Jesus' Humble Coronation. Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-10; Lk. 19:28-43; Jn. 12:12-19

As we begin this morning, please turn in your copies of God’s Word to the Gospel According to Luke chapter 19. We will be reading verses 29-40 shortly, so please have those verses marked and ready for that time. If you are using one of the pew Bibles, you will find Luke 19 on page 743.

We are one week from Easter, which marks what is commonly known as Passion Week or Holy Week, the week leading up to the crucifixion and culminating with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In that week, today is Palm Sunday, the day of Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The Disciples and many in the area surrounding Jerusalem had one view of what was taking place on this day, Jesus knew differently. We will look more at those differing views later this morning.

On June 28, 1838, the coronation of Queen Victoria took place at Westminster Abbey, with nearly four hundred thousand visitors flocking to London to witness this huge event. A newspaper account from the time described the spectacular scene (in this way):

“At this part of the line the crowd was excessive, the dark and heaving masses there, with outstretched necks and full of eager expectation, waited the approach of the procession. At about half-past ten it reached the corner of this street in the precise order in which it left the Palace. The appearance of the resident and foreign ambassadors, in their splendid carriages and gorgeous uniforms, many of which were picturesque and elegant, excited much admiration, and a running comment on the policies of their respective governments was freely indulged in by many who had scarcely indulged in anything else. The good humour of the crowd, however, found a congenial subject in the approach of the Duchess of Kent and attendants, and her Royal Highness was greeted with very unequivocal demonstrations of attachment and respect, and which was cordially transferred to several other members of the Royal Family—particularly the Duke of Sussex, who paid the penalty of his popularity by the warm and affectionate recognition of his people. Her majesty’s carriages and attendants, in twelve carriages, each drawn by six beautiful bays, were the subject of much admiration. The Queen’s bargemaster, followed by her Majesty’s forty-eight watermen, excited much attention; their dresses were novel and pleasing. Except the general admiration bestowed indiscriminately on all that formed the procession, many composing it passed without particular notice or comment, until her Majesty’s state carriage approached, this was the signal for the kindliest and most affectionate demonstrations, and a shout echoed and re-echoed along St. James’s street and Pall-Mall—deep, fervent—and enthusiastic, was sent up from immense assemblage. Many an eye gazed upon her with mute and affectionate regard—many a tongue bid God bless as she gracefully bent forward in her splendid state carriage and acknowledged these and many touching demonstrations of loyalty and considerate affection. The windows and balconies were alive with a splendid assemblage of beauty and loveliness, even the roofs had their occupants, and scarfs, handkerchiefs, and hats were waved as her Majesty passed, without intermission—every balcony was a parterre—every window was a bouquet of loveliness and beauty. Her Majesty was visibly affected with these marks of devotion and attachment on the part of the people so warmly and affectionately expressed, and more than once turned to the Duchess of Sutherland to conceal or express her emotions. The police were tolerant and good-humoured, and treated the “pressure from without” with much forbearance. On the top of St. James’s Palace, every disposable inch of which was occupied, parties were placed and cheered her Majesty with great cordiality and warmth. On her Majesty’s arrival at the Ordnance Office, which looked not unlike a fortress, the band of the Royal Artillery, which had been occasionally enlivening the scene with appropriate airs in the balcony struck up the national anthem, and vivid demonstrations of loyalty and attachment were studiously displayed from the balconies, and windows, from which nods and becks and wreathed smiles were interchanged with some friends in the line of procession. Notwithstanding the vast masses that pressed on all sides, deepening and accumulating as the procession advanced, the utmost order and regularity was observed every where and every individual in that vast assemblage, owing to the firmness and excellent demeanour of the police, was enabled to see everything and everybody with the utmost ease.”

In contrast to the ornate carriage in which the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland rode to her coronation, the King of kings and Lord of lords rode to His coronation “humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). Jesus’ humble coronation was much like His humble birth. Both were attended by lowly people and ignored by the nobility.

But in spite of His simple coronation, Jesus was nonetheless God’s true King (Ps. 2:6). Of all the coronations of earthly rulers that have ever been held, no monarch has come close to deserving the honor that Jesus did. No earthly sovereign is more than a candle compared to the infinite light of His majestic glory. Even this most humble of coronations cannot hide that glory; rather, it displays it.

(A copy of this article may be viewed at http://www.royal.gov.uk/The%20Royal%20Collection%20and%20other %20collections/TheRoyalArchives/QueenVictoriaeducationproject/ QueenVictoriasCoronation1838.aspx) Luke 18–24: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 9: Jesus’ Humble Coronation (Luke 19:28–44)

With that as an introduction, would you please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word? Next Slide

Luke 19:29–40 NASB95

29 When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 31 “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. 37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word, please be seated.

As we begin looking at this passage this morning, let’s start by comparing the: Next Slide

Contrasting Coronations.

What an incredible contrast between the coronation of Queen Victoria, in 1838, and that of the King of kings during the Triumphal Entry. Her’s filled with the grandeur fitting a queen. Royal carriage after Royal carriage led the way, until the procession was climaxed by her magnificient carriage. While Jesus came riding on a young donkey. As we consider this, I’d like to look at: Next Slide

The Lessons Behind the Donkey. Luke 19:29-31 Mark 10:45; Zech. 9:9

The first lesson I see is the obedience of the disciples. It had probably been several weeks to months since Jesus had been in the area around Jerulsalem. Much of His ministry took place in northern Israel in the region of Galilee. He left that region headed to Jerusalem with a date with destiny, the destiny of the Cross. Next Slide

The Lesson of Obedient Disciples.

So, here they were walking towards Jerusalem, a place they had not been to in weeks to months, when Jesus gives some rather bazar instructions to 2 of His disciples. We see these instructions in Luke 19:30-31 where we read “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here.31 “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ”

I love the immediate obedience of the disciples. They provide for us our first lesson this morning. We need to follow their lead in being obedient to Jesus directives, no matter how strange they may appear.

Jesus arrived in the area a week or so earlier and likely spent much of his time in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, whom He had risen from the dead a few weeks earlier. On this particular day, He had given sight to a blind man as He approached Jericho and had brought salvation to the chief tax collector, Zaccheus, whom He dined with while in Jericho.

With the Passover less than a week away, all of the roads leading to Jerusalem were packed with Jews on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. For a Jew, this was the biggest celebration of the year. There would likely be as many as 240,000 people on that pilgrimage. By now Jesus fame had spread, especially with the stories of His raising of Lazarus from the dead. We find out in Luke 19:11 that there was a swelling rumor among people that Jesus was going to be establishing His earthly kingdom immediately. The raising of Lazarus from the dead likely only heightened their expectations. They had been held under the thumb of the pagan Roman Empire for far to long, many were ready for a revolt, and having as their leader, One Who could raise the dead, let’s just say, anyone willing to fight would be greatly emboldened for battle if he knew that if he were killed, Jesus could just raise him from the dead. Which makes the next Lesson Behind the Donkey that much more powerful.

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The Lesson of Humility. Mark 10:45

In Mark 10:45 we read: “For Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for Many.” I imagine that if any of us, or any present that day, were to be a part of a kingly coronation and procession, a powerful horse would have been the choice. Not so with Jesus, with a heart of a humble servant king, His choice is a lowly donkey.

The next Lesson Behind the Donkey is: Next Slide

The Lesson of Peace.

Had His followers been thinking, they would have realized that their concept of what Jesus came to do was completely opposite of His perfect plan. They were expecting a warrior king, but Jesus riding on a donkey signified that at the moment, He was not there as a warrior king.

870 years earlier, Elisha anointed Jehu to rule Judah. He was to rule as a warrior king and was to wreak havoc on the family of the wicked King Ahab, who had recently died, and to put his even more wicked wife Jezabel to death. His coronation ride took place on a horse led chariot and before he was done he rode his chariot over the dead body of Jezabel.

Yet here we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem, not on a horse to avenge His people, but on a donkey, signifying, at least at the time, that He was not there as a warrior king. By the way, there will come a day where He will come riding a white horse in judgement, you can read about that coronation in Rev. 19 & 20!

The next Lesson Behind the Donkey is: Next Slide

The Lesson of Fulfilled Prophecy. Zech. 9:9

Marc read of this to us earlier. Close to 550 years earlier, the prophet Zechariah prophesied of the coronation of the coming Messiah. We see that prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 where we read:

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Zechariah 9:9 NASB95

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

It was of paramount importance that Jesus fulfill every single prophecy made concerning his birth, life, death and resurrection. Scripture makes it clear that this is exactly what is taking place with the use of this donkey in Matthew 21:5 where we read: Next Slide

Matthew 21:5 NASB95

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

Matthew here is quoting from Zech. 9:9.

The next lesson from the donkey, is a lesson that also jumped off the pages of Scripture as we have been in the Book of Ezra. That lesson is: Next Slide

The Lesson of God’s Omniscience.

Omniscience is a churchy word that means God has a full and complete knowledge of all things. All things from the past, all things in the present and all things in the future. His knowledge is without limits. In this instance, God the Son, none other than Jesus, knew everything that would take place as these 2 unnamed disciples walked into the village of Bethphage. Which, if you piece all of the Gospels accounts together, was a great deal. He knew that when they entered the village they would “immediately” see not 1 but 2 donkeys, a mother and her colt. He knew that the young donkey had never been ridden on. He knew that as they were untying the young donkey, without permission from the owner I might add, that they would be asked why they were untying the donkey. And that their simple answer of “The Lord has need of it”, would be a sufficient answer for the owners “immediate” permission.

I’d like to add one more caveat to the omniscience of Jesus in this specific instance. Like horses, donkeys have to be trained before they are ridden. Yet somehow Jesus knew that He would be able to ride this donkey, on whom no one had ever ridden, without any issues. Perhaps, like Balaam’s donkey, this young donkey had the ability to see into the spiritual realm and knew that this One Who was riding on him was the very one Who created him.

As I was preparing for this morning, when I got to this point, I wondered what the conversation was like as these 2 disciples, whom many believe was Peter and John, based on the fact that Jesus sent to 2 of them ahead later on in Passion week, to prepare the Passover, I wonder what their conversation was like?

“Ummm, Peter, what just happened?”

“I have no idea John, but I am learning to expect the unexpected with Jesus! I mean, remember when He spoke “Peace be still!” to the storm? How the wind and waves immediately calmed down? Remember when He came to us walking on the water, how He miraculously fed the multitudes, not once but twice? How He raised Lazarus from the dead?”

Of course this is just speculation on my part, but I am looking forward to watching this event unfold when I enter into eternity. I imagine I will set hunched over, elbows on my knees, chin in my hands, listening intently to their conversation.

From the Lessons From the Donkey, we move to:

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The Triumphal Entry.

As soon as the 2 disciples brought the young colt to Jesus, they took off their outer garments and placed them on the colt for Jesus to ride on. The next thing we see is:

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The “Red-carpet” treatment.

The rest of the disciples spread their outer garments on the road as sort of a red carpet for the procession of the King of kings. By the way, while this is called Palm Sunday, if you look at this account in Matthew 21, you will see that most didn’t use palm branches for the red carpet treatment, they used their own outer garments. In other words, this donkey was walking right on their clothes! Perhaps, as this was taking place, some of their minds went back to the coronation of King Jehu as it is recorded in 2 Kings 9:13. When it became clear that Jehu was God’s anointed king, they too, took off their outer garments and laid them before Jehu as a sort of red carpet.

By the way, this placing of their garments on the road before Jesus, symbolized their placing themselves under His feet as their king. The symbolism didn’t end with the cloaks, it moved: Next Slide

From Cloaks to Palm Branches.

It wasn’t just their cloaks that were laid before Him. They also cut down palm branches and laid them before Him as well. The laying of palm branches symbolized victory, joy and celebration. They did the same thing between the Old and New Testament when, during their Maccabean revolt, they recaptured Jerusalem from the Syrians and entered Jerusalem “with praise and palm branches.” (1 Macc. 13:51; cf. 2 Macc. 10:7).

But it didn’t end with the palm branches. From there it moved to: Next Slide

The Shouts of the Crowd.

It was at this point where the Messianic hope of the crowd became clear. They began to shout praises to Him; “Blessed is the King....Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna to the highest.”

Their declaration of Him as their King acknowledged that, in their eyes, “Jesus was the promised Messiah King Who came with the full authority of God” (John MacArthur). “Hosanna” meant “save us now” while “Son of David” was a Messianic title.

And it was right that they should be declaring His Messiahship, for that is exactly Who He was. He was the long awaited Messiah, the Savior they had been waiting for, for centuries. The problem was, they had an inaccurate picture of the Messiah. In their minds they were picturing a Messiah Who would free them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. A Messiah Who would lead them into a military conquest. But this was far from what Jesus had come to accomplish. The salvation Jesus came to bring was not a political salvation, it was an eternal salvation. Jesus had not come as a conquering king, but as The suffering Servant, as the ultimate Sacrificial Lamb, Who’s blood would take away the sins of the world. Their mind was on the here and now, His mind was on all eternity.

From the shouts of the crowd, we move to: Next Slide

The Response of the Pharisees.

While the crowd was ecstatic over Jesus entry into Jerusalem, the Pharisees did not share in that excitement. In fact, for them it was the opposite. They were outraged. Outraged at both the adulation of the crowd and the fact that Jesus accepted the praise of the people. In Luke 19:31 we read; “Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’” The Pharisees were quickly losing their grip on the people to this nobody from Nazareth, and they wanted to put a stop to it immediately. So they approached Him with their rebuke.

At this point we move from one response to another, when we see: Next Slide

The Response Of Jesus.

Jesus understood that His Name would be praised, that nothing could stop this from taking place. With that in mind He responded to the rebuking Pharisees with a proclamation of His own; “I tell you, if these remind silent, the stones will cry out!”

By the way, Jesus chose a very interesting word for “cry out”. It could have easily been translated “scream”. And the tense of the verb used here is a future tense. Now, for those of you that are not English majors, let me explain what this means. It means that Jesus was not speaking of the rocks that were surrounding the crowd that day would cry out in joyful praise to Him. The crying or screaming that He is referring to, is most likely something from the future. The crying that Habakkuk was referring to in Habakkuk 2:11-12. Which was a shout of God’s judgement on a wicked nation that was turning it’s collective back on HIm.

Which is why we move from the response of Jesus to:

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The Cry of Jesus.

We see this in Luke 19:41-44.

Last fall, before the snow began to fall, Pam and I made our way to the top of Brockway Mountain. As you all know, from the peak of Brockway Mountain, you have an unparalleled view of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Copper Harbor, Lake Superior and other lakes as well. The view is stunning and we look forward to seeing it again in the spring…assuming spring will one day arrive! Well, in some ways this is what we see taking place with Jesus in these verses. Jesus is descending down to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. There is a point as you are descending the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Kidron Valley, that you can see the entire city of Jerusalem. If you are there at the right time of the day, the sun hits to dome of the temple in such a way that it is almost blinding. It is believed that it was at that point where Jesus began to weep over the City.

Look at Luke 19:41 in your copies of God’s Word. Do you see the word “cry”? If you don’t have any issues with writing in your Bible, circle the word “cry”. Then, in the margin write “agonizing sobbing”. The Greek word used here is the strongest word for crying in the Greek language. To give you a picture of what is taking place here. In 1993, when Pam and I lost our 5 month old baby, that night when we returned to our room, we held each other in our arms and wept bitterly. Our bodies shook as we wept. That is the kind of weeping we see here on the pages of God’s Word in Luke 19:41. Only the weeping of Jesus is not because of one lost child, but because of a lost Nation. In the words of John MacArthur “It denotes Jesus’ agonized sobbing over their superficiality, hypocrisy, shallowness, and rejection of Him—and the inevitable divine wrath that would follow.” (John MacArthur, Luke 18–24, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 98.”

MacArthur goes on to write. “The peace of which the Lord spoke was not political peace with enemies, or social peace in Israel, but peace with God. The things that make for that peace are repentance, faith in Christ, and believing the message of salvation that He had preached throughout His ministry. This day refers not to that [day], but to the entire time of His presence among them.” (John MacArthur, Luke 18–24, MacArthur New Testament Commentary -Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 98.)

We began this morning by contrasting the difference between the coronation of Queen Victoria with the coronation of King Jesus, but I want you to notice another contrasting difference, and that is between the huge crowd surrounding Jesus as He makes His way into Jerusalem, and that of Jesus, Himself. The crowd displayed great jubilation, while Jesus, the very One Whom they were celebrating, appeared to be in the depths of despair.

The reason for the difference came from Jesus understanding of what was to take place because of the Nation of Israels rejection of Him. Approximately 37 years later, the city would be completely destroyed by the Roman Empire. Not one stone would be left on top of another. In fact, there are some who believe that this is what Jesus was referring to in His answer to the Pharisees that “..if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” If that is the case, then the screaming stones were the very stones of the temple as they were being toppled because of the Nation of Israels rejection of Jesus as their Messiah.

So, what is the lesson this morning as we think through the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem? Well, truthfully there are several lessons, but this morning I want to highlight just one lesson. That lesson is this, the most important decision you will ever make in life is what you do with Jesus. While there was a very small percentage of people in the Nation that accepted Jesus, not as their political savior but as their spiritual Savior, the vast majority rejected Him. Which is why the very crowd that was shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David” on this day, was shouting “Crucify Him” and “May His blood be on us and on our children” 5 days later.

The question for each of us this morning is; “What will you, what will I, do with Jesus.” In Romans 10:9 we read; “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord”. Now let me stop here for a moment, acknowledging that some one is your Lord signifies that you are committed to being obedient to that individual. The verse goes on to add; “and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead”. When you commit to someone from your heart, that means that when you do things for that individual, it doesn’t come so much from a feeling of obligation, but from a heart of love. The verse closes with; “you will be saved.” In other words salvation comes from a verbal confession backed by a heart of love.

Now, a lot of preachers at this point would lead the congregation in a simple prayer, often times called “The Sinners Prayer”. I’m not going to do that this morning. Not that there is anything wrong with that type of prayer. But I do fear that there are times that this type of prayer can give people a false sense of security. Like “I am headed for heaven because I prayed a simple prayer. So I can go on living my life the way I did before praying.” But true salvation is transformative. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

In other words, if we have truly put our faith in Christ, it may start with a prayer, that verbal confession, but it doesn’t end with a prayer. It ends with a transformed life. Has your life been transformed? Are you living the life of a “new creation”? If not, whether you are here in person this morning, or watching or listening to the service via the internet. Would you reach out to me? I, or any of the leaders here, would love to be a part of seeing your life transformed by Jesus, the king of Kings.

Let’s close our time this morning in prayer.

Benediction:

“Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken into glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV ‘83)