Hosanna to the King!

Matthew 21:1–11 ESV

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

From Hezekiah to Jesus

Our current sermon series in Isaiah introduced to us King Hezekiah. He was part of the last kings of Judah that scripture calls “good”. Only his other descendant, Josiah, received the same commentary. The other kings were considered evil. Zedekiah became the last king in 597 BC. After him, Israel never had another legitimate king sitting on the throne. Later in history, Israel did have kings that reigned from 140 BC up till 63 BC; however, they were not from the line of David nor sons of promise. And during the time of Jesus, Herod and his sons were “kings,” yet they too were illegitimate and not sons of David. When would God fulfill his promise for a king?

One can imagine the deep longing of the people in Jerusalem for a legitimate king to sit upon the proper throne. The people hoped in the promises of God toward David in 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 that God would establish the throne forever with a Son of David. Today, we share the familiar feeling of knowing that things in this world are not presently set right, and we long for someone or something to make it as it should be, as God has designed it. We need to look no further than the Bible which reminds us that Jesus is God’s solution to set things right. The reign of Jesus begins in our hearts and continues to change this world. We, too, need a king. That King is Jesus.

Fulfilling and Filling Up

All four gospels record that Jesus deliberately made his way toward Jerusalem for the purpose of the cross. But the journey to the sacred city also carried specific instances of Jesus pointing to his position as the proper king for Israel. Upon entering the nearby city of Bethphage, he commanded two disciples to retrieve a specific animal. Matthew quickly notes that this action fulfilled the words of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9). The term “fulfilled” means more than just that someone predicted a future act of Jesus. It also means the idea of “filling up” a container. To illustrate this, consider the mystery of the glass slipper in the fairy tale Cinderella. The prince searched his kingdom for the person whose foot properly fit the shoe. Some people had smaller or larger feet, but Cinderella fit it perfectly. The Old Testament contained numerous elements of God’s law, covenant, salvation acts, and positions of authority that formed a unique shape and characteristic of God’s plan. Before Christ, some people appeared to fulfill this predicted form, but they were “too small or too large,” just like the story of Cinderella. Only Jesus fulfilled this God-shaped form. He filled it perfectly, and the New Testament writers consistently looked back to the Old Testament and saw the completed picture that God was showing the world concerning Christ.

A King in Jerusalem

Jesus' actions are set in within a context of revealing his calling and mission. Jesus was in the middle of a procession, most likely of people traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday. There can be little doubt that what we see is a proclamation that Jesus is a King. He entered the royal city of Jerusalem on a donkey in a glorious procession. The horse was often an animal for the soldier or warrior, but the donkey was the common person's animal. Thus the choice of a donkey was to symbolize humility rather than a military might. The disciples placed their cloaks on the donkey according to the custom for riding. And others joined in on the procession by putting their cloaks and branches they cut on the ground for the king's path. A similar act occurred in Israel's history in 2 Kings 9:13, when Elisha the Prophet anointed Jehu as the King of Israel. And just over 170 years earlier, Israel had celebrated a military victory and rejoiced with similar songs and palm branches 1 Maccabees 13:51.

The crowds shouted a unique word, hosanna. It is a Hebrew term that means "save now," but it was also used as an exclamation of praise. The people shouted this term and sang out loud the typical procession songs. The Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118) were often used in procession to Jerusalem and during the Passover celebration. The people affirmed that a Son of David was with them. There was excitement in the air during this time, and the people celebrated the possibility of a proper King. Rome often became particularly nervous during the Passover because of the large crowds assembling in Jerusalem with the potential for revolt.

The gospels affirm that Jesus was the King that God promised. He was a legitimate son of David, and he acted in accordance with God's law and will. But what kind of king would Jesus be? He repeated the past acts of kings like Hezekiah when he came to the Temple to condemn the sinful practices that had crept in. He lead a reform of righteousness, but not with political or military might, but through humility and submission to God. This King had a special mission, to go to the cross to fight the biggest problem of humanity. That problem is sin, which leads to death and separation from God. Any victory or hope of salvation would be through the mighty hand of God through Jesus.

Who is this?

Upon entering the city of Jerusalem, the crowds grew, and a simple question arose, “Who is this?” Immediately we see that there is some varying opinion about Jesus in the crowds. Some in the crowd concluded that Jesus was a prophet from Nazareth. But was that the only option? Jesus once asked a similar question to his disciples. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They repeated the popular answers from others. Some say that he is a prophet. Jesus then followed up with the key question, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15-16) Peter responded with revelation from God, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Peter’s answer is the only answer that is correct. All other answers may have appeared adequate, but they are incomplete. Today, “who is Jesus?” is is still the most important question a person will have to answer.

Consider the many ways people think about Jesus. It is very likely that most people will acknowledge Jesus as a good teacher who taught the ultimate ethic of love for neighbor. He was the model of being good and the champion of the poor, sick, and the outcast people of society. To some, he was the ultimate social justice warrior. And some people may be willing to acknowledge that Jesus somehow represented God’s message as a prophet. But sadly, most people will simply pass over the question of who Jesus is because they think it has very little impact on their life, or so it would seem. But for those who receive God’s salvation by grace through faith, we must accept Jesus as King.

Jesus is King?

Unfortunately, the modern concept of royalty does not help us to think properly about Jesus as the King. Neither should we consider the popular application of the title “King”, such as “Elvis is remembered as the King of Rock-n-Roll”, a title noting his great achievement in music.

Let’s consider some of the ways scripture wants us to think about Jesus as King.

A King of Promise

Matthew 2:5–6 ESV

5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

God is faithful to keep His promises. God made a promise to King David that one of his descendants would sit on the throne forever. Jesus fulfilled that promise and reigns as King over all Creation. This King would also be a shepherd to rule and guide God’s people into righteousness, obedience, and personal relationship. They would personally know the voice of God and follow it.

The King of Kings

1 Timothy 6:11–16 ESV

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Jesus is the only Authority over creation and the owner of all things and people. He has ultimate authority and power over his subjects. Jesus commands us and empowers us to do His will. If he tells us to flee certain things, then we should obey because He has the knowledge and the authority to tell us so.

Is Jesus Your King?

When the gospels speak about the “crowds”, it typically describes a group of various opinions. Some treated Jesus as a King, and some treated him as a prophet. There is a difference. But Jesus was not simply a prophet, nor a king, nor a priest. He was all three, and He is God. How we view Jesus is critical to our Christian faith. How we view Jesus is critical to how we view God. So the most important question that you have to answer today is who Jesus is. If you don’t get it right, then you better get it right. You may start your faith journey not fully understanding who Jesus is, but you will have to come to some conclusion as you walk with God. The Christian Church can not negotiate any other option than to declare the Jesus is the King. He is our God. He is our Savior. He is our Lord. He is our Master. He is Creator. He is the Only Way. We can not think otherwise about these things and consider ourselves biblical Christians.

If Christ is the King, then we must obey Him. Look at what the disciples did. They correctly identified Jesus as the King. When Jesus gave them a command, they did it immediately with obedience and faith. Jesus gave a command that seemed awkward and even embarrassing, asking for an animal that did not belong to them, and the only answer they could give was that “The Lord needs its.” It took faith to say those words. It took faith to take off their cloaks and offer them up as a saddle and a soft ground cover for Jesus to ride upon. It took humiliation to think less of themselves and honor Jesus as the King. If we are Christians, then we must live in humble obedience to the King and be willing to lay down whatever to honor Him.

The disciples and some of the crowd declared out the words of the Hallel Psalms. They cried out, “Hosanna!” It was both a prayer and a declaration of faith that Jesus was the King who will save. It is common for us to incorrectly assume that Jesus is only concerned about our lives' spiritual part. God is concerned about every part. He can be King over every part of life, and we can invite Him to show His power and authority in those areas. God promised to fight the battles for Israel, and we took, can recognize that the King will work his will out in every circumstance that we submit to His authority. If Jesus fulfilled God’s promise as king, then what is fulfilling the God shaped container of your life? Let Christ fulfill God’s promises for you. Let Him be King today.