The Coming of the King

How many of you are familiar with the Television series Undercover Boss? The premise of the show is that an executive takes on disguise then infiltrates the company in various roles to interact with the everyday employees.

In each episode there comes a point when the boss reveals his or her true identity.

In today’s text, Jesus has spent the last 18 ½ chapters in various locations of His enterprise, then today He reveals to everyone who He really is.

Transition: As Jesus’ disguise comes off we see that…

Jesus presents Himself as King (vv.28-40)

The Messiah’s Location—Mount of Olives (v.29)

1. Imagine you are hiking from Matfield Green to Cottonwood Falls. You are making your way upgrade until you get to the Schrumpf Hill then you would come downhill into the County Seat. Similarly, Jericho was about the same distance as Matfield Green and the Mount of Olives was on the Edge of Town like the Scenic Outlook. Bethany and Bethpage would be the Golf course and airport before you get to town.

· Besides the fact that Matfield is to the South and Jericho was to the East, the distances and elevations are pretty close.

2. The Mount of Olives connects Israel’s greatest human king with its ultimate king.

a. This mount is mentioned in 2 Sam 15:30 as David flees to escape Absalom’s revolution.

b. Ezekiel 11 & 43 speak of Messiah’s future appearance on Olivet to judge Israel’s unfaithfulness.

c. Zechariah 14:4 mentions the Mount of Olives as the place where Messiah will finally reveal himself.

The Messiah’s Mount – unridden colt (v.30)

1. The picture in v.30 is not of a single colt all by himself. Most likely this was a livery stable with several animals available, one of which was a colt waiting to be broken.

2. The plural owners of the colt, hints that these may actually be stable hands who worked for the one who actually owned the animals. They would not put up a resistance because the disciples’ master had already worked things out with the hands’ master.

3. Donkeys were used for Kingly processions, but stallions were used for military parades. Jesus came as a King, but not as a military conqueror.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV:2016

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.

4. The cloaks on the ground were a cultural way of honoring a king (2 Kings 9:13). It was a symbolic way of saying “you are higher than I or mine”

5. Some scholars have pointed out that a pure animal for sacrifice could be one who had never been worked. It is this picture of Jesus being brought into Jerusalem in order to be sacrificed that draws meaning from the unridden colt.

The Messiah’s Chant – Blessed is He who Comes in the name of the Lord (v.38)

1. The Hallel was a collection of songs sung during pilgrimage to Jerusalem leading up to feasts. Our Psalms 113-118 was the majority of these feast songs (think of our Christmas Carols). The chant in v.38 is rooted in PS 118:26.

2. Some of you have already recognized that Matthew’s account includes the word “hosanna!” which is missing here. The phrase “glory in the highest!” is a translation of the word that would be unfamiliar to the Greeks and the waving of palm branches (a decidedly Jewish practice from ??) would need to be explained to the Greeks audience that Luke is writing to.

Transition: The location, Mount and Chant (that Jesus refuses to silence) clearly show that He is revealing himself as and receiving honor as the promised Messiah-King. But the arrival of the King looks different than many expected.

The Messiah Challenges Political Assumptions (vv.41-44)

2 Crowds?

1. The crowd in vv.36-38, is a whole different group than we will meet in ch. 22 as Jesus is arrested, the crowd confronts Peter and ch.23 as Jesus is brought before Pilate.

2. While the entry is triumphal in the eyes of the Galilean peasantswho have escorted Jesus from Jericho and are laying their jackets on the ground, they are not the residents of Jerusalem [Would they be Jerusalemites or Jerusalemians? My spellchecker allows Jerusalemites, but highlights Jerusalemians, so we will assume the correct term for residents of Jerusalem is Jerusalemites.] These Jerusalemites have been so ingrained by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious rulers) that they are unwilling to acknowledge Jesus as a King or the Messiah. The attitude of these dissenters is clear in v.39

3. V.42 is a recognition of the stranglehold that the Pharisees have on the people.

4. Vv.43-44 is a prophecy of what will happen militarily because of the bondage and backroom dealings of these who hold such power.

5. The phrase “peace in heaven” [back in v.38] suggests that the messianic peace that Luke connects with Jesus is realized now only in heaven; since the Jerusalem leadership rejects the “peace on earth” (2:14) of the kingdom of God, it must await the parousiato be realized. Although Jesus is indeed the king of Zech. 9:9 and Ps. 118:26 who brings peace to Jerusalem, “this peace is presently available only in the spiritual realm”[i]

6. While the people have been imagining a political coup as Jesus has been proclaiming a Kingdom for the last 10 chapters, Jesus was not setting up the overthrow of a city. Jesus was preparing for the conquering of human hearts.

Application

1. A day is coming that Paul described to the Romans as:

Romans 14:11 ESV:2016

11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

2. That time was described to the Philippians as:

Philippians 2:10 ESV:2016

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

3. A day is coming prophesied in Rev. 5:

Revelation 5:11–12 ESV:2016

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

4. That will be a future surrender, but a spiritual surrender has been possible ever since Jesus revealed Himself as Messiah. Right now, in Chase County 2021, your opportunity is what Peter preached to the Jews in Acts 2:

Acts 2:21 ESV:2016

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

5. And what Paul (apostle to the Gentiles) said in Romans 10:

Romans 10:13 ESV:2016

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

6. Many in Jesus day wanted to “make Jerusalem great again” and others wanted to “build Jerusalalem back better”; but Jesus weeps here because His heart is that people would surrender and agree that Jesus is Lord!

Transition: People misunderstood what Messiah meant for politics, and also…

The Messiah Challenges Religious Practices (vv.45-48)

There is a world of different between the pure and undefiled religion prescribed in the Scriptures and many acts that are performed in the name of religion.

James 1:27 ESV:2016

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

The temple had always represented a place for God among His people, but the people had exchanged God’s awesome (by that I mean the correct meaning of that which prompts awe) presence for a cheap substitute of monetary profits.

Renews the Emphasis on Prayer (v.46a)

1. This is a direct quote of Isaiah 56:7

a. The direct oracle of God and Jesus unashamedly calls it MY house. Jesus says that this is not only God’s house, or the house of the Lord, he says MY house.

I’ve been in sports arenas when the chant breaks out: “Whose house? Our House!” as a means of intimidating the visiting team. But Jesus in a sense asks “Whose House? MY house!” not to intimidate visitors, but to INVITE outsiders.

b. Jesus’ quote omits 3 words from Isaiah’s oracle. The last 3 words of Is 56:7 is for all peoples.

2. By requiring certain coins and focusing upon sacrificial animals, the focus had moved away from all people encountering God.

3. Jesus says, “when you come together the primary purpose ought to be to encounter our Father!”

4. Prayer doesn’t have to be difficult or showy:

a. Adore Him for who He is

b. Confess our shortcomings, faults, and sins

c. Thank Him for His kindness towards us

d. Supplicate by laying our burdens at His throne.

5. If you ever leave a service and can honestly say, I adored God, confessed my sin, thanked God and poured out my burdens. I believe you’ve had a good church service.

Discards a Focus on Personal Gain (v.46b)

1. The act of money changing was a service to pilgrims and a necessity because of what the Temple system had become.

a. Sellers were needed in the temple so foreign Jews could buy sacrifices to offer there.[ii]

b. Luke does not specifically mention the money changers (see Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15), who exchanged local currencies for the Tyrian shekel required for the temple tax (see Ex 30:11-16). Jesus’ actions against the temple would have been viewed as disruptive to the sacrificial system and thus blasphemous by the Jerusalem leadership.[iii]

When I traveled to Russia and India I found that each of those countries had their own currency. The airports where we landed had exchange booths, but the exchange rate was often inflated because they knew travelers needed local currency to hail a taxi to leave the airport.

2. Bad things happen when ancillary services become the main product.

a. I know lots of churches that provide coffee during fellowship time. I know a few that offer pastries as well. But when churches begin to advertise “Come to our location where you can get this brand of coffee and this type of donut”, something may have squeezed out the main focus.

One of the vendors at the Walworth County fair sold some of the best cinnamon rolls that can be purchased. We got to the point where the fair was not complete until Ann got her cinnamon roll. As a matter of fact, one year I found out that if you wait until after 8:00, they stop charging for admission. So in 2013 I waited until 8:05, drove to the fair, got in without paying, walked straight to the Cinnamon Roll booth, bought 2 cinnamon roles and took them home. For us this side part of the fair had become its only reason for existing.

b. Taking comfort and awe in God’s presence was the whole reason to have a temple, but for many the temple Tax (only Jewish coins) and sale of sacrifice animals had become the whole reason for existence.

3. I’ve seen the gathering of God’s people get twisted in a lot of ways.

a. I’ve been in churches where the weekly gathering seemed to be primarily about the preacher’s ability to hold an audience.

b. I’ve been in churches where the weekly gathering seemed to be primarily about the musician’s ability to entertain a crowd.

c. I’ve been in churches where the weekly gathering seemed to be primarily about people making business contacts or showing off impressive outfits.

d. I’ve been in churches where the weekly gathering seemed to be primarily about showing off the architecture of their building.

4. Each of these ways seems to rob God of His glory. If the focus is on the preacher, the musicians, the congregation or the coffee pot—God has been robbed!

Teaches unpopular Truth (v.47)

1. Part of worshipping correctly is directed Godward in our prayers, but the communication comes back in God speaking to us.

2. Jesus, as God in flesh, when He taught His words were the word of God! I don’t have that same authority. My only authority comes when I proclaim His truth.

3. You don’t need my ideas or my impression on events. I am not up here to provide stories that you can share at the coffeeshop.

4. When Jesus taught, the people were hanging on his words because they were authoritative, they were life-giving, they were comforting.

5. The authority, life and comfort that you need will never be found in my ingenuity or communication. They will only be found in this book!

6. The religious leaders didn’t like it, but they couldn’t argue with the results Jesus got. When I point you to the Scriptures you may not find them applauded on Facebook, but you can’t argue with their truthfulness.

Conclusion:

Our final song this morning is traditionally thought of as a Christmas Carol, but just as Jesus took the songs of Hallel to drive home an important point, I want to use this song as a reminder that Jesus as King changes everything. His dominion in our lives changes us now, His future lordship over all creation will last eternally. I invite you to sing this song as a testimony of your surrender to Jesus as your Christ.

Song of Response #125........ “Joy to the World”

Benediction: 1 Corinthians 16:23 (ESV) — The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

[i] David W. Pao and Eckhard J. Schnabel, “Luke,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007), 356. [ii] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014), 230. [iii] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 470.