His Triumphal Entry

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.