Celebration and Lament
Notes
Transcript
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works 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!” 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 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.
43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Palm Sunday
The Triumphal Entry
Have you ever entered a room full of people who don’t like you? As you enter the room, they can not touch you because you are being welcomed by others who like you. These people who like you and welcome you are oblivious to the danger you face from those who hate you. These people who hate you lie in wait, just waiting for the right time when no one else is looking, when the dust clears and that’s when they are going to make their move.
Jesus entered into a city controlled by a pack of wolves. Those who hate Him, jealous of him and wanted to kill Him.
Jesus’ triumphal entry was much bigger than just overcoming these enemies.. He entered Jerusalem with such focus and determination to finish the work! In John 17, He said:
4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is A Lesson of Obedience, Humility and Compassion.
1. In entering Jerusalem, Jesus both fulfilled and foreshadowed prophecy.
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
Two-pronged fulfillment of prophecy:
In Zechariah 9:9
9 “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.
He inaugurated the week of His suffering, thereby fulfilling His mission to die for the sins of the world.
He triggered His enemies, this time He did not tell the crowd to be silent.
19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
There is also a foreshadowing of the future coming of the King:
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
Prophecy in Zechariah.
Someday, Jesus will return and enter Jerusalem from the mount of Olives.
4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
Someday…
38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Foreshadowing of the Return of the King. Maranatha!
2. In being called King, Jesus did not claim a human throne.
The people welcomed Jesus as a conquering King, a military commander, but He did not crown Himself as such.
He did not ride a stallion, but a lowly donkey, which speaks of humility. Could He had done so? Yes. He had every right to the throne as Israel’s Messiah..
39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Jesus has perfect knowledge, He knew exactly Who He is and the right time of everything.. this is why our confidence should be on Him.. people who are not confident —— gaslighting.
“My Kingdom is not of this world”.
Instead of a crown of gems, He wore a crown of thorns.
This is the inauguration of the Lord’s suffering.
Five times in the Gospel of John alone, the Lord Jesus said “the hour has not yet come”.
a. John 2:4 - "Woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My hour has not yet come."
b. John 7:30 - At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
c. John 7:6 - Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.
d. John 7:8 - You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.
e. John 8:20 - He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Finally, The hour is come.
27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
3. In weeping, Jesus did not agonize for Himself but for the Nation.
Celebration in the midst of Peril. The people were not in good shape. They were oblivious.
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
A Lament. The heart of Jesus.
42 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.
He prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70.
43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 here.
Illustration of why the Lord weeps.. the company layoffs and the food cart.
Oblivious, unaware of the grave danger.. they give importance to things that so insignificant compared to the destruction that is looming above them..
If He wept in Jerusalem… Jesus would lament and weep for the world today
“If you had known,… the things that made for your peace!”
Jesus did not fail to remind the world.. the Gospel is still being preached.
“you did not know, the time of your visitation..”
The peace of God through Jesus Christ.