Sermon Central
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Our Savior Has Come
Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jun 24, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: The people of Israel were looking for a Messiah but when He arrived they could not recognize him. Do we recognize Jesus as our Messiah today?
Our Savior Has Come
Today we mark the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that we call Palm Sunday.
We call this the Triumphal entry because of how the people responded by making a parade of Jesus entrance.
All the gospel writers record this event with different emphasis.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee suggests that….
Matthew draws the reader to see Jesus as Prophet
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Mark draws the reader to see Jesus as Priest as He enters the Temple of God and takes charge.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.
Luke draws the reader to see Jesus as King as the people shouted out.
38 “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 Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
By this way Jesus can be proclaimed Priest, King and Prophet over Jerusalem. This makes His entrance truly Triumphant.
Source: pg.334 Thru the Bible Commentary J. Vernon McGee Vol. IV. Thomas Nelson Publishers 1983. Nashville Tennessee U.S.A.
This is an important observation for while we can see the crowd embrace Jesus as all these titles they still refuse to make Him Messiah.
The ruling religious class is indignant toward Jesus. They are frustrated and afraid of Jesus.
They cannot account for the multitude of miracles Jesus has performed.
They cannot dispute the wisdom and spiritual power of His teaching.
They cannot question His authority because the prophecies support Jesus time and time again as the Promised One.
Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
They cannot admit their sin before the people of Israel for that would bring them down to the level of ordinary men.
20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,
no one who does what is right and never sins.
They were too proud to admit they belonged at that level and if they took that place it would put Jesus over them for they could find no sin in Him even though they tried time and time again to trap Him and trick Him.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.
31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Each time they were humiliated. They have been humiliated for three years.
So on this day Palm Sunday Jesus is exulted above them and paraded through the streets as the Prophet, Priest and King of Israel.
The sounds of the crowd’s adulation burns inside of the Scribes and Pharisees with indignation and so they resolve to kill this Jesus.
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Jesus public celebrity is about to be diminished by nefarious men who call themselves servants of the Most High God.
How short the time of praise and honor is for Jesus.
How quickly the cheers of the crowd turn to jeers from the crowd.
But for one day in Jerusalem it is Jesus day as the people surround Him and praise Him and love Him.
Jesus enters the Temple courts and heals people there and then as He teaches all who will listen.
Let us celebrate Jesus for who we know He is in our hearts, let us praise Him today as our King, Chief Priest and Prophet of God for we know what is to come.
Amen.
