The King Is Here

Today is Palm Sunday. It is a day when many churches throughout the world will begin to retell the account of when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem and began His journey to the cross. We will do that today, recounting the events, looking at these events that fulfilled prophesies from hundreds of years before.

We’ll also look at the confusion and even chaos His entrance caused…we might even say…was meant to cause.

We’ll finally look at the decision we need to make concerning His entrance.

Does His entrance into Jerusalem some 2000 years ago mean anything for us?

That’s a very pertinent question for us today.

All through the passages we’ll cover today you’ll see where there’s conflicting thoughts within the hearts of the religious leaders, the Romans, as well as the disciples and followers of Jesus.

Jesus means to bring change. It might not be what we expect…or assume. His purpose is definitely bigger than any of us could ever imagine.

This will very much be a story time with some challenging questions in-between scenes.

We’re going to begin some days before just a short time before what we now call Palm Sunday.

Luke 9:18–22 NIV

18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Jesus mentions this over a few times…one final time as they are traveling towards Jerusalem. And he did not want them to mention these things until the right moment.

Matthew 20:17–19 CSB

17 While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. 19 They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”

Jesus is doing two things. One, prepping them for what is going to happen. Ironically, it seems that they are not fully understanding what is going to happen.

Afterwards we see their eyes opened to all that took place…they understood, but on the way, there was some confusion on their part.

We know what happened. We have the advantage of 20/20 rear vision. But they are walking right in the middle of history with the author of history.

If you look at these verses and the ones just afterward, you’ll see Jesus telling stories and parables about what will soon happen…a few understand.

Then we have this group, Jesus and His disciples…likely some more…on their way to Jerusalem for Passover. The roads would have been full of people. The outlying cities on the edge of Jerusalem would have been filling up. Many people, families with children and animals, people with different languages from all around the region coming for the Passover celebration. Some estimate 100’s of 1000’s converged on Jerusalem. I’m sure you can imagine the scene. Animals…and all that come with that sight…people in different cultural or class attire. Scents of food being cooked by the road.

Travelers who had been on the road for days. Most all Jewish by decent…coming to worship God and to make sacrifices to Him in His temple.

The disciples probably thought the same. We’re going, with Jesus, to celebrate and worship God for His salvation. Little did they know they were traveling with the Lamb himself.

He instructs a couple of his disciples to go into town, near the Mount of Olives, and fetch a young donkey. They follow His instructions and they bring it to Him. He climbed on it after they placed cloaks on its back…and He began to ride this donkey into Jerusalem.

Now again, the streets are filling up. And here comes Jesus on a donkey.

The disciples have been told not to say anything…but it seems like their silence concerning who He is is over. They begin calling out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Psalme 118:26). They start yelling out, “Hosanna to the son of David!” (1 Kings 1:31-35).

Think about this picture. We have the disciples making some bold assertions. He who comes in the name of the Lord is a reference to a Psalm of David…a prophesy of the coming King. They they call Him the son of David…riding on a donkey.

David was promised that someone form His family would be King forever…over an eternal kingdom. And to put an exclamation point on that picture…here is Jesus riding on a donkey…two images…David had his son Solomon ride into Jerusalem…possibly this very road in the Kidron valley, as he was becoming King. And the prophet Zechariah said that the Messiah would come into Jerusalem like this…gentle, humble, victorious, riding on a donkey.

This disciples are calling out to all the Israelites, the Jewish people who are there...

They’re saying....Here He is!

Can you imagine…all of those people who have prayed and hoped and worked out the possible times of when this might happen....looking down the road and seeing this man who has been doing miracle upon miracle, speaking truth as no one ever has before, even within the last two weeks…raising a man from the dead...

…and here he is riding on a donkey.

Your thoughts if you’re there…could it be Him. We’ve waited so long.

Some of you would probably be convinced. Some of you might question. Most of us would probably hope that it was....our people have been waiting a very long time for this.

Prophets have spoken about this. We’ve heard rumors....his disciples are saying its him.

Now…also, know this. These Jewish people are under the thumb of Rome. Your nation has not had a king for about 500 years. You’ve been a people…but not really a nation. You’ve been a vassal state for other empires…and now your land is the property of Rome.

Your high priest is chosen by Rome…He can’t even wear the robes that God asked him to wear, except on this holy week…passover week. Rome built a soldiers barracks and fortress right on the side of your holy temple…God’s holy place. Soldiers checked where you were going…kept guard over you…watched over you as you worshiped in the temple courtyard. Nothing was like it was…and these pagans had control over everything you did.

And now…could this be the savior? Could this be the one who overthrows Rome…and it alls starts here, when it was prophesied....Passover. Could this Jesus be the one? Wow, talk about potential! If he is …let’s cheer him on!

However…the pharisees…the ones you think might cheer for this too, are asking for the disciples and even children to be quiet. Why are they intimidated? If He’s the one…he’ll save them too? Right? Why are they so mad at Him? Why do they threaten to stop him?

The crowd responds to the images and thoughts and begin to cut palm branches down to cover the road. Where branches can’t be found the people even begin to put their very coats on the road. The King is entering His holy city!

I’m sure this crowd can’t wait to see what happens when He actually enters Jerusalem.

It’s time for judgement! It’s time for us to get back our nation!

What will he do?

The Romans?....is he going to over throw there presence in the Holy City? Take it back for God?

Will our nation become reinstated?

Israel returned to glory?

The first place He goes…is the temple.

The temple…and He begins to call out Jewish people…not the Romans.

He’s turning over tables of the money changers and those selling animals.

Some background: Jewish men entering the temple needed to pay a temple tax. The temple had its own money system…they needed to pay a half shekel as an offering…this was from the Law of Moses. Everyone coming from a different region would have to exchange money…Greek Roman even more different coinage for the temple shekel....with some added exchange fees of course.

Families coming in would also be considering the possible necessity of animals for sacrifice…however, most would not travel with animals, but would buy them locally for convenience. This was also happening…in the temple grounds…for a higher fee of course.

This all used to happen outside of town, in the Kidron Valley…but then the high priest Caiaphas moved it into the temple courtyards…more than likely because of the money the temple could make having everything in house. The religious leaders were happy getting kickbacks…the Romans were happy getting kickbacks...

And then Jesus enters. “This house is suppose to be a house of prayer for the nations!”

A place of worship for God’s people.

Jesus was suppose to come and judge the ungodly…but he hasn’t talked to any romans…He’s turning up the heat in the temple itself! These Romans tax us and put their thumb down on our worship. But …Here he is…telling the Jewish people that they need to stop taxing the poor…that they need to change.

People had prayed and waited for many many years for this event. But was it what they were expecting?

To some, they probably didn’t know what to expect.

For some, they were angry that he didn’t do what they wanted Him to do. Judas Iscariot could probably be placed in this category.

For the religious leaders…at least the majority of them, they were looking for a way to arrest him and kill him.

For others, he was just a nuisance…Most everywhere He went crowd control was needed.

And …for some who were paying attention…wondering....trying to connect the dots…I wonder if they were looking at this through different eyes…maybe even a different heart. Maybe some were seeing that this man was very very very different. Something in Him is different than anyone else they had ever known.

Many have been following Him as much as they could…even becoming friends.

They’ve watched how He’s brought healing to people. Watched how he’s controlled nature. Forgiveness of sins for others. He speaks about hope and security. He’s stepped in and stopped people bullying. He’s quieted accusations thrown against him. He’s been talking about this coming Kingdom…certainly the Kingdom that has been promised since King David. Could he be the one?

You might have been reminded of the prophesies … trying to fit this event into them. He’s coming to restore all things…but what does that mean? Just the nation of Israel? Or everything?

And then as think about Him clearing the temple…you remember passages that talk about how God has grown to dislike, even hate the religious festivals because they’ve just become ritual…you remember how Isaiah and Micah and Amos talked about this. What God really wants is a rekindled connection…that connection that sin ruined in the beginning. And here is this Jesus, kind of rebuking those who are involved in ritualistic practices at the most important holy day.

Could it be that God is beginning to recreate everything? Could this be the entrance of His Kingdom? And, will it look different than every other Kingdom in history?

If He’s come to judge…how will He bring Justice to the nations? How will we be found righteous? The Romans, the egotistical religious leaders…even all of us…are guilty of sin.

He’s come to the temple in the previous years to celebrate, but this time it’s different.

He’s been welcomed as a king…and as a villain by some.

He has argued and acted for a restoration of pure temple worship…at the angst of many.

He’s made very authoritative truth claims…while many questioned Him.

He continues to heal and teach in the temple…He even seems to call the temple His house....

What is He up to?

We know what is happening. Most of us know the next parts of the story. His parables about the Kingdom. His parables about what’s going to happen to the religious leaders who simply have hard hearts bent against Him. We know what’s coming up.

Here comes the King.

Was it what you would have expected? What would you have hoped for?

Jesus to take care of those other “bad people”?

Was He going save Israel ?

Or…was He coming to save everyone?

Was He coming to save you?

That’s the question you need to answer. If reality is, that He entered Jerusalem, as King, to bring salvation to everyone who might believe in Him…then that means...

He came to save you. Save you from your sin. Because you need Him. You can’t do this thing called like without Him.

Would you have cheered the King?

Bowed before the King?

Do you do these things now?

Jesus challenged the things that many in Jerusalem held dear. Would Jesus do the same for you…for us? Challenge what we know to be true.

And why?

These are tough questions.

I think what we know is true is this…Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. He was not coming to rebuild Israel as a glorious nation. Overthrow Rome.

Jesus was coming to begin the Kingdom that will be over and above every other Kingdom for ever.

Jesus was also coming as the Lamb of God. To be sacrificed for not only Jewish hearts, but for anyone…all…everyone…who might believe in Him.

Where are you today? Have you responded to the King’s invitation to enter His Kingdom. Forgiveness is free. The price was paid on the cross. Justice has been fulfilled. What once separated us from God is atoned for.

We have a free and clear path to the throne of the creator.

He came for you. Will you respond to Him.