A Most Fitting Coronation
Notes
Transcript
Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French military genius and Emperor, was known for his arrogance. At his coronation in December of 1804, it is said that as Pope Pius VII was about to crown him, the leader took the crown from the Pope’s hands and placed it upon his head.
This act of arrogance was just a part of his reputation as one who lived for himself rather than for his countrymen.
There have been many self-centered leaders. King Nebuchadnezzar, for instance, was walking on the roof of his palace, we are told in Daniel 4:29-30
29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
At that very instant, God humbled the king, drove him insane, and he became like an animal in his mental capacity.
Needless to say, we serve a different kind of king. It was said of Jesus: “There have been many babies who have become kings; but only one king that became a baby.”
Jesus’ humility was on display, on that first Palm Sunday. He stated of Himself in Mark 10:45
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Today, we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In less than one week, he would go to the cross. Today is special in that it is God’s declaration that His Son is King. Let’s take notice of a few things from our Scripture this morning.
God the Father provided for Jesus’ coronation.
God the Father provided for Jesus’ coronation.
Jesus’ awareness of the provisions for this occasion was placed on full display. Mark 11:1-3
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ”
There were times where Jesus was keenly aware of the situation and what was needed to accomplish the Father’s will. This is one of those times. It was not left up to happenstance. Rather, there were things put in place to make it happen.
Something similar happened just a few days later. Mark 14:13-16 reads:
13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
We should not be surprised when God’s omniscience is put on display. Jesus knew the situation he was in. And Jesus knows you.
If God is aware of a sparrow that falls to the ground and if he’s aware of the number of hairs on your head, He also knows everything about you. And He wants you to respond to His gracious invitation to come and follow Him.
The woman at the well in John 4:29-30 said
29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.
Secondly...
God the Father clothed His Son in humility, so that we might take notice.
God the Father clothed His Son in humility, so that we might take notice.
There is significance of the donkey’s colt upon which Jesus sat. Note that it was not a white stallion which represented a king marching in after war; but a beast of burden, which symbolized humility.
This was the fulfillment 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.
Most pilgrims entering Jerusalme would have done so on foot. Jesus chooses to sit upon a donkey’s colt, to show an apparent contrast with other kings. Stephen Short states:
“Jesus’ use of this was a witness that, despite popular opinion, it was not as a warrior that He would fulfill His Messianic office, but in great meekness and lowliness.” (Short, A New Testament Commentary, 193).
We read how the people reacted. They started spreading their garments in the middle of the road and began praising God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen.
The Gospel of John situates the Triumphal Entry right after the raising of Lazarus from the dead. No doubt they had this on their minds.
But what of the palm branches? These were a national symbol of Israel. They were associated with the Feast of Tabernacles, reminding them of their wilderness wanderings and God’s faithfulness. People would make their booths out of palms in which they lived during the feast-week.
The crowd became enthusiastic in Mark 11:9-10
9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “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!”
Such a reaction had great significance. It was a title reserved for God’s Messiah, the Promised One. Calling Jesus, “Son of David,” was saying He was the fulfillment of God’s promise. This was a statement of belief, as Bartimaeus had stated in Mark 10:47
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus as King has great implications for you and me.
Jesus as King has great implications for you and me.
Reflecting on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem ought to make us react in a certain way. If Jesus is king, we who love Him are His ambassadors. The Apostle Paul would state in 2 Corinthians 5:20
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Certainly we must be aware of how we live out our faith. Years ago, I was given a document representing the code of ethics for a local business that takes Christian faith seriously. It read:
I will honor God in all I do.
I will always treat others as I would like them to treat me.
With integrity, I will always do the right thing and speak the truth at all times.
With empathy, I will seize every opportunity to express genuine concern for others.
With respect, I will actively listen to understand before I respond.
I assume personal responsibility for my character , work ethic and attitude.
I fully commit my time at work, being accountable for its use.
But our witness of Jesus as king cannot just be how we live, but also in what we say. Let us not be afraid to let people know who rules our lives and who we are indebted to. God has called each of us to be His ambassadors. Let us do it with pride.
Towards the end of his life, Napoleon said:
“I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself have founded great empires. But our empires were founded on force. Jesus alone founded His empire on love, and to this day millions would die for Him. I think I understand something of human nature, and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man. Jesus Christ was more than man.”
“I have inspired multitudes with a devotion so enthusiastic that they would have died for me. But to do this it was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, my voice. Who cares for me now removed as I am from the active scenes of life, and from the presence of men? Who would now die for me?”
“Christ alone across the chasm of eighteen centuries makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy. He asks more than a father can demand of his child, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart. He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally, and forthwith His demand is granted.”
“Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man with all its powers and faculties becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man’s creative powers.”
“Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame. This is what strikes me most. This is what proves to me quite convincingly that Jesus Christ is God.”
