A Different Kind of King
Notes
Transcript
text - the Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-17.
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.
3 If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
10 When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
12 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.
13 And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.
15 But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”
17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.
PRAY
Introduction: Earthly rulers
In case you didn’t notice, this is an election year. Lots of fun, right?
Sadly in our country we have become accustomed to the kind of leaders who
Are in office for personal gain
Seek to enrich themselves at the expense of others
Seek personal power - staying in office as long as they can
Care more about being popular than doing what’s right
This is not only a problem in America, of course.
Around the world, under different forms of government, we find the same problem.
Power corrupts. Or more truthfully, power is given to corrupt people who become even more corrupt. It is not that power is inherently evil, but people are.
Authority is abused or misused, and those under authority suffer. When there is an exception, a ruler who serves for the good of those under his authority, people turn their heads.
This is amazing. This is what we long for from our authorities. And it’s what we need. Ultimately, Jesus is the King we need.
Jesus Is a Different Kind of King.
He came not to be served but to serve.
He became poor so that we might become rich.
He laid aside His glory for a while so that we might someday share in His glory.
Jesus is the King, and that’s what He’s telling these people and us in this passage.
First,
Jesus is the King Who Brings Salvation for the World (1-11)
Jesus is the King Who Brings Salvation for the World (1-11)
What Jesus does in this passage is intentional. He is declaring Himself to be the Messiah, the King from David’s line.
In v. 2-3 Jesus has his disciples commandeer a donkey for him to ride on, simply calling Himself the “Lord”, knowing that the donkey’s owner would send them right away knowing who Jesus was.
3 If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This is the kind of thing that a King would often do. And His subjects would trust that when He was done using their property, the King would return it. That’s what Jesus does here.
And this is in fulfillment of prophecy:
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
Matthew here is quoting Zechariah 9, specifically verse 9. John tells us that the disciples (and presumably the crowds also) didn’t understand that what Jesus was doing was fulfilling prophecy. Only after His death and resurrection did they understand.
16 At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him.
Zechariah’s prophecy had indicated the way the King would come, but another interesting detail he reports (and Matthew probably had this in mind as well), is that this coming King was not only for the Jews, but also for the nations.
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
Jesus is the Humble King who came to bring peace to the nations - peace with God and peace with each other - restoring what was broken at the Fall (in Gen. 3). He came as the humble King to bring salvation not only for the Jews, but for the world, for all nations.
Zechariah shows that Jesus is not only the King of the Jews, but also of all nations.
So these two disciples obey - they follow Jesus’s orders.
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Riding on a donkey is the sort of thing that an ordinary person would do. It’s not what you’d expect from a King. But Jesus is not the kind of King you expected.
The disciples spread out their cloaks on the donkey and the colt, and the people spread out their cloaks on the road. This is exactly the kind of thing that people did to honor a King:
12 “That is a lie!” they said. “Tell us now!” So Jehu answered, “He talked to me about this and that, and he said, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ ”
13 Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
Spreading out garments before Jehu showed that they were honoring him as their king. And now the people are doing this for Jesus.
Verse 8 tells us that others cut palm branches and spread them on the road
8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Palm branches were more associated with the Feast of Tabernacles, not Passover, but they were also associated with the Maccabean revolt and victory during the silent years between the OT and NT.
What this means is that the people were still thinking of Jesus as the kind of King who would lead a revolution, rise up and lead the nation to victory over the Romans, and set up a prosperous kingdom as they enjoyed during the time of David and Solomon.
This is the misconception that the Jews had about their Messiah, and apparently Jesus’s disciples were still thinking this way even as Jesus prepared to ascend back to heaven.
6 So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.
After Jesus died and rose again, they’re still thinking, “Okay, now it’s time for that revolution and earthly kingdom, right?” They still had not understood the nature of Jesus’s Kingship. Jesus had testified before Pilate,
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
He has a kingdom, yes. But it’s not what you expected. Jesus is not the kind of King you thought He would be.
Then in Matthew 21:9, the crowds ascribe to Jesus the title, “Son of David,” indicating that they saw him as the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David. He’s the seed of the woman who came to defeat the serpent and his seed.
9 The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
Of course, in one sense they were right. Jesus is the true seed of the woman. He is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David. But He is a different kind of King than you expected.
Here the crowds quote Psalm 118:25-26:
25 O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Hosanna is the Greek form of the words translated “Save us, we pray” or “Please save us” in v. 25. It became a shout of praise, but it was originally a cry of desperation for salvation. And ironically, that’s exactly why Jesus came. He came to bring salvation. Not deliverance from the Romans, but deliverance from a far greater enemy - sin.
He came to save His people from their sins. He came to destroy the devil and his work of rebellion against God.
And it was the crowds from Galilee as well as those who had seen Him raise Lazarus from the dead who identified him in v. 10-11 for the people in Jerusalem who didn’t know him:
10 When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Throughout most of Jesus’s ministry He had kept quiet about His identity except with His disciples and with smaller crowds. Jesus had silenced demons who were shouting that He was the Messiah and Son of God, and He quieted people He healed, telling them not to tell anyone what Jesus had done. He even told His disciples after Peter’s great confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God,
20 Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.
But now He’s going public because it’s time to open the door of salvation - and not only for the Jews, but for the world. The door of salvation will open because He will die to take away our sins. And it was this very claim - that He is the Messiah, the King, and the Son of God - that got Him killed. And that was the charge posted over His head at the cross.
Jesus is the humble King, riding on a donkey, bringing salvation for all who will trust in Him and submit to Him as King. Paul tells us,
2 For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
Now is the day of salvation. By God’s grace, the door is still open wide. As long as you live, or until Christ returns, the door is open. But someday it will shut, just as God shut the door of the ark.
Will you come in?! Don’t delay. Enter by the narrow gate. Come in through the door of the sheep. It’s Jesus. He is the way.
His name means “Yahweh saves”, and that’s exactly what He does. He is the Savior. He came the first time to save. But He will come the second time as the warrior King, executing judgment on His enemies.
Come and give your life to Him today if you haven’t already. Lay down your arms, you rebel, and submit to the King. He is gracious and merciful, and He will forgive you. That’s His promise if you come to Him, He’ll never cast you out.
So first, Jesus is the King who brings salvation for the world.
Secondly,
Jesus is the King Who Opens Access to God (12-13)
Jesus is the King Who Opens Access to God (12-13)
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, their relationship with God was broken, and every human being born since then (with the exception of Jesus) has been born in sin, separated from God. Jesus came to restore humanity to God.
12 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.
13 And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
The Temple was supposed to be a place of worship and prayer - a place where people could meet with God. But these people had turned it into a marketplace.
If you thought that this humble King was weak, think again. Here He shows us His fierce passion for His Father’s honor and glory as He flips over tables and runs these people and animals out of the temple. He is humble, but He is not weak. He is passionate for the glory of God, and these people are dishonoring God, serving themselves, and keeping others from worshiping and praying to God at the Temple.
Jesus is fulfilling 2 OT Scripture passages here: Isaiah 56:6-8 and Jeremiah 7:11.
Regarding “the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,” Isaiah says,
7 I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” 8 Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”
The Temple was to be a place of worship not only for Jews, but also for the nations.
And now, within the New Covenant, Jesus Himself IS the true Temple, the meeting place of God and man. Through Jesus the King, we have access to God. Paul says,
18 For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
And Hebrews 4:16 tells us that because of our High Priest Jesus, we have access to the throne of grace, access to the very presence of God.
So Jesus is the King who opens access to God - not only for the Jews, but for the world - for all who will trust Him.
Third,
Jesus is the King Who Makes All Things New (14)
Jesus is the King Who Makes All Things New (14)
What’s the best that an earthly ruler can do for you?
Imagine for a second that you had a president and governors and leaders that were really looking out for your good, really serving your interests instead of their own. What’s the best they can do for you?
They can provide a safe environment, make choices that lead to a good economy, make laws that enable us to live in peace and harmony with one another.
But they can’t make you live forever.
They can’t raise people from the dead.
They can’t make a blind person see or the lame walk.
They can’t heal broken relationships.
But there’s a King who can do all those things.
Matthew tells us in v. 14,
14 The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.
Jesus is the kind of King who can do the things you really need. He can bring the healing and restoration you long for, and He can make you live forever.
Matthew has also reported that Jesus had done this before:
30 Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them.
31 The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
And when John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus is He really is the Messiah, Jesus said,
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
This is the evidence that Jesus presents to John the Baptist’s disciples to prove that He’s the Messiah
Because this is exactly what Isaiah told us the Messiah would do:
4 Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
Jesus is demonstrating that He really is the Messiah. He really is the King.
And this is a foretaste of the New Creation:
5 And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.”
Someday there will be no more sickness or sorrow or death. All things will be made new, because He will make all things new. That’s what this King can do.
So Jesus is the King who makes all things new. He is far better than the best earthly rulers you’ve ever known.
Fourth,
Jesus is the King Who Receives Worship (15-16)
Jesus is the King Who Receives Worship (15-16)
Earthly rulers have sometimes demanded that their subjects worship them. Nebuchadnezzar made a 90-foot statue of himself and made his subjects bow down in worship. The Roman emperors were worshiped as gods by their subjects. The Egyptians thought of their pharaohs as gods.
But none of those kings were actually god, and none of them had the right or authority to demand worship as they did.
But Jesus the King is God, and He regularly receives praise and worship from people. Here, the children are worshiping and praising Him:
15 But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”
“Do you hear them?!” The religious leaders ask angrily.
“Yes,” Jesus says. “I hear them, and it’s wonderful.”
I love hearing the children worshiping and praising Jesus too. It brings such joy to my heart.
By receiving the praise and worship of these children, Jesus is claiming to be God. And He says that it is a fulfillment of Psalm 8:2.
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
2 From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
So Jesus is the King who receives worship and praise, because He is God, and He is worthy of our worship and praise. Elsewhere He says that the rocks will cry out if the children stop praising Him.
Finally,
Jesus is the King Who Will Destroy His Enemies (16)
Jesus is the King Who Will Destroy His Enemies (16)
This humble King who came to save will come again to judge.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”
Again, Jesus is quoting Psalm 8:2. But notice, He only quotes the first half. But these religious leaders certainly knew the rest of the verse, and they knew what Jesus was saying about them even though He didn’t say it out loud here:
2 From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
Jesus is calling them the adversaries of God, the seed of the serpent. They have aligned themselves with the devil and are rejecting the Messiah God has sent.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Jesus is the true seed of the woman promised in Gen. 3:15. He is the Redeemer, but He is also the Judge. He redeems all those who trust Him, who receive Him, who submit to Him. But He will judge and destroy those who cling to their sin and remain in their rebellion against Him.
The King who came to save those who trust Him is the King who will come to judge those who rebel against Him.
11 Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.
15 And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
What a terrible day that will be for those who refuse to come to Him.
Submit to Jesus as your King now while it is still the day of salvation. One day it will be too late.
10 Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Trust Him now, submit to Him now, that you may receive His blessing. Do not remain in your rebellion, because if you do, you will perish.
For now, the day of salvation is still here. The door is still open. Will you come in?
2 For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
Application
Jesus is the King. He came the first time to save, and He will come a second time to judge.
Are you bowing the knee to King Jesus? (How do you know if you are?)
what you think about, get excited about, talk about, and spend your time or resources on is what rules your life. Is it money, possessions, family, job, praise of men?
if Jesus is your King,
Are you telling others of your King?
For Further Study and Application
What Old Testament prophecies did Jesus fulfill in Matthew 21:1-17? What does this tell us about Jesus?
In what ways is Jesus different from other earthly rulers - the best and the worst? (Take a moment to praise Him for that!)
How do you know if you are submitting to Jesus as the King of your life? If someone or something else is ruling your life, will you submit to Him today? (what you think about, get excited about, talk about, and spend your time or resources on is what rules your life. Is it money, possessions, family, job, praise of men?)
Who in your life can you tell about Jesus? (And encourage them to submit to Him as King)