The Triumphal Entry

The interesting thing about the Gospel of John is that he spends 11 chapters to talk about almost all of Jesus ministry here in this earth and reserves 10 chapters for the last week of His ministry and what He does after the resurrection.

We normally celebrate this event on Palm Sunday

What we might not realize is that this event took place on the 10th day of the month, Abib, later known as Nisan.

This is the day on which a Jewish family would select a lamb without blemish, perfect in every way, to sacrifice on the 14th day of Nisan, the Passover.

Our calendar, April 6, 32 A.D.

Jesus is more appealing than religion

The crowd—religious people. In Jerusalem for a religious festival

3 major feasts that they were required to attend: Deuteronomy 16:16 16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.

So at least 3 times a year, all the men were required to travel to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices

3 times a year, they would make the same wearisome trip, offer the same sacrifices, turn around and make the long trip back to their homes again

And some of them probably knew and appreciated the scriptures and when they offered these sacrifices and celebrated these festivals, they probably worshiped the God who had brought them out of slavery and established them in the land of Canaan.

But for others, perhaps the majority of them, do you think it’s possible that making these trips was starting to get a little bit tiresome? I think so.

But it wasn’t just the number of trips that they had to make or the length of the trips that made them weary. In fact, that was probably the least of it.

There was something much deeper going on that made people weary of religion.

Matthew 15 tells of a very tense exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees.

Matthew 15:1–9 (ESV)

Traditions and Commandments

15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” (meaning the ceremonial washings that they had mad “mandatory”) 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

You can almost hear the fury and frustration in the voice of Jesus at the blindness and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees

Folks, this is a sermon in itself. But it’s plain as day what had happened here. The religious leaders had made tradition and their rules more important than the true worship of God

This is sad, and it angered Jesus.

But it didn’t just stop with the Jewish religious leaders

Because down through time, this has happened again and again in Christian churches and groups

Where leaders have elevated rules and traditions above true worship.

And it can’t be this way!

Nothing, not even good traditions should ever be more important than true worship and right relationship with God

It can’t even be on the same level as true worship and right relationship with God!

When religion elevates tradition above true worship and right relationship with God, it becomes stale and pointless.

And this is what religion had become here.

And then, here comes Jesus, and the crowds flock to him! Why? Because Jesus offered, and still offers something that is so much more appealing than religion

What is it that makes Jesus much more appealing than religion?

Religion emphasizes the outward/Jesus emphasizes the inward

Religion tells you what to do so you look right. Religion says that if you want to be acceptable before God, you have to do this.

Trouble is, it’s never enough. You can never be good enough and you spend your life chasing it. Trying to make yourself acceptable.

But Jesus came along and said, “No, that’s not really the point. The point is what is in your heart.

And only I can change your heart!

Religion says, our rules are the way to God. Jesus says, “I AM the way to the Father”

the Person of Jesus is so much more appealing than a rule about Jesus.

Religion puts up barriers. Jesus pull barriers down.

There were so many barriers put up that made it difficult for people to worship God.

The only ones that could really enter the Temple and worship were Jewish men. Women, foreigners, others, could enter into the Temple courtyards, but they had their own places that they needed to worship.

Rules and barriers prevented certain kinds of people worshiping God fully.

But Jesus comes and says, “Come unto me ALL who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Jesus makes it possible for ALL who are willing to come to Him, find rest, and be reconciled to the Father.

Hebrews 10 invites us to enter the holy place through the curtain that has been opened for us and to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith

This is such good news for us! People like us who once had barrier after barrier put up in front of us can now access the very presence of God through Jesus Christ!

Yes, Jesus is so much more appealing than religion!

Folks, if you find that your christianity, your religion is feeling dry, and stale and unappealing, I would ask you, Have you really come to know Jesus?

Who He is, and what He offers is so much better than coming to church, dressing a certain way, acting a certain way, just because you’ve been told that’s what you’re supposed to do.

Jesus offers LIFE

The crowds in this passage knew that Jesus was more appealing than religion

Even the Pharisees knew that Jesus is more appealing that religion

“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Scripture is more reliable than religion

In this account, we see prophecy being fulfilled, and we are reminded again and again of how reliable Scripture is!

Jesus rides into the city on a young donkey, that had never been ridden

This was an exact fulfillment of the prophecy by the prophet Zechariah 9:9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, o daughter of Jerusalem! Behod, 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.

BTW, kings only rode horses when they were coming to wage war, or when they were coming as conquering heros

But they would ride donkeys in times of peace.

Jesus enters the city on a donkey symbolizing that he is coming to make peace between God and man

In Daniel chapter 9, we read the most astounding prophecy tabout the the Anointed One who would come in a time that was troubled.

But after a time he would be “cut off”, or killed

And after that a prince would come and destroy the Temple and the city, leaving it desolate

Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the Anointed One precisely to the year that was prophesied.

And He was indeed “cut off” or killed

And in Luke’s account of the triumphal entry, Jesus confirms Daniel’s prophecy with His own lament.

Jesus comes over the Mount of Olives and sees the magnificent city of Jerusalem spread out in front of Him.

And He stops and weeps (the tomb of Lazarus is not the only place that Jesus is recorded as weeping)

And He says (my words), “Oh Jerusalem, if only you had known and realized that peace was within your grasp! But you are so blind, and now it’s too late! Because there are dark days ahead. Your enemy is going to come, surround you, set up ramparts and destroy you and your city!”

And the Temple was indeed destroyed by Titus, the Roman general, along with the rest of the city

Why, “Because you didn’t know the time of your visitation!”

In other words, when the Messiah, whom they had been praying for and expecting for generations came to them, they did not recognize Him.

Instead of recognizing their Messiah, the best that they could do is offer opinions about Him.

We’ve been seeing this in the book of John

Oh, He has a demon

Oh, He’s drunk

He says eat my flesh and drink my blood! He must be insane!

Jesus knows that the rumors are flying thick and fast about Him

That’s why he asks his disciples in Ceaserea Philippi, “Who do folks say that I am?

Well, some say you are John the Baptist, others say Elijah, others say just one of the prophets. They aren’t sure which one

But we see how OT Scripture pointed to Jesus and how He fulfilled those Scriptures.

Yet folks only offered opinions about Him instead of recognizing Him as Jesus of the Scriptures.

And in many cases it was religion that blinded them, because Jesus did not fit the ideas that they had set up about Him

But we see something different with the disciples!

The disciples, after Jesus was crucified and raised again, suddenly remembered what had been said about Him

They remembered what had been written about Him and how He fulfiled those things!

Scripture indeed is more reliable than religion! Because Scripture points us to Jesus

Religion can easily blind us and then we will be just like the Jews who missed Him on the day of their visitation

Remember what Jesus said to the religious leaders: You search the Scriptures, thinking that in them you have life. It’s these very Scriptures that testify about me! But you refuse to come to Me so that you may have life

Scripture is more reliable that religion and Scripture points us to Jesus the Giver of abundant life

Following is more important than inspection or observation

4 different groups of people—John often records what the response of different groups is

The disciples—True followers, learners

The eye witnesses who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead

Those who heard from the eye witnesses

Religious folks

There was only one group that was truly following—the disciples.

It’s good to observe and search. But your observations at some point need to be translated into action.

Jesus wept over the city because they did not know the day of their visitation.

They were religious to a T. But they did not recognize their Messiah.

They had spent 4000 years (or 2000 years if you count from Abraham) looking for their Messiah, the Promised One, the Salvation of Israel

But when their Messiah was revealed to them, they did not recognize Him.

“He came to His own, but His own did not recognize Him.

How will you respond in the day of YOUR visitation? When the Holy Spirit reveals truth to you?

There are many people who spend their lives studying about Jesus. Studying the Scripture

But sadly, they never recognize or really learn to know Jesus of the Scripture! And they miss Him.

Worse yet, they do see Him there, but they reject Him because if you recognize your Messiah, it means that you have to respond

And that response is absolute allegiance to Him

That is, to become a Follower!

And that comes with a cost folks think is too great to pay.

I imagine that Jesus also weeps over folks like that who reject Him when He is standing with an open invitation.

Because He knows that the cost of rejecting Him is infinitely greater than the cost of accepting Him.

So Jesus enters the city.

It’s the final week before His death. The clock is ticking.

We see a change taking place. Jesus knows that His hour is fast approaching, and we see a heaviness in His spirit, and an urgency in His ministry.

The cross is less than 6 days away.