Moments of Triumph

Bible Passage: Matthew 21:1–11

Matthew 21:1–11 narrates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where He is hailed as the Messiah and King, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the arrival of a humble yet powerful savior. This was Jesus’ mission right from the beginning. And this is the moment where the people hailed Him as the King that He truly is. Unfortunately, their expectations of a political savior would remain unmet and their cheers would turn to jeers far too quickly. The same voices that rang throughout Jerusalem that Jesus is the Son of David would soon also ring throughout Jerusalem to crucify Him. But that is the story for Friday’s message. Today, we focus on the moment of triumph as Jesus entered Jersualem riding on a donkey!

Let’s strive to understand the significance of Jesus’ entry into our lives and communities. Let’s consider the importance of recognizing Christ's kingship and welcoming Him joyfully, encouraging both personal reflection and communal celebration.

Christ fulfills of messianic prophecies, illustrating His dual nature as both a humble servant (riding on a donkey) and a conquering King. It reveals the continuity of God’s plan through Scripture, culminating in the person of Jesus.

Embracing Jesus as our true King involves both joy and surrender, leading to transformation in our lives and communities as we recognize His authority and purpose.

1. Purposeful Preparation

Matthew 21:1–3 NIV

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

Jesus was purposeful in everything that He did. This final week is recorded in such stunning detail that we really get a wonderful look at those preparations. Jesus commands His disciples to go and find a donkey with her colt. They are to bring them to Jesus and He then gives words to say should they be asked what they are doing.

Luke’s gospel (19:28-38) points out that just as Jesus predicted, people asked what they were doing. Luke 19:33-34 says:

Luke 19:33–34 NIV

As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

The donkey is far more significant to what is going on than a simple ride for Jesus as He goes into town.

2. Prophetic Paradox

Matthew 21:4–5 NIV

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

Matthew does a great job throughout his gospel pointing out how Jesus fulfills Messianic prophecy… in this instance by choosing to ride in on a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 says:

Zechariah 9:9 NIV

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Christ’s trip into Jerusalem on a donkey should have been a strong clue to the people chanting His name as the Son of David. Conquering kings ride in on war horses… living symbols of power and conquest. Kings that come to establish peace ride in on a donkey… a humble animal to be sure. Jesus came, not to bring war and rescue Israel from under Roman rule, but to bring peace with God and rescue all people from their sins. He came to redeem people unto Himself… to restore a relationship between creator and creation.

Officials used donkeys for civil, not military, processions (1 Kings 1:38). Thus this text is not a triumphal entry in the sense of Roman triumphal processions; it is Jerusalem’s reception of a meek and peaceful king.

Craig Keener

Jesus establishes a paradox here between His ultimate authority as God, and yet coming in humility. Jesus’ life and ministry always leaned in this direction. He never saw power and authority as something to be grasped and held over others. He never forced Himself on people, but rather approached them and gave them the option to receive Him or to reject Him. It was true then and it is still true today. He waits for us to accept Him and will never force Himself upon anyone. Salvation is a gift freely given to those who would respond and believe.

As disciples of Jesus, consider this: to follow in the footsteps of Jesus does not mean that we need to be weak. Jesus says in the Beatitudes that the meek are blessesd, but meekness is not weakness. We are to be strong, in body, mind and faith. Jesus’ kingdom is not one that is to advance in force, but through love and humility. Consider how Jesus came and established His kingdom here on earth… He did it in a calm and loving way, even as the people were nailing Him to the cross!

Even still, He is the worthy king entering Jerusalem. How would He be treated by the people?

3. Passionate Praise

Matthew 21:6–9 NIV

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

This is why this passage is known as the Triumphal Entry! The people were as excited about Jesus’ arrival as though the biggest celebrity had just come to town. They metaphorically rolled out the Red Carpet for Jesus by laying down their coats and palm branches before Him as He came into Jerusalem.

And as Jesus marched steadily into the heart of Jerusalem, the people began to cheer and declare things about Jesus. They cheered “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Somehow, the people knew that Jesus descended from David. This title also has some messianic overtones to it. One commentary says it this way:

Matthew 1. True Discipleship versus Harsher Condemnation for the Jewish Leaders (19:1–22:46)

The crowds acclaim Jesus as Messiah with regal, Davidic terminology. “Son of David” also echoes the blind men’s cry in 20:30. “Hosanna” originally meant God save us but by the first century was probably just a cry of praise to Yahweh. The “He who comes in the name of the Lord,” like the “coming one” of whom John the Baptist spoke (recall under 3:11), refers to the Messiah, and the entire beatitude echoes

How do we respond when we know that Jesus comes into our lives? Do we get excited? Do we shout “Hosanna to the Son of David!” There are points in our spiritual journey where we get excited, and well we should. When we come to faith and Christ enters into our hearts for the very first time, that is a time worthy of celebration. When we choose baptism, that also is another instance to get excited about because a believer is outwardly declaring that they follow Jesus. But how much of our spiritual journey do we keep quiet? How can we get excited for one another unless we share the good news of what Jesus is doing in and through us? Get excited and shout Hosanna! Christ is worthy of all praise and that is what the people are doing!

4. Pivotal Perception

Matthew 21:10–11 NIV

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Despite the “Red Carpet” treatment Jesus receives upon His entry into Jerusalem, the responses from those in the city vary. We see in this brief text that the residents of Jerusalem are perplexed and ask who this is that has come into town with such a reception. The excited crowds eagerly answer the questions and again declare that this is Jesus… a prophet from Nazareth. Despite the messianic overtones of the cheers for the Son of David, and the declarations of “Hosanna” and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” the people are still not fully convinced of Jesus’ divine origins, but acknowledge God’s hand upon His ministry.

Pharisees are skeptical and upset, but we need to again look at Luke’s Gospel to see this response.

Luke 19:39 NIV

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

Jesus tells them in verse 40:

Luke 19:40 NIV

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

I have long been fascinated by Jesus’ response here as that would be something incredible to behold wouldn’t it? But it speaks to the divinely ordained moment this was. After all, it is the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy.

I came across a quote from Robert H. Stein that points out something nicely. It says:

The Pharisaic response (Luke 19:39) reveals that Israel had not received their King (cf. 19:14). The “triumphal” entry from a human perspective was not “triumphal.” What had been true from the very beginning continues even now. The Son of God is rejected. This theme, the rejection of Jesus and the resulting judgment, will be brought to the forefront by Luke in 19:41–44, which is the climax of 19:28–40.

Robert H. Stein

What this indicates is that Jesus’ reception into Jerusalem that fateful day represents His reception by various people at all times through history. You will have groups that cheer Jesus and gladly receive Him, and yet there is something missing in their hearts and they will turn away.

You will have people who gladly receive Him and stick by Him through all but the most difficult of trials, such as the disciples that came alongside Jesus. And yes, even their abandonment during the trials until after the crucifixion symbolically represents many of our faith journeys, where perhaps we had gone astray during certain season(s) of our lives, but we have returned and now strive to be faithful.

You will have many people who will question who this Jesus is and will respond in various ways as we try to tell them about this One who comes in the name of the Lord.

And you will have those that vehemently reject Jesus and try to silence the message of the Gospel.

This is ultimatly a scene of the final judgment even though there are other passages that more explicitly portray that moment to come in history. Where do we fall? The fact that we are here at church means that we are gladly receiving Jesus, but the question remains even for us… if Jesus, as He actually is, does not live up to our desires for who He is, how will we respond? There are many churches and even denominations that want to worship a Jesus of their own creation. They want a Jesus that will bless them but never correct them. They want a Jesus that will teach you all about love, but never what it means to fear the Lord or to obey His commands. But of course, if you’ve been with us for any length of time here at OBC, you know that we preach Jesus as He is revealed in scripture and Jesus teaches all these things… the fear of the Lord, that if we love Him we will obey Him, etc… Jesus is not a God of our creation, He is God that has chosen to reveal Himself to humankind in the hopes that they would willingly submit to His authority. We strive to know God as He has revealed Himself, in Jesus Christ His Son, through the Holy Spirit and to the glory of the Father in heaven!

Let’s live our lives in such a way that the rocks never have to cry out because there will always be His people shouting joyously for what He has done!

Conclusion

So, what do we do with this story? We hear it almost every year at this time. Have we grown so used to it that we think there is nothing more to learn? I pray that never happens. I pray that as we read this story a new this year, that God fills us with the same kind of excitement that overtook the crowd that fateful day! I pray that we would get so excited about our coming Savior that our praises shake the foundations of this building. I pray that our excitement catches like a fire amongst the community that even if only for a moment, everyone regardless of religious affiliation could get excited about Jesus and praise His name! And I pray that God would through His Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom to know how to gently and lovingly guide those caught up in the Holy excitement, to consider the Gospel message and would convert and change their lives and ultimately change their eternal destination!

I pray for the good news of Jesus to be received with such joy as we see written in our text today!

What is the overall message of the Triumphal Entry… of Palm Sunday? We are to embrace Jesus as King! It was out of overwhelming joy that the crowds cheered that day, and it should be out of that same joy that we celebrate our Jesus! He is coming again and on that day, we will all cheer loudly, I trust, but until that day, how are we to respond?

Embracing Jesus involves both joy and surrender. Joy in that we have been forgiven for our sins and saved from their consequences. Joy also in that we are freely given the gift of salvation and entry into heaven for eternity! The closing chapters of Revelation paint a picture of the New Heaven and Earth that await us and there is plenty of praise and singing and joy when we will be in the presence of Jesus forever!

But Embracing Jesus also involves surrender. In order to properly celebrate Jesus’ arrival as King, that means we need to willingly bend the knee, recognizing that He has authority over us. We lay down our crowns at the feet of the one true king!

Embracing Jesus as our true King involves both joy and surrender, leading to transformation in our lives and communities as we recognize His authority and purpose.