Know you visitation

Know your visitation!

Luke 19:28-44

March 10, 2024

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Has anyone ever heard of the term, “Fear of missing out?” I thought it was only an urban slang, but it made it into the Oxford Dictionary and its formal definition is anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media. Now, some may in fact say, “I never struggle with this! I actually struggle with “fear of being invited! Don’t worry, there is an entirely different sermon/and counseling for you later. LOL.

Even if we do not have social media, I would argue that we may all suffer from a little FOMO. Please allow me to prove my point. Ben, you have been gifted with such talent musically but so few of us really know who you are personally. May I ask you some questions?

1. Do you have social media and how do you feel about it?

2. Who from your life or your past would you cancel everything for just one more moment to talk to them? (other than Jesus)

3. How much money or time would you pay for that conversation?

4. Would this person draw you from your family no matter the time to speak or be with them?

Now, imagine, I invite you over to my house and say, “Hey Benny, I know it’s late (10 pm) want to come hang out for a bit? Honestly, would you turn me down? Then, the next day you see on Facebook and or Instagram or Snapchat that that person was over to my house and they hung out. How would that make you feel? Would you be kicking yourself for not taking advantage of the invitation? How would that make you feel?

Fear of missing out in of itself is not a horrible thing. It motivates us to not miss life’s invitations of excitement, fun, community, and in our passage, salvation.

Throughout the 16 verses that we read today, there are many key points to consider as critical but there is one verse I want us to concentrate on as we prepare for the Easter season and that verse is 44. In the section of passages, we see the coronation of a king, a judgment issued, and a cry for us all to recognize His visitation and not miss out!

1. The coronation of a King. (Luke 19:28-40)

We cannot get to our main verse without covering a massive event in history. Many of our Bibles will even highlight this section as “The triumphal entry” and showcase that this one event is worthy of providing greater detail. Luke, the author of this synoptic (synopsis) Gospel is one of the best authors for detail. He is meticulous in providing key points for a specific reason.

In all four Gospels, we read of this event from one vantage point to another. Some include other details while others move past some detail to get to the coming cross. Luke is the only one that records the emotion of our Lord. Matthew is the closest, but Luke captures the essence of the emotion along with the detail.

In vs 28 and 29, We find out Lord on the road to Jerusalem. When He came to Bethphage (a small town outside Bethany) near the mount that is called Olivet, Jesus stopped walking and sent two disciples to get the donkey. It is important to keep in mind what was going on during this time in Jerusalem.

This was the week of Passover, one of the largest key festivals celebrated by the Jews. It makes our Christmas seem petty and mild. The town is thought to swell to over two million Jews to celebrate this event. We know this because the Jewish historian Josephus recorded that there were 250,000 lambs killed for Passover that year. Since tradition required 10-20 people to be present to each lamb, the math would say that there were 2 million people there for this holiday.

Imagine, Jesus making the trek from the countryside and people were following Him and people were coming out of the city to Him. He was no doubt drawing a major crowd because He had just raised Lazarus from the dead, healed blind men, saved Zacchaeus etc. He, at this point, was profoundly popular. People at that time had a fear of missing out when it came to Jesus. They wanted to see Him.

But, this is more than a historical record. This passage shows us who Jesus really is, a triumphant king coming to His people in perfect fulfillment of prophecy and pristine accuracy down to the smallest detail. He came with a list of perfects. To be precise, five.

a. The perfect sight:

Vs 19:30-31 he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.”[1]

Jesus is proving His deity over and over for His disciples. Never mind His birth, works, and actions up to this point, but in His last week as well. You have to wonder, did the two (Peter and John) at this point just smile and shrug it off, “Yeah, it’s God showing us He is God.” Or were they still amazed at the fact that He could see with perfect God’s sight? It is reminiscent of another conversation with Nathaniel:

48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God![2]

b. The perfect animal:

Vs (19:32-33) “31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ [3]

This is not a normal animal church. I do not want to make a big deal out of a donkey, but we need to. Luke records Jesus saying, “A colt…which no one has ever sat.”

A couple of observations: 1. Has anyone tamed a colt? I have, they don’t let you ride it! But it did for its creator. 2. That animal was a “colt” meaning pure, and perfect fitting the purposes of God. If you look at Numbers 19:2 and Deut 21:3-4 we see, to qualify for God’s use, the animal must be never worked, never yoked, and without blemish. The mare or mother would not have done. It had to be a colt to fulfill the third point, 3. It had to be a colt!

Zach 9:9 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. [4]

This colt, this humble, young, and unbroken donkey was perfect for the King of Kings to ride on. No other would do for His entry. In the ancient Middle Eastern world, leaders rode horses if they rode to war, but donkeys if they came in peace.

The fact that He rode a donkey was a must! He did not come this time to conquer. NO, He came with peace in hand.

c. The perfect entry:

Vs (19:36-40) 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”[5]

This entry was a king’s entry. It was supposed to be a celebration. It was a time, in the eyes of the people to establish a new rule, a new kingdom, and a new time. Palm trees were a sign of triumph. It was a sign that Jesus had won. A smart person at this point would ask, over whom? Who did Jesus triumph over? We will see in a few minutes.

d. The perfect time:

I do not want to get into the weeds too far, but I must draw our attention to the fact that as prophecy opens itself to us as time goes by, we learn more and more what the OT prophets were seeing. Up until this point, Daniel in the OT did not even know what He was recording. God sealed the content for the right time. These people were witnesses to the sovereign will of God, at the exact moment predetermined from eternity past, held in secret now revealed to man.

Allow me to prove my point. Jesus’s entry on Palm Sunday was a perfect fulfillment of Daniel’s seventy week prophecy. In Daniel 9:24-25 He speaks fo the destruction, rebuilding of Jerusalem. He wrote this during Artaxerxe’s reign 445 BC. Daniel goes on to prophcy that in 483 years Messiah would ride into Jerusalem. He (Daniel) nailed it to the day!

How then do we get the day? Passover! It had to be this year, this day, and this Sunday, Palm Sunday. If you would like the math on how this works, I would suggest:

https://reasons.org/explore/publications/articles/was-jesus-s-arrival-accurately-predicted-in-the-bible

We need to understand that this was an act of instigation/purpose. Jesus was on a timetable. He had a date with a cross and this was the last act that would seal the deal. Nothing like claiming to be Messiah by riding a donkey and being recognized as a king with palms and coats in the road (the ultimate sign of respect for a king) to make Rome pay attention. It all came together in a final act that got the response expected.

e. The perfect response:

Imagine the masses following and singing “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! Look closely at the titles used. King, LORD, Highest! This is the first and only time before Jesus’s death that He accepted open worship. Notice, that He did not stop it or discourage it. Instead, He allowed it to continue.

These are great noises of recognition of who He was right? They believe in Him right? Well, the sad truth is that the people in that crowd were and are like people today. We like Jesus on our terms. We like the non-exclusive, Jesus that we can build in our minds. This was a one-sided affair. Jesus's coronation was excitement for the masses, but heart broken and sorrow for the Savior. They saw a king that will give them everything they want, but He is a King that gives you what you need.

How do I know this? Because He did not fulfill their expectations. They wanted what they were yelling for. They wanted a king, an earthly king to rule. They wanted one of their own making. This is why the very same crowd yelled a different song six days from this. Their song went from Blessed is the King to “Crucify Him”. These are the same people!

The religious leaders even tried to get Jesus to quiet the crowds but His response was that of judgment on them and the city He entered.

Vs 39 “And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. He answered, “I tell you if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

For the most part what they were displaying was misplaced assumptions, some there were real believers, but much like the world today most are not. Misplaced fickle worship has no value to this King.

This was a lead-in for the rest of this section. This one statement about stones is a judgment on the city that will stand to condemn the One who has come with peace in His hand. The One who visits bringing peace will be trampled and killed.

Notice I did not say the word “RIGHT” response? I said it was the perfect response. In other words, it was expected. God was not shocked that He was going to be greeted this way. Rather, He preordained it. But, there is a right way to respond.

2. Know your time of visitation.

Again, these are the same people who will go from “blessed is the name of the LORD” to crucifying Him. In just a few days, 6 to be precise the mood shifts. But, do you not know that the mood will shift yet again? In about 30 days from this very event, some of those same people will have another song in response the one of the greatest salvation messages ever recorded.

Acts 2:14-23

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.[7]

And the result of this message:

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.[8]

There is a right response church! It is 100% an act of the sovereignty of God AND 100% your responsibility to respond to His entry! You may be saying, entry to what? I am telling each of us today that He is entering not physically a city, but the hearts of every one of our souls. He, in His perfect vision, perfect timing, and perfect way, is entering into our presence and hearts.

The Jesus who came bringing peace. You may be here saying I don’t have peace! Well listen to this!

John 16:33

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”[9]

But peace with what? From Rome? From our oppression? You may be saying that you are not oppressed and there is no Rome. Oh really? How does that guilt of sin rest on your shoulders? How does that oppression from addiction setting on your heart? Even believers struggle with oppression. So, with what does Jesus provide peace? He gives us peace with God!

Church, I am most concerned about being at peace with God, not with men. I am most concerned when Jesus talks about the peace coming to Jerusalem, He’s talking about more important issues. Issues of the heart. My question, do you believer or non-believer honestly have peace with God? You should have FOMO about this peace!

Jesus said He comes to offer peace, BUT only if you believe in Him. There is no peace with God apart from in Him. He leaves no man off the hook when it comes to responding. Your response is 100% required. He does not leave anyone on a fence. To not respond means you have made your response, and it is not with the peace of the world.

The very sad truth is that Jesus did not come in celebration. Oh, the people were celebrating, but they were demonstrating a desire to not miss out on the newest fad. They were demonstrating FOMO but missing the real point. While they were celebrating, He was pronouncing judgment. Interesting that times have changed so little.

Vs 41-42 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes[10]

When everyone else is singing and dancing, our Lord has a much different attitude. When He came to the city, Jesus wept. Do you know that the language “Jesus Wept” is only used a total of three times in the NT? Once here, once when Lazarus died, and one time in Hebrews. Jesus felt. He felt the gravity of the words that He was going to say next. If our LORD felt that heavy for what He was about to say, we better pay attention to them.

He knew what Jer 9:1 said: Oh that my head were waters,

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

that I might weep day and night

for the slain of the daughter of my people! [11]

Our LORD saw, as if standing there watching it, that this city, filled with people would be utterly destroyed. Not a single stone left. Historians say that after Rome’s destruction in AD 70, you could run a plow through the ground where buildings once stood. Jesus, being completely God and man was watching it happen as He was pronouncing judgment.

Look back at verse 42, “Would that you, even you had known…” For those who think that God takes delight in this judgment of the wicked:

Ezekiel 33:11 says 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? [12]

Jesus wept over this! He felt the great pain of what He saw and wished, longed, and cried that they would have their eyes open to this coming judgment.

“but now they are hidden from your eyes…” Jesus wishes that the wicked turn from their ways even today. He is calling those who have eyes to see, to see that the path they are on leads to destruction! It may not look like what Jerusalem looked like, but maybe you are here today thinking your sin is okay with Jesus. Maybe He is cool with you having a foot in your sin and a foot in church today.

That leads to destruction. Repent from that attitude! The judgment on that idea is spelled out before us in our text.

Vs 40 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on ever side.”

The word picture is violent! Destructive! And it was horrible because it actually happened! In AD 70, Rome absolutely destroyed this city. The word “Hem” is:

Syncho: or seize, to press in on all sides. Think of a vise and you are in it! Rome squeezed this city like a grape and no one could escape. Rome tore it to pieces, men women and children died and Jesus saw it flashing before His eyes. Look at the next line:

“And they (Rome) will not leave…” means aphiemi or leave forgiveness or abandon the cause. Rome will not leave any destruction left undone!

Why? Why did this have to happen? Why not just let it go? It all goes back to one line in our text. Look back at verse 42. Jesus makes it sound like this could be escaped.

Vs 42 Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!”

Guess what that “thing” that makes peace is? HIM! They missed it! It was standing right there! They were missing the most important visitation known to mankind. They did not just miss it, they killed it. The right response was not selected and led to their own destruction.

Their situation is not isolated. It is seen today. Maybe not in the destruction of cities, but in the destruction of hearts and souls. I am begging you today, maybe have a little FOMO. A healthy dose of fear here is not a bad thing! I want you all to have eyes to see! Ears to hear! Your visitation is here!

“Because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The way Jesus says this makes it sound like you actually can miss it! Do you all know the average age range of a US citizen? 77.28 years old. But that is an average! Unfortunately, kids die too. Adults, raise your hand and if you knew a child (under the age of 18) personally who died. Keep them up parents! Raise them high! Now kids look at these hands. Kids, what do all these hands mean? It means that it happens! I would dare each child to ask those who hold their hands high to tell the story behind these hands. Parents, your story may shape a future. Tell those stories!

No matter the age, you should never play the average. There is a time when your visitation comes and my heart cries to each of us is this, know the time of your visitation!

APPLICATION

But pastor, what does that look like? It’s not like Jesus is riding into my house on a donkey! No, I don’t think He is nor do I think He plans to do that. But, do you realize that He did ride into history on a donkey? And now He uses His Spirit to visit you now.

Are you aware of your sin? Are you aware that you are not at peace with God and there is no rest in your heart? This works for both the believer and non! Do you recognize your need for HIS peace?

If so, congratulations, He is calling your heart! He is making it known that you are a sinner in need of salvation. This is huge! He is calling you, answer the call!

There is clear action. 100% Him initiating, convicting, and 100% you, open the door of your heart! Respond today! He is faithful and just, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Know that your visitation is now! Do not miss it! He is here.

Conclusion:

He is King, He came in perfect timing then, and perfect time now. Now, know the time of His visitation! Recognize Him and be saved both the believer and non!