthew 27. Jesus cried out with 00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:57.420 a loud voice and yielded a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Behold the curtain of the temple 00:19:57.420 --> 00:20:02.420 was torn in two from top to bottom, which we often talk about, don't we? And the earth shook 00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:12.880 and the rocks were split. The disciples were quiet, but the rocks were not. Go down to verse 54. 00:20:14.340 --> 00:20:19.960 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake, 00:20:20.100 --> 00:20:26.620 the rocks split. And what took place? They were filled with awe and said, truly this was the 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:34.479 Son of God. The disciples were quiet. But at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the rocks cried out. 00:20:35.739 --> 00:20:46.819 And the people hear what the rocks are saying. And Jesus, Jesus, tell them to be quiet. Jesus, 00:20:46.959 --> 00:20:51.139 tell them to be quiet. They are calling you the Messiah that is blasphemous. And Jesus said, 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:59.340 if I tell them to be quiet, the very rocks will scream. During the atheistic French Revolution, 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:07.520 the kind of diabolical leaders, they entered a small French town with their troops. And they 00:21:07.520 --> 00:21:12.020 were there to burn down the church and everyone in the town. And he confronted one of the Christian 00:21:12.020 --> 00:21:16.220 leaders there and he said, we will tear down this church and we will burn what's left. And 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:22.700 we will burn this Bible and burn your hymnals. And then what will you do? There will no longer 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:30.180 be a word of Jesus. The French woman was undaunted. He looked at his attacker and he said, well, 00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:38.079 who will tear down the sun and the moon? Who will snuff out the stars? Will you tear down 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:45.440 the sun? Will you also snuff out the stars? And then he said this, the heavens declare the 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:56.259 glory of God. And the earth shows forth his handiwork. The Pharisees say, shut them up or 00:21:56.259 --> 00:22:06.920 we will. Jesus says, shut them up and the stones of the earth will shout the message. An unnoticed 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:17.740 miracle. A planned announcement. A simple praise. An early celebration. And an overlooked prophecy. 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:27.740 This is your God, the servant king. And I call you now to worship him. Let's bow ahead some prayer.