When Jesus Comes to Town
Notes
Transcript
We have focused on getting to know God more intimately. A focus on praying for God to show us areas of disobedience and asking Him to remove them. Asking Him to replace those desires with His character and desires.
We’re continuing the look at the last week of Jesus’ life. A week where He’s preparing for His crucifixion.
Do you think this week might be a significant week in His life?
Matthew thought it so important that it takes up around 30% of his gospel. Almost one third of Matthew’s Gospel is comprised of the last week of Jesus’ life.
Jesus’ ministry lasted for three years and this last week takes up one third of Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ life.
We’re going to look at what most scholars call The Triumphal Entry. In fact most Bibles have a heading over Matthew 21:1-11 The Triumphal Entry.
We’re also going to extend it to the next set of verses 12-17 that is known as The Cleansing of the Temple.
In all we’re going to be looking at Matthew 21:1-17. We’re going to look at what it’s like when Jesus comes to town.
When Jesus Comes to Town He Brings
Spiritual Awakening
Humble Reconciliation
Cleansing Justice
Healing
We tend to think about the amazing power and awe of God. And He is all powerful, worthy of all praise. What we most often overlook is the humility of God’s character.
Jesus shows us that humble nature when He enters Jerusalem.
Humble Reconciliation
Humble Reconciliation
Let’s look at Matthew 21:1-9
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
Verse 5 is cited from Zech 9:9, and Isa 62:11.
Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on a Donkey. I want you to understand how this would be the strangest of sights. It would bewilder a lot of people.
You see the crowd spreading their clothes and palm branches on the road would symbolize them recognizing Jesus as King.
More so this was done as a king returned from a great victory. Only the king would be riding on a big war horse or in a chariot.
When a king came riding into town on a donkey, it was a humiliating gesture of seeking reconciliation.
And there definitely wouldn’t be people laying down clothes and palm branches before the donkey.
Jesus is humbly riding on a donkey.
How ironic is it that the King of Kings humbly rides into town on a donkey. A humble sign of reconciliation between God and man.
Jesus came to the world as the Prince of Peace. The Son of Man trying to reconcile humanity back to God.
But the crowds were praising Him as the one who would overthrow Rome. The one who would set up a physical worldly kingdom.
We tend to do the same thing though don’t we?
We try to force a “Christian” government and “Christian” legislation over the world. Certainly at least over the United States.
Instead we should be humbling ourselves to bring reconciliation between God and them.
In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry he says,
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.
What the crowds so glaringly missed is that they were as much an enemy of God as the Romans. Jesus is heartbroken that even those who call themselves God’s people were blind to God’s reconciliation.
If we could only be so humble in our walk with Christ. If we only felt the same heartbreak that Jesus felt for the world’s blindness.
We just might see a revival. It could be a spiritual revolution. A revolution that takes the world by storm.
Because When Jesus comes to town He brings a spiritual awakening.
Spiritual Awakening
Spiritual Awakening
Let’s look at Matthew 21:10-11
10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
The Greek word translated “moved, or stirred up, or in an uproar” depending on what version you have, implies the idea of causing extreme anxiety and apprehension. In other contexts and text locations it means shaking or earthquake.
Jesus was marching toward His crucifixion and He was shaking things up. There was a spiritual earthquake that completely devastated the Jewish religion.
When Jesus comes to town He shakes things up.
Remember A. W. Tozer’s “vampire Christians?”
Those who wanted just a little bit of the blood of Jesus. Just enough to save, but not enough to change their character.
We have a tendency to be like that. We want a little bit of Jesus in our lives but not enough tho change our character. Not enough to transform us to be like Jesus.
However, we expect all of the blessings and benefits that come with our new life in Christ. We just don’t want to completely surrender.
We want to just smoothly glide along where we stay within our Christian environment, uncontaminated from the world around us. We don’t want anything to shake up the bubble we live in.
The problem is that if we want to have any impact on the world around us we have to destroy the bubble we live in and shake up society around us.
Watching God work in and through us and change lives in the world around us is one of the biggest blessings we could ever receive.
One of the major ways that happens is through prayer. We must pray that God transforms us and we must pray for a spiritual awakening in the world.
First there needs to be some cleansing justice.
Cleansing Justice
Cleansing Justice
Look at verses 12 and 13
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Here Jesus quotes the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah.
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.
Priests would reject some people’s sacrifices and tell them they needed to purchase whatever animal was needed for their sacrifice.
Some probably just got into the habit of not even bringing a sacrifice and just purchasing one at the temple. That might be akin to saying you can purchase your salvation.
Along with the temple tax they were all required to pay every year. The tax was equivalent to two days wages.
I know it’s really easy to get caught up in the money. However, what Jesus was calling out more than anything else was the fact that the priests, sellers, and yes even some of the buyers were using God in their scheme to benefit themselves.
Have you ever thought that for some it would have a smaller impact monetarily and hardship wise for some of the buyers as well?
Worshipping God comes with a price. It means total surrender of all things to Him. Our life, our belongings, everything belongs to God.
When Jesus calls the temple a “den of thieves” you have to understand, the den is where the thieves live, where they hide out. Those who were using the religious ceremonies for selfish gain were living in and hiding out in the temple.
In our current time, where is the temple?
It is our bodies. The Holy Spirit resides in us making us a Holy Temple. Are we making the temple a “den of thieves” or is it called a “House of Prayer.”
We must cleanse the temple and make it a house of prayer. That’s where fasting through lent becomes an important time.
We let go of those selfish desires that make a den of thieves. We use that same time to be in prayer and meditation on God’s word.
It’s amazing the amount of healing that can happen in our lives through prayer and meditation. When Jesus comes to town He brings healing.
Healing
Healing
Let’s look at verses 14-17
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant
16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
Jesus had a mission. His mission in Jerusalem would have weighed heavy on Him. He could have been just completely preoccupied with that mission.
How many times are we so preoccupied with something that we miss everything else around us?
We have blinders on and forget that people are the mission. Think about it, Jesus knew in a few days He was going to be crucified.
Yet, Here He is in the temple healing people.
I’ve been so focused on what’s happening in my life at times that I have neglected others round me.
Some are more worried about their social status and/or power than they are the people.
Notice how the chief priests and scribes were more focused on the children crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David!” than they were the miraculous healing.
Hosanna means help, I pray or save, I pray. It is found in Ps 118:25 where it addresses Yahweh. It’s a prayer that God will grant help and success. In some cases it is even a prayer asking God for salvation.
The chief priests and scribes are more concerned that the children are praying for Jesus to help them or save them than they’re concerned about the blind and lame being healed.
They scoffed at Jesus “Do you hear what these are saying?”
It’s as if they’re saying aren’t you going to correct these stupid children?
Do you know anyone like that?
Have you seen or heard anything like that recently?
It happening all around us. It’s happening in politics, on social media, and it’s happening in the church.
It would be so easy to be led astray right now. We must be diligent with our time spent in prayer and meditation of God’s word.
We must be diligent in making sure we are seeking truth and only truth. Truth shines light into the darkness. But we must be gentle, kind, and full of grace in sharing truth.
I love how Jesus responds with truth. He says “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
Jesus cites Ps 8:2
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
I really like how the CSB translates it
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have established a stronghold on account of your adversaries in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
In prayerful worship of God it is focused on the people. Not just any people, but those adversarial to God.
Babes and nursing infants, although born into the fallen world, haven’t yet had their thoughts and minds completely corrupted by our sinful nature.
Their innocence and honesty is as close as it gets to perfect praise. They’re honesty is truthful and boldly shines a light into the darkness. The only place it may lack perfection is in ability to understand tactfulness.
We’ve all heard the stories about a young child saying maybe a little too loudly that some person shouldn’t be buying certain items because they’re fat.
How many times have our own children said something about us in public that may or may not have made us blush or turn three shades of red.
These children were giving perfect praise to the Messiah. To Jesus Christ. They may not have known exactly what that meant. The miraculous healing they saw happening was to them above all things worth praising.
When Jesus comes to town He brings healing. When we begin dying to self and spend time seeking Him healing occurs.
Our souls begin to heal. They begin to lose the fallen nature and take on God’s nature.
Jesus says in Jn 15:5-7
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Some say this means prayer and it does. But it means so much more than just prayer. This is about a truly intimate relationship with the triune God.
A relationship that can be felt not just imagined. A relationship that transforms our entire sinful flesh nature to be the nature of God.
“You will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” isn’t Jesus saying you can have whatever you want. Jesus is saying you will be so transformed that all your desires will be my desires.
Are all of your desires the same as God’s desires?
I know this might come as a shock to you, but far too many of my desires don’t even come close to matching God’s desires.
Many more today are closer to His than they were many years ago or even last year. My character is ever so slowly changing toward the character of God.
I know I’m a slow learner. But, everyday that I spend time in prayer and meditation on God’s word. Time seeking God intimately. I find my character changes just a little more.
That is the true meaning of healing. It’s a healing that far exceeds any earthly bodily healing. It’s an eternal spiritual healing.
Is that what you seek when you’re praying?
As we continue to fast through this season of Lent, we must be seeking that kind of relationship with Jesus.
A relationship that brings spiritual awakening, humble reconciliation, and a temple cleansing experience that ushers in spiritual healing.
I can’t imagine what Easter could be like this year if we all spend time fasting. If we spend that time in God’s word, praying and seeking Him.
We would experience a spiritual awakening and a spiritual healing that could start a revival. It might even start a spiritual revolution all over the world.
Isn’t that why Jesus came to town?
