The Kings Arrival
Notes
Transcript
picking back up in Mark 11 this morning. This is a shift in the story. In Mark, we have seen the start of Jesus’s ministry, him calling his disciples, a host of miracles, and most recently a discourse on discipleship. In chapter 11 it shifts to what most of you may know as Holy Week. This is the week that leads up to Jesus going to the cross to die and the subsequent resurrection.
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.’ ”
4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.
5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”
6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.
8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.
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!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
We do not have the experience of living in a land that has a king. We have a president, but that is different than a king. Kings a sole rulers. They don’t have to run things by other groups or committees. They say it and it gets done.
Although we don’t live in an earthly kingdom, if you are a follower of Christ then you are a citizen of another kingdom, God’s kingdom. We get the privilege to play a very important role in this kingdom too. God uses us to bring forth his kingdom. One of the main ways that he does this is through our obedience. If we are disobedient to God, we are not doing anything to magnify the glory of God to the world we live in. But, through our obedience to God, we can play a big part in increasing God’s glory through the coming of his kingdom.
Main Point - God uses our Obedience to bring His Kingdom
Main Point - God uses our Obedience to bring His Kingdom
When I think of obedience, I think naturally I think of a parent and child relationship. Just like when I tell my child they need to do something and I expect them to do it, God has given us commands in scripture that he has expected us to follow.
In the gospel accounts, 2 very big ones come to mind. The Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
The Great Commandment - We will be preaching on this one in a few weeks out of Mark 12 when Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. He tells them to love the Lord your God will all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is where we get our mission as a church, Build the Kingdom and Impact our community. Loving God, loving neighbors.
The Great Commission - Matt 28. Our call to make disciples.
These are just 2 examples of commands that we are given that we must obey. Obeying these 2 commands has great implications on the kingdom of God. Our obedience can be used to bring the kingdom of God, but our disobedience can also cause hinderance to the coming of the kingdom of God.
Does your level of obedience help or hinder the Kingdom of God?
Does your level of obedience help or hinder the Kingdom of God?
When I say this, I am not saying that God’s glory depends on us. God will be glorified regardless of our obedience. Scripture tells us that even if we don’t give God glory that the rocks will cry out to the glory of God. God’s glory is not dependent upon us. But, our obedience can help or hinder God’s kingdom in the lives of others. We want to see people come to faith. We want to see people put their faith and trust in Jesus and turn from the sin and turn to Jesus.
There is a beautiful tension in scripture between God’s sovereignty and mans responsibility. It is our responsibility to be obedient. Regardless of our obedience, God is still sovereign. But, as Christians, God has saved us. We have been called out of darkness and into marvelous light. And we did not do this for ourselves, God did. We are now children of God. And as children, we obey our father.
As we go through our text today, we see a theme of obedience through both Jesus and the disciples. We are going to focus in on that but while we go through it we will see many aspects of what is going on here.
Our Obedience is Part of God’s Plan
Our Obedience is Part of God’s Plan
As humans, we tend to not see all of the pieces falling into place sometimes. But, God’s sovereignty is always playing its part in the events that are taking place.
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples
We are going to park here for a little bit because this verse holds so much to not only what is happening in the next 6 chapters, but events that have led up to this point.
The next 6 chapters of Mark entail the last week or so of the life of Jesus before his crucifixion. This is the shortest amount of time in the most area of the account here. We see details of the events that happen in this week. But to set up for all of these details, we need to take a step back and look at all of scripture.
See, locations in scripture matter. Nothing is coincidence or happenstance. Things that had happened earlier in scripture, happened where they happened for a reason. The Mount of Olives is a little less than a mile east of Jerusalem and a very pivotal place in scripture where many things had happened. When we go back into the Old Testament, we see several important events happen here.
When David was trying to escape being captured by Absolom, he went to the Mount of Olives.
30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
When Solomon turned from God and decided to build altars to false gods for his many wives to offer up sacrifices to, he did so at the Mount of Olives.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.
Ezekiels vision of God’s glory took place there.
23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.
In our passage today, Jesus leaves from the Mount of Olives to enter the city. In the gospel account of Luke, he records Jesus weeping on the Mount of Olives for the city because of their disobedience and blindness. After these events of the crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples witness the ascension of Jesus in this area. When Jesus ascended, he told his disciples that he would return the same way that he left, so we know that he ascended on the Mount of Olives because Zechariah told us how Jesus would return.
4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
There is so much history that goes with the Mount of Olives that we cannot just read this and not pause and think how great God is. We see God’s sovereignty in these events as it brought Jesus and his 12 disciples to go to this same mountain as they prepare to make their way to the city where Jesus would offer up his life for sinners. I can be so guilty of opening up God’s word and looking for something that I can take from it to apply to my life. We should spend more time opening up God’s word and just seeing how great God is.
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.’ ”
Two unnamed disciples are sent to the village to find a colt, a donkey. He even gives them a heads up about someone asking them what they are doing. The answer that he tells them to give is that “the Lord has need to it”. Although he has spent time showing people that he is God, he is about to begin his journey of declaration and example of being God for the people inside of Jerusalem. All beginning with a donkey.
We see next, the obedience of these two men. Jesus told them what to do, and they do it.
4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.
5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”
6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.
Trust is at the center of obedience. Without trust, there is no desire to obey. I think that you could describe obedience without trust as legalism almost. These men trusted Jesus. They had walked with Jesus for around 3 years now. They had seen the miracles. They were on the boat when he calmed the storm, they were there when he casted out the demons and into the pigs that ran off the edge of the cliff, they were with him when he healed a blind man and a cripple man. So when Jesus told them to go and get a donkey, they did it. What I love about this is that you could call it radical obedience.
Why do I call that radical obedience? Jesus told them to do something and they did it. See, in our world today, normal Christian obedience is viewed as radical obedience. Jesus gave these men instructions, and they did what he told them to do. No questions asked. They did it. They didn’t need to know why, they just wanted to please the Lord. So they did it.
The obedience of these men showed their love and respect that they had for Jesus. Were these men perfect? No because we knew that they failed after Jesus was arrested. Being a Christian that is obedient doesn’t mean that you will be perfect, but our obedience shows how much we trust in the Lord.
What could easily be overlooked is that fact that the obedience of these two men brought the donkey to Jesus, which brought Jesus into Jerusalem, which kicked off the week of events that led to his crucifixion. If you view Jesus as a man, you think that maybe his life would be spared if these men were not obedient. But, we know that Jesus is God. And we know that without the blood of Jesus being shed, that we would still be lost in our sin.
The obedience of these men was all part of our redemption. These two men, that are not named, were foundational in Jesus going to the cross to be the substitutionary atonement. I am not saying that if they were disobedient that Jesus would not have died. But what I am saying is that God, in his sovereignty, used these two unnamed disciples to usher in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem which began his trip to the cross.
I often let my mind drift and wonder what God’s plan is. Is this going to happen or is God going to do this certain thing. But what I forget a lot is that I should focus less on the outcome of things and trust, that in God’s providence, that he will bring about his will through my obedience.
Our Obedience Declares the Lordship of Jesus
Our Obedience Declares the Lordship of Jesus
Your life will always boldly declare something. As disciples of Jesus, we want it to declare who Jesus is. Just as the people in Jerusalem needed to hear about who Jesus is, we are surrounded by people who need to hear who Jesus is. One great way that we do this is through obedience.
If you have lived much life, you have experienced nepotism. Nepotism is when someone gets opportunities because of who their family is. And we can probably all tell about a time when it did not work out well. Maybe they hired someones kid and the parent was one of the best employees you could think of but the child thought they were owed something and probably needed to be fired the first day.
Jesus, the son of God, one part of the triune God-head, came to earth and never threw around his right to the throne. He declared things about God the father, but he never once used his fathers name to advance some sort of worldly agenda. But, just as his disciples were obedient to him, he was obedient to the father. And through everyones obedience, the name of God is made great.
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.
This donkey is a very significant piece to the story. The people around him may not have understood the significance of what was happening here. With this, Jesus is fulfilling prophecy about the messiah coming, and Jesus is the messiah. It was told in Zechariah that the king would come riding in on a donkey.
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.
I read in a commentary on this text that “here comes deity on a donkey”. In the gospel account of Luke, we are told that this donkey had never been ridden. Whenever you want an animal to be one that is ridden on, you have to go through a process called “breaking”. It takes time to train the animal for you to be able to ride it. One that has not been broken in will likely buck the rider off. But this donkey did not do that.
Jesus had no need to break in this donkey because this donkey knew that the one riding him was the one who created him. Just like the disciples obedience in going and getting the donkey, the donkey obeyed Jesus.
8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.
Jesus mounts the donkey, and sets forth into the city. As he is coming in, people take their cloaks and spread them on the road. And they took branches and laid them down. All of this as a sign of honor. But why? If they just saw Jesus as a man, a carpenters son, who was a good bible teacher and did good things for other people, what kind of honor did he deserve? He was experiencing an entrance reserved for royalty. The only explanation is that these people truly saw Jesus for who he was. The messiah.
And the magnificent thing that shows us that his way to the cross is truly beginning here is that he does not stop it. As we have gone through the gospel of Mark, and we have seen miracles happen, we have often heard Jesus command people to tell no one. This time, he does not stop the declaration of the people of who he is.
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!”
The people had been waiting for the Messiah and here he was. They saw Jesus as the coming king. The one who would rise to power and overthrow the Roman oppression that they were facing and restore them to the great kingdom of Israel like they had been waiting for. But, that is not what happens. Jesus would rise, but it would be from the grave and not to earthly power. Jesus would overthrow evil, but it would be by defeating satan and not Rome. Jesus would wear the crown, but it would not have stones and diamonds but would be one of thorns.
The people who were declaring Jesus to be the Messiah did not understand what they were declaring. They would expect one thing and be let down because that is not what they would get. They wanted their problems to be taken care of in the moment but did not care about the eternity that waited for them that Jesus would secure.
Even in their declaration here, they were declaring salvation. Hosanna literally means “save, I pray”. They wanted salvation. Not from their sins but from their enemy.
How often do we want Jesus to do something for us just for us to miss everything he has already done for us? We want wealth, we will be living in a place where there will be no need for anything. We want healing, he has giving us divine healing from the worst disease known to man which is sin. Don’t look past everything that Jesus had done for you, just to look for things you think you deserve.
We will be just like the Galileans that we see here. Looking for the earthly kingdom of David while missing the eternal kingdom of God. But, even in their ignorance and misunderstanding, their declaration is a true one.
Jesus came to save. That is the gospel. (gospel presentation)
He came to go to the cross to die so that we can be saved from sin which separates us from God.
Their declaration is pointing to all of the things that Jesus is fulfilling as he rides this donkey into Jerusalem. In 2 Samuel, the promise that God made to David that he would raise up his offspring to establish the throne of his kingdom forever is being fulfilled. In Isaiah 9 when he is prophesying that one would come to sit on the throne of David to establish it with justice and righteousness forevermore is being fulfilled. In Isaiah 11, He is the shoot from Jesse through David that will be a resting place for all people. In Ezekiel 34, we are told that God would set up ONE shepherd through David to feed the people. All of these things are being fulfilled through Jesus.
And we see it play out through obedience. Jesus being obedient to the father. These 2 disciples being obedient to Jesus. And it all plays a part 1) in the declaration of who Jesus is and 2) in the coming salvation through Jesus going to the cross.
But this wasn’t the end of the story. Because Jesus rides in on the donkey and goes somewhere very important to the events that are about to unfold, the temple. As we continue through the gospel of Mark, we will see events inside of the temple unfold and be vital to Jesus going to the cross.
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
As we continue through this account over the next weeks and months, we will see that this episode inside of the temple is a calm before the storm. He walks in, looks around and determines that he will need to go home to rest before he deals with what he saw. Don’t miss out on the beauty of what this is. Jesus has come to cleanse the temple. He has come to show the people that their priorities are wrong and that they have gone astray. And he will show them all of this through the death, burial, and resurrection.
Conclusion
Our text today has painted us such a beautiful picture of the arrival of the Messiah into Jerusalem as he is on his way to the cross. There are a couple of things we need to see in this text.
Trust in God’s plan - I know that some of us are going through some hard times right now. Things aren’t going the way that we think that they should. God has sovereignly orchestrated your life the way it is. And he has done it, not for your glory, but for his glory. So we need to trust in God’s plan and continue to seek to glorify his name, not matter what happens.
Be obedient - We all struggle with this. If you think you are unique in this, you are wrong. But, we all know how much better the Christian life is when we are obedient. When God commands us to do something, we strive to do it. When we feel the Holy Spirit impress on us to do something, we do it. This is radical obedience in our world today, but for the Christian, it should just be biblical obedience.
So I want to challenge you. Is there something that is going on that you are resisting trusting in God? I challenge you to give it to him. When we hold on to thing, our stress and worry and anxiety only increase. We try to control it when we are not the ones in control. Damage happens and then regret. Give it to God and trust in his plan. And be obedient. Is there something that you have been avoiding that God has been clear to you that you need to do? Do it and trust that God will take care of it.
When I think of this, I am reminded of a story. DL Moody was holding meetings one time in Brockton, Mass. They were having a time of testimony and a gentlemen stood up and said something. To him, it probably did not seem very significant at the time. When he said this statement, the music leader, John Sammis, decided to write it down. He took what this man said and turned it into a very well known hymn. All the man said was, “I am going to trust and obey the Lord”. He took that statement and wrote these words from it.
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
Our call today is to trust and obey the Lord.
