His Triumphal Entry
Scripture: Luke 19:28-44
Introduction: A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch.
The little boy was curious and asked, "Why do you have that palm branch, dad?"
"You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today."
The little boy replied, " Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!" (Sermoncentral:via David Yarbrough)
We celebrate Palm Sunday because it is when Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Jesus riding into Jerusalem to the praises of the people is recorded in all four gospels, but this morning we are going to review the Triumphal entry as it's recorded in Luke 19:28-44. I want to preach on 3 points we find here: the sacrifice of a colt, the praise of a crowd, and the weeping of Christ.
The Sacrifice of a Colt (Luke 19:28-35)
Before we look into the sacrifice of a colt, let's look at the significance of a colt.
Significance of a colt. Is a donkey something you would picture a King riding in on? It isn't the first thing that comes to our minds is it? It wasn't a great white horse that he rode in on, but a lowly donkey. He didn't ride in as a man of war but as the prince of peace. The donkey was small and low to the ground. Jesus
didnt look down on the crowd around hm - just as he was in his humanity he was on their level. And the crowd was able to see Jesus and relate to him as a result. When we make ourselves less, people will see Jesus more.
Jesus said “...among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist...” (Mt.11:11) Those who thought Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, or Elijah were great prophets of God and they were but they were not greater than John the Baptist. High praise coming from Jesus. And as great as John was, we read him say “He (Jesus) must become greater; and I become less.” (Jn. 3:30) As we become smaller – Jesus becomes larger, as we grow lower, he grows higher. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. And people will see him and not us. The donkey had no reason to think it was being cheered. This week, I read a humorous fable about the day after that donkey carried Jesus through Jerusalem.
Ill. The donkey awakened, his mind still savoring the afterglow of the most exciting day of his life. Never before had he felt such a rush of pleasure and pride. He walked into town and found a group of people by the well. “I'll show myself to them,” he thought. But they didn't notice him. They went on drawing their water and paid him no mind.
Throw your garments down,” he said crossly. “Don't you know who I am?” They just looked at him in amazement. Someone slapped him across the tail and ordered him to move. “Miserable heathens!” he muttered to himself. “I'll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me.” But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the market place.
“The palm branches! Where are the palm branches!” he shouted. “Yesterday, you threw palm branches!” Hurt and confused, the donkey returned home to his mother. “Foolish child,” she said gently. “Don't you realize that without Him, you are just an ordinary donkey?” (sermonillustrations.com)
Without Jesus we are just ordinary people and it's foolish to think otherwise. If we lower ourselves Jesus exalts himself in us. Jesus said those who are first will be last and those who are last will be first. For those who can sacrifice comforts and possessions for the Lord's sake, they will be compensated. Which brings us to the sacrifice of the colt.
Sacrifice of a colt. In Mark 11:6 we read “They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.” Seeing the plurals here, I think it's safe to assume that there was more than one owner. Some commentary say that more than likely there was a group of people that pooled their money together to purchase them. But when the owners were told that the Lord needs it, they obeyed and let them go. G. Mueller said “God judges what we give, by what we keep.” When the Lord needs something we have, we must let it go.
What makes this a sacrifice? Donkeys were used for transportation. Not everyone had a donkey. So to let theses animals go, was to let go of their transportation. That's not a small thing. Even if they were promised to get them back, they had to trust enough to believe they would. By faith they sacrificed what they had.
Ill. Bill Wilson pastors an inner city church in New York City. His mission field is a very violent place. He himself has been stabbed twice as he ministered to the people of the community surrounding the church. Once a Puerto Rican woman became involved in the church and was led to Christ. After her conversion she came to Pastor Wilson and said, "I want to do something to help with the church’s ministry." He asked her what her talents were and she could think of nothing---she couldn’t even speak English---but she did love children. So he put her on one of the church’s buses that went into neighborhoods and transported kids to church. Every week she performed her duties. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: "I love you. Jesus loves you."
After several months, she became attached to one little boy in particular. The boy didn’t speak. He came to Sunday School every week with his sister and sat on the woman’s lap, but he never made a sound. Each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, "I love you and Jesus loves you."
One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, "I---I---I love you too!" Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night he was found dead. His own mother had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash......."I love you and Jesus loves you." ....Those were some of the last words this little boy heard in his short life---from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. This woman gave her one talent to God and because of that a little boy who never heard the word "love" in his own home, experienced and responded to the love of Christ.....
What can you give? What is your "colt". You and I each have something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the colt, move Jesus and His message further down the road.
(SOURCE: Mark Adams, "The Roads He Walked - Palm Avenue." Illustrations for April 13, 2003. www.esermons.com.)
John Henry Jowett said “Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.” it isnt a sacrifice if it doesnt cost something. And what about the obedience of the disciples? Did it cost them anything? Of course it did. They already left behind their lives to follow Jesus. On faith alone the disciples followed Jesus' orders, to get the donkey, even at the risk of looking like thieves taking someone's donkey and colt. Just like the owners, there had to be a measure of both faith and sacrifice involved, both to let go and to receive.
Ill. During his reign, King Fredrick William III of Prussia found himself in trouble, Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. He couldn't disappoint his people, and to capitulate to the enemy was unthinkable. After careful reflection, he decided to ask the women of Prussia to bring their jewelry of gold and silver to be melted down for their country. For each ornament received, he determined to exchange a decoration of bronze or iron as a symbol of his gratitude. Each decoration would be inscribed, “I gave gold for iron, 1813.” The response was overwhelming. Even more important, these women prized their gifts from the king more highly than their former jewelry. The reason, of course, is clear. The decorations were proof that they had sacrificed for their king. Indeed, it became unfashionable to wear jewelry, and thus was established the Order of the Iron Cross. Members didn't wear jewelry except a cross of iron for all to see. When Christians come to their King, they too exchange the flourishes of their former life for a cross.
(sermonillustrations.com: Lynn Jost)
What the the King needs, we must let it go. And there will be more honor and joy in letting it go than in keeping it. What the Lord asks for, we must give it away.
Transition: As Jesus received his colt, they threw their cloaks on the colt, and he continued on to the praises of the crowds of people that had come in for passover.
The Praise of a Crowd (v.36 – 40)
As He rode that colt along the dusty rugged terrain, the crowd spread their cloaks on the road before him. One of these days it won't be our cloaks that we cast at his feet, but our crowns. (If we are fortunate enough to get them.) We must be willing to lay it ALL at Jesus' feet. What he needs we must let it go. What is a cloak or a crown or a donkey or a colt compared to what He gave for us? Jesus will, and shall and must be praised! The crowd of disciples began to praise God in a loud voice for all the miracles they either witnessed, heard about, or actually received personally. And for a moment as we hear the rightful praises “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord” and the sweet worship of “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” we think “all is finally right with the world!” and had the praises been rightly placed it would've been, but the crowd had a misguided view of who the king, the messiah was. They thought Jesus would either be a great warlord that would lead a mighty rebellion against the Romans or maybe be like Moses with Pharaoh and call down great miraculous plagues on Caesar and liberate the Jews from their oppressors. You see, they didn't understand his purpose, even though he told them he must go to Jerusalem and die and rise again three days later (Mt. 16:21)
The crowd is filled with fickle disciples. People in a crowd will follow the least bit of movement. Like a flock of birds, one flies one way and the whole group goes with it, only to do the same thing when another bird decides he wants to go this way instead of that way. When you see that flock of birds it appears as one giant mass going in one general direction but morphing and changing into different shapes.
Jesus worked undeniable miracles and spoke undeniable truth, so they praised him for good cause, but they praised him with wrong expectations. His purpose was greater than what they imagined. God was in human flesh before them! Satan was about to be check mated! The age of grace was about to begin! And they were thinking about the Romans?
We have no excuse – we know who Jesus is and what he died for. We can't say we misunderstood his purpose. We can't be fickle when we understand the gospel doctrine so well. Not only is the crowd filled with fickle disciples...
The crowd is filled with false disciples. v.39 - “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!'” These Pharisees were most likely those that respected Jesus as a powerful Rabbi, an eloquent teacher, and some of them might go as far as to concede him to be a great prophet but never would they entertain the thought of him being the Messiah - ('that's going too far')
Even though they witnessed the miracles themselves, they couldn't allow themselves to believe it. There's an old English proverb that says “None so blind as those who will not see.” Jesus said “Do you have eyes but fail to see?” They saw the evidence of his divinity but wouldn't allow themselves to believe he was the messiah. They believed in the name of Jesus, but not divinity of Jesus.
How many today believe in Jesus the same way the pharisees did? The best selling book 'Killing Jesus' by Bill O'Reilly seems to takes this view. It insinuates, albeit very respectfully, that Jesus is a great man, a great prophet, a great teacher but we won't go as far as to say He is Messiah. Like some of the Pharisees of the Lord's day: “We don't mind suggesting that some believe so, but we won't say so ourselves. We are far too erudite and professorial for that.” “We are so well educated and logical that we can't believe such silly and blasphemous notions as that.”
It is an arrogant way of looking down on the word and treating the Bible as merely an ancient historical book and not a divinely inspired collection of books & letters that the very citing of which combined with faith encourage the downhearted, resists the devil, casts out demons, and works miracles, most notably the miracle of being born twice (salvation)!
The Pharisees attitude toward those laying cloaks at his feet was “Jesus, You need to stop this nonsense! Tell them to be silent! These people are thinking you are Messiah the promised one.” The Pharisees couldn't allow themselves to believe, so they became enraged by those who did believe. My question for you is Do you believe? If so then how do you believe?
Some men believe in Jesus the same way they believe in Christopher Columbus, Alexander the Great, or Ghandi - real historical figures, but nothing more than that. John Gill puts it this way “a bare historical faith will not profit, and cannot save anyone; A man may have all faith of this kind, and be damned; and therefore it is not to be boasted of, nor trusted to.” James 2:19 says even the devils in hell believe in Jesus and tremble. Remember they were thrown out of heaven! They seen his reality! They felt his reality! They know his reality! and they tremble at their own future reality!
In verse 40, if Christ is not praised, then the rocks themselves will cry out to praise him. God can perfect praise out of anything. If his created man will not praise him, then his created rocks will!
Transition: We finally come to the most intriguing part, the weeping of Christ.
The Weeping of Christ (v.41-44)
Let's look at when, where, and why Jesus wept over the city,
When Jesus wept. Jesus wept in the middle of his triumphs. He was surrounded by rejoicing and praise and in the midst of all the jubilation we see an odd picture here of Jesus weeping. What a shame He couldn't embrace the praises of his people because the same people that were shouting “Hosanna!” “Hosanna!” which means “Save us!” “Save us!” were going to be shouting “crucify him!” “crucify him!” the next day. Jesus knows their ignorance and forsees the consequence of it. And he weeps for them because of it. God doesn't want anyone to perish, but all to have everlasting life. But once he tells us the way of salvation, and as clearly as he can, how to receive it. It is not his fault if we don't believe it. Let's notice...
Where Jesus wept. As he approached Jerusalem. Some suggest Jesus probably wept as he descended down the hill of the mount of olives, capturing the full view of the city of Jerusalem. Jesus foresees and foretells that they will reject him. They are ruined without him and if they would have only accepted him and followed him as the messiah, they would not suffer the fate Jesus sees them suffering He weeps for those who refuse to believe, He knows Jerusalem's fate.
Like seeing a man die of starvation but refuses to eat. Not only is his salvation dependent upon eating but his overall good health is as well and we weep for his starving state but can't help but marvel at his ignorance. Jesus is easily accessed and available for all those who would simply believe and receive. Unfortunately for Jerusalem, they would not believe.
Jesus foresees the Roman emperor Titus coming in less than 40 years and demolishing the whole city, he sees the stones laid flat and the blood running in the streets. Even though the bible doesn't record it, the Jewish historian Josephus records the destruction of Jerusalem when he wrote “You would indeed have thought that the temple hill was boiling over from its base, being everywhere one mass of flame, yet the stream of blood was more copious than the flames.” Whats interesting to me is that Titus gives Josephus permission to free his brother and 50 friends and as he does so he recognizes 3 acquaintances who had been crucified, and Titus allows them to be taken down. 2 die and 1 lives. Over a million people die, Josephus notes the number being so high because Jews from all over other nations were coming in for passover. (Chronology of War – Josephus pt.7) amazing isn't it? Jesus foresaw this coming. The same celebrations by some of the same people who were there were going to die a horrible death in approximately 40 years time. How then could Jesus possibly rejoice when He knew this was going to be their fate. So why did he weep?...
Why Jesus wept. Think first, how many prayed for the messiah to come. How many were ready for him to be in their presence? How many wept themselves to sleep in their prayers for his arrival? Then one day He is there! He walked with them, taught them, healed them, prophesied to them, worked many miracles for them! But the main reason He wept for them is because HE LOVED THEM! (Jn 3:16) And it broke his heart that although he had his disciples, the city as a whole would not accept their own king. As a result would not accept the gospel of Christ. As a result must pay the wages of sin (death). As a result Jesus wept.
Conclusion: Will you recognize the time of God's coming to you? Matthew 24 gives us several signs of his coming again.
Will you be caught without extra oil in your lamp? Will Jesus weep for you? Or will he welcome you? Will you praise him for who He is? Or will you praise him only for who you want him to be? God will see us in mercy or he will see us in wrath. The Love of the Lord is unfathomable. He desires to save you! He desires to help you! He desires to heal you! He comes to you in strength in a time of weakness. He comes to you in power in a time you are powerless. He comes to offer you everything when you have nothing to offer.
I recall the former minister telling me that he went to Russia when the Berlin wall fell and they were a part of a ministry effort to hand out as many bible as possible. He approached one stoic man who seemed surprised if not overwhelmed when given a bible, he began to search his pockets and his coat for something to give for it. Because of the language barrier, the minister shook his hands signaling no need to do that.
God gave us his word, his son, and everlasting life, and we search our empty pockets to try to give him something in return, as if we have anything to give that would pay for what he gave us. All we can give is ourselves, and that is all he wants.
