Welcome to our Palm Sunday service. Today marks the beginning of the Passion Week (Holy Week). The Passion Week represents the last week of Jesus Christ’s earthly life and ministry as recorded in the gospels which are the first 4 books of the New Testament. Christians throughout the world recognize and celebrate three special days that took place during the Passion Week. Each day represents a key biblical and historical event.

-The whole celebration begins with Palm Sunday which represents the Sunday that the Lord Jesus Christ made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey while the people were laying cloaks and palm branches on the pathway.

-The next celebratory day is Good Friday (this Friday). Good Friday represents the Friday that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross, died for the sins of many, and was buried in a rich man’s tomb.

-The final celebratory day is Easter Sunday (this Sunday). Easter Sunday represents the Sunday that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the grave and conquered sin, Satan, and death.

Take your Bibles and turn to Luke 19:28-40. This morning we will be focusing on Luke’s account of The Triumphal Entry.

Read Luke 19:28-40

Pray

Examine/apply

Context: Just prior to the Triumphal Entry:

-Jesus raised Lazarus to life (John 11:38-44).

-Jesus was anointed by Mary at Bethany (John 12:1-11).

-Jesus healed two blind men (Matt 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52).

-Jesus taught the parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11-27).

Verse

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Commentary

Luke tells us that after Jesus taught the Parable of the Ten Minas, he set-out for Jerusalem. Verse 28 says that Jesus “went on ahead”. This is a remarkable little statement. It shows us three amazing things.

1. It shows us that Jesus was leading.

He was not behind others. He was not bringing up the rear. He was not off to the side. He was not wandering around. No one was leading him to his destination. He was leading people to his destination. He was out front. Is Jesus leading in your life, home, family, marriage, church, ministry, or relationships? Or have you or someone else taken the lead?

2. It shows us that Jesus was willing to endure suffering to receive his prize.

Jesus was destined to receive the highest position in all creation, a people of his own, endless glory, honor, prestige, and praise. But before receiving his prize he knew that he had to first endure betrayal, rejection, mocking, beatings, the cross, the wrath of God, the sins of his people being placed upon his holy body, separation from the Father, death, and the tomb. Jesus even warned his disciples that he was going to go through these things.

Jesus went on ahead because he was willing to endure one to receive the other. By doing so Jesus set a model for his followers. Christians have to endure many things in this life before receiving the glories of the next life. We go through trials, persecutions and catastrophes. We experience rejection, abandonment, disease, loss, and sadness. But James 1:2 says,

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

If we are willing to hold to the faith and endure suffering in this life God is faithful to reward us with the crown of life in the life to come. Jesus went on ahead, will you? Will you press on?

The prize is worth it my friends. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to berevealed to us.” Also, the Bible teaches that God is sovereign and that salvation is entirely the work of his hands which means that he will bring what he began in you to completion no matter what you go through or experience. Romans 8:29 says that God predestined to conform believers into the image of his Son. In eternity past God planned to save you and make you like Jesus.

And then in Romans 8:38-39 Paul wrote that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Noting can separate you from the love of God and his sanctifying power. Why, because those things have been secured by Christ Jesus in Christ Jesus forever. Lastly: Went on ahead…

3. Shows us that Jesus was determined to complete his mission.

Jesus was sent by God the Father on a divine rescue mission to save people from sin, Satan, death, and hell. To do so Jesus had to:

Live a perfect sinless life.Uphold and fulfill the covenant of works that Adam, Eve, and everyone else breached.Meet God’s righteous demands through perfect obedience to his holy law.Take upon himself the sins of many (he became sin).Die for sinners as the final sacrificial Lamb of God.Pay the sin debt owed to God by sinners with his own precious blood (propitiation).Satisfy the wrath and justice of God.Transfer his perfect righteousness to the account of unrighteous sinners.Be buried in a tomb for three days and fulfill two key prophesies (Isaiah 53:9; Matt 12:40).Defy and defeat death for good and prove that all that he said and did was true through the miracle his resurrection.

“Went on ahead” shows us that Jesus was resolved and determined to bring all of these things to completion for you and me. How encouraging is it to know that Jesus did not hesitate, delay, lollygag, tarry, or turn back? Look at verses 29 & 30.

Verse

29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.

Commentary

When Jesus got close to Bethphage and Bethany which were both suburban communities of Jerusalem, Jesus told two disciples to go into the next village to fetch his transportation for the rest of the journey to Jerusalem. He told them that as soon as they entered they would find a colt that had never been sat on before tied up and ready to go. The colt that Jesus requested was the colt of a donkey.

Why didn’t Jesus request a more dignified animal like a horse? Why did he select a donkey? First, he did so to fulfill prophesy.

Zech 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.

Secondly, donkeys were ridden by people from every background and social class during Jesus’ day. Donkeys weren’t considered clunkers that only lower class folks could afford and ride. On the contrary, the scripture indicates that riding a donkey is not at all beneath the dignity of Israel's noblemen and kings (2 Sam 18:9; 19:26). Indeed, David indicates his choice of Solomon to be king by decreeing that the young man should ride on the king's own mule (1 Kings 1:32-40). Thirdly, donkeys were ridden by non-military personal. Warfighters rode horses because they were fast and agile. Jesus chose a donkey because he wasn’t coming to Jerusalem to make war and conquer and unseat the Romans and Herod’s.

Jesus chose a non-military vehicle, a donkey colt, because he was sent to make war Satan not man. Then war against Satan that initially began in heaven when the devil rebelled against God and was cast down. The war broke out on earth when Adam and Eve sinned. But Jesus entered into the world as our general to win a decisive victory over Satan through his life, death, and resurrection. The battle could not be won through military strength from the back of a horse. Ridding Jerusalem of the Romans and Herodians would have no positive affect on battle with Satan.

In fact, physical fighting would have benefited the devil and his minions. Jesus had to die on a cross in order to fulfill prophesy, make the atonement, and win the victory against Satan, not in a battle while trying to free the Israelites from the Romans. Ultimately, Jesus came on a donkey in righteousness and in humility so that he could keep the peace which would enable him to finish up the final stages of his mission unhindered so that he could win the victory according the plan and strategy of God.

Also, take notice that Jesus gave clear instructions that the donkey must be one that has never been ridden. Animals were often set apart or consecrated for special purposes. Take for instance the Passover lambs or the two milk cows that were yoked to the cart that brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem from the Philistines. Consecrated animals had to be without blemish, never before ridden, and never before used for work. Jesus requested such an animal because he is holy and set apart.

When Jesus indicated to his disciples that he should ride on a donkey that no one had ever ridden before, he was initiating a public, kingly act. He revealed openly that he is the Messiah.

Look at verses 31-36.

Verse

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

Commentary

Jesus told them that if anyone questions you for taking the colt, tell them that “The Lord has need of it.” It would appear that Jesus may have made a previous arrangement with some of his friends in the village to borrow one of their consecrated donkeys. This could’ve been a supernatural thing here. Jesus had supernatural abilities. He could have miraculously looked ahead, saw the donkey, and fixed the owners response. But I don’t suspect that he did that. I think the owners were his friends. They certainly acted like friends by letting the donkey go with no further questions after being told who it was for.

The text says that two disciples took off their cloaks and threw them over the colt. Why did they do that? Because it didn’t have a saddle. Why, because it had never been ridden before. The disciples wanted their Lord to be comfortable. Their cloaks were meant to provide him with some cushioning. Verse 36 says that while Jesus was riding along, others began to lay their cloaks on the path before him. This was gesture of kingly submission. When Elisha anointed Jehu as the next king of Israel in 842 BC he led him up the stairs to the roof top of the building they were in so that everyone in the area could see the new king. While Jehu was ascending the stairs the witnesses took off their cloaks and laid them on the stairs while he was going up (2 Kings 9:13). They did this to show their support for him and their willingness to submit to his protection, rule and leadership.

Jehu was one of Israel’s most decorated military leaders. His campaigns against the descendants of Ahab were deadly. He literally destroyed the house of Ahab. Jehu hunted down Jezebel like Saddam Hussein. He found her hiding at a residence, had her thrown to the ground from an upstairs window, trampled her with his horses, and then left her to be eaten by wild dogs. In a similar way Jesus was being received and treated like Jehu. Those around Jesus had the same expectations and hopes of their ancestors.

They wanted Jesus to be the new Jehu. They wanted Jesus to root out the house of the Romans and destroy them as Jehu had done to the house of Ahab. They wanted Pilate thrown from a two story window, trampled under Israel’s horses, and left for the dogs. Verses 37-38:

Verse

37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Commentary

As Jesus approached the Holy City, the multitude began to rejoice and praise aloud. Who was this multitude of disciples? John 12:17 says that they were the people that began to follow Jesus after he raised Lazarus from the dead at Bethany. Spurgeon commented on this:

“The Lord had worked a most remarkable miracle; he had raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been buried four days. This was a miracle so novel and so astounding, that it became town talk. Multitudes went out of Jerusalem to Bethany, it was only about two miles distant, to see Lazarus. The miracle was well authenticated, there were multitudes of witnesses, it was generally accepted as being one of the greatest marvels of the age, and they drew the inference from it that Christ must be the Messiah.”

The raising of Lazarus caused this great multitude of people to follow Jesus. Look at what else they did. They praised Jesus with loud voices, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

This saying is combination of two verses, Psalm 118:25 and Psalm 148:1. The priests would say it to the people as they entered the temple to worship and offer their sacrifices. They would say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Those who were following Jesus however actually modified it by changing “Blessed is he” to “Blessed is the King”.

The standard issue temple blessing was now being applied to Jesus who they believed had come to wreck the Romans and establish his kingly throne. This isn’t the first time something like this happened. We read in John 6:15 that after Jesus fed the 5,000 he had to flee to a secluded place because the people were about to take him by force, hoist him onto their shoulders, march him to Jerusalem, and proclaim his as their king. Look at 39-40:

Verse

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.”

Commentary

There were Pharisees present and when they heard the people praising Jesus as the messianic king they went to him and commanded that he stop them. They said, “Rebuke your disciples.” But Jesus replied, by quoting Habakkuk 2:11. “If they were silenced, the very stones would cry out.”

In Habakkuk chapter 2 beginning in verse 6, Habakkuk issues a warning to the Chaldeans.

He wrote that any Chaldean who robs from the remnant people of Israel to build up his own household will become robbed of his own possessions and life. In verse 11 Habakkuk wrote that even the stones and beams of their own houses would cry out against them for their theft.

Here’s the parallel: The Chaldeans were robbing the Israelites of their belongings. In a similar way the Pharisees were trying to rob the people of their ability to praise King Jesus. Jesus essentially told them, “If you rob the people of their ability to praise me, the stones themselves will praise me as well as cry out against you for your theft.”

Pharisees were well studied in the Scriptures so they knew what Jesus meant. Applying Habakkuk’s warning to them had to boil their blood. Needless to say, they left Jesus and the multitude alone and let the procession continue without hindrance. According to the gospel of Mark Jesus arrived at the city late in the day. After entering the gates he went into the temple for a bit and then left with his 12 disciples and went to Bethany to stay with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. What did Jesus do during the Passion Week? This is a great question because we don’t often think about the things he did between the triumphal entry and last supper.

According to the gospels Jesus:

-Wept over Jerusalem.

-Cursed the fruitless fig tree.

-Cleansed the temple the second time.

-Taught the parable of the Wicked Tenants.Said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.”

-Rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees with seven woes.

-Taught about the poor widow who gave all she had.

-Prophesied about the destruction of the temple.

-Was anointed for the second time while at the house of Simon the Leper.

If you cruise through the four gospels you’ll find that he did many more things than these.

In my opinion the last week of Jesus’ ministry seems to be the busiest. Every day he could be found in the temple teaching the people, powerfully. Parable after parable, warning after warning, he taught them. Another thing to consider is that Jesus only performed one miracle between his triumphal entry and the last supper. He caused the fruitless fig tree to wither and then used it as an example of Israel’s future downfall. He did no healings, feedings, exorcisms, or any other type of miracle between those two events. The last week was all about teaching.

And as the people listened to him they slowly started to realize that he wasn’t who they wanted him to be. The first person to become thoroughly disenfranchised was Judas. Judas wanted Israel returned to its former Davidic glory and for a season he believed that Jesus was the man for the job. But the Lord warned him and the others several times that he was going to be betrayed, killed, and raised from the dead. Three days before Jesus was nailed to the cross he prophesied about the destruction of the temple. That was the final straw for Judas. After the Lord and his disciples entered the city the next morning Judas went to the chief priests and brokered a deal to sell Jesus out. During supper that night Judas left early to go tell the chief priests that Jesus and the others would in the Garden of Gethsemane later that night.

The rest of the people became disenfranchised after learning that Jesus had been arrested. It was inconceivable to them that that could happen to their Messianic King. So they lost hope in Jesus. And their hope turned to hatred. They felt betrayed by Jesus even though he never said or did anything to cause them to believe that he was going to deliver them militarily. Five days earlier they shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”. And then while gathered in the governors court they shouted, “Crucify him, crucify him, crucify him!”

Things to Consider from the Passage

1. Jesus went on ahead.

Jesus led the crowds. Is he leading your life today? Are you following him? We’re quick to say yes but does our lifestyle actually show that we’re following him? Evaluate these areas to see if it’s true:

a. Obedience

b. Holiness

c. Evangelism

My prayer for us as a church is that Jesus would always be leading us. He is the Lead Pastor of Redemption Hill and we need to follow him.

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2. The Lord has need of it.

Jesus sent two disciples to get a colt for him to ride to Jerusalem and the owners gave it over as soon as they knew who it was for. The church has need of our time, talent, and treasure. The Lord commands that we invest those things so that his church can be built up. Are we like the owners of the colt? Have we responded quickly without hesitation to the Lord’s command and request? And what about the quality of what we give? The owners sent a consecrated animal which was their best. What have we been presenting to the Lord, our best? My prayer for us as a church is that we would be quick respond to the Lord’s commands and requests. That we would give generously from the best of what we have.

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3. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

That was the praise of the people on the very first Palm Sunday. They worshipping their guts out, didn’t they? But who were they worshipping? They were worshipping the Christ of their imaginations, not the Christ of Scripture. The Jews had no need of a spiritual deliverer. Nationalistic pride was at its highest point. All they needed was a physical deliverer. And at that particular moment they thought Jesus was him.

In John 4:24 Jesus said that the true worshippers of God must worship him in spirit and in truth. The multitude had plenty of spirit. Emotions were high and their hearts were bursting and pouring out. But they had no truth. They did not believe what Jesus taught about himself, about the coming kingdom, or about them. There was no repentance or faith behind this worship which means that it was filthy rags. What kind of praise are we offering up to the Lord? Do we praise him in spirit and in truth? Do we praise him with hearts ablaze and with minds that are flooded with the knowledge of what he has done? My prayer for us as a church is that we would bless the Lord’s heart by worshipping him rightly, in spirit and in truth every day and every week when we gather.