• As we progress through the Gospel of Luke and look into the things that he initially shared with Theophilus and now has been shared with millions of believers and seekers of Jesus, I want to start today’s message with a reminder of WHY Luke put all this into a letter, a rather long letter.
• Flip back in the gospel to chapter 1, and let’s be reminded of the purpose of this letter and our purpose in studying it:
• Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
• Today’s passage in Luke 19 is a very familiar one to many of us, as perhaps is much of scripture, but in order that we may have certainty concerning the things we have been taught, we will study this again.
• Why? So that with that same certainty, we all can ALSO share a narrative of the things that God has accomplished among us 😊
Luke 19:28-40
The Triumphal Entry
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
• Usually, we read this passage on Palm Sunday, as we prepare for Holy Week; the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection.
• We did so earlier this year, through in a virtual way, as we were still cooped up in our homes, not gathering together due to pandemic regulations.
• Just as a reminder, here is some of what I shared on that day back in March:
• What a scene! Jesus finishes a powerful parable (which we studied last week in regard to the coming of the kingdom), two disciples borrow a colt from unknowing owners, Jesus being set upon the colt by His followers, and then the parade down the hillside towards the gates of Jerusalem, people are waving palm branches, shouting and singing HOSANNA! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!
• They lay their coats on the ground
• the Kidron Valley (which is only a few hundred feet across) is filled with the sound of the approaching procession as they make their way to the holy city.
• People are jubilant with the idea of Jesus setting up a new kingdom on earth in which He will sit on the throne; the tax-hungry Romans will be obliterated; the blessings of God will pour out on the faithful and the enemies of God will be crushed.
• It is a holy whoopla! A blessed ballyhoo! It’s a pandemonium of praise!
• JESUS IS HERE, Let the party begin!
• All of this was prophesied hundreds of years prior by Zechariah who received these words from the Lord:
• Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech. 9:9)
• When was the last time you got really excited about being close to Christ?
• Can you recall when the last time was that you were so enthralled with knowing the Lord that you just couldn’t help but break out in song or dance or anything that screamed out BLESSED BE THE LORD!?
• When did we last anticipate the coming of Christ more than we looked forward to opening a present under a Christmas tree?
• When were we last moved to tears at the thought of just how much our blessed Saviour loves us?
• When we were last overwhelmed at the reading of His Word and having the truth wash over us and through us and into us?
• When were our last praises so visible that it made other people wonder what was going on?
• All these questions run through MY mind as I recall what it must have been like for those who had heard all the words actually flow from Jesus’ mouth and were seeing all the things that He did in miracles of healing, in commanding the forces of nature, in the absolute purity of the transfiguration, of walking on water,
• …of opening blind eyes and deaf ears, of reaching out to the destitute, of feeding both empty stomachs and empty hearts
• Oh, to see and hear and be a part of all THAT!
• Stephanie & I walked that traditional route back in 2019 – here are a few videos of the walk down from the Mt of Olives to the Eastern or Golden Gate, which has been sealed up for almost 500 years…
• the Eastern gate was sealed shut in 1541 by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. However, prior to this time, the gate was closed in 810 (also by the Muslims), then reopened in 1102 by the Crusaders, and then walled up again by Saladin (the first sultan of Egypt and Syria) after defeating the Crusaders in 1187 and gaining control of Palestine and the city of Jerusalem. The final sealing shut of the gate as completed by Suleiman is said to have been a defensive move by the sultan. As derived from the Jewish literature, the gate is said to be the point at which the Jewish Messiah will enter the city of Jerusalem, and therefore, in order to prevent this from occurring, the sultan sealed the gate.
• Well, as we know, the Messiah, JESUS, had already entered through that gate, and on his return in all of His glory, how is a stone gate going to keep back the Lord of all creation?!
• This is something we have to be thankful for, on this Thanksgiving Sunday, or every day for that matter; that Christ HAS come!
• My worry for Christendom these days, though, is this; that perhaps we have become too quiet in our praise, in our thanksgiving, in our worship of the King of kings…
• Jesus said it Himself, ‘if these were silent (referring to His disciples), the very stones would cry out.’
• All creation was made to worship the Lord. As we read in scripture and sang out from Psalm 19: the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
• Everything that God created He called GOOD. And our good response is to be thankful for all that He has blessed us with and to pour out our praise to the Lord.
• Amy Grant sang it well, back in the day, ‘Sing your praise to the Lord, come on everybody, stand up and sing one more hallelujah!’
• Society sets up a day to give thanks, a day to sit around the table with family and friends and share a meal, a day off work, a day to watch football, a day to walk in the park and enjoy the colours of fall,
• Or as our Canadian proclamation states: “For general thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured.”
• A day, a DAY?!
• What about EVERY DAY? If people were more thankful for what God has done, perhaps there wouldn’t be as much complaining about what they don’t have, not as much worry about the state of the world, not as much stress in relationships, not as much warring and fighting, perhaps if we were to live thankful lives DAILY, we could see a difference in the world around us?
• Maybe today, and everyday, we can once again thank God for the finished work of salivation that Jesus accomplished at the cross for all who believe
• Maybe once again we can not leave it to the rocks to cry out HOSANNA to the King, but we will speak up, share our story, be thankful?
• Perhaps once again we will our lives in thankfulness every day so that others can see the good works of God, the assurance of hope and eternity, and give praise to God themselves?
• Once again, let’s BE thankful…
