Introduction
Before the 2014 General Assembly Elections in India, Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi offered hope to many Indians as he became the Prime Ministerial candidate of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He talked about 'Acche Din' (good days) over and over again in his speeches. Masses were attracted to his fiery speeches which were in total contrast to the ‘silent’ PM, Manmohan Singh. Modi talked about destroying the enemies of India and developing our nation. People wanted a PM who would make India a super-power. So, many were fed up with the corruption within the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, believed in the promises made by Modi, and eventually voted BJP to power.
However, three years of his government has proved that he couldn’t keep his promises. Demonetization and Goods and Services Tax (GST) had made him unpopular even amongst his staunch supporters. Modi’s aggressive speeches and personality have not brought 'Acche Din.' But there is another Ruler, who is far greater than any human ruler, who is humble, yet who brings in truly 'Acche Din' (good days). Let’s look at this King.
Would you take God’s Word and turn your Bibles with me to Mark 11:1-11? I have entitled today’s sermon as: “Acknowledge the King."
Jesus moved from Jericho and probably came to Bethany which was at the foot of Mount Olives. A person traveling from Jericho would come to Bethany, which is about 3.2 kilometers from Jerusalem. Bethpage was a small village between Jerusalem and Bethany. In our text, we read that the crowd acknowledged Jesus as King when He deliberately declared Himself to be the promised King.
The Purpose Bridge: To encourage believers in EAGC to obey and worship Jesus.
Central Proposition of the Sermon: I have used an inductive proposition for this sermon.
1. Jesus deliberately declares Himself as King (Mark 11:1-6).
After Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus, He and His disciples, along with the crowd, approached Jerusalem. Now we have to understand that most of the crowd which went up to Jerusalem that day were from Galilee. Some scholars say that the crowd which shouted “Hosanna” and the crowd which cried “crucify” were different. The former was probably Galileans who were following Jesus and the latter were mostly from Jerusalem. He was near Bethpage and Bethany, located at the slope of the Mount of Olives (Mark 11:1).
Jesus instructs two of His disciples to go to the nearby village (probably Bethpage) to get a colt (Mark 11:2-3). While Mark mentions only about the colt, Matthew (Matthew 21:2) mentions a donkey as well. Mark probably mentions only the colt because Jesus rode on it. Now Jesus could have walked up to Jerusalem as the other pilgrims did. But He asks His disciples to bring a colt. Jesus deliberately does this because the Jews knew that the donkey was the Messiah’s beast (Zechariah 9:9). Moreover, Jesus asks the disciples to bring an unused colt as they were used for sacred purposes (Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7).
a. Jesus' Kingship requires authority over our lives (Mark 11:3).
Jesus says that if anyone asks as to why you are taking the colt, tell them that the Lord needs it (Mark 11:3). Now Jesus might have spoken to the owner of the colt beforehand about using the colt or He might be giving these instructions through supernatural knowledge. John’s gospel shows that Jesus visited Jerusalem several times. He probably knew a few people in Jerusalem. So, it’s possible that several people respected Him and followed Him.
Whether it is prearranged or through supernatural knowledge, it shows that Jesus is Lord and He is sovereign. Jesus says, “The Lord has need of it.” Jesus is calling the shots here. The Lord who created the heavens and the earth and all the creatures says that He needs it. He needed it to fulfill the ancient prophecy about Him. Jesus, the Lord of history, chose the time and the way He would enter into Jerusalem. Jesus has authority over our lives as well. We need to get off the throne! Listen to what the Bible has to say about Jesus' authority:
Romans 11:36: For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Ephesians 1:20-21: 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
We need to be thankful that Jesus, not humans or Satan has ultimate authority over our lives. Jesus is good and trustworthy. We can trust Him with our lives. Jesus’ authority over our lives requires our response:
b. Jesus' Kingship requires that we obey Him (Mark 11:4-6).
The disciples did exactly what the Lord told them to do (Mark 11:4). I think it not easy to obey the Lord in this fashion. It’s like you see a bike parked with the key in the ignition. Then, you sit on the bike and start it even without asking the owner. It seems foolish in some ways. But the disciples were willing to obey Jesus.
Now some see the act of untying the colt to be a messianic sign (Genesis 49:8-12). When the disciples were untying the colt, people who were standing there asked them as to what they were doing (Mark 11:5). The disciples replied that the Lord needed it, and they let the disciples go (Mark 11:6). Discipleship requires that we obey our Master wholeheartedly. Our faith in Him requires our obedience as well (John 3:36).
Exodus 40:16: This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.
The Bible is clear that obedience is better than sacrifice or our outward religious deeds (1 Samuel 15:22). May we never be flippant in obeying God.
2. We must acknowledge Jesus as King (Mark 11:7-11).
a. By recognizing the kind of King Jesus is (Mark 11:7).
Once they got the colt, the disciples threw their cloaks and Jesus sat on it (Mark 11:7). This served as a saddle for Jesus. So, Jesus rode on the colt. Now, this whole act of Jesus riding on a colt is deliberate and prophetic. William Barclay calls this act a ‘dramatic sermon.’ Jesus did not speak a word, but He sent a strong message through His actions. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah by riding on a donkey. Jesus fulfills a prophecy which was foretold by Zechariah more than 500 years ago in Zechariah 9:9.
Now a donkey was considered to be a noble animal in those days. It was not despised as it is done today. When kings rode a donkey instead of a horse, it symbolized that they were coming in peace (Judges 10:4; 12:14). So, Jesus was communicating that He was coming in peace. He was not interested in becoming a political king. He was a different kind of King. He was not like the rest of the earthly kings. His triumphant entry into Jerusalem was different from the Romans.
Warren W. Wiersbe explains: "When a Roman general came back to Rome after a complete conquest of an enemy, he was welcomed home with an elaborate official parade. In the parade, he would exhibit his trophies of war and the illustrious prisoners he had captured. The victorious general rode in a golden chariot, priests burned incense in his honor, and the people shouted his name and praised him. The procession ended at the arena where the people were entertained by watching the captives fight with the wild beasts. That was a 'Roman Triumph.'"
But King Jesus came in peace. People were expecting a king who would destroy the Romans and liberate the Jews. He did not come to fight humans at His first coming, but He came to fight sin and Satan. Jesus came to be the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus is the compassionate King as the earlier story of the healing of blind Bartimaeus shows.
Matthew 11:28-29: 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
We need to imitate our King in being peacemakers.
b. By worshipping Him (Mark 11:8-11).
As Jesus rode the colt, people spread their cloaks on the dusty ground (Mark 11:8a). This was an ancient practice. 2 Kings 9:13 mentions that the people of Israel did the same thing when Jehu was anointed as king. Clothes were very valuable and expensive in those days. So, the crowd’s act was commendable. They allowed their property to be trampled by Jesus. Their worship was costly (cf. 2 Samuel 24:24).
In Mark 14, we see a woman went to Jesus with the baster flask of ointment of pure nard which was very costly and offered it to Jesus. Some spread the leafy branches as well (Mark 11:8b). John specifies in John 12:13 that these were palm branches. The cloaks and the palm branches served as the ‘red carpet’ for Jesus. Now the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead a few days ago. So, naturally, people were very excited about Jesus riding on a colt. There was a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation in the air. However, the Jewish leaders were very upset with Jesus and were plotting to kill Him (John 12:9-11).
People who went before Jesus and those who followed Him were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9a). They shouted, “Hosanna!” This term originally meant “save now.” But later it became a shout for praise, much like we use the word Hallelujah today. What they sang in Mark 11:9b was pretty common. Whenever pilgrims would go up to Jerusalem for a feast, the ones in Jerusalem addressed them with this greeting which is found in Psalm 118:26. They further sang, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:10). The fact that they sang about the coming kingdom of David demonstrates that these people believed that Jesus would establish the political kingdom.
“Hosanna in the highest!” means “O, you who lives in heaven, save us.” We need to observe something important here. As we have seen, throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus silences people from revealing His identity. But now the time had come for His atoning death. So, Jesus goes into the lion’s den bravely to give up His life as a sacrifice for humankind. He openly challenged the religious leaders who were plotting to kill Him. Jesus had authority over His life (John 10:18).
Saints, though the Jews didn’t completely comprehend who Jesus was, they worshipped Him sacrificially. How much more should we praise Him since we have a better understanding of who Jesus is! We must worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). In other words, we must worship Him on the basis of God’s Word (‘truth’). We must acknowledge Jesus by worshipping Him. Our King deserves all the glory.
We need to worship Him by surrendering our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). We must worship Him by giving our lives, our treasure (money), our talents, and our time.
As the Lord of the Temple, Jesus enters the Temple area to inspect whether the Temple’s purpose was truly fulfilled (Mark 11:11). He did not visit the Temple as any other pilgrim, but as the sovereign Lord who “will suddenly come to his temple” (Malachi 3:1). Since it was already late, he left for Bethany with His twelve disciples.
Conclusion
Central Proposition of the Sermon: We must acknowledge Jesus as King by obeying and worshipping Him.
Alan Carr writes, “Look again at this crowd. Who is there as the people wave their palm branches before Jesus and pave the road with their clothing? I would imagine Bartimaeus is there. I would imagine Zacchaeus is there. I would imagine that Lazarus was there, along with Mary and Martha. That crowd was full of people He had healed, delivered and ministered to and they were praising Him. I am in that parade too! It’s a mighty long parade by now, but it is marching off toward eternity with Jesus in the lead. Those who know Him are still praising His name and worshiping the One Who became poor so that we might become rich in Him!"
Let’s obey and worship the King!
