Triumphal Entry

Matthew 21:1–11 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. 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.”

Intro

This moment of great celebration kicks off the last week of Jesus’ life before he goes to the cross. This moment that we often view as nothing but celebratory was actually filled with mixed emotions. Many were filled with joy, but it also fueled a rage inside of the religious elites that lead them to make their final decision to have him killed. Many were actually confused about what he was there to do. And this led the same crowd that cried “Hosanna” to soon cry “Crucify Him”. Religious elites didn’t like that they were becoming irrelevant. The Political leaders feared they would lose power, and misguided were worshipping for the wrong reason.

What is your response to the king?

I know many of us like to think we are part of the crowd that welcomed him with open arms and joyful hearts. But perhaps that only lasts until he begins his work in our life. We think he came to make us rich. We think he came to free us from our circumstance. and maybe that is true for us today. However, I find that many people find themselves disappointed about what happens after they realize why he truly came.

His true Kingship

This was the first time that Jesus publicly announced who he was. For those that knew and understood, this was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Many thought Jesus was coming in as a conquering king, but in reality he was coming in as suffering servant. The people wanted freedom from political oppression but Jesus came to make peace with God on behalf of the people. He came not to make war with the kingdoms of the world but rather to make war with the kingdom of darkness. The fact that he rode a donkey was a symbol of that message. Kings rode on donkeys during peace time. It was a message that he was a “king of peace”. His fight was not with the political parties and rulers, it was with the ruler of darkness.

But as we all know his presence still posed a threat to the leaders of the world. This is because his holiness confronted their flesh. The darkness that lived in them could not stand the “light of the world”. I want to help you understand today that Jesus is still king, and his kingship goes beyond the rulers of this world. He rules over all, both physical and spiritual. This is great news for us today because it means that we don’t have to live under the oppression of darkness anymore. Many of us complain and are concerned about the kingdoms of this world and the power and corruption we live under. However, we spend much time being ignorant to the powers we can’t see. He came to conquer those powers that we can walk in the kingdom of light and not be oppressed by the darkness.