Matthew 21:1-22 - Triumphal Entry - Palm Sunday

Hilary/Silas conversation

Big Idea: Jesus is the expected King

Stand to read

Matthew 21:1–7 ESV

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

Context

Jesus had been teaching His disciples about the kingdom of heaven

He’s warned them that He would go to Jerusalem, suffer, and die then three days rise again from the dead.

The disciples are clueless.

As Jesus prepares for the final week of His life, He gives His disciples instructions that fulfills a prophecy.

This is the kickstart to the last week of His life.

Jesus was coming into Jerusalem as the prophesied King.

He gives them a live-action fulfillment of a prophesy they had read all their lives in Zech. 9:9.

They were watching it in real time.

They knew something big was happening.

Matthew 21:8–11 ESV

8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus coming into Jerusalem this way reveals a few things.

Jesus is the Prophesied King

His coming into Jerusalem is the clear cut picture of Zech. 9:9.

All of the Old Testament points to this King.

Jesus is the Righteous King

They acknowledge that He is “the Son of David”

Jesus is the Savior King

They’re singing “Hosanna!” which translates “Save now” (v. 9)

They are showing him great respect!

Sir Walter Raleigh story with the queen

One day Elizabeth was passing along the streets, and the people as usual came crowding to see her.

Among them was Sir Walter Raleigh.

The Queen stepped from her coach and, followed by her ladies, was about to cross the road.

But in those days the streets were very badly kept, and Elizabeth stopped before a puddle of mud.

She was grandly dressed, and how to cross the muddy road, without soiling her dainty shoes and skirts, she did not know.

As she paused Sir Walter sprang forward.

He, too, was finely dressed and he was wearing a beautiful new cloak.

This he quickly pulled off and, bowing low, threw upon the ground before the Queen.

They lay their cloaks down in adoration, but they don’t truly know who He is.

They’re watching the Bible come alive in front of them

They are excited to welcome Him into the city

But they think Jesus is simply a prophet from Nazareth (v. 11)

That’s not what this picture reveals, and that’s not what it means for us.

The laid down their cloaks for someone they didn’t fully know,

Church,

We lay everything down for Jesus our King

We have the benefit of being on this side of the cross.

Jesus has come and revealed Himself through His Word to us.

He is not a passive, spineless phony.

He is a ruling, and reigning King who has conquered sin death and the grave.

He is worthy to be submitted to and obeyed!

At one time, we refused.

Gospel Presentation

In our sin, we are all willful enemies to God.

We have rebelled against the King and are guilty of high treason.

Deserving hell and judgement.

But the Lord is a merciful and He sent His Son Jesus to be a humble King who will lay down His life for those He came to save.

Jesus came into Jerusalem that day, knowing that by the end of the week He would be crucified and shed His blood to forgive our sins!

He would do so, knowing that He would be raised to life as a victorious King

All who would believe in Him, submit to His kingship, would be saved from sin forever!

If you’re not a Christian, I want to ask you to submit to King Jesus

Lay down everything in adoration of the true King who can save us.

Only He can save us from our sins!

You can be brought into God’s Kingdom by trusting in Jesus for salvation and worshipping Him as King!

Jesus is a holy and righteous King we can trust and pursue.

Transition

Jesus reveals His holiness by turning His attention toward the Temple.

A place where God’s people were supposed to go and meet with God.

A place where genuine worship was supposed to take place.

This is not what was happening.

Matthew 21:12–13 ESV

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Jesus came into the Temple with the authority of a Son.

“This is MY FATHER’S house!”

This throws all the Jews into confusion, especially the ones who were proud of their religious practices.

They thought things like, “I go to Temple every day. I buy sacrifices religiously. I’m a great person.”

Just for Jesus to come in and literally turn everything upside down.

Jesus not only displays authority over the Temple, but over diseases.

While He’s in the Temple, He starts healing blind and lame people.

Matthew 21:14–16 ESV

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they 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 infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

The Pharisees don’t like this because they want religious control of the people.

“Who does this guy think He is?”

This attitude would set in motion the events of the next week that would lead to Jesus’s murder.

Transition

Jesus shows us His authority over the Temple, over diseases, and now over all creation.

Matthew 21:17–19 ESV

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

It wasn’t the season for figs, but the tree had leaves which usually indicates that there is fruit there.

Jesus cursed it, not to be angry but to prove a point.

Cleaning house in the temple and cursing the fig tree are closely related

He’s drawing our attention to religious hypocrisy.

On the outside, things are great.

People love the way they look participating in the Temple.

They look like a healthy tree with all their bright green leaves.

But inwardly, there is no fruit. They are not worshipping the Lord.

They were spiritually dead trying to make themselves look spiritual.

They claimed to worship God, but there was absolutely no desire for God!

King Jesus has no tolerance for hollow worship or hypocritical religion.

He demands true worship and devotion to Him! This is why we lay everything down for Him.

So what are we to do with this?

Matthew 21:20–22 ESV

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Church, what Jesus is telling us today is,

We must bear faithful fruit (for the King)

If you claim to be a Christian and follow Jesus—You must bear fruit.

It isn’t enough to look like a Christian.

An apple tree that doesn’t give apples is not an apple tree.

It’s dead.

How do we bear fruit and build up in faith?

We bring people into the Kingdom

We escort people to the King.

Prayer

We have to prioritize prayer

George Mueller started orphanages in Britain

There were 5 guys that he went to high school with that he committed to praying for every day.

He begged the Lord that they would hear the gospel and be saved.

Throughout his life, he saw four of them come to faith in Christ.

The last unbelieving friend attended his funeral, heard the gospel, and became a Christian.

If we truly trust in Jesus, let’s plead for Him to act on behalf of someone we love and want to come to know Jesus.

We may not see it up front, Mueller didn’t, but the Lord is faithful.

Take the Next Step

Write down the name of the person you are praying for.

Bear fruit this week

Take the next step.

Baptism, serving, worship

Start a text. Invite someone to Good Friday/Easter

We are going to spend some time praying.

We’re going to pray for God to change us and the people we want to come to know Him.

Prayer Prompts

Intro: One of our church’s values is to Share the Hope of Jesus. Over the past several weeks, our church has been walking through the same big idea in our Community Groups: The gospel isn’t just something we share with those who don’t know Jesus—it’s the good news we need to speak into our own hearts and one another’s hearts daily, so together we can “grow up in every way into Christ.”

(Invite to the front at NA?) This is going to have a time of congregational prayer. If you’re seated with your family, dad’s and mom’s – I’d invite you to lead out with your kids. If you’re married, husbands, lead out with your wife. If you’re single and you’ve got a friend nearby, join them. I want to invite you to come forward to the steps or prayer there on your knees at your pew.

PROMPT 1:

In Genesis, Sarah laughed when God said she would have a child in her old age. The Lord said “Is anything impossible for the Lord?” Let’s pray from the following:

Lord, help me to believe that nothing is too hard for You. Forgive me for the times I doubt Your power, love, or faithfulness. Show me where I am living in unbelief and help me trust You fully in my daily life.

PROMPT 2:

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, God says, "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Together, let’s pray this for our church body:

Lord, give me boldness and wisdom to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ daily. Help me to speak the truth in love, to call out sin with grace, and to remind others of Your goodness and faithfulness.

PROMPT 3:

There was a day when Jesus went to get water from a well, and he encountered a woman who was there for the same reason. After he shared the good news of living water, the woman left to go back into town and said, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" (John 4:29). When non-church goers were asked, over 8 out of 10 said they’d come to church if a friend invited them. Next week is a great opportunity to invite a friend to sit with you. Let’s pray from John 4 now. Lord, just as the Samaritan woman joyfully invited others to meet You, give me the courage to share my testimony. Bring to mind a friend who needs to hear about You this week, and give me the opportunity to invite them to church or share my testimony.

Invite to Respond

If you’re a Christian,

When you hear this time of response, I want you to begin praying.

Pray as hard as you possibly can for the lost people in the room.

We want them to come to know Jesus, and it doesn’t happen unless the Holy Spirit brings them to life.

Then, when you see someone come forward, I want you to celebrate because someone just made a profession of faith in Christ.

As Jesus came into Jersualem, He showed us that He is the King worth laying everything down and bearing fruit for.