The King is Coming

Illustration: “Preparing for the Arrival of a King”

Imagine a small town receives word that a king is coming to visit.

Not just any visitor— the king.

Suddenly, everything changes.

People start cleaning the streets. They decorate the roads. They put out their very best. No one brings leftovers— everyone brings their finest.

Why?

Because when a king is coming, you prepare differently.

You don’t treat it like an ordinary day. You don’t respond casually. You don’t stay the same.

You get ready.

Now bring it into the text:

That’s exactly what happened in Matthew 21:8–11.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem:

They spread their garments in the road

They cut down branches

They lifted their voices and shouted

Why?

Because they realized— The King is coming.

Big Idea of the Text

The Word of God teaches us that our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked or sick, who can understand the heart. (Jer. 17:9) We also learn that what proceeds out of the mouth comes from the heart. Your words and actions will show whether you are aligned or not aligned with the purposes of God. I have discovered in life that even when you have clear cut evidence of the truth, folk will still lean towards the lie. We have an emotional resistance to be protected by our heart. The truth can carry uncomfortable messages and it is difficult at times to accept the truth. Therefore, my brothers and sisters be very mindful of making choices to accepting falsehoods over the truth because what starts out as a choice will lead to a condition.

Today, we want to look at the beginning of the last seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The beginning of Holy and Passion Week. Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem exactly one week before His resurrection. A day that we have labeled as “Palm Sunday.”

How do we get the name “Palm Sunday?” The palm branch symbolizes victory, triumph, honor, and royalty. All adjectives fit for King Jesus. This event of Jesus’ triumphal entry is recorded in all four gospels and this event fulfills the prophecy of Zech 9:9 which spoke about a King was coming riding a donkey. The crowd welcomed Jesus by laying their garments and palm branches (only mentioned by John’s gospel) on the road as He proceeded into Jerusalem.

They welcomed Jesus (v.8)

Jesus has instructed two of His disciples to go ahead into Jerusalem. When you arrive in the city you will see a donkey and her colt tied up. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone ask you what are you doing, tell them, The LORD has need for them. So, they bring back the donkey and her unridden colt. Finally the long awaited arrival of what was prophesied almost 500 years ago in Zech 9:9 was finally here. The King is Coming.

Observation: The Crowd Welcomes Jesus

They welcome Jesus into the city by spreading their garments, cloaks, outer garments in the road.

They also cut down palm branches and lay them in the road leading up to Jerusalem.

Interpretation:

The crowd welcomes Jesus just as they would a King who has just had a victory. The Victorious King would be riding into the city on a war horse or chariot, but Jesus is riding into town on an unridden and lowly donkey. This unridden donkey means that it was not broken in but remember that Jesus is the master of all creation. The storms obeyed Him, demons ran from Him, and now an unridden donkey is tamed by Him.

Point: Not everyone welcomed Jesus. Look at the text. Very great multitude and then it says others. That’s not everybody.

Just like today, some people will not follow you because you are in the crowd welcoming Jesus.

Application:

Jesus shows us here that to achieve victory, sometimes you will have to deal with donkeys to arrive at your destiny.

They praised Jesus (v. 9)

Some of the multitude (crowd) walked in front of Jesus, and some followed Him. This places Jesus in the middle. This is an illustration of a Royal King parading into the city. The crowd in front was coming from Jerusalem and because Jesus was not known to everyone some of them didn’t know who Jesus really was. The crowd following behind Him was from Bethany, the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. A place that knew Jesus very well. Q. What crowd are you in today? Do you praise Jesus because you truly know Him or Do you praise Him because of what someone told you about Him?

Observation: They shouted praised to Jesus

They are shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”. This is an Aramaic expression that means help, save us we pray. (God save us)

It is an OT quotation from Psalm 118:25-26

Psalm 118:25–26 GW

25 We beg you, O Lord, save us!  We beg you, O Lord, give us success!  26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.  We bless you from the Lord’s house. 

Interpretation:

This song from Psalm was regularly performed during the Passover season. But it’s something about a song that hits different when you know what you are singing about. They had been singing this song out of ritual (look at verse 15, even the children) but today the words on the page of the songbook is coming riding a lowly donkey into the city of Jerusalem.

Praise here acknowledges Jesus as the seed of David and that He is the one who would grant them salvation.

But I want you to look closely at their praise.

They are not praising Jesus because He is the Messiah

They are praising Him because they wanted a deliverer who would defeat Rome.

The text says, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD.” Point: He is the LORD

Application:

The LORD deserves praise. In Luke’s version of the triumphal entry, the Pharisees were among the crowd, and they asked Jesus to tell the crowd to be silent. Jesus tells them that if they should hold their peace, the stones would cry out for me.

Church, I don’t want no rock crying out for me. I’m happy today that the King has Come!

They had to decide about Jesus (v. 10-11)

They have welcomed Jesus, they have praised Jesus, and now they must decide about Jesus

Observation:

The city of Jerusalem which means city of peace (Salem) is now stirred up or moved. They asked a question, Who is This?

Interpretation:

Their moment of celebration shifts to a moment of decision making

Jesus normally avoided the city and some people in the city didn’t know Him.

In Luke 19:41-42, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. He tells the leaders of the church, Luke 19:42

Luke 19:42 GW

42 He said, “If you had only known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden, so you cannot see it.

What Jesus is saying is that in all that you get, get understanding of who I am.

Jesus is crying because the people didn’t understand the true meaning or see the clear cut evidence in front of them, and that was that Jesus is the one who would bring peace but they had not made the decision to accept Him.

Application:

Have you made a decision about Jesus in your life?

The King is coming back again.

Conclusion

Whooping Close: “What Will You Do With This King?”

They welcomed Him… They laid their garments down… They made room for Him in the street…

They praised Him… They lifted their voices… They shouted Hosanna to the King…I believe the two blind men on the Jericho Road was in the crowd following Jesus. They knew who Jesus really was. They said Jesus, O Lord, thou Son of David, Have mercy on us. Jesus touch their eyes and they could see. A Canaanite woman had a demon-possessed daughter cried out saying Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. (Matthew 15:22)

But then the Bible says… The whole city was moved or was stirred up…Wherever Jesus went He seem to always cause a stir or He would shake up things. One day he went into the temple and they were selling. Jesus overturned the table. One day on Calvary Hill, the earth shook, rocks split, tombs were open, and the bible says that old saints were walking down the streets of Jerusalem. And they started asking a question—

Who is this?

And church, that’s the same question today— Who is this?

Is He just a prophet? Or is He your King?

Is He just someone you talk about? Or someone you’ve surrendered to?

They welcomed Him… They praised Him… But they still had to decide about Him…

And can I tell you— It’s not enough to welcome Him in a moment… It’s not enough to praise Him with your mouth…

You’ve got to make a decision about Him.

Because this King… Didn’t just ride into Jerusalem…

He rode to a cross…

He was wounded… He was nailed… He was lifted up…

He died for your sins… He stayed in that grave…

But early… Early Sunday morning… He got up… With all power… In His hands!

And now the King is not just coming— The King is alive!

So the question is— What will you do with this King?

Will you honor Him? Will you crown Him? Will you give Him your life?

Or will you just watch Him pass by?

But I made up my mind— I’m not just going to welcome Him… I’m not just going to praise Him…

I’m going to crown Him King!

Somebody shout yes!