The Triumphal Entry - 47

Before we begin, it might be well for me to explain why I'm here and Pastor Barkman's not preaching this morning. It might be obvious to you, but when you make that long journey to Zimbabwe and 16-hour flight from uh Johannesburg to back to the States, uh you're just you're just wore out. And with Two funerals awaiting him when he got back. He was wise before he left to schedule me to preach in the morning. And so that's why I'm here.

We typically Would be studying this on a Sunday night, but we are. considering it this morning. That is the triumphal entry known very uh common to us. All four gospels. Record this, Matthew in chapter 21.

Mark here in chapter 11, Luke in his gospel chapter 19. And John in his gospel chapter 12. And I give those to you for this reason. To help you to understand the The structure of the Gospels. We're beginning here in chapter 11, and from chapter 11 to the end of chapter 16, we'll cover basically one week.

Passion Week. And it draws attention to us how critically important what we're considering today through the end of Mark's gospel. He took ten chapters to get to this place. And then He's going to devote six more chapters to one week of the final earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John.

24 chapters in that book. The first 11 cover The large portion of the life of Christ and His ministry, and John gives 12 chapters to the final week.

So the gospel writers are honing in and becoming very particular in their consideration of those events surrounding the person and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in that final week. You are aware that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He's made it known to His disciples that we are on our way there. We're going there with purpose. He's going there with determination.

He is going there with the intent of laying down his life. And in the process, he has told his disciples to correct their misunderstandings of what the Messiah would do and what a reign of Messiah would look like when he comes. They had this idea that it would be a political movement, that it would overthrow the Roman government and restore freedom to the Jewish nation. And that is not what Jesus meant. He never said anything that would give them those inclinations, but that's what they were thinking.

And that's what was behind them, asking Jesus for positions on his right and on his left, because they thought it would be an earthly kingdom and they wanted positions of power for themselves. And Jesus said, You don't know what you're asking. And behind that statement is their misunderstanding. of what Christ had come to do. It's ironic, isn't it, that we Begin here in verse 1.

It says, Now, when they drew near Jerusalem. to Bethage and Bethany At the Mount of Olives he sent two of his disciples. Bethany. That village known as the house of sorrows. Think of the irony.

Jesus is coming into Jerusalem from the east. Bethany is a village of Judea two miles east. of Jerusalem. And here Jesus is making his final trek into the city of Jerusalem. The what?

The town of Sorrows. The man of sorrows. is coming to the town of sorrows. It's the culmination of his journey. I think Luke probably helps us here.

Luke chapter 9 and verse 51, we have this. Luke says, Now it came to pass when the time had come for him to be received up, that he, that is Jesus, steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Maybe two years into his three, three and a half year ministry. Jesus set his course. settled the matter.

with his disciples. Here is where we're going. And you are to follow me. And they're filled with all kinds of emotion. There's fear.

Because they know the animosity and the opposition. That has been Demonstrated against Christ by the religious establishment, and they're we're going to Jerusalem. Do you know what awaits us in Jerusalem? Yes. I do, I don't think you do.

Christ is presenting Himself. As the fulfillment, as he comes into Jerusalem, of Zachariah chapter 9 and verse 9.

Now, two of the gospel writers, remember, all four of them are going to give this account of the triumphal entry. But only Matthew and John Connect it to the fulfillment of this prophecy from Zachariah chapter 9. Which says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just.

And having salvation. Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

So this is in fulfillment of the prophecy. Zachariah I think it's R. C. Sproll said it was in the conscience of every Jew. that when the Messiah king would come, he would come into the city riding on a donkey.

And here we have Christ. coming in that way.

So Anybody who was a student of the Old Testament scriptures should have understood what was happening here. And yet There was such misunderstanding. We're told that Jesus came onto his own. and his own received him not. They didn't receive him.

You say, well, wait a minute, we're going to read about... Hosanna, Hosanna!

Well, yes, that was very short-lived. Because some of those in the crowd who were saying, Husana, on this day, in a few days, will be saying, crucify him, crucify him. The fickleness of the human heart. There's so much here. We need to understand that Jerusalem is not Christ's.

Final destination. Christ's final destination is beyond Jerusalem. It is the temple. We read about that in verse 12. And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.

And that is very, very significant, and we'll get to that in a moment. And also, Jesus went into Jerusalem because It was necessary for him to fulfill all prophecy. He will yield his life voluntarily to the religious leaders. He will die. He will be crucified and he will Rise again.

He's been educating his closest disciples about what type of Messiah he is. He's been explaining over and over. that he's not just a political revolutionist. We will bring national restoration. and throw off the bonds of Roman oppression.

He's told them is in Unambiguous language. That he's headed for rejection and suffering and death at the hands of both the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman officials. We read about that. And yet were told that they didn't understand. His words.

And we're a bit perplexed by that. And yet Even this. They've been with Jesus. Listen to what John says about this this event. John 12, The triumphal entry.

Three. A little lesser account than what we've read here in Mark, but we have these words in verse 16. His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered. That these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him.

They still didn't understand. But their understanding would come to them after the fact. when Jesus was glorified, and then they would remember. We're like that, aren't we? slow to understand.

We often entertain wrong notions of our Lord and what his purposes are in this world and what his purposes are in our lives. and what it means to Yield to him as Lord. And we'll see more some of this misunderstanding. Let's take a look at these instructions that Jesus gives to these. two unnamed disciples.

It says now when they drew near Jerusalem, To Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two. of his disciples. And he said to them, Go into the village. Opposite you, and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied. on which no one has sat.

loose it and bring it.

Now, each of the writers say different things: a colt, a donkey. It it's a it's a small donkey. is what we have in mind here. And help let me help you another thing. The population of Jerusalem and these towns that were within a mile or two around Jerusalem.

The population Under normal circumstances, run about 80,000 people, but it's Passover week. And people are coming from all areas, regions, flowing into Jerusalem. And they say that the population could swell two and a half to three times that.

So not 80,000 people, but a quarter of a million people. are descending on Jerusalem. Because of Passover.

So when you see These instructions go into town and find a colt. tied up. Don't think Western. Don't think you know, prairie and Um John Wayne, and there's a walk in, and there's nobody. Oh, there's a cult.

No. A quarter of a million people are flooding into Jerusalem. And they have these instructions: Go into the village opposite you, and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt tied on which no one. has sat, loose it, and bring in. What are we to make of the nature of this particular animal that Jesus is identifying for them.

Well We have A couple of verses of scripture, Numbers chapter. that talks about Numbers 19 and Deuteronomy 21, they both basically say the same thing, so we'll just look at the one. Numbers 19.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Israel. That they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect, and on which a yoke has been. has never come. This was to be an animal. This was to be.

A Beast of burden that no one has ever ridden on, and that's the instruction that Jesus gives. You will find a colt on which no one has sat, loose it, and bring it. It was customarily understood that if the king. Had use of an animal, somebody's animal, he could commandeer it. It was understood that that beast and any beast was at the disposal of the king.

And those are the instructions that Jesus gives. He's telling them. Notice what he says. Go into the village opposite, and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a coal tide in which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.

And if anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? Say the Lord. The Lord That word is curios. Mark doesn't make use of that word very often in his gospel in relationship. to Jesus.

Kyrios, Lord, Master, Sir, But Jesus is using that name and taking it upon himself. And the meaning here is You tell him that the king. The sovereign one has need of it. That's what they're to instruct. And again, it was common.

understanding that if the king had need of anything. He could commandeer it and it was at his disposal and that's what's going on here. If anyone says to you, why are you doing this? Say, the Lord. has need of it.

and immediately he will send it here. And you know the account, that's exactly what happened. They go in, they start to untie the colt. People come out and say, Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing?

Verse 6, and they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. And so they let them. Go. The Lord has Need of it. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you understand that you have surrendered your life to the Lordship.

Of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Lord of your life. Therefore, It is his prerogative to commandeer anything in your life for his purposes. I wonder if you understand that. That all that you have, all that God has entrusted to you belong to Him.

And if he comes and says, I have need of that. It's his right. It's his privilege. It should be your glad. Disposition to surrender that to the Lord for whatever purpose he has.

And that covers a lot of things, doesn't it? Not just our possessions, but our life.

So, my question to you this morning: Is there any area of your life that you have cornered off? And you said, yes. Jesus is Lord, but not here. This is mine. I've protected this.

I'm not releasing this. You understand how much of a contradiction that is. To claim him as Lord and have areas of your life where you're not yielded to him. It's worth thinking through and examining our life. Christ has entered Jerusalem.

During Passover. And most of the people around him will miss the importance of it. Why? Because they're focusing on an event. And they're missing what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 7: For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been.

sacrificed. All that the Passover remembrance and Was for, was for to remember God's mighty acts of delivering. The nation out of Egyptian bondage. But all of that was pointing toward Christ as the Passover Lamb. He would be the fulfillment of that.

But their focus was on an event, a past event. They were commemorating that. And here, the Passover Lamb is in their midst, coming into Jerusalem to give his life. is the Passover sacrifice and people miss it. And people miss it.

Think with me about our Savior. along these three lines. Number one, about his courage. His courage. Yes, he's the God-man, but Think about his humanity.

He had fears, he had concerns, he knew what awaits him: the hatred, the animosity, the death that would await him, and yet. Knowing all of that, He set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem, so his courage, number two, his humility. For Jesus to come as the suffering servant. Writing. On a donkey rather than on a conquering steed, a warrior king coming on.

a majestic horse. No, he's coming in humility. And then his obedience. All that Jesus did. was a demonstration of his being yielded to do the Father's will.

And he will say that over and over and over again.

So, how encouraged we should be as we think about the instructions. That our Lord gave to these disciples, and then their obedience to his instructions. He told them what to do, and verse 4 says, So they went their way. and found the coal. Listen to how Luke describes it.

Luke says His account is in chapter nineteen. Verse 32, so those who were sent went their way and found it just as he had said to them. They found it just as he had said.

Well, surprise, surprise. And I know you're probably wondering, well. Did Jesus make arrangements ahead of time for this? No, I don't believe so. I think this is a glimpse.

Into his omniscience. Can you imagine those two unnamed disciples? They go into town and there's throngs of people, and they look around. Oh, there's a colt. They walk over there.

And they untie it, and sure enough, a man comes up. These people come out and say, What are you doing? Just as Jesus said, Will you tell them this? And they'll let you go, and they do, and they're, you men. Can you imagine those two guys looking at each other like Uh-oh.

How do we explain this? That's perfect. Probably probably had that thought many, many a time, right? Following Jesus. seeing his miraculous power, seeing him healing.

Seeing him raise the dead. What an education they're getting. And you and I find the same thing, isn't it? When we obey the Lord. And we do what he's told us.

And there's a promise attached to our obedience. What do we do? We find it just as he said. Right? We're not surprised.

The Lord said he would do this, and if we would obey him, this would be our reward, this would be what we could expect. You'll never be disappointed in obeying the Lord and doing what He tells you.

So they went their way and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. And some of those who stood there said to them, What are you doing? Loosing the colt, and they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.

So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus. and threw their clothes on it. and he sat on it. Up until this point, anywhere Jesus had gone he'd walked.

With a few exceptions where he was in a boat. We have no record of him ever riding an animal until this particular point. Quite interesting.

Now, there there is. There is a precedence here. And let me show that to you in 2 Kings. Turn your in your Bible to 2 Kings chapter 9. Jehu has been anointed the king of Israel.

And let's pick up at verse 9. Here's the instruction.

So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Basha, the son of Ahijah. The dog shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door and fled. Then Jehu came out. to the servants of his master.

And one said to him, Is all well? Why did this madman come to you? And he said to them, You know the man and his babble. And they said, A lie. Tell us now, for he said, thus And thus he spake to me, saying, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel.

Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps, and they blew trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

So there was this coronation of Jehua the king, and the people honored him by putting their cloaks on the ground. to allow Jehu to walk over.

So there's this Old Testament. picture reminder That is In the mind of a Jew.

So we have The actions of Jesus, we see this reaction of the crowd. And what is the reaction of the crowd? Again, we're told in verse 8, And many spread their clothes on the road. And others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. It was an extravagant gesture.

They were Acknowledging Jesus as a king. But again In their mind Not Not a messianic king that would reign over the hearts of men. But a king who would come and overthrow Roman oppression. That's what is in people's mind. It's defined by expectation.

Notice Then, verse 9, then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. That is from the Hallel. From the messianic Psalm, Psalm 118, verse 26, all four of the gospel writers record this. This is what the pilgrims would say on their way. to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And Luke adds: Blessed is the king who comes in the name. of the Lord. Hosanna. Hosanna, which means save.

Save us, they were saying. Save us. And it's amazing to me how someone can say words. That means something completely different than what Jesus meant. And that's why, when we're talking to people and people are talking about Jesus, don't say, well, he believes in Jesus.

You better go a little deeper. You better find out what Jesus are talking about. What is it about Jesus that they say they believe? Because people have all kinds of unbiblical notions of who Jesus is and what their expectations are from him. But they're singing.

Save us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the kingdom of our Father David. that comes. In the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest. They were saying. Yes. What are they thinking? They're thinking national restoration.

They're thinking political revolution, overturning the Roman authorities. And now we'll have our kingdom in place. They weren't interested. In what Jesus was about, they were imposing upon him their own ideas. And that's what's dangerous, isn't it?

So many people in our day have notions. Ideas of what Jesus We'll do for them. I remember talking to a man and he said, I told Jesus that if he would do this for me, I would do that. I said, Who are you talking to? What are you thinking?

You don't make a deal with Jesus. You don't come to. You don't come to Jesus on your terms. If you'll do this for me, then I will.

Okay. That's not acknowledging Jesus as Lord. That's not submitting to him. That's not surrendering to him. That's imposing your will on him.

That's asking him to bless your agenda and leave you in charge. It's amazing how people can twist the Bible to say what it is they want it to say. That's what's happened here. People have read the scriptures and completely misunderstood the heart of what Jesus was saying and doing.

So much so that even the ones who knew him the best. His disciples Sought to correct Jesus. When Jesus said, I must go into Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of religious leaders, and die, and the third day rise again. And Peter says, No, no, Lord. Not you, Lord.

Really? That's what he said. That's what's recorded in the Gospels. Jesus said, Get thee behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.

And too often, because we don't know the Bible well enough. We haven't studied Our Bible well enough. We have the mind of our own that we impose on the scriptures and confuse the meaning and the message. that we have. Yeah.

They did not understand the nature of the Messiah. There were parts about it they didn't like. They couldn't comprehend a Messiah who would suffer and die. It made no sense to them. Remember the two men on the road to Emmaus?

Jesus came. alongside them in his resurrected body. Hey fellas, what are you talking about? Oh, are you the only one in Israel that doesn't know what's happened around here? What?

Jesus whom we had hoped in. Yeah. Their hope was dashed because, again, they misunderstood the purpose of Jesus. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest. Accolades being rained down on Christ. And yet in a very short time. All of that will fade away. Notice what we see in verse 11.

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. It comes from the east. Comes over the Mount of Olives, looks down in Jerusalem. comes into the city and he goes into the temple. And then we're told.

So when he had looked around At all things. I sure would like to know what was in the mind of our Savior. As he went into the temple and began to look around, and see how the temple had been commercialized. Had been turned into a business, and people were being exploited. We know he was angry about that because he's going to.

manifest it here in A few verses we're going to look at. Did he go into the temple and say, This is the place? over the centuries Where thousands upon thousands upon thousands of animals have been sacrificed. And I am the one who's come. Here I am, and I am going to offer myself one time, for all time, never to be repeated.

Was that on his mind? There's irony here. And I want you to see this. Turn with me to. Ezekiel.

Ezekiel chapter ten. Ezekiel is shown a vision. And the vision he sees is of the glory of God leaving the temple. We'll read in Ezekiel chapter 10. Verse 18, then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.

And the cherubim lifted their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, The wheels were beside them, and they stood at the door of the east gate. Of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

So the glory of the Lord departed to the east from the temple. We're told. Look over to chapter 11. Verse 21. But as for those whose hearts Follow the desire of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads, says the Lord God.

So the cherubim lifted up their wings, With the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city. Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God. Into Chaldea to those in captivity, and the vision that I had seen went up from me. Do you see what's happening here?

Ezekiel has been privileged to see. The departure of the glory of God in judgment because of the people's sins and disobedience to Him. And here in Matthew chapter 11, we have Jesus. Coming over. Coming into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives from the east.

And going into the temple, and the Hebrew penman calls Jesus the Son of Glory.

So the Son of Glory has returned to the temple. And the same thing has happened. The people don't recognize it. There is the disobedience of the people. We have Yeah.

In Luke's account. Luke chapter 19. The same account. The triumphal entry, chapter 19, verse 28. It goes on down.

The people were saying, Blessed be the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven with glory in his in the highest. Notice that. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees called to him from the crowd, Teacher, rebuke your disciples.

But he answered and said to them, I tell you. That if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Verse 41.

Now as he drew near, He saw the city. The city, the city of Jerusalem. And he wept over it, saying, If you had known, even you, especially in this your day. The things that make for your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes.

For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment. Around you, surround you, and close you in on every side, and level you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another. Why? Because you did not know the time of your visitation. What is Jesus vividly describing?

He's describing AD 70, the destruction of Jerusalem. That's what he's describing. And why? because of their disobedience and their rejection. The glory.

Of the Lord. The King of Glory. Return to the temple. Let me conclude this message by reminding you of what Paul Tells us That the God who commanded light to shine has. Shown in our hearts to give the knowledge of the glory of God.

In the face of Jesus Christ. Where do we see the glory of God? We see it in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not occupying a physical temple. But we say Jesus But He's the king of glory.

He's taken up residence in the hearts of his people. The church is his temple. The people of God are his temple. It's there where His glory is seen and known. And that's why we rejoice in the work of the Spirit of God.

transforming us from one degree of glory to the next. Jesus The hope of glory. Has he come to your life? Does he reside in you? Do you see this?

The King of Glory. is shining in our midst. And it's a big deal because for those who reject him, there is judgment. He came unto his own, but his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the children of God, even to those who believe on his name.

But the Jews rejected him, and because they rejected him, Utter destruction came. You reject Christ. You turn your back on Christ. You have no hope. He is the King of Glory.

Oh, that he would come and be pleased at tabernacle among men. It's amaz it's amazing to us. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. That word dwelt. It's in the original language says tabernacled among us.

He came and tabernacled among us. Yeah. So don't miss this, folks. Don't miss his glory. Rejoice in it.

Be glad that God is at work in his people. That he's transforming us from one degree of glory to the next. And when we're finally and fully translated into heaven. We'll know glory in a way we've never known it before. Let's bow together.

Father, we thank you today for your Son. We thank you that he is the king of glory. We ask you to forgive us for How we have misunderstood. His purposes. How we have insisted on him Being Who we want him to be as opposed to who he has revealed himself to be.

Forgive us for those times where we have Created a God in her own image. after our own likeness to suit our own selfish needs. We bow before you as the people of God, rejoice that we have a revelation from you. And we rejoice that you, O Lord, desire to dwell among your people, and we pray that you would. be welcomed here.

that your glory would remain here. And then we would rejoice afresh. in the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Father, thank you again for your son. And for his purposes, and for what he is accomplishing and will accomplish infallibly.

for his church and for his own namesake. We pray. Amen.