The Greatest of These - Matthew 21:1-11 - March 24, 2013
Series: Palm Sunday
For many people the highlight of any given year is Christmas, isn’t it? Christmas is when family comes together, parties are attended, and presents are exchanged. More importantly, it’s the time of year when we as Christians celebrate the incarnation – the coming of God in the flesh, to dwell with His people in the person of Jesus. And the very heart of Christmas centers on the miracle of God’s love, being made manifest in, the Christ child.
But I want you to understand, that as amazing, and mind blowing, as the reality of Christmas is, it pales in comparison with the reality of what we stand on the brink of today. Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of what is called, “Holy Week,” in the Christian Church. And without the events of this week, Christmas would not make sense. It would be without purpose, because what takes place during this week, answers the question of why God took on human flesh, and dwelt among us. Even more than that, without the events of Holy Week, Christianity itself would be pointless. Instead of offering hope and peace and life, it would prove itself empty, joyless and lifeless. To paraphrase the apostle Paul, without the events of Holy Week having taken place, our faith is futile, and if our faith is futile, we are still in our sins, without hope, and without God in this world!
So do you begin to see? Do you begin to grasp the significance of what God has done here friends? The events of this week are what all of history had been building to! It’s what God had purposed from the very beginning. This week helps us to understand the past, it frames the present, and, properly understood, it gives shape to all the days yet to come as well.
And so I invite you to open your Bibles with me to the 21st chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 21, and we’ll begin reading in verse 1, as we begin to try to understand the significance of what was taking place on this day so long ago. This is what we read beginning in verse 1 …
“As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”” (Matthew 21:1–11, NIV84)
Try to picture that day if you can. Imagine yourself in the crowd. The Jewish historian, Josephus, suggests there may have been as many as 3 million people in the city that day. That seems a little excessive to me, but there can be no denying that there would have been hundreds of thousands of people who had gathered in Jerusalem as the Passover drew near, and maybe Josephus’ numbers aren’t that far off after all.
The closest I can come to picturing that is an experience I had as a young child when a member of the royal family visited Ottawa while we happened to be there on vacation. And though I can’t remember much of that day, I do remember the crowds – people everywhere I looked -standing shoulder to shoulder trying to catch a glimpse of royalty. You could feel the expectation and the excitement hanging heavy in the air. I didn’t understand it all, I couldn’t understand what the fuss was all about, but I wanted to be a part of it just the same!
So try to picture the noise, the pageantry, the wonder and the excitement of it – if you’ve experienced anything like it, or if you’ve seen the pictures on television of crowds of hundreds of thousands of people gathered in one place, for one reason, shouting out together as with one voice, then I think we begin to catch a glimpse of what it must have been like that day, some 2000 years ago, as Jesus approached Jerusalem. And just like my younger self, who couldn’t comprehend the impact of the royal visit, Scripture tells us there were some in the crowd that day wondering just who this Jesus was and what all the fuss was about.
That it’s significant, there can be no doubt. Very few events in Scripture are mentioned in all four Gospels – this is one of the few that is. Most of the others revolve around this final week of the Lord’s life, and ministry, and encompass the crucifixion and the resurrection. And so we would do well this morning to try to understand why the events described in this passage are of such great importance.
Now Jesus had entered many different towns, and cities, during His ministry, and yet there was something undeniably special about this entrance into Jerusalem. Look to verse 10 with me for a moment. The NIV says the “whole city was stirred.” The King James says the “whole city was moved.” That word, “stirred,” or “moved,” in the Greek, is a word that is frequently used to describe the effects of an earthquake. Just as the entire city would have been shaken, or moved, or stirred by an earthquake, the commotion caused by Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was just as great. In the equivalent passage in the Gospel of John we are told that the Pharisees look on with fear and wonder at the crowds as they exclaimed to one another, “Look how the whole world has gone after Him!” [John 12:19] And from the companion passage in the Gospel of Luke we learn that when the Pharisees tell Jesus to silence His followers, Jesus refuses. He responds to the Pharisees by telling them that if His followers kept quiet, “the stones themselves would cry out.” [Luke 19:40] Creation heralded this event and no one was unaware of His presence. They might not have understood who He was, or what was about to happen, but as a whole, the city was aware that Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee, had come into their midst.
So again, why was the city stirred? Because this was a public proclamation of who Jesus was. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the crowds shouted. “Hosanna” was Hebrew for “Save Us!” or “Save Now!” Here it’s used as a shout of praise and acclamation. “Save us, Son of David,” they shout. It’s an acknowledgment by the people that they believe Jesus to be the long awaited Messiah, the deliverer of the Jewish people, the one with the power to save them. And this is one of the few places in the Gospels where Jesus’ glory is recognized by the people to whom He ministered, and it is one of even fewer times when Jesus accepted that praise and recognition.
Most times He refused and avoided such public acclamation. When He was ministering to the people and casting out demons, these demons would recognize Him as the Son of God. They would recognize Jesus as the Christ, and in terror they would acknowledge His authority over them, but Jesus silenced their cries for it was not yet time for His authority to be known. And on another occasion the crowds wanted to make Him king - but we are told that He slipped away and hid Himself from them for it was not yet time for His kingship to be known. And the Bible reveals that when three of the disciples see Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration they recognize His glory and want to acknowledge it by building a shelter for Jesus to honor Him, but Jesus denies their request, because it is not yet time for His glory to be known. But now, on that dusty road leading into Jerusalem, it is time - time for all these things to be revealed. And Jesus accepts the adoration and praise that are rightfully His.
In verse 4 Matthew makes an effort to point out something of importance to us. He writes that all “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet.” The verses which follow are a prophecy given by God to the prophet Zechariah 500 years before Jesus was born. Matthew says that on that day, in Jerusalem, that prophecy was fulfilled. But there is more than one prophecy that’s being fulfilled in that day. Jesus is coming into His own. The veil is being removed from the eyes of the people, and they are beginning to perceive, for a short time at least, the glory of God in Jesus the Christ. And we, who have the benefit of both the Old, and the New Testaments, perceive Him here in the divinely appointed roles of Prophet, Priest, and King. The prophets, priests, and kings of the Israelites were to work together to proclaim God’s glory amongst the people that they might know God as a nation. They were to lead God’s people, in God’s ways, to the glory of God, that the world might know Him. Jesus is the greatest of each of these, and in Him alone all three come together in perfection, and in one man. And as we become aware of this we begin to see the prophecies of ages past rushing together to fulfillment in this final week of Jesus’ life.
Now, it is easy to see Jesus as prophet here. In verse 11 he is openly acknowledged by the people as a “Prophet.” If you were to ask someone today what a prophet was, most of them would tell you that a prophet was someone who predicted the future. And there is often an element of forth-telling to prophecy - a revealing of what is to come. We see that in our Scripture passage today with those verses from Zechariah’s day being fulfilled in Jesus. But forth-telling such as that is really incidental to the prophetic office. In essence a prophet was a spokesman for God - one who spoke in God’s name and by His authority. And a prophet’s words were not his, or her, own, but God’s. And God used His prophets to speak out against, and to correct, the moral and religious abuses of the people of Israel, to faithfully proclaim the will of God to man, and to reveal, through word and action, the very heart of God.
False prophets twisted and distorted the word of God to their own ends, but a true prophet proclaimed, expounded, interpreted, and applied the word of God, for the people of God. And Jesus Himself never denied his role as prophet. He was, in fact, the prophet, that the people had been waiting for. 1400 Years before Jesus was born God told Moses that He would raise up a prophet, a great prophet, one whom all peoples must listen to, or God Himself would call them to account. That prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus - He is the great prophet the people were to expect, to whom they were to listen, and that they would be accountable to in the day they stood before God.
So let me ask you this morning: Who are you listening to? We are surrounded by voices willing, and ready, to tell us what life is all about, and how we should live our lives out from day to day. There are people in your life who will tell you what your values and priorities should be, what you should, or should not be doing. But how do you know? The trouble is I can go to this person over here, and they will tell me one thing, but if I run to this person over here, they’re going to tell me another, and then, if I go to this person back here, they’re going to tell me something different still. So how do I know right from wrong, true from false? How do I know what life is really all about it? The good news is that we don’t have to wonder. God has sent one that we must listen too, one that we can trust, one who knows, and that one is Jesus. He is the greatest of the prophets – He speaks the heart, mind and will of God! The question is: Are we listening? Are we hearing what He has to say?
You see, there were some in the crowd that day who saw Jesus, but who did not accept Him for who He was. They heard the words He spoke but they didn’t really listen to what He had to say. They felt threatened by Him, they felt they had no need for Him. That grieved the heart of God. Luke says that as Jesus, “approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” (Luke 19:41–44, NIV84)
And just as Jesus knew the hearts of men in that day, so too does He know your heart, today. And just as in His day, so too do those in our day fear, and reject Him, or hold false expectations of Him. They fear that following Christ is too hard, or that it will mean they won’t be able to have “fun” anymore. Some fear that Jesus won’t accept them or that He couldn’t love them. They haven’t listened to Him; they have not heard the beating of God’s heart in every word that Jesus spoke. Others walk away in disappointment and disillusionment when Jesus doesn’t solve all their problems for them, not realizing that the promise was never to instantly solve your problems, but to walk with you through the darkest of nights and the deepest of valleys, that you might see God. And I wonder this morning: Have you listened? Have you heard? Have you recognized the time of God’s coming to you? - Because you don’t want to miss it.
Jesus was the greatest of all prophets but He is also the greatest of all kings. And while He never denied his prophetic role, He also never publicly accepted His kingly role, until this entrance into Jerusalem. In fulfilling the prophecies of the past He was proclaiming His kingship as He rode into the city that day - and the people with Him knew exactly what statement He was making. They were familiar with the Scriptures, and many finally recognized their king, and so they paid Him the homage do a king, as they laid their cloaks at His feet and palm branches on the ground. This is how they honored the coming of a king.
But not only was His kingship revealed that day, but so too was the nature of the kingdom He had come to inaugurate. It wasn’t what the people had expected. It wasn’t what they had hoped. Instead it was what they had needed. Verse 5 reveals that He came to establish His kingdom, not on a mighty horse bringing war, but on a lowly donkey, proclaiming peace. He had not come to overthrow the Roman Empire and establish an earthly kingdom; His kingdom was from another place. He came to free people, not from slavery to foreign governments, but from bondage to foreign powers in the spiritual realm. Yet Scripture reveals that one day He will return, and on that day He will come upon a mighty steed of war. In the book of Revelation, John gives this testimony:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11–16, NIV84)
Israel’s kings were to be responsible to God alone; they did not rule by their own might, nor by their own choice, but by the will of God; and they were to rule as servants of God Almighty. And on all counts Jesus exemplified the kingship that God had ordained. Scripture reveals that He was born a king (Matthew 2:2), that He preached the kingdom of God (Mark 1:5), that He died as a king (Mark 15:32), and that He will come again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). He is the sovereign head of the church and king over all creation and His kingdom endures forever. And when He comes again, He will come in the power, and in the glory, fitting a king, and in that day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is King.
But not only is Jesus prophet, and king, but He is also priest. And the priests of God played an integral role in the life of the people of God. They represented the people before God and offered the necessary sacrifices on their behalf. They stood between man and God, and interceded for man, with God. And the title “priest” always denotes one who offers sacrifices. In this regard, the timing of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is significant for He came to celebrate the feast of the Passover. And you will remember that the Passover recalled and celebrated the exodus from Egypt when God delivered the Israelites from slavery there. On the night before God led them out of Egypt He commanded each family to take a lamb, to kill it, and to paint the doorframes of their houses with it’s blood. That night the angel of the Lord swept through Egypt, slaying the firstborn of each household that was not covered by the blood of the lamb. And while all Egypt wept, God’s chosen people found freedom.
In remembrance of God’s deliverance, the Israelites were commanded to celebrate the Passover annually. On the 10th day of the month in which the Passover fell, they were to set aside the lamb that would be slain, for the Passover Feast. Jesus entered Jerusalem on that 10th day and offered himself as our “Passover Lamb.” He became the perfect sacrifice, without blemish, without defect, without sin, and by His blood we too find shelter from the wrath of God. Paul writes that “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7, NIV84) “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19–20, NIV84) And in the book of Hebrews Jesus is called our great High Priest whose blood cleanses “our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:14–15, NIV84)
As our High Priest Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf, and when He died the Bible records that the curtain in the temple, which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, was torn in two. That boundary between man and God was torn away and we now have access to God through His son Jesus Christ. He is the perfect High Priest, for He rose from the dead, and His priesthood continues for eternity. In His body He offered the perfect, once for all sacrifice for sin, and He stands before the throne of God making intercession on behalf of God’s people today.
He is Prophet, Priest and King. But I want you to understand that He is also “Healer.” Scripture tells us that He has come to bind up the broken hearted, to give sight to the blind, and life to those who are living in death. In the Gospel of John we’re told that some in the crowd that day were there because they had heard that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. He brought life out of death – and He’s still doing it today. Taking those who are dead in spirit and giving them new birth – spiritual birth – into the kingdom over which He reigns. He becomes for them, and for us, the prophet through whom God has spoken, the priest through whose life and death and life again, we find forgiveness and peace with God, and He is the once and future king to whom we offer all we have, and are, and ever hope to be. For the Bible tells us that there is no other name under the heavens, or upon the earth, by which man may be saved, but the name of Jesus.
And here, on this Palm Sunday, as we look back some 2000 years, we begin to understand that as Jesus was revealing Himself as Prophet, Priest, King and Healer, that in those moments all of humanity sat on the brink of redemption. Eternity hung in the balance as Jesus moved from the joy and wonder of Palm Sunday, to the impenetrable darkness of Good Friday, to the brilliant redemption light of Easter morning.
Let’s pray …
Romans 12:1 tells us that our response to God’s mercy ought to be a deep and profound outpouring of worship. As we begin this Holy Week together we want to respond to God’s mercy to us in Jesus Christ, so I’m going to ask you to stand, and I’m going to call our worship team up, and we’re going to close our service this morning with an outpouring of worship as we praise God in song!
