A Big Crowd Meets A Great King
Easter Series: On the Way to the Cross, #3
Chuck Sligh
March 25, 2018
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Luke 19
INTRODUCTION
Today is Palm Sunday, the celebration of the day when the Messiah came to Jerusalem.
Illus. – A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mom. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?”
The dad said, “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!”
I don’t watch many movies, but I like online bloopers where there’s something in a movie that isn’t supposed to be, but somehow made it through the final cuts and show up on screen. [PHOTOS OF THESE BLOOPERS ARE IN THE POWERPOINT SLIDE PRESENTATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.]
1) In the 1959 Cary Grant movie, North by Northwest, there’s a shooting scene in the Mount Rushmore café. Your eyes are drawn to Grant and Eva Marie Saint as she pulls out a gun. YOU don’t know if she’s going to shoot or not, but if you look in the background, you’ll see a boy put his fingers in his ears, because HE knows.
2) In Gladiator, in the race in the Colosseum, one of the chariots turns over and for a brief second, you can see a gas cylinder in the back of the chariot.
There are a bunch of bloopers like this you can look up online for yourself.
They’re instances where people or objects show up in movies that are not in the script.
I think some of the people in the crowd on the first Palm Sunday thought that they were witnessing a blooper. In their minds, the script wasn’t followed the way they expected. As we’ll see, however, Jesus followed the script perfectly.
Let me summarize where we’ve been so far in this series titled, “On the Way to the Cross.” We saw the healing and salvation of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus from the LOWEST rung of the economic level, and the surprising conversion of a greedy tax collector named Zacchaeus from the HIGHEST economic level. In both cases, their salvation led them to exuberant and unrestrained praise to God. This is the natural result of turning from darkness to light and from sin to the Savior.
Now Jesus has left Jericho, travelled the 14 miles to Jerusalem and is now entering the city. Continuing Luke’s “travel motif” He begins in chapter 9 and continues all the way to the cross , Luke makes it clear that there’s nothing that will get in Jesus’ way! Though He’s stopped to minister to people, He’s never lost sight of His final goal.
In order to understand what is about to take place in our passage today, it’s important to grasp at least three background details.
First, everyone in Israel knew the Messiah would be enthroned as King in Jerusalem. There were many Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, His entrance into Jerusalem and that He would do His main work in the city of David. The Jews knew well these prophecies, and there was an expectancy and a build-up as Jesus made His way to Jerusalem that is hard for us to grasp today.
Second, the Passover feast was just about to begin. This celebration brought many spiritual pilgrims to Jerusalem and fueled the fires of spiritual and messianic expectations. Historians tell us that it was not unusual to have between two and three million people in Jerusalem for the Passover, so heightened suspense was building.
Third, Jesus had recently performed a number of spectacular miracles that attracted the crowds and further fueled their messianic enthusiasm. – This produced two reactions: Many BELIEVED in Jesus. But Jesus’ growing popularity ALARMED the religious leaders. – Jesus had soundly denounced them for their corruption and hypocrisy, and they knew that they would lose their political power and influence if Jesus set up His kingdom.
So that sets the stage for today’s sermon. The people were looking for the Messiah, and Jesus looked like the likely candidate. The moment was right as He headed to the capital city. The people were excited and pumped. They just couldn’t WAIT for a King to come and free them from Roman rule…while the religious leaders plotted Jesus’ death, just waiting for the opportunity to strike!
As Jesus comes into Jerusalem, the throngs welcome Jesus into their city with great fanfare.
From their reaction, I see three ways in which we should welcome the King into our lives.
I. FIRST, YOU SHOULD WELCOME HIM WITH OBEDIENCE. – Verses 28-35 – “And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which, at your entering, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.”
Jesus gave explicit instructions for the disciples to go to a certain place where they would find a colt (that is, a donkey) tied, and to untie him and bring him to Jesus. If anyone asked them about it, they were to tell them that the Master needed him.
When the disciples were sent to get a colt, Jesus was putting into place one of many very specific prophecies about who He was. In Zechariah 9:9, which was written some five hundred years earlier, we read, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon a [donkey], and upon a colt, the foal [i.e., “baby”] of a [donkey].”
Now, remember that most of the followers of Jesus were hoping that the Messiah would come with POWER and OVERTHROW the Roman government. The one who raised Lazarus from the dead could certainly defeat the Romans! Forced to bow down to Rome, they longed for a warrior-king who would come on a white horse as King David did 1,000 years earlier when he defeated the Philistines.
So you can imagine their confusion when their Messiah asks for…a baby donkey? Seriously?—This obviously wasn’t in the script they wanted to see, although it was there plain as day in the scriptures for the perceptive reader. Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem not as a warrior-Messiah who would PHYSICALLY conquer the Romans, but as the prophetic Prince of Peace who would bring SPIRITUAL peace to the hearts of those who would receive Him. Few in that crowd would have understood the message behind the symbolism of a donkey.
While the disciples obeyed without question, what was really going through their minds? They might have been amazed once again that everything was just as Jesus said it would be, or they may have wondered what was wrong with the script. Remember that shortly before this, the disciples had been arguing about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom. They were hoping Jesus was going to set up His cabinet and begin His reign. But, as they enter Jerusalem, instead of ruling, the disciples find themselves running errands and saddling a donkey, not marching in places of honor.
And yet…they obeyed, and did so immediately, even though they didn’t grasp it all. Are you as quick to obey as the disciples were—even when you don’t understand why? When you discover clear commands in the Bible, do you follow, or do you falter? Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.”
II. THE SECOND WAY WE SHOULD WELCOME THE KING IS WITH PRAISE – Luke 19:36-40
In this passage, the multitude believes that Jesus is the Messiah, and like Blind Bart and Greedy Zack, they break out in spontaneous praise of the Messiah. Verse 36 says, “And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.”
The laying of cloaks on the road would be the equivalent of rolling out the red carpet for someone today. In 2 Kings 9:13, people spread cloaks under King Jehu as he walked on the bare stairs. The people recognized Jesus as royalty and gave Him honor due to a King.
Luke leaves out a detail that Matthew mentions in Matthew 21:8, that the people cut down palm branches from trees and spread them on the road as Jesus rode in, which is why the Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday. This was a common way to welcome a victorious King when returning from battle.
Reading this, I wondered how all this commotion would have affected that colt? Remember, it had never been ridden before and now Jesus was on its back, the crowd was shouting, and cloaks and palm branches were being thrown down in front of it as it walked down the hill toward Jerusalem.
Illus. – A pastor told of reading this passage to his family in their family devotions and then asked his kids what insights they had. One of them mentioned that the colt was probably afraid. He asked them why the colt didn’t buck Jesus and just run away. His five-year-old daughter gave a profoundly theological answer: “Because the donkey knew it was Jesus.”
So here’s the picture—There’s electricity in the air; it seems the long-awaited Messiah is about to enter Jerusalem; so the people welcome the King with PRAISE!
Verse 37 says, “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen”
As the crowd following Jesus along the journey from all the towns Jesus went through along the away move toward Jerusalem, the city finally comes into view, causing them to get even more excited. The inhabitants of Jerusalem join the throng following Jesus and people break out into a thunderous spontaneous outpouring of praise.
Sadly, these same people who praised God for the Messiah’s entry would later shout, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” when they realize that Jesus was not following their version of the script of a conquering Messiah of an earthly kingdom instead of a spiritual, sin-saving Messiah of a Kingdom not of this world!
But for now, they rightly shout out in verse 38: “…Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!”
This is a quotation from Psalm 118. The phrase “comes in the name of the Lord” means that Jesus is coming according to the promise of God. This Psalm speaks of the coming Messiah and was sung out loud during the Passover meal. By singing this Psalm, the followers of Christ are declaring that Jesus is the sent King who comes with the very authority of God.
Matthew 21:9 tells us they included the word, “Hosanna” which means save now. There was a feeling of celebration, exaltation and adoration for what they were anticipating was about to come to pass!
As the crowd is praising God loudly, the Pharisees come up to Jesus in verse 39 and say, “…Teacher, rebuke thy disciples!” They knew full well that the crowd was declaring Jesus as the Messiah, so they tell Jesus to reject the claim and rebuke his followers. These claims were offensive to the religious leaders. What party-poopers they were!
I love the answer Jesus gives in verse 40 – “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” In other words, if the people do not speak, creation will! Just as Jesus calmed the wild, unbroken colt, so too He can command inanimate objects like rocks to praise Him—because He is the creator of ALL things. Or, to put it another way, Jesus is saying, “If I stop my followers from singing Psalm 118, then you’re going to hear a literal ‘rock concert!’” Jesus is acknowledging that as the God-man Messiah, He DESERVES the praise of all creation, including yours and mine.
How are you doing at welcoming the King with praise? Do you have moments in your day where you stop and break out into adoration? Do you start and end your day with praise and worship? When you come here on Sundays to worship with others, is it the culmination of a week of personal worship experiences or is Sunday your only time of praise? Folks, God can make the stones cry out—but He’d rather have us worship Him—in spirit and in truth—spontaneously, heartily and regularly!
III. LASTLY, GOD HELP US TO WELCOME JESUS WITH FAITH .– Verses 41-44
As Jesus makes His way down the mountain, he sees the entire city of Jerusalem in a panoramic view. The city was stunning in its beauty with shining white buildings and the gleaming gold of Herod’s temple. But JESUS saw it with a different vision. He was coming not be respected but to be rejected.
As the disciples made PREPARATION that led to CELEBRATION, Jesus’ mood shifts to one of LAMENTATION. – in verse 41: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.”
Some may have been tempted to rejoice in Jesus’ victory over the Pharisees. But Jesus doesn’t gloat; rather, He weeps. His interest is not in winning arguments, but in winning people.
The Greek word translated “wept” here means “to burst into tears; to weep out loud; to sob deeply.” This was more than just a tear streaming down His cheek. This same word is used in Mark 5:38 to describe how family members were crying over the death of a daughter where it says they “wept and wailed loudly.”
While everyone else was shouting joyfully, Jesus was weeping and wailing. He wasn’t weeping because He was going to suffer and die. No.—He was weeping for the lost and because of the hardness of peoples’ hearts. He wants people to exhibit faith and trust Him as their Lord and Savior. He wants this so much that He breaks out into loud wailing when people choose to go their own way.
As Jesus looks out at Jerusalem, with his deep sobbing and wailing almost choking Him up, He abruptly cries out in verses 42-44 – “Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”
Jesus had offered salvation to the people, but He knew that they would reject it. When they realized He was not yet their POLITICAL Savior, they rejected Him as their SPIRITUAL Savior, and as a result, they have lost out on real peace.
In these verses, Jesus is looking at the future and foresees some really awful things in store for the City of David. His chilling prophecy came true in 70 AD when Titus and the Roman legion surrounded Jerusalem, built embankments around it so no one could escape, and besieged it for 143 days before turning it into a pile of rubble. Literally, just as Jesus prophesied, not one stone was left upon another. And over 600,000 adults and children were slaughtered. The temple was totally destroyed and set on fire and the only surviving section of it is what is not known as the “Wailing Wall.”
All this took place because they rejected Jesus as their Messiah. ¿Can I talk straight with you for a minute this morning? There’s a key principle here in these words that are dripping with the tears of Jesus. If you reject Jesus as your Savior, there is severe judgment in store for you.
This does not bring Jesus any pleasure. It tears Him up and brings Him pain to judge anyone, but His justice demands the penalty for sin. But Jesus paid that FULL penalty for sin in your place. In a moment, we’re going to sing Jesus Paid It All. Its chorus reminds us of the great sacrifice Jesus made for us: “Jesus paid it all / All to Him I owe / Sin had left a crimson stain / He washed it white as snow.” You can either accept His provision of forgiveness through His death on the cross, or you can pay the penalty of death and hell yourself. The choice is up to you.
Jesus’ wailing tears reveals two things that should motivate us to put our faith in Christ.
First, his tears reveal His heart of DEEP LOVE for you. – Romans 2:4 says that God’s goodness should lead you to repentance.
Second, the coming judgment reveals His HOLINESS. God cannot simply let sin go unpunished. If you’re not moved by the tears of compassion, maybe you’ll be motivated to repent because of the terror of the coming judgment.
CONCLUSION
Which one will spur you on to welcome the King with obedience, praise and faith today?
Illus. – I’m told of a Rembrandt painting of the face of Christ that is very captivating. If you cover one of Christ’s eyes, His face has a sparkle of joy and hope. But if you cover the other eye, He looks like He’s about to cry. And if you try to look at both eyes at the same time, you will see both emotions: first one, then the other, then mingled in a beautiful, yet tragic, expression.
That’s the face of Christ on Palm Sunday. – In one eye we see the sparkle: “I’m the one who came in the name of the Lord. Hosanna.”…but in the other eye we see a tear: “There will be no peace and only the terror of my holy judgment for those who reject my free offer of salvation.”
Do you know what the biggest blooper of all time is? The biggest blooper is when people decide to not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Oh, listen to me this morning: don’t put off the decision any longer! Welcome the King into your life today.
