A Tale of Two Crowns
Introduction:
A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?” “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 man! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”
Today is what we call “Palm Sunday.” And this Sunday begins what is often referred to as Holy Week or Passion Week, where we remember the final week of Christ's earthly ministry, and His death and resurrection. It’s a day we remember when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Jesus’ Courageous, Triumphal Entry
A triumph is when someone has won the victory. We get the idea from what was known as a Roman Triumph. The Roman triumph was held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory.
On the day of his triumph, the general wore a laurel crown and an all-purple, gold-embroidered toga that identified him as near-divine or nearly a king. The general rode in a four-horse chariot through the streets of Rome in a procession with his army, captives, and the spoils of his war.
Keep that in mind as we study today's scripture.
Body:
Let us now turn to Matthew's Gospel chapter 21.
Context- The time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover was drawing near. The Jewish Passover was one of three important festivals of the Jews. It was basically the Jewish Independence Day, the Day the Israelite Nation was born. The festival celebrated and remembered when God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. And also that God “passed over” them delivering them from death through the blood of the lamb.
Here Jesus is coming to Jerusalem during one of its most holy days, the Passover, the Celebration of God's deliverance from slavery in Egypt. And hundreds of people are on a pilgrimage to the Holy City, to the Temple, to worship their God, to sacrifice and feast and celebrate.
Jesus has told the disciples several times now, “We are now going to Jerusalem where I am going to be handed over the chief priests and the teachers of the law and I will be mocked, beaten, spat upon, whipped, and killed. But then on the third day I will rise again.” And just like those many worshipers, Jesus is headed to the Temple, but not to sacrifice. He's come to be the sacrifice.
As multitudes gather to remember the Passover where a perfect lamb was killed to free them from death and slavery in Egypt, Jesus comes to be that perfect lamb, to be killed, to set us all free from death and slavery to sin, and thus win the victory. In Matthew 21 it says...
[Matthew 21:1-7 NASB20] 1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied [there] and a colt with it [Mark 11:2 and Luke 19:30 say- "on which no one has ever sat"]. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3 "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them on immediately." 4 Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: 5 "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, HUMBLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.'"
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on the cloaks.
"The Lord has need of it." In past years I've asked this same question: What does the Lord need of you to bear Jesus to the world? Sometimes we are rather reluctant to give if it's out of our comfort zone. Oh if it's a meal or money, that's okay. But if it's witnessing to someone or telling someone about Jesus... if it's serving in an area of the ministry... if it's teaching a Sunday School, or volunteering for Children's Ministry/Youth Ministry, then I think I'll pass. I'm much too busy.
It seems small, but what if the owners had refused to let them borrow their donkeys? I mean was it really important, really necessary that Jesus entered Jerusalem this way at this time? Remember, God always has His reasons. We may not see it or understand its importance, but God does.
The right response is to obey when God says He needs it.
Scripture makes it clear that Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. Two Gospels quote from Zech. 9:9 (NIV) which says, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
In those days, the traditional mount of kings in that part of the world was on a donkey.
Now maybe to a Roman, this might seem strange – a king riding on a donkey. Plus it looks a whole lot different than the Roman Triumphal procession that I mentioned earlier.
But to the Jews, this fulfilled what was foretold about the Messiah coming down from the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem at the time of Passover. Their dreams and wishes, their prayers were being answered right before their eyes. The days of oppression were over and the days of God’s mighty kingdom were here. Those that had heard of this Jesus and all of the miracles, were thrilled to see Him arriving this way, proclaiming openly that He was in fact the Messiah.
It was understood, Jesus was proclaiming Himself the king of His people.
Jesus entered in the most public way. During a time when worshipers were traveling through that area. During a time of celebration and remembrance. During a time of expectation of God’s deliverance and salvation. People were waiting for the Messiah to come.
The prophecy in Zechariah is talking about the restoration of Jerusalem, of God defending His house “against marauding forces.” Saying “never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now, I am keeping watch.” It goes on to talk about the removal of chariots and breaking the oppressor’s bow.
So as Jesus is riding into Jerusalem this way, what are the people thinking?
He’s here to deliver us from the Romans. But Jesus had come to deliver us from a different oppressor- our sins. The tyrant of sin is behind everything wrong in this world. We so often want God to deliver us from physical circumstances and hardships, but if God delivered us from all our physical suffering and yet left us in our sin, would we really be better off? No, not at all.
[John 12:12-13 NASB20] 12 On the next day, when the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and [began] shouting, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, indeed, the King of Israel!"
Matthew 21:8 says that Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.
“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the Highest!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
“Hosanna” is from the Hebrew word that means, “Lord, Save-deliver (us), we pray!” Hosanna means literally “Save!” or “Save now!” There are several Psalms that are sung by the Jews called the Hallel which have these words. It was an acknowledgment of God’s power as well as a petition for God’s help. So they are praising, they are worshiping, they are praying - “Save us! Deliver us!” And it's not just a prayer; it's a proclamation of faith. “We believe in the God who can save us through Jesus Christ.”
Do you? Do you believe in the God who saves? Do you believe in the God who delivers?
Do you believe in the God who frees us from our chains?
Say that back to me now: "We believe ... in the God... who can save us ... through Jesus Christ."
And He is. He is, just not the way they expected.
Many of them took off their cloaks or garments and spread them out on the road before Jesus. This was more than just an act of honor, this was also an acknowledgment and declaration that Jesus was the King of Kings, the promised Messiah.
So the people are praising God, singing, and worshiping. They had heard about this Jesus, how He healed the sick and raised the dead. Could He be the Messiah, the Christ, the one we’ve been waiting for? And as the parade passed through some asked, “Who is this person?”
The crowd answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
But the Pharisees are grumbling and complaining. “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
And Jesus told them, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones (the rocks) will cry out.”
So as they looked at the crowds they said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
What a WONDERFUL WAY to start the week just before Easter!
There’s another story about a crowd and Jesus. Just a few days later, Jesus is wearing a crown but it’s not a crown of jewels or of gold. It’s a crown of thorns. He’s arrested, just like He said He would be. He stands before Pilate, the Roman Governor, and the Chief Priests and teachers of the law are all accusing Him of inciting riots and encouraging rebellion, plus claiming to be king. They want Him dead. Pilate finds no reason to kill Him. But the crowds prevailed. Their shouts were not “Hosanna! Save now!” but “Crucify! Crucify!”
[John 19:1-3 NASB20] 1 So Pilate then took Jesus and had Him flogged. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a purple cloak on Him; 3 and they [repeatedly] came up to Him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and slapped Him in the face [again and again.]
[Matthew 27:29-30 says- "and (put) a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him"... "they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head."]
You know sometimes it's so hard to understand the cruelty that people can stoop to, to kick someone while they are down, to enjoy contributing to the suffering of another. But I've been to High School. I've experienced bullies in my lifetime. And they're a lot worse today- seems like.
Is there ever a testimony to the truth of the depravity of the human race than when we take pleasure in hurting another person, a defenseless person? The hatefulness of mankind is on display.
We nod in agreement... how awful! Yet how many of us have secretly wished harm to another?
How many of us have harbored hate and unforgiveness in our hearts for another?
"Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done it unto me."
Then you realize that Jesus is doing this, is enduring this, and is allowing this willingly for you.
FOR YOU ... AND ME ... AND THE PERSON YOU CAN'T FORGIVE.
[Isaiah 53:5-7 NLT] 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Conclusion:
[Bring out Crown of Thorns and King's Crown]
Two crowns- A Crown of Thorns (or of suffering) and A Crown of Glory (a King's Crown).
Jesus endured the Crown of Thorns [hold up crown] to be the king of your heart, the king of your life, and your deliverer [hold up King's Crown]. The King of kings and Lord of lords enduring ultimate suffering and pain to save us and give us the victory. And how have you honored Him today?
How have we submitted to His Lordship? How have we laid it all down to proclaim, "We believe you are the Christ who has come to save us!"?
Crowns have always been a sign of authority and Kingship.
Charlemagne wore an octagonal crown. Each of the eight sides was a plaque of gold, and each plaque was studded with emeralds, sapphires, and pearls. The cost was the price of a king’s ransom.
Richard the Lion-Hearted had a crown so heavy that two Earls had to stand, one on either side, to hold his head. The crown that Queen Elizabeth wore was worth $20 million plus. Edward II once owned nine crowns, something of a record. Put them all together, from all of Europe and from the archives of the East, all of them are but trinkets compared to Christ’s crown.
Revelation 19 says he had many diadems. He wears a crown of righteousness. He wears a crown of glory. He wears a crown of life. He wears a crown of peace and power. Among those crowns, one outshines the rest. It was not formed by the skilled fingers of a silversmith, nor created by the genius of a craftsman. It was put together hurriedly by the rough hands of Roman soldiers.
It was not placed upon its wearer’s head in pomp and ceremony but in the hollow mockery of ridicule and blasphemy. It is a crown of thorns.
The amazing thing is that it belonged to me. I deserved to wear that crown. I deserved to feel the thrust of the thorns. I deserved to feel the hot trickle of blood upon my brow. I deserved the pain. He took my crown of thorns... He offers to me instead His crown of life.
We must wear the Crown of Thorns before we can wear the Crown of Life and Glory.
Please stand?
