"The Final Ride"

In July of 2020 there was a documentary that came out called the “Last Dance.” This documentary was about Michael Jordan’s final season of playing basketball. This was his final ride his final season. In 1998 the Chicago Bulls were playing for their 2nd 3peat trying to will 6 world championships in 8 years. The coach of the Bulls Phil Jackson said that this would be his last dance or his last year to coach the team and Michael Jordan had gone on record to say he would never play for any other coach so this was it. This was their last year to prove that they were the greatest team ever. There were many ups and downs throughout the season but the Bulls went on to win the World Championship.

Today I want to talk to you about a final triumphant ride into Jerusalem by Christ just days before his death.

This final ride tells us a lot about Jesus. Up till this point there has been a lot of mystery surrounding Christ. Many people including the religious leaders have wondered who is he really? It seems that the time for this concealment is over. Jesus is well aware that this decisive confrontation is about to go down. As he shows up in the capital city of Jerusalem his messianic claim will be presented. Eventually at his trial Jesus is asked whether he claims to be Messiah the Son of God?

Matthew 26:63 ESV

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

What is so crazy here is that it’s not as if Jesus has been trying to keep all of this under wraps. Everything Jesus did pointed to the fact that He was who he said he was, so his reply in verse 64 should have not come as a secret.

Matthew 26:64 ESV

Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

But because of the hardness of man’s heart, and the fact that many Jewish people including the religious leaders wanted a different type of Messiah they missed the one who was prophesied about. They missed the real deal. Please here me today, don’t miss Jesus! Don’t miss the fact that something greater, someone greater has come.

What is so amazing about this final ride is that it is documented in all four of the gospel accounts. These are all the accounts of the triumphant entry from gospels. Matthew 21, Mark 11, John 12, Luke 19.

Today I want you to Notice Four things about Christ’s Final Ride:

1. We see Prophecy fulfilled by Christ.

Matthew 21:1–5 ESV

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 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. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “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.’ ”

In Matthew chapter 20 Jesus and his disciples are leaving Jericho making their way toward Jerusalem. On the way they stop at Bethphage which is close to Bethany. You may recognize this place as the hometown of the Lord’s good friend Lazarus. This city was on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, probably a mile or two from the city walls of Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples generally walked every where they went, so his decision to ride a donkey for the last mile or two was a very deliberate thing. This was designed to present his claim as the messianic king. There is so much that is happening here in this passage of Scripture. There is much more than what we see on the surface. Jesus is entering the final stage of his work on earth in humility and majesty. Here in the opening verses there is much more going on then a multitude of people worshiping Jesus as Messiah King.

What is so amazing about this text is that prophecy is fulfilled. In this very moment Jesus is very aware of who he is and what he has been called to do. Jesus knows that he is the direct fulfillment of holy and ancient prophecies. The act of Jesus riding on the colt into Jerusalem is not this random act that just happens. No way! This act is actually an ancient and sovereign plan that has been laid out many years before Christ comes riding into town. Here is how the prophet Isaiah describes it.

Isaiah 62:11 ESV

Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

If you are here and say yeah this is just random, and that does not prove a whole lot, there is another prophet Zechariah who explains it like this.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

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.

This vision by the prophet Zechariah and this prophecy was of a humble and peaceful king coming to Jerusalem. This is based on the story of David’s return to the city after the defeat of Absalom and his rebellion. David returned to the city in triumphant, and yet humbly and in peace. (2 Samuel 19-20) Jesus is entering into town and he fulfills prophecy. How awesome is that church? Does the excite us today to know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? It should, it should change the way we live and act. So, Jesus takes this final ride into town knowing that he will submit to his enemies and willingly offer up his life. Think about this, Jesus still comes, He still rides into town and gives his life as a ransom for many.

2. We see the Humility and Servanthood of Christ.

Matthew 21:6–7 ESV

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

Throughout the Life of Christ we see an often humble approach. From his birth in a very lowly manger, from his childhood and throughout his earthly ministry Jesus was a very humble man. So, this approach into Jerusalem one final time comes with humility. Why? Because we Jesus entering the city riding on the colt of a donkey. Jesus doesn’t come riding in on a majestic white war horse, he comes humbly on a donkey even though he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What’s so interesting about this moment as Christ is riding toward Jerusalem and the people spread their cloaks and wave their palm branches chanting Hosanna to the Son of David, is that Jesus realized this moment was not about him. What I mean is that it is not about how much the crowd loves him or their exciting celebration. We so often desire the praise of others don’t we. We live for someone to recognize us. So, this moment here is about one thing. This moment and the moment Christ was born and his entire live are about His redemptive mission. Every miracle, every word, every act, including this final ride, which would lead to his death and resurrection were done because Christ came to humbly serve us. Here is how Luke the physician puts it.

Luke 19:10 ESV

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

In order for Jesus to do this he had to be willing to humble himself, he had to be willing to take this final ride into hostile territory, suffer, and then die for our sin. The King of Kings left his throne in heaven to humbly come and serve mankind here on earth. In Matthew 20:28 we see that Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus knew that his final ride would lead to his death and yet he was still willing and would not be diverted from his calling. Jesus came to give his life so that we may have life. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the last time he did it with joy that was not regretful. He did it with you and I on his mind.

3. We see the Majesty of Christ.

Matthew 21:8–9 ESV

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!”

That word Majesty made sound funny to some of you today. I know that generally we don’t say words like that today. We would define this word meaning the glory of God. This is talking about God’s splendor and beauty that shines through all of his divine attributes.

So, at this point the crowds that are following Jesus are huge! Spreading one’s garments on the street as well as the waving of the palm branches was an ancient act or way that was reserved for high royalty. All of this points us to the fact that these people recognized His claim to be the King of the Jews.

The other thing I want to point out is that in verse 9 here the people that are following Christ and have gone before him as he gets ready to enter into Jerusalem began to shout a few things. Notice these important names.

-Hosanna. Hosanna transliterates the Hebrew expression, “Save Now.” How awesome is that? These people recognize that they really do need someone to save them now. They need a Savior and they recognize Jesus to be that. This statement of save now actually comes from Psalm 118 which is the last and longest of the Hallel psalms, which the Hallel Psalm is chanted at the major festivals in Jerusalem. Here is where we get this statement from.

Psalm 118:25–26 ESV

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.

-Also the term Son of David. The Son of David is definitely a Messianic term or title because the Israelites knew that from this lineage the Messiah would come. Notice that this phrase was just used to describe Jesus back in chapter 20 verse 30 when Jesus healed the blind men at Jericho.

I point this out today because at this moment in the Life of Jesus we see this beautiful picture of his glory and majesty. Jesus is truly the King of Kings. He is the Promised Messiah. He is the Son of David, and the conquering King.

As we take all of this in, think back to that terrible moment in the garden when Satan comes to Eve and deceives her and then Adam takes the fruit as well. Sin entered the world and what was perfect and beautiful came to an end. And over and over again down through history, humanity realizes they need help, they need a Savior and so what do they do? They call out for a king. This is why Jesus had to come. Jesus came to defeat what we could not do on our own. Jesus came to give us what we could never earn. Jesus has come and will come again to reign forever, to fix everything that has been broken. When Jesus came the first time, people were upset that he didn’t come to defeat Caesar or overthrow Rome, but that was never his plan. Jesus came to deliver something more and infinitely better. Jesus is coming to set up a global and eternal kingdom that will result in a new heaven and a new earth. This will be a place where peace and righteousness will reign forever. In this moment Jesus the One True King has come to take his rightful throne. He is majesty!

4. We see the focus of Christ not in the present circumstance but on eternity.

Matthew 21:10–11 ESV

And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

The arrival of Jesus into the city now stirs up a lot of commotion. In fact, the focus on the crowd is where Matthew turns to here. The Jerusalem crowd inside the gates was not the same people as the pilgrims escorting Jesus into town. So, this is why they don’t recognize the man Christ. In fact, they have to ask who he is?

The Response: “This is Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.”

This Celebration Parade now turns into something hostile. Jesus’ claim to be divine authority was not only a threat to the Roman political power, but also to the local religious authority. So why would Christ do all of this? What is on the Lord’s heart and mind as He is riding on the colt is the eternity of mankind. Jesus who was fully man was also fully God and had the power to call on His angelic army at any given moment to come and rescue him and crush his enemies. However, he also realized that he was put on earth to do His Father’s will and in so doing He was obedient in this death ride so that humanity was not eternally doomed. Jesus came riding into town with forever in view. He knew that what he was doing wasn’t just important for right now, but also for eternity. But why? Here is why! Jesus came to give us the greatest gift mankind would ever know. Jesus came to give the walking dead life that would never end. He came to give not just physical site to the blind but eternal site to those who needed hope. Do you need healing today? Do you need spiritual site today?

So, this final ride, was a ride of humility and service. Because Jesus knew where it was taking Him too. However It was also a majestic and triumphant ride on this borrowed colt.

Every aspect of Christ’s life and especially this final ride was done with the generations of souls who would put their faith and trust in Christ in mind. Jesus rode to his death so that we would reign in life with him forever. Jesus did what he did so that, in a world made new again, we will someday sing with those who gathered outside the gates of Jerusalem. Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest. We will sing these songs forever and ever and ever as we dwell with Christ for all eternity.