A RIDE FIT FOR A KING
Text: Matt. 21:1-11
Introduction
1. Illustration: There was a Pastor's son who came to him and asked if he could use his Dad's car. His dad looked at the young man and said, "I'll let you use the car if you complete these three requirements. First, get your grades up. Second, keep your room clean. Third, get a haircut." So the preachers son became working very hard, and after a period of time went back to his dad to ask for use of the car. He said, "Dad, I did what you asked me to do. I've gotten all A's and B's on my report card, and my room has been spotless for weeks. Can I use the car now?" To this his Dad replied, "Yes, you have son, and I'm very proud of you. But if you recall our conversation, there were three requirements, and you have not gotten a hair cut!" The son looks at his Dad and says, "But, Dad, Jesus had long hair!" Then his Dad looks at him intently and says, "Yes he did, but outside of one donkey ride, he walked everywhere he went!"
2. Any car guy will tell you that they live for the moments when someone says to them, "Nice ride!"
3. However, there is no more glorious ride than the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
4. From Matthew's account of the Triumphal Entry we learn that Jesus ride was...
A. A Ride Of Sacrifice
B. A Ride For The Working Man
C. A Ride That Was The Center Of Attention
5. Let's stand together as we read Matt. 21:1-11.
Proposition: Jesus wants to be the most important thing in your life.
Transition: The first thing we learn about Jesus ride is...
I. It Was A Ride Of Sacrifice (1-5).
A. A Donkey And It's Colt
1. Jesus road to the cross begins in a most unusual way, especially for Jesus.
2. Matthew begins with, "As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead."
A. The Mount of Olives (approximately 2,700 feet in elevation) was about a Sabbath Day's journey (five-eighths of a mile) from Jerusalem.
B. The Jews had used an important event in their history to determine this distance. When Israel passed over Jordan, it was the space between the ark of the covenant and the main body of people.
C. The small village of Bethphage (literally "house of unripe figs") was on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem. It was between Bethany and Jerusalem, as both Mark and Luke mention.
D. According to halakah, the legal traditions of Judaism, Bethphage was part of Jerusalem, although it was situated in its outermost parts.
E. Its close affiliation with Jerusalem permitted one to celebrate Passover there.
F. Jesus arrived in Bethany 6 days prior to Passover on Friday, the 8th of Nisan. He spent the Sabbath there, and on the first day of the week, Sunday the 10th, 5 days before His death, He entered Jerusalem seated upon a donkey.
G. The 10th of Nisan was also the day on which the Passover lamb was selected (Exodus 12:3). On this day Jesus symbolically presented himself to the people as Messiah. This presentation anticipated His death as the Passover Lamb of God.
H. The identity of the two disciples sent off by Jesus is not known. Perhaps it was Peter and John, who were sent on a similar errand. (Horton, The Complete Biblical Library Matthew, 438).
3. Then Jesus said to them, “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
A. "The village over there" (NLT) must mean Bethphage. The Lord Jesus, knowing by the Spirit what His disciples would encounter in the city, gave them clear instructions about getting a donkey.
B. "Bring them to me" refers to the donkey and her colt. The donkey and its young were naturally inseparable (Horton, 438-439).
C. From this text and many others it is clear that Jesus was always in control of the events that affected His life. He initiated His own coronation when He sent two disciples to procure the mount on which He would ride into Jerusalem.
D. He thereby set into motion a series of climactic events that culminated in the voluntary gracious sacrifice of Himself on the cross that had been divinely planned from eternity past.
E. From beginning to end the gospels completely belie the contention of many liberal interpreters that Jesus was carried away by the enthusiasm of the mob and became caught up in a tragic web of religious and political intrigue that caught Him by surprise.
F. He was not a well-meaning moral teacher who went too far in rankling the Jewish leaders and was helplessly swept away to an untimely execution (MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23, 258).
G. It is no surprise that the owner objected to their taking the animals. For these were usually working animals and therefore valuable in an agricultural society. But neither should it be a surprise that he permitted them to take the animals when he learned who wanted them.
H. This may imply that the man was a disciple, a likely conclusion since Jesus knew so many people in and around Jerusalem.
I. Mark's Gospel suggests that "he" who was to send the animals may not have been the owner adds that the animal was one on which no one had ever sat. It was not necessary for a king to ride on an animal never ridden before.
J. But only unused animals could be used for sacred purposes. This seems to make a connection with the earlier prophecies of Zechariah, which show the Messiah as first Priest, then King (Horton, 439).
4. In vv. 4-5 Matthew shows the importance of this event when he says, "This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
5 “Tell the people of Israel, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
A. Everything Jesus did, especially in His role as the humble Messiah, Prince of Peace, was in accordance with the words of the prophet Zechariah.
B. The disciples did not actually realize this at the time. Of course Jesus knew the prophecy and realized He was fulfilling it.
C. In fact, this was a deliberate fulfillment. It was the day of Jesus' self-declaration. Up to this time He had avoided any public declaration of His Messiahship.
D. He had withdrawn again and again lest people would attempt to make Him king.
E. But now He was ready to make His true identity clear. He was ready to go to the Cross (Horton, 439).
F. Matthew explains. Jesus' entire life and ministry were marked by two overriding purposes, to do His heavenly Father's will and to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah's first coming.
G. It seems out of place and totally inappropriate that any king, much less the King of kings, should make His triumphal entry mounted on a donkey rather than a beautiful white stallion or in a regal chariot.
H. But that is what God's prophet predicted and that is what God's Son did, because that was the divine plan.
I. He was not at that time intended to come in earthly splendor or to reign in earthly power. He did not come in wealth but in poverty; He did not come in grandeur but in meekness; and He did not come to slay Israel's enemies but to save all mankind.
J. The incarnation was the time of His humiliation, not the time of His glorification. Because He was a King like no other king, His coronation was like no other coronation.
K. By the standards and purposes of the earth's kings, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was anything but triumphant; but by the standards and purposes of God, it was exactly as it was meant to be (MacArthur, 259).
B. Willing To Give Up
1. In January 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a Japanese plasterer in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were killed.
This selfless act by the Korean student on behalf of the Japanese laborer has caused many people in Japan to reconsider their long-held prejudices against Koreans. Strong feelings of distrust between the two countries go back to World War II atrocities that the Japanese inflicted on Koreans. Many Japanese people, including the prime minister of Japan, have openly expressed sorrow over their stereotypes of Koreans and have begun to talk about reconciliation.
Nobuaki Fujioka, sixty-two, of Japan, says, "I felt a kind of shame. A young foreigner sacrificed his life for a Japanese. This is not an easy thing to do."
By giving his one and only Son, God took the initiative in healing our broken relationship with him. He made the supreme sacrifice for us that we might be reconciled to him.
2. Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was his beginning of the road to the ultimate sacrifice.
A. Philippians 2:7-8 (NLT)
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
B. Jesus' ride into Jerusalem show sacrifice on the part of two people; the owner of the donkey and Jesus himself.
C. The donkey's owner was sacrificing his prized work animal, with no guarantee of every getting it back, but was willing to give it up because "the Lord needed it."
D. For Jesus it was the beginning of his road to the ultimate sacrifice...his own life.
E. In doing so, both the owner of the donkey and Jesus show us an example of what we should do.
F. What have you sacrificed lately?
G. Have you willingly laid down something of value to you because someone else had need of it?
H. Have you willingly laid down something because the church needed it?
I. Have you willingly laid down something because the Lord needed it?
J. Is Jesus more important to you than your stuff?
K. Is Jesus more important to you than your checkbook?
L. What are you willing to sacrifice for Him when He sacrificed all for you?
Transition: Not only was Jesus' ride one of sacrifice, but...
II. It Was A Ride For A Working Man (6-8).
A. Did As Jesus Commanded
1. As Jesus began his way towards Jerusalem things get more interesting.
2. In vv. 6-7 Matthew tells us, "The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it."
A. The disciples obeyed Jesus' word without questioning Him, even though they did not fully understand what was taking place. They acknowledged Him as their Master (Horton, 439-441).
B. None of the disciples, including the two sent for the donkey understood the Lord's purpose in this or in the other great events of the coming week.
C. "These things His disciples did not understand at the first," John said; "but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him" (John 12:16).
D. But the two obediently went and did just as Jesus had directed them, and brought the donkey and the colt.
E. Because they had no blankets to pad the animals' backs and were not sure which one He would ride, they laid on both of them their garments, on which He sat. Jesus chose the colt, the smallest and lowliest of the two, and mounted it with the help of the disciples (MacArthur, 260).
F. Initially the disciples saddled both animals with clothing ("on them"). "On it" should actually be more appropriately be translated "on them," because the word does not refer to the donkeys but to the clothes; consequently, the meaning is not that Jesus sat on both animals simultaneously, but that He sat on the clothes.
G. In contrast to earthly kings who used horses, chariots, and other symbols of war to show their might, this King distinguished himself by riding upon a donkey, a simple beast of the common person, often used for transportation and carrying loads during times of peace.
H. Donkeys were not usually used for warfare. Jesus came to the world as the Prince of Peace, making peace between God and man.
I. The Messiah did not flaunt His power. He is a humble ruler who trusts in God.
J. The people going up the opposite hill into Jerusalem would often chant Psalm 24 with emphasis on verses 3-6, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart...."
K. This was followed in verses 7-10 by, "Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle...."
L. The people chanting these words could look across the valley and see Jesus coming and make the connection with Zechariah 9:9, "Behold, your King is coming." Jesus intended for them to make that connection (Horton, 441).
3. Then Matthew tells us, "Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road."
A. The crowds in Jerusalem for Passover were made up of pilgrims from Galilee and Peraea as well as the city's.
B. Spreading branches and clothing on the road, the people paid homage to the Lord.
C. Their gesture signified that they regarded Jesus as King and themselves as His subjects.
D. The dramatic entrance and reception was a messianic declaration. The glory of the Lord will dawn from the Mount of Olives (Horton, 441).
E. It was an ancient custom (see 2 Kings 9:13) for citizens to throw their garments in the road for their monarch to ride over, symbolizing their respect for him and their submission to his authority.
F. It was as if to say "We place ourselves at your feet, even to walk over if necessary."
G. While those people were putting their clothes in Jesus' path, others were cutting branches from the trees, and spreading them in the road.
H. From John 12:13 we learn that the branches were from palm trees, symbolic of salvation and joy and picturing the magnificent tribute that the "great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues" one day will present "before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches... in their hands" (Rev. 7:9).
I. There was great excitement and ecstasy as the multitude proclaimed praise to the Messiah, to the Rabbi from Galilee who taught with such authority and who had healed their diseases and even raised the dead (MacArthur, 260).
B. All Might Be Saved
1. Illustration: The Gospel is a universal language that crosses the barriers of time to impact the lives of ordinary people." — Michelle Jones
2. Jesus went to the cross for everyone!
A. Revelation 5:9 (NLT)
9 And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
B. Jesus didn't just die for a spiritual elite known as the elect.
C. Jesus did for every tribe, and language and people and nation.
D. Jesus died for those on the right side of the tracks as well as those on the wrong side of the tracks.
E. Jesus died for those with an elite pedigree and for the orphan.
F. Jesus died lawyers, bankers and doctors, but he also died for farmers, soldiers and ditch diggers.
G. Jesus died for the uncommon and the common.
H. Jesus died for all of mankind, and if they will accept him into their lives, he will come in and make them children of God.
Transition: Even though it was ride for the working man...
III. It Was A Ride That Was The Center Of Attention (9-11).
A. Center Of The Procession
1. Matthew now brings Jesus' triumphal entry to a climax. He shows that, even though he was riding on a beast of burden rather than a stately stallion, he was the center if attention.
2. In v. 9 Jesus says, "Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!”
A. The Lord was now completely surrounded by a mass of humanity perhaps several hundred thousand people, some of whom were going before Him and some who followed after Him.
B. Fickle as they would prove to be, the people now disregarded the warning of "the chief priests and Pharisees [who] had given orders that if anyone knew where [Jesus] was, he should report it, that they might seize Him" (John 11:57).
C. The expectations that the Messiah would bring deliverance were so great that the crowd became totally caught up in what, from a human perspective, was a frenzy of mob hysteria (MacArthur, 260).
D. The shout "Hosanna!"—a prayer meaning "save us" also appears in the so-called Hallel (Psalms 113-118).
E. This collection of Psalms was especially sung during the Passover. Jesus and His disciples probably sang this Passover hymn. The account in 26:30 indicates they "had sung a hymn" before leaving the Upper Room.
F. "Hosanna" was originally a call for help and deliverance, often addressed to a king or to God. In addition to other verses, it was customary to shout and sing Psalm 118:25 ("hosanna") during the Feast of Tabernacles as the people approached the sacrificial altar carrying their palm branches (also called "hosannas").
G. Because of its acquired position in the liturgy of the major feasts, it gradually shifted from being a call for help to a cry of rejoicing.
H. This is evident particularly in the following shout of praise to the "Son of David."
I. "Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord" comes directly from Psalm 118:26, where it refers to all pilgrims traveling to the major feasts of Judaism.
J. Later traditions applied the text in a restricted sense to the coming of Messiah. "Hosanna in the highest" calls for even the angels to lift their voices in praise.
K. The crowd following Jesus rejoiced and praised Him as the One who had come as the Son of David (the Messiah) to fulfill the promises given to Israel (Horton, 441-443).
3. Then in v. 10 Matthew tells us, "The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked."
A. Only Matthew reports the crowd's enthusiasm for Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (the Greek word eseisth is used elsewhere for "earthquakes"!).
B. The excited inhabitants of Jerusalem, unable to see the spectacular entrance and not knowing Jesus, asked, "Who is this?" (Horton, 443).
C. Obviously most of them had paid little attention to what they had been shouting so passionately.
D. They had barely finished proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David, who came in the name of the Lord. But they did not comprehend what they said, and when the mass emotions subsided, they were hard put to say who Jesus really was, other than a prophet who came from Nazareth in Galilee.
E. They no longer called Him the Son of David or praised Him as the great Deliverer. He was now no more than a prophet.
F. The people knew but they would not believe, and because they would not believe they ceased to know.
G. Like their forefathers to whom Isaiah preached, they heard but did not perceive and saw but did not understand, because their hearts were insensitive (Isa. 6:9-10).
H. They heard Jesus' message, they attested to His miracles, and they even acknowledged His divinity but they rejected His saviorhood and His lordship.
I. They were totally earthbound, materialistic, and self-satisfied They were interested only in the kingdoms of this world, not the kingdom of heaven
J. They would have accepted Jesus as an earthly king, but they would not have Him as their heavenly King (MacArthur, 263).
4. Matthew concludes this section with, "And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
A. The crowd accompanying Jesus in essence replied, "This is the Prophet, the promised great Prophet whose coming Moses foretold."
B. "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." As a result of His ministry in Galilee, Jesus was now heralded as the "Son of David" (Horton. 443.)
B. First Place
1. Illustration: Priorities are an issue in the church today, and David Wilkerson addresses this issue in a newsletter he wrote before his death:
"A priority is the importance you place on something. And Christians who neglect prayer have perverted their priorities! Many believers pledge they’ll pray if and when they can find the time. Yet each week, seeking Christ becomes less important to them than washing the car, cleaning the house, visiting friends, eating out, going shopping, watching sports. They simply don’t make time to pray.
"Yet people were no different in the days of Noah and Lot. Their top priorities were eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying and caring for their families. They had no time to listen to messages of Gods coming judgment. And so no one was prepared when judgment fell! Evidently, nothing has changed over the centuries. For most Americans, God remains at the bottom of the priority list. And at the top are income, security, pleasure, family. Of course, for many Americans God doesn’t even make the list. But that doesn’t grieve the Lord nearly as much as how little he’s valued by his own children!"
2. Is Jesus the center of attention in your life?
A. Colossians 1:18 (NASB)
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
B. What is first place in your life?
C. You can tell this by thinking about how you spend your time.
D. For many of us the most important thing in our lives is our job, family, or simply doing what makes us happy.
E. For some of us our priorities can be determined based on what we do on social media.
F. For others our priorities can be summed up by what we watch, listen to or read.
G. But the real question we need to be asking ourselves is where is Jesus on our list of priorities?
H. What do you do when you wake up in the morning? If prayer isn't the first thing on your list chances are Jesus is too much of a priority for you.
I. When you pick up your smart phone, tablet or computer what's the first thing you do? If it's not reading your Bible or going to a devotional site your priority is not on Jesus!
J. When you woke up this morning did you say, "Yes, we get to go to church today!," or did you say, "Ah, we gotta go to church today!" What does that say about your priorities?
K. Remember that if Jesus isn't Lord of all then he isn't Lord at all!
Conclusion
1. Any car guy will tell you that they live for the moments when someone says to them, "Nice ride!"
2. However, there is no more glorious ride than the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
3. From Matthew's account of the Triumphal Entry we learn that Jesus ride was...
A. A Ride Of Sacrifice
B. A Ride For The Working Man
C. A Ride That Was The Center Of Attention
4. THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER...
A. JESUS GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR YOU. WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE UP FOR HIM?
B. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHERE YOU'VE COME FROM JESUS LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO DIE FOR YOU.
C. IS JESUS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION IN YOU LIFE? IF NOT, WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO ABOUT IT?
