BLESSED IS THE KING
Mark 11:1-11
For some thirty-three years Jesus Christ lived and served here on earth. Fulfilling the prophecy recorded in Isaiah 52:13, He “dealt prudently.” God’s Servant discerned and accomplished His will. Our Lord fulfilled many prophecies, preached with power and authority, performed many miracles, changed countless lives, and saved many souls.
Throughout His ministry Jesus often declared that His “hour had not yet come.” When He made His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His hour had arrived.
The events of Passion Week began on a dusty road just outside of Jerusalem. That road would lead to pain, sorrow, anguish, and death; however, this road would lead to the ultimate victory!
As Jesus entered the city a great celebration took place. The people began to lay their clothes in the way before Him and they waved palm branches and cried, "Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"(Mark 11:10). Within a few days the atmosphere in the city would change dramatically. The shouts of “Hosanna” would soon be replaced with cries of “crucify Him.”
I would like for us to examine Jesus’ Triumphal entry and the events that followed His arrival and consider the thought, “Blessed Is The King.”
There were certain preparations that we made before Jesus made His way into Jerusalem. To the Disciples it may have seemed as if they engaged in some menial, unimportant task, but they would soon witness the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Let’s examine:
THE PROPHECY THAT JESUS FULFILLED
v1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.”
Jesus instructed His Disciples to go into a certain village and retrieve a young donkey. The Lord knew that someone would ask why they were taking it; so He said, “if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here." The Disciples obeyed their Master and found a colt that had never been ridden tied by a door near the street. As predicted, someone asked why they were taking the colt. The Disciples said, “the Lord needs him” and the people allowed them to proceed. “Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.” (v7)
On surface it may seem like an insignificant detail that Jesus borrowed a young donkey and rode it into Jerusalem. However, this detail is particularly important because it was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The prophet Zechariah spoke about this moment back in 520 BC. He said: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)
In Zechariah’s day, Jerusalem was still in ruins and the process of rebuilding had just begun. But He spoke of a day when the Messiah would come and Jerusalem will be filled with His glory.
Jesus fulfilled many prophecies during His time on earth. Every prophecy that He fulfilled proved that He was exactly who He said He was. Scholars say that the probability of one man fulfilling just eight of the prophecies referring to the Messiah is 1 in 100 Trillion. Jesus fulfilled over three hundred prophecies the first time He came. Riding into the city on this young colt was just one of the many evidences that Jesus was (and is) the promised Messiah.
The Disciples brought the donkey to Jesus and then threw their clothes on its back in the place of a saddle. Jesus ascended the donkey and began to make His way towards Jerusalem. When He entered the city, a multitude was waiting for Him. Let’s take some time and examine:
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE GATHERED
There were many different kinds of people in the crowd on that day; some were genuine followers, some were enemies, and some were skeptics. Notice that:
A. SOME WERE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST
Many of the people in attendance were genuine followers of Jesus. Some had been with Him almost every step of the way throughout His earthly ministry. It is likely that Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and others were present on this day. We know that the 12 Disciples were there. It is a safe assumption that there were many other faithful followers there as well.
There were also some superficial followers in that crowd. A brief survey of the Gospels shows us that there were always superficial followers of Jesus in the close by. During His Galilean ministry there was no shortage of people who were only there because they wanted to see Him work a miracle, or because they wanted to receive a miracle of their own.
A great number of those who were gathered in Jerusalem were expecting Jesus to overthrow Rome and to deliver Israel and restore the Kingdom. Very soon they would learn that Jesus was not going to do what they wanted Him to do, when they wanted Him to do it, and they turned on Him.
- Some were followers of Jesus, also present in this crowd were some of His harshest opponents. Notice that:
B. SOME WERE ENEMIES OF CHRIST
As Jesus rode into the city and was worshipped by the multitude “some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples" (Luke 19:39). The Pharisees had stood in opposition to Jesus from the very beginning. They constantly challenged Him and tried to expose Him for being a fraud, a blasphemer, and a man possessed by demons. Early on they even joined with their adversaries, the Herodians, and began to conspire as to how they could destroy Him.
There were many things that Jesus did that infuriated the Pharisees; on this occasion they did not like the fact that Jesus accepted the praises of the people. It is important to note that whether men will praise Christ or not He must be praised. Jesus said to the Pharisees "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
Jesus had many enemies as He walked the Earth. He endured accusations, oppression, and persecution from the Pharisees, Sadducees, Chief Priests, Scribes, and the Elders. Things are not much different today; the enemies of Christ are not hard to find!
Some of the people in the crowd were followers of Jesus, some were His enemies, and there were some who were skeptical. Notice that:
C. SOME WERE SKEPTICS OF CHRIST
In this vast multitude, there were some people who were not quite enemies of Christ like the Pharisees but they were just not convinced that He was the Messiah.
There are many people in the world today with the same mindset. They are not necessarily opposed to Jesus but they are not convinced that He is the Promised One of God. However, I must point out that it was Jesus who said, “He who is not with Me is against Me…” (Luke 11:23)
There was a variety of people in the crowd when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and many of those people worshipped Him when He arrived. Let’s take a moment and consider:
THE PRAISE JESUS RECEIVED
v8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!.
"Hosanna" means "help, I pray" or "save, I pray,.” Over time, Hosanna has become universally recognized as shout of praise and adoration. The crowd on Palm Sunday joined together and praised the Lord; in the process they referred to Him as:
“Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee”
“Son of David”
“the King of Israel”
“The King that comes in the name of The Lord.”
As we have already mentioned, many of the people in that crowd worshipped Jesus superficially and very soon they would turn on Him. We are on the other side of the Cross; we know many things that the people in that crowd did not know. We are certain that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. We know that He is the sinless Son of God. We are confident in the reality that He went to the Cross, suffered, died, rose again, and eventually ascended to Heaven. Knowing all that we know, we should never cease to offer Him genuine praise for who He is, for all that He has done, is doing, and will do!
- As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He saw some things that the multitude did not see. Let’s take a moment and examine:
THE PROBLEMS THAT JESUS SAW
Luke tells us that as Jesus approached the city He paused for a minute and contemplated the situation. As He saw the crowd the Savior began to weep. He was not weeping because of the pain and death that He would soon face. He wept because He knew what the people would endure because they rejected Him.
Luke 19:41-44 tells us that when Jesus drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
The things that Jesus spoke of would take place less than 40 years later. In 70 A.D the Romans overwhelmed the city, and "laid it even with the ground." Titus commanded his soldiers to dig up the city, and the whole area was leveled. There was barely "one stone left upon another." This was a consequence of their rejection of Christ; sadly, “they did not know the time of their visitation."
Jesus knew what the people would endure because of their rejection of Him and it caused Him to weep. Even though Jesus knew what the Jews were about to do to Him, He still possessed love and compassion for them. Jesus had compassion on that crowd that would reject Him and soon call for His execution. Even as He was hanging on the cross dying for the sins of the world, Jesus prayed for His executioners and said “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
Some of you have spent you entire life living in rebellion against God. It is important for you to comprehend that there is no way that you could ever deserve forgiveness of your sins, eternal life, and a home in Heaven. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
It is also important for you to understand that your sin is not without consequence! Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death.” Thankfully, that is only half of a verse; the other half tells us that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has given us the greatest gift we could ever receive; John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Jesus endured the horrific events of Passion week so that you would have the opportunity to be redeemed. The Savior loved those unworthy, rebellious people in Jerusalem and He had compassion on them. The great news is that He loves you and you can experience His compassion and forgiveness today! The price for your redemption has already been paid, all that God requires of you is for you to repent and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ!
Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
If you do not know Jesus, we would love the opportunity to introduce you to Him today. If you do know Him, then this passage is a vivid reminder of who He is and the reality that He is worthy of praise. Let us never forget that this same Jesus who ascended to Heaven is coming back again. One day He will return, this time instead of a donkey He will be riding a white horse. Scripture tells us that He will return in great power and glory, as Christians we are assured that we will be with Him! Until that day, we should proclaim (as we will forevermore) “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
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