Luke 19:28-40 Triumphant Entry

Intro

Make plans to join us for all of Holy Week

The Palm Sunday story is recorded in all four gospels

Each have a different perspective

We are using Luke as our text but will reference the others

Luke doesn’t even mention Palms, Only John does

Palm branches symbolized victory, joy, and celebration.

Josephus said during Passover the city of Jerusalem swelled to two million people

Most of them came out to shout Hosanna as Jesus made his way

It was His triumphant entry

Of all the coronations of earthly rulers that have ever been held, no monarch has come close to deserving the honor that Jesus did.

Even this most humble of coronations cannot hide that glory; rather, it displays it.

Proposition: The triumphant entry of Jesus signaled that he was bringing salvation and peace to the world and our response should be to praise Him.

Read Luke 19:28-34

Transition

Today is Palm Sunday

It is the day we celebrate Jesus triumphant entry

He enters the city on a donkey colt that had never been ridden and the people laid their coats on the ground, waved palm branches, and shouted “hosanna”

A lot of people know about the day but don’t know what Jesus conveyed by what He did

He signaled to the nation that he was bringing salvation and peace, that He was worthy to be praised, and the church should refuse to be silent about it

I. Prince of Peace vs. 28-34

Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was a message to the people that He was bringing peace.

Before the parade starts Jesus’ ride has to be procured

He sends two of His disciples ahead

Bethphage and Bethany were two miles outside of Jerusalem

He had probably prearranged with the owner for the use of the colt

A couple things here

He came on a donkey and not a horse

A horse was a symbol of war and generals usually rode them

A donkey was a symbol of peace and kings rode them in times of peace

When Solomon was to be coronated David ordered that he ride in on his donkey

An OT Prophet actually foretold this

Zech 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.

Jesus told Israel that he was bringing peace

He brings peace in your life when you choose to follow Him

Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

There was another facet to this

The colt had never been ridden

This shows us that the seat of authority was his alone

He didn’t come as a conquering king but as a humble savior

This entry into Jerusalem has been termed the triumph of Christ.

It was indeed the triumph of humility over pride and worldly grandeur; of poverty over affluence; and of meekness and gentleness over rage and malice.”

II. Worthy of Praise vs. 35-36

The people laying their coats on the ground was a declaration that Jesus was worthy of praise

Whenever a Roman general was victorious on foreign soil, killing at least 5,000 of the enemy, and gaining new territory, he was given a “Roman triumph” when he returned to the city.

It was the Roman equivalent of the American “ticker-tape parade,” only with much more splendor.

The victor would be permitted to display the trophies he had won and the enemy leaders he had captured.

The parade ended at the arena where some of the captives entertained the people by fighting wild beasts.

Compared to a “Roman triumph,” our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem was nothing

Yet the people gave him great honor

It says that they threw their cloaks on the donkey and on the ground

Not only did the exuberant followers place their clothing on the donkey as a saddle—they flung their garments to the ground as a gesture of reverence and indicating their willingness for him to take everything they had.

This was the ultimate act of submission

King, you have everything I have

Psalm 150:1-2 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

III. Brings Salvation vs. 37-38

The crowds cried out “Hosanna!” which means “Save us.”

The crowd was not pleading for salvation from sin, but from the oppression of Rome and for the establishment of the promises related to Messiah’s reign

Luke doesn’t use the word Hosanna but Mark Does

Mark 11:9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

They were praising Jesus for all of the mighty works they had seen

The crowds were repeating Psalm 118:25-26

Psalm 118:25-26 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord

Jesus was bringing salvation

It wasn’t from Rome but from our sins

He does it by drawing attention to himself

The Jewish leaders were going to deal with Jesus after Passover

By Jesus allowing this parade it forced their hands

Jesus needed to be hung on the cross during passover

He was the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the people

IV. Refuse to be Silent vs. 39-40

The religious leaders demanded Jesus tell the crowds to be silent but Jesus told them the rocks would cry out.

Not everyone shared in the joyous excitement, however.

They were outraged at the crowd’s enthusiastic adulation and adoration of Jesus and His acceptance of it,

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd, considered it all blasphemy, said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

Even collectively they knew they were powerless to stop the outpouring of enthusiasm from the huge crowd, so they appealed to Jesus to stop it.

It is fitting that this is the final mention in Luke of the Pharisees,

They manifested the same hostility toward the Lord that had marked them throughout His ministry

Jesus reply to their request was that if the went silent the rocks would cry out

The stones would immediately cry out:

The idea of creation itself praising God may seem strange, but the Bible speaks about it in a few places – trees, hills, oceans, rivers, mountains, valleys, cattle and creeping things, birds and fields all give praise to God

Psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

Yet the stones stayed silent on that day, because all the multitude praised Jesus: the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice.

Spurgeon “And yet, I suppose, those disciples had their trials as we have ours. There might have been a sick wife at home, or a child withering with disease.” Yet they all praised Him!