Matthew 21 - Triumphal Entry
Notes
Transcript
The Coming King
The Coming King
Good morning my friends....
I hope you are well today. I hope you’ve had a good week.
Without a doubt as we walk through each day, we can testify that God is faithful. He never stops watching over us, He never stops caring for us and He never leaves us...
And above us all else, He saves those who call upon the name of the Lord and not only does he save us, He keeps us!
Amen....
Yesterday we had a pastor’s meeting about the Youth Sports camp, it was a great meeting… so many churches this year.
And we had a great day at Upward....
Now today, we come back to the Gospel of Matthew… I really hope you have enjoyed our walk through this text over the last several months. I think we have learned a great deal walking with Jesus through the text as He ministered, as He helped others and as He taught about the kingdom of God.
So our text today concerns the Triumphal entry of Jesus finally into the city of Jerusalem. This begins the last week of our Lord’s physical life on planet earth.
So lets look at our text Matthew 21:1-11
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.”
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Remember last week, Jesus was in Jericho, and from there after healing the blind men, He would travel up to Jerusalem, and there much will soon happen..
Without a doubt this is a spectacular day, Jesus enters the city in a powerful way, a way that recognized His legitimate authority as King, and in a way that fulfills the Holy Scriptures...
So lets begin, 3 thoughts today about the Triumphal Entry....
The first is this.....
1. A Needed Donkey…
As we open the text, we see Jesus drawing closer to Jerusalem, the city which is His destination and His destiny.
As he comes to Bethphage, by the Mount of Olives, Jesus tells two of His disciples that he needed a donkey....
It seems such a strange request, We have walked everywhere, but now this day is different,
Look at verses 1-3
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.”
Now we know Jerusalem is where Jesus is going, but coming from Jericho they come to Bethphage first and then Bethany.
Bethany is the home place of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and I am sure there are many other followers in that area as well.
So Jesus instructs two of His disciples, to go from Bethphage to the village in front of them, Bethany and search out a donkey with a young colt. And He instructed them to bring both to Him,and if anyone asked them about their actions, they were only to say the Master needed them.
Why the two? Why not just one? Now it was often that a young colt would always bee near its mother, and being young, never put to work yet the Mother would follow along to watch over it.
These are the animals that Jesus requests be brought to him…
(Here is a little side note for you… the other gospel accounts only record the young colt, Why? It was the animal that was important, no need to mention the colt’s other… Matthew is providing a little more detail for us....)
Why did Jesus need the donkey and its colt? … well its really the colt that is important. Listen to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11 and verse 2.
2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
It was the colt that had never been ridden, it was important to Jesus to fulfill what was said long ago....
Let me share Zech 9:9
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.
The donkey was needed for the whole world to have yet another confirmation that the Messiah, the King had indeed come into the world.
Now, the donkey is significant, in the middle eastern countries it is a sign of peace. Kings rode horses into war but donkeys if they came in peace.
Also we know in I Kings chapter 1, Solomon rode into the city on a donkey
And so the colt and its mother was brought to Jesus just as he had requested.
This was the first piece of the triumphal entry into the city that day, the world would see the King coming yet He would be rejected and killed...
Its hard to imagine, in just a few days all of God’s plan would be complete, sin would be atoned for....
Now this brings me to our second thought for today....
2. A Road Covered with Praise....
To be honest, I cannot imagine, or comprehend what this day must have been like.... But it has come. Its time for Jesus to enter the city, the purpose for which He came into the world is upon HIm...
The Scriptures tells us those 2 disciples brought those animals to Jesus and they laid their cloaks on the back of that young coat and Jesus sat on it...
Look with me at verses 7 to 11
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.”
So they laid their cloaks on the back of that young colt, Why? In the same way we put a blanket on the back of a horse , it protects the colt’s back and gives the rider something to sit on other than just the animals coat.
This little colt had never been ridden but this day the King, would sit upon it.
And here is a unique thought, God is all powerful, He is the creator of all things. I just believe the little colt and its mother knew, it was their creator, it was God who called them...
And i think they are proud, proud to be used of Jesus…
You might think I’m crazy but if God can make allow a whale to swallow a man, if God can make a donkey to talk, then they could understand and know the presence of the living God in their midst.
The heavens, all that is in this world knows Him.
And as Jesus begins this short journey into the city, we see something wonderful...
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!”
As the journey began, the crowds do something spectacular, they pave the road with their cloaks and as you look at the other gospel accounts we see that even spread palm branches were placed upon the ground.
13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
So there is a beautiful carpet of garments and palm leaves for the young colt to thread upon as they make the journey into the city of Jerusalem.
And there’s more my friend, the people cry out in praise as Jesus makes His way through the eastern gate of the Jerusalem.
Listen to verse 9 again..
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!”
The crowds are proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah in a very regal way… They cry out Hosanna… which is a cry of praise unto YHWH,
The Son of David… just as the blind man cried out at the end of chapter 20, They were ascribing to Jesus that He is the defendant of David, the one who is destined to occupy the throne of His father and rule over the land and its people. They are saying Jesus is King!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord… He is the one who bears the name of God and comes in His authority and power… like then John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Hosanna in the Highest… Again is a cry of praise… from the heavens to the highest places, we can only praise the Lord
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
And also think on Ps 19;1
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
It is a cry of praise....
It is beautiful, as the people cry out and praise the name of Jesus, as the King enters the city ,the people are filled with praise....
And how wonderful it is my friends, as you passed through the eastern gate, the beginnings of the temple areas lay right in front of ones sight...
Understand the temple area is a 13 acre complex of courts and buildings that encompassed about 1/4 of the entire walled-in portion of Jerusalem.
I am sure it a was a magical moment for all there to witness as Jesus rode into the city...
But it is also special in a different direction as well,
Jesus entering on the colt represents the idea of sacrifice as well.
Lets remember the OT, Abraham was commanded of God to take His son and sacrifice Him. So Abraham took Issac to the mountain of God, riding on a col to offer him up as a sacrifice to God.
That little colt carried Isaac and the firewood for the sacrifice, and remember as Isaac was about to be killed, the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham when God saw He wouldn’t withhold His only son from Him and God provided a ram caught in the thicket there. The ram would be the substitute from Isaac.
We deserved death, but Jesus came riding on a colt to be our sacrifice… He would take our place.,,,Praise God, Hosanna to God in the Highest...
And then the gate which they would enter the city, is the Temple, were the sacrifices would be made… again Jesus would be the one to atone for the sins of the world,
How beautiful my friends to read here Jesus coming into that city as King but also a God’s perfect sacrifice for sin.
Here is the question, do you know Jesus, Have you asked him into your heart to save you, to forgive you of your sins and to give you eternal life…
If you have not or are not certain, please make certain today!
Now lets move to our last thought for today...
3. A Critical Voice....
As Jesus comes into the city I am sure there was quite a commotion, a lot of things happening..
People are celebration and praising God and I am sure you can hear the cries of Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest all over the place.
Its drawing attention, many are witnessing this historic day… It is beautiful.
But there are some who hear this and they are not very happy … in fact they are down right critical of it.
Let me take you to Luke 19:38–40 (ESV)
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Ole Doctor Luke gives us a little more information about the entry of Jesus into the city...
As they are coming into the city, some of the Pharisees begin criticize Jesus and His followers. They wanted Jesus to tell his followers and the others who have joined in this chorus of praise to stop… they considered it Blaspheme..
And it is here that Jesus provides an answer that stuns them and is highly quoted among people today.. Verse 40...
40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Now there is a question… did Jesus mean the literally rocks would cry out… to be honest we don’t know if Jesus is being literal or proverbial...
So lets address this in two ways ....
1st… If its proverbial, then the idea is you cannot stop people from praising God’s son, His king. Bu the idea that the rocks would cry out seems impossible in a natural sense. So it is impossible to ask the people to stop praising God...
2nd Could the rocks cry out, in the kingdom of God? It seems inpossible to us, but yes they could. If God can have a rock follow them and give them water and that rock is a type of Christ… Then yes, they could cry out
Everything is created for God’s glory my friends
Colossians 1:16 says that everything is created for God’s glory, for his
And then in Psalms 114:6 the mountains leap and Isaiah 55;12, the mountains sign...
So there is a definite mention of the creation of God, more than mortal man to praise and bear witness of God’s goodness.
Here is the bottom line my friends
You cannot stop God’s people from giving Him praise… Even in the threat to death His people will praise him, think of the 3 Hebrew Children
God people will not stop and they will not change because they know the one who forever changed their life and existence.
But let me ask you a question...
Has the King entered your heart.
Just as he came into the city as King who would lay down His life as a sacrifice for sin, just as certain as He died, was buried and rose again…
You must have Him to have eternal life..
Do you know Jesus?
He is the King… He entered the city, He gave His life as a ransom for sin.. He did that out of love.
Lets pray