A. Including today, we are eight Sundays away from Resurrection Sunday.
1. God has put it on my heart to do something I haven’t done in my 35 years here at Wetzel Road, and that is to preach a sermon series on the final week of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry.
a. I have preached through three of the four Gospels over the years, so we have worked through the final week of Jesus several times, but never as a separate series.
2. I’m calling this new series: “Final Week, Eternal Lessons”
3. This final week of Jesus’ life is often called “Holy Week.”
a. It actually includes 8 days.
b. It starts with the Sunday traditionally known as Palm Sunday – the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
c. And it ends with the Sunday traditionally known as Easter Sunday – the day that Jesus arose from the dead and made his first post-resurrection appearances.
4. Beginning with today, and for the next 7 Sundays, we will explore a day in the final week of Jesus’ life.
5. I want us to try to grasp the significance of each day for everyone involved, for Jesus, for the disciples, for the religious leaders. for the masses of Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem, and then finally, for us.
6. I want for us to explore what Jesus and everyone else was thinking and feeling and understanding.
7. But most importantly, I want us to discover the eternal lessons that can we learn from what Jesus did and what He taught during the final week of His earthly life and ministry.
B. Today’s sermon is day #1 of the final week of Jesus’ life and I’ve titled today’s sermon: “Sunday: A Triumphal Entry with Tender Tears.”
1. I like the T-Minus counting system that NASA created for countdowns to rocket launches.
2. As we enter into the events on that Sunday, 2000 years ago in the life of Jesus, it was T-Minus 5 days until the crucifixion and T-Minus 7 days until the resurrection.
3. Can you imagine what it must have been like to be Jesus and to know that your death was 5 days ahead? That’s only about 120 hours away, give or take an hour or two.
4. How do you think you would feel if you knew you only had 120 hours left to live?
C. None of the events that took place in the final week of Jesus were a surprise to Him.
1. At least 3 times, Jesus had told His disciples exactly what was going to happen in Jerusalem.
2. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, just before the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, Jesus reminded them about what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem.
3. Here is how Luke reports it: 31 Then he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked, insulted, spit on; 33 and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.” 34 They understood none of these things. The meaning of the saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. (Luke 18:31-34)
4. Jesus could not have been clearer, and yet the meaning of it was somehow hidden from them.
5. They were going to Jerusalem, and Jesus would be handed over to the Gentiles, then He would be mocked, spit on, flogged and killed, but then He would rise on the 3rd day.
D. A few days after making that prediction, the day for the Triumphal Entry arrived.
1. All four Gospels share this important event in the life of Jesus, and we will try to gain some insight from each of those Gospel accounts today.
2. Mark’s account begins: 1 When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’ ” (Mark 11:1-3)
3. And so we see, that on that important Sunday, Jesus and His disciples left Bethany, and came near the village of Bethpage.
a. Bethany and Bethpage were about two miles from Jerusalem.
b. We know that, at least in the early part of His final week, Jesus and His disciples traveled back and forth from Bethany to Jerusalem each day, spending each day in Jerusalem and each night in Bethany.
4. I wonder which of the disciples were the two that were sent to get the donkey.
a. I wonder if Jesus asked for volunteers, “Who wants to go?” “Ooh, ooh, chose me!”
5. It is possible that Jesus knew the owner of the donkey and had made prior arrangements with him to use the donkey.
a. Jesus always acted intentionally – nothing was accidental or haphazard with Jesus.
b. We will see something similar take place later in the week as Jesus made prior arrangements for the use of the upper room where they would have the “last supper.”
6. You might wonder why it was important that it was a donkey on which no one had ever ridden.
a. It was a common practice in Jesus’ day not to use anything for a sacred purpose that had been used previously for a common purpose.
b. Therefore, the donkey that Jesus rode into the city must not have been ridden before, because it was going to be used for a holy purpose – to carry the Messiah of God.
E. And so, the two disciples carried out Jesus’ instructions, and Mark reports: 4 So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, 5 and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. (Mark 11:4-7)
1. Surely for those two disciples, all this seemed to be going just as they expected.
2. They went where Jesus told them, found the donkey, were confronted when they began untying the donkey, but then were allowed to continue when they said, “The Lord needs it.”
3. If Jesus had not made prior arrangements with the donkey’s owner, then there was an ancient law which required citizens to render to the king any item or service he or one of his emissaries might request.
4. We might experience something similar if a police officer or an F.B.I. agent came running up to us and flashed their badge and said, “I need to borrow your car for official business.”
5. So, the two disciples brought the donkey to Jesus and they put their coats on the donkey’s back as a makeshift saddle and Jesus sat on the donkey.
F. But then what took place next must have blown the minds of the disciples.
1. Mark continues: 8 Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11:8-10)
a. Reminds me of the song from the 1970 rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
2. You might be wondering: “What in the world was going on here? How and why did the crowd do this without anyone organizing it and instructing them about it?”
3. Well, here’s the deal: Matthew tells us: 4 This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: 5 Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Matthew 21:4-5)
4. This was a prophesy that was recorded by the Prophet Zechariah about 520 B.C.
a. At that time, some of the people of Israel had returned from their Babylonian captivity and were rebuilding the temple and restoring Jerusalem.
b. But those Israelites were still a conquered people and faced tremendous opposition from surrounding enemies.
c. So, in the midst of that political and military oppression, Zechariah promised that God would send a king to lead them out of bondage and into freedom.
d. And right up to the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were still waiting for that king to come as they suffered under Roman occupation.
G. It might seem strange to us that Jesus rode on a donkey, because we have a different view of donkeys than they did in ancient times.
1. We think of donkeys as beasts of burden used for common purposes; like ploughing fields, pulling carts, or carrying heavy loads.
a. We think of them as stubborn and not especially regal or beautiful.
2. But that’s not how some ancient cultures viewed the donkey.
a. Kings and princes and judges rode on donkeys.
b. It was not considered lowly to ride a on donkey, rather it was a quite noble thing to do.
c. When a king mounted a horse, it meant they were going to war, but if a king was going on a mission of peace, he would mount a donkey.
d. And when a new king was being crowned, they would ride a donkey – King David made sure that his son, Solomon, rode on his mule through the city as a sign that Solomon was the newly-crowned king who was succeeding David as king. (1 Kings 1:32:40)
H. And so, with all of this in mind, we get a sense of what was taking place on that Sunday in the final week of Jesus’ life.
1. It was Passover week and tens of thousands of Jews were coming to Jerusalem for the festival.
a. Some were staying in every available hotel, motel and rented room in Jerusalem, but many thousands were staying in the surrounding villages.
2. The popularity of Jesus had been growing over the course of His ministry.
a. Luke tells us in Luke 19:37: “the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen.”
b. Jesus had healed thousands of people and had even raised a few dead people back to life.
c. Jesus had feed thousands of people with a few loaves and fishes on at least two occasions.
d. Jesus had demonstrated power over demons and power over nature.
e. Jesus had been teaching with authority and confounding the religious and political leaders.
3. For three years, Jesus had kept his identity under wraps, and He often told people and demons not to reveal His true identity.
a. But now as he entered Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, He intended to make His identity known.
4. And so, there was tremendous excitement and anticipation when Jesus suddenly appeared on a donkey entering Jerusalem.
a. The people of Israel remembered that God had promised to send a Messiah, an Anointed One, who would save His people.
b. And when Jesus appeared on that donkey, there was massive hope and anticipation for what Jesus was about to do in Jerusalem and for their nation.
c. Of course, they were expecting this savior to be a political and military savior, but they couldn’t help themselves.
5. That’s why they began to shout the things they shouted and why they did the things they did.
a. The crowd expressed their submission and allegiance to Jesus as their king by laying their cloaks on the road, which is what the people of Israel did when they recognized Jehu as their king, many centuries earlier (2 Kings 9:13).
b. The palm branches symbolized victory and triumph – they could almost smell the victory and triumph over their Roman occupiers.
c. They shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
1. Hosanna is often thought of as a general declaration of praise, similar to hallelujah, but it is actually a plea for salvation.
2. Literally, hosanna means “I beg you to save!” or “please deliver us!”
d. The crowds knew that Jesus was a descendent of David and were ecstatic that their savior had come in the name of the Lord to save His people from bondage.
I. What an exciting scene! Everyone was happy with what was going on, right? Wrong!
1. The Jewish leaders understood the statement Jesus was making by entering Jerusalem on a donkey and they were not happy about it.
2. Luke tells us that the Pharisees confronted Jesus: 39 Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:39-40)
3. I love that encounter.
a. The Pharisees knew things were getting out of control and they wanted Jesus to bring an end to it.
b. But Jesus declared to them that there is no stopping the praise that is to come to Him.
c. If you try to silence the people, then the rocks will cry out the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord.
d. Jesus will be praised, it cannot be stopped – in the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10-11)
4. In John’s account of the triumphal entry, he includes: 17 Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify. 18 This is also why the crowd met him, because they heard he had done this sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!” (John 12:17-19)
a. Ultimately, when the Pharisees saw what took place on that Palm Sunday, they knew they had to do something drastic, because it seemed the “whole world” was following Jesus.
J. And what were the disciples thinking about all that was happening that day?
1. The apostle John, who was one of them, tells us: His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. (John 12:16)
2. Even though Jesus had explained it to them numerous times, they still didn’t get it.
3. And honestly, I’m not sure any of us would have gotten it either, if we had been there.
K. But what was Jesus thinking about all that was happening and about the crowd praising Him that day?
1. Luke gives us this insight: 41 As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it, 42 saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come on you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.” (Luke 19:41-44)
2. When Jesus entered into the last week of His life, He entered it with His eyes wide open.
a. He knew exactly what was going to happen that week.
b. He knew that the crowds shouting “hosanna” on Sunday, would be shouting “crucify him” on Friday.
c. Additionally, Jesus knew exactly what would happen about 40 years in the future when the Romans would lay siege to the city of Jerusalem and destroy it.
d. Jesus wept for the suffering they would experience because of the hardness of their hearts.
e. It saddened Him so much that they were blinded to what would bring peace, and that they didn’t recognize the day when God had visited them.
f. This reminds me of something John wrote at the beginning of his Gospel: 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God… (John 1:9-12)
3. As we see Jesus weeping, we gain a small understanding of the love He has for everyone that compelled Him to die on the cross.
a. Jesus wept over Jerusalem - a city filled with people who would reject Him and vent their hate against Him.
b. He was not weeping because He was worried about Himself.
c. He was weeping because of His intense love for them.
4. Despite all they were going to put Him through that very week: the unjust trial and the false accusations, the crowds chanting for His death, the insults, and beatings, and the brutal crucifixion, yet despite all that, Jesus still loved all these people, and at the end of the week, He would hang on a cross to prove it.
5. Someone has said: “We can measure our likeness to Jesus Christ by whether we weep over the same things that Jesus wept over.”
a. I hope we weep over lost souls like we see Jesus weeping over them.
b. Never do we see Jesus gleeful when sinners are punished for what they deserve.
c. Never do we see Him laughing boastfully, “I told you so!”
d. Jesus was so distraught and wept over the unbelief and spiritual blindness that hung over Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, and I hope we will react the same way at the unbelief and spiritual blindness of the world around us.
L. Mark concludes his account of the triumphal entry with these words: He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. (Mark 11:11)
1. Jesus led His parade right to the magnificent temple of God in Jerusalem.
2. The temple would be the location for a number of the important events of Jesus’ final week.
3. But because it was late in the day, Jesus and His disciples left the temple and the city, and returned to Bethany for the night.
4. Next Sunday, we will explore what happened on the Monday of the last week of Jesus’ life.
M. What eternal lessons should we embrace and treasure from this day in the final week of Jesus’ life?
1. First and foremost, let us embrace and treasure the truth that Jesus is our King, the Messiah of God, that Jesus is the Way, and the Truth and the Life.
a. Let us proclaim the truth that Jesus is our salvation – Hosanna to the Son of David!
2. Second, let us embrace and treasure the truth that Jesus, as our King, is our Prince of Peace, who comes sitting on a donkey’s colt.
a. Jesus didn’t come on a horse to bring war, but came on a donkey to bring peace – the most important peace there is – the peace between us and our Creator.
b. In Romans 5:1, Paul wrote: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Third and finally, let us embrace and treasure the truth that Jesus our King loves all people, even His enemies, and He weeps over their unbelief and their lost eternal destiny.
a. God does not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance. (2 Pt 3:9)
b. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but would rather they turn from their ways and live. (Ezekiel 33:11)
c. Let’s have a heart like our God – a heart of love and concern for all – even our enemies – even the most evil, unbelieving people in the world.
d. For we too were once God’s enemies because of our sins, but Jesus loved us and died for us anyhow.
e. Because of God’s grace through Jesus we have the right to become children of God.
