The Triumphal Entry

Intro

“Overrated”

There are some things that are widely accepted as “overrated.” Let’s rank them…

Pumpkin spice

TikTok

Olive Garden

The Super Bowl Half-time Show

Black Friday

Brunch

American cheese

SUV’s

Chic-fil-a

Many things in life are overrated, like a hyped-up restaurant or someone’s favorite roller coaster. But some things are impossible to overrate, such as salvation and loyalty. Today’s lesson challenges us to remain loyal to the Lord, even when things don’t go as we expected.

While the word loyal doesn’t appear in Scripture, the Bible uses the word faithfulness to express the same idea.Being faithful means exactly what it sounds like—being full of faith. It’s the opposite of being fickle or someone who changes opinions easily.

If we are going to be faithful to the Lord, we must avoid allowing circumstances to change our opinion of Him. We must serve Him as King and pledge our unwavering allegiance to Him for the duration of our lives

Lesson

Jesus Prepared

As the King of kings and Lord of lords prepared to enter the city of Jerusalem, where He will one day rule on earth for a thousand years, we might expect a majestic scene.

It was customary for the inhabitants of a city to rush out and meet a conquering king. Typically, the king would ride into the city on a war horse or in a chariot to display his military might.

However, Jesus was not an earthly king. He did not make decisions based on popular opinion or cultural norms.

He had a mandate from the Word of God to fulfill prophecy concerning this event.

Zechariah 9:9 NKJV

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

So, to fulfill this, what did Jesus do?

He instructed two of His disciples to walk to a nearby village where they would find a colt tied up that had never been ridden.

They were told to “loose him and bring him.” And if anyone objected, tell them simply that “the Lord hath need of him” if questioned about their actions (Mark 11:2-3).

As the one-float parade made its way toward the most important city in the world, Jesus was presented to His people as their King.

They received Him with great joy, but underneath the surface, the seeds for future betrayal were being sown.

Many expected Jesus to go to war and overturn the oppressive Roman rule, but Jesus was a peaceful King, drawing His people with love and mercy all the way from the manger to the cross.

Lost in Translation? (Understanding God’s Word)

Let’s talk about some definitions.

What is the meaning of the word translate? (to transfer a word or phrase from one language to another)

What is the meaning of the word transliterate? (to keep a word in its original language but use it as part of another language)

What is the meaning of the word paraphrase? (an explanation of the original text “in your own words”)

See if you know the meaning of any of these words that have been transliterated into our English Bible:

Hallelujah (praise ye Jehovah)

Messiah (the anointed One)

Hosanna (save now)

Christ (the anointed One)

NOTE: Messiah was transliterated from Hebrew, but Christ was transliterated from Greek.

Often, we are so accustomed to hearing some words from the Bible that we do not realize they were not originally English words.

Some people have very strong feelings about which translation of the Bible we should use in church services.

The King James Version, originally published in the 1600s, is universally considered to be the most accurate translation from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek.

Others prefer a more recent translation because some words, like ye and thou, are not used often today and can cause confusion.

Two principles you should always keep in mind as you consider what translation to read:

Listen to the advice given to you by your pastor.

Make sure you understand the difference between a paraphrase (such as the Message Bible) and a translation (such as King James Version or English Standard Version)

Let me show you why it’s important…

Romans 8:3 NKJV

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Romans 8:3 MSG

God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that. The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it.

Why are these issues so important? The easy answer is because our eternity depends upon us properly understanding and obeying the Word of God.

Read and discuss these verses:

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2 Peter 1:21 NKJV

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5:18 NKJV

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Matthew 24:35 NKJV

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

In fact, there are times when even a single letter from the Bible becomes very important.

Consider the point made by the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Galatia.

When explaining the promise made to Abraham that the world would be blesse through his lineage, Paul explained,

Galatians 3:16 NKJV

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

If the promise to Abraham would have been that through his “seeds” the world would be blessed, that would be a reference to all of his physical descendants.

However, the Bible reads “seed,” which means that promise is available through only one of Abraham’s physical descendants—the man Christ Jesus.

For this reason we should invest a proper amount of time reading, studying, and memorizing the Word of God.

Think about these verses:

Psalm 119:11 NKJV

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 12:6 NKJV

The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.

Psalm 17:4 NKJV

Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.

Jesus Arrived

So Jesus had gotten the colt. The next test was the reaction of the people. Jesus is making His way through Jerusalem on the colt. What do the people do???

The massive crowds there for the Passover took off their garments and laid them on the ground to make a path for Jesus.

They grabbed palm tree branches and waved them to celebrate and worship.

They even shouted a stanza of a familiar Passover hymn found in Psalm 118, correctly identifying Jesus for who He was.

Luke 19:37–38 NKJV

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Hosanna = “save now”

So if they’re calling Him “Hosanna,” what is it that they are saying or believing about this Man? That He’s the Savior!

Which is great! However, the type of salvation they expected was not what Jesus came to bring.

Carrying palm branches was filled with political overtones, as demonstrated by their role during the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments.

History records the Syrians overwhelmed Jerusalem and took possession of the Temple. When the Jewish people successfully took back possession of God’s dwelling place, they brought palm branches to the ceremony to rededicate the Temple.

Palm branches were associated with a successful Jewish military assault some twenty years later and appeared on Jewish coins in celebration of the revolt against foreign rule.

As the Jewish people stood waving their palm branches and laying down their coats, they most certainly entertained thoughts of previous political and military heroes who cleansed the Temple of invaders who polluted God’s holy house.

It is likely they expected the parade to be a prelude to a political revolution that never came. Instead of attacking the Roman armies with military force, Jesus would soon set His sights on the religious corruption of the Jewish people themselves.

Not everyone was rejoicing that day.

A group of Pharisees came to Jesus and demanded He tell those who were praising Him to quiet down.

Jesus answered with the declaration,

Luke 19:40 NKJV

But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Creation will praise God. What a privilege we have to praise and worship Him because of who He is and what He has done for us.

Psalm 19:1 NKJV

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

The second person not rejoicing was Jesus.

The city of Jerusalem had always caused mixed emotions for our Savior.

Jesus had recently fled to Jerusalem in response to Herod threatening to take His life.

On that occasion, Jesus bemoaned Jerusalem’s troubling history and expressed His deep sorrow when His own people missed Him as their Savior.

Luke 13:34 NKJV

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

As Jesus approached the city again, He paused in the midst of the massive celebration and wept over the city He so longed to save.

In a moment that reveals the agony of His humanity mixed with the knowledge of His deity, Jesus identified the core problem of Jerusalem, speaking directly to the city and declaring, “because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44).

Luke 19:44 NKJV

and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The Jewish people were so bent on seeing the Romans punished for their cruelty, that they overlooked all the Old Testament prophecies that declared their Messiah would be a “light to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 49:6).

Conclusion

At times the Lord visits us.

He allows us to feel His presence and to repent and respond.

Let us not make the same mistake Jerusalem did and miss the time of our visitation. We must worship and respond wholeheartedly.

Prayer

Announcements

Youth Rally

May 8th - 7:30 PM - Rector

Trip - Tennessee Safari Park

May 23rd - 10 AM

Other dates?