Welcome the King of Kings Mark 11:1-11 & Zechariah 9:9

Do we offer our worship because we expect Jesus to return the favor and make us healthy, happy, and prosperous? Or do we worship Him simply because He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who alone is worthy of our praise?

Introduction

Today, Christians globally celebrate Palm Sunday, also known as the "Triumphal Entry". This day commemorates Jesus's entry into Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago, marking the start of a week leading up to Passover.

To the Jews of Jesus' time, this was another year of Passover, similar to any other year. However, for Jesus, the moment had arrived for the people to recognize Him as King and to fulfill additional prophecies concerning the Christ, the Messiah. It was a day marked by celebration, as well as profound sorrow.

We’re going to do a little people-watching this morning... We’re going to look at the faces in the crowd during Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem... We’re going to see why this Palm Sunday is a day for celebration, and a day that brings Jesus to weep.

Mark 11:1-10

To begin to understand the pageantry of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, we’re going to go back 500-600 years before Jesus’ birth, where God reveals to the prophet Zechariah certain details of the coming Messiah.

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9, CSB)

The events that unfolded on that Palm Sunday match what Zechariah had prophesied over five centuries earlier.

We also need to keep in mind that this is a very Jewish, very Hebrew occasion. This is the beginning of the Passover… one of the most important feasts that the Jewish people will celebrate all year. It is estimated that over two million people were celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem that year. The streets are packed with people… the city is filled with an exciting carnival-like atmosphere. During each day of the Passover week, the “Hallel” would be recited during morning prayers… “Hallel” is a Hebrew word meaning “praise”. The Hallel consists of reciting word-for-word each of Psalms 113-118, as a joyous praise in song to God.

“Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success! He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed. From the house of the Lord we bless you.” (Psalm 118:25–26, CSB)

The Hebrew for the phrase “Lord, save us!” (yosha anna) is translated into the word “Hosanna” in Greek (which we have retained in the English translation). During Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, the people (who were very Jewish) were shouting phrases from the end of the Hallel!

Yoshanna! Yoshanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

In the Gospel of Luke, he records it with the variation, Luke 19:38 (CSB) — 38 Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!

You see, the people in the crowd knew exactly what they were shouting. They were proclaiming the Messiah, their King! What a celebration!

But there’s more to the story here. Let’s pause with the people shouting, “Hosanna!”, and go back a few days… let’s look at some of the drama happening behind the scenes. Let’s get a better understanding of some of the faces in the crowd. First, let’s look at the faces of the Expectant Crowd.

I. The Expectant Crowd

Before Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, He spent some time with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. We see a crowd beginning to gather there, but John says they were there not so much to see Jesus, but to see this man Lazarus who had been raised from the dead…

John 12:9 (CSB) — 9 Then a large crowd of the Jews learned he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, the one he had raised from the dead.

The crowd gathered out of curiosity. They were present for the event, not specifically for the Master. They came to witness Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. They wanted to be where Jesus was to observe miracles.

They are there to experience the wonder and enjoy the show, not to worship the King.

People sought a sign. Though Jesus performed many miracles, He avoided public recognition as the Messiah until His time came. Now, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, He openly declares His Kingship. The crowd's joy erupts as Jesus confirms His claim as their King.

The One who performed miracles and everyone hoped would appear, had finally arrived.

Thousands of people took off their coats and laid them on the road as Jesus rode by. Many climbed palm trees, cut branches, and threw them down for the colt to walk on, while others waved palm branches. They believed victory and restoration were riding before them on a colt.

And then, the streets erupted with the sounds of praises, singing and shouting... Mark 11:9–10 (CSB) — 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

It was quite the show... quite the spectacle. Have you ever wondered why the same people who are crying out “Hosanna!” would just a few short days later be shouting “Crucify Him!”?

Even as they shout the Hallel, Psalm 118:25 includes the phrase, “O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.” You see, they were expecting Jesus to establish a new world order with the Jewish nation at the top of the heap. What they forgot is that Jesus’ kingdom would be an eternal kingdom, not an earthly one.

The Hallel also mentions in Psalm 118:22 how the “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus will experience their rejection in just a few short days when they scream, “Crucify Him!”

Jesus has attracted an expectant mob, but they are looking to witness the coming of a king to save them from the Romans and establish a Jewish Empire. “Put on a show for us, Jesus.” Their hearts have not been changed by their encounter with the Messiah.

What about us? Would we rather be entertained instead of truly being changed by our encounter with Jesus? Do we offer our worship because we expect Jesus to return the favor and make us healthy, happy, and prosperous? Or are we here to worship Jesus simply because He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who became flesh and dwelt among us?

You see, there are those in the crowd, though much smaller in number than the expectant crowd, who truly desire to worship the King. These are the True Followers.

II. The True Followers

The True Followers aren’t there for the show. They are there to worship and adore their King.

Let’s turn our attention on two women, Mary and Martha. Many days prior to Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, Jesus raised Martha’s brother, Lazarus, from the dead. Let’s read a portion of that event in John 11:21–27 (CSB) — 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.”

Martha’s faith is in the Christ. Jesus doesn’t raise Lazarus from the dead until after this dialog. Martha doesn’t worship Jesus because of what He can do for her. Martha worships Jesus because of who He is to her “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.”

What about us? Do we sing our praises to Jesus because of what He can do for us, or are our hearts in tune with who He Is... His holiness... His righteousness... His extravagant, unfailing love for us?

If we are focused on what Jesus can do for us, we are like the expectant mob, ready to crucify Him if He doesn’t perform for us. “You didn’t save my mother/father from cancer.” “You didn’t protect me.” “You didn’t help me.” “You didn’t (fill in the blank) for me.” What are you mad at God about today?

His true followers worship Jesus for who He IS. For another perspective, let’s look at Mary’s expression of love and devotion to her King in John 12:3 (CSB) which reads — 3 Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Mary's love and devotion were profound. She used fragrant oil worth a year's wages to anoint Jesus. While other Gospels mention her anointing Jesus' head, John highlights the act of humility by focusing on his feet.

Close your eyes and engage your imagination for a moment as we picture the scene... Mary breaks open the flask of oil, the aroma quickly filling the room, and quietly pours it gently on Jesus’ head... the fragrant oil dripping down His hair and onto His face and shoulders. She then takes the remaining oil and anoints His feet. Kneeling at the feet of Jesus, she wipes His feet with her hair. She has just anointed her Savior for His burial though He is very much alive and the very next day will be riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. I can just imagine that less than a week later, as Jesus hangs from the cross, Mary and those around her can still catch whiffs of the fragrance still in her hair.... the fragrance of her devotion to her Lord.

When Mary and Martha are shouting “Hosanna!” they really mean it! They have no expectation other than to follow and pour out their love and devotion upon the only one worthy of their praise! True followers of Jesus believe in who He Is, and understand that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and THAT is the reason why we shout “Hosanna!” in praise and adoration!

III. The Pharisees

But there were other faces in the crowd that day, faces of those who had no interest in celebrating or shouting “Hosanna!” as Jesus rode into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday... The faces of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees must have been enraged by the support and praise for their worst enemy—someone who threatened their power, whom they feared and hated, and whose head had a bounty.

Luke tells us that somewhere along the parade route these men could no longer contain their boiling anger. They just couldn’t take the shouts of the crowds calling Jesus the King and the Son of David... When they couldn’t take it any longer they shouted at Jesus, Luke 19:39–40 (CSB) — 39 Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”

In essence, Jesus conveys the message that the worship of God cannot be halted. Despite any opposition or efforts to prevent people from praising Him, it is inevitable that the Son of God will be revered. Should there be no voices to offer praise, even the rocks and stones would sing in His honor.

The Pharisees' pride prevented them from recognizing Jesus' divinity. Today, some people might also pursue fame, wealth, or power, rejecting Jesus’ teachings. They may refuse to accept God's moral standards and argue against them, not realizing that life has no true meaning without Jesus Christ.

Are you like the Pharisees? Are you holding so tightly to the wisdom of this world that you refuse to acknowledge and accept the Kingship of Jesus Christ?

As we look on the faces of the Pharisees in the crowd, shouting hatred instead of Hosannas, let’s look at one last face… let’s look on the face of Jesus for a moment.

IV. Jesus Wept

Luke 19:41 (CSB) — 41 As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it,

Can you see the face of Jesus? Can you picture the tears flowing freely down his cheeks, His face twisted in sorrow? This is a time of triumph, of celebration, yet His heart is broken by what He sees! Jesus finds no joy in the rejection and hatred of the Pharisees... He weeps for these men who were so close to the Father’s house, but so far away from the Father.

The Pharisees are easy to figure out, but the expectant crowd is better at hiding their true hearts. You see, Jesus can tell what’s in each person’s heart regardless of what their outward expressions are at the moment. You can shout “Hosanna!” and sing praises to God all you want, but Jesus knows what’s in your heart. Jesus knew their roots were shallow, and their devotion was just temporary.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into Jerusalem and mourns for the city's future and those who reject Him. They will crucify Him and face God's wrath. Jesus laments for those who refuse His gift of life.

Jesus did not weep for His followers. Instead, He prayed for them, knowing that they would complete their mission. He foresaw the challenges they would face, including imprisonment, beatings, and execution. Jesus prayed for His disciples and sent them into the world fully aware of the obstacles ahead.

You and I are also in the crowd, and when Jesus looks at our faces, what does He see? Is this Palm Sunday a day for celebration, or is it a day of incredible sorrow? It’s your choice.