The Ultimate Christ Series (Part 3 of 4) Mitchell Skelton
The Ultimate King
Luke 19:28–44
INTRODUCTION
What do you think of when you envision the president, a king, or some other person of such high authority? Our own president and other rulers of nations show their authority and purpose in symbolic ways as well as with words and actions. President Ronald Reagan was well known for his powerful prose in leading this nation through the cold war and is credited for hastening the demise of the Soviet Union. President Reagan was not afraid to use his authority to accelerate the arms race in what he termed “peace through superior firepower.” He was brilliant as he stood in West Germany under the shadows of the Berlin Wall, declared the Soviet Union an “evil empire” and called for Premier Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” Yet, perhaps some of the more subtle things Reagan did as president were the most powerful.
One remembers that famous arms summit in Geneva, Switzerland where Reagan and Gorbachev would meet one on one for the first time. On a cold and bitter November morning the two leaders of the world’s superpowers met outside of the villa where the summit was to take place. Gorbachev, dressed in a heavy overcoat, scarf and hat seeming bothered by the bitter chill of the winter air, walks toward a striding President Reagan wearing only his suit and his trademark smile.
A small thing? Maybe. But, what the world saw through the T.V. screen was a weak and timid leader of the Soviet Union vs. the strength and boldness of the President of the United States. Sometimes. . . Appearance matters. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Jesus knew this long before anyone else. Jesus taught in parables and also by using visual examples to make His point. On that day Jesus made His “Triumphant Entry” into Jerusalem He was sending a message. He was showing the world. . . He is the Ultimate King!
MAIN BODY
I. The Colt - Luke 19:28–36
A. The symbol of the colt (donkey) in eastern countries.
1. Horse = King entering in war.
2. Colt (donkey) = King entering in peace.
B. The message Jesus was sending as he arrived in Jerusalem was that he had not come to establish an earthly kingdom. John 18:36 “36Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
II. The Cries - Luke 19:37–40
A. “The whole crowd of disciples began to praise God.”
1. Approx. 2 ½ million people in Jerusalem for the Passover. (J.B. Coffman Commentary)
2. Those proclaiming Christ’s Kingship were the numerous witnesses of His miracles. (i.e. raising of Lazarus, healing blind Bartimaus, various others performed in Galilee.)
B. “Blessed is the King” (vs. 38)
C. The proclamation of Christ as King could not be kept silent. (vs. 40)
III. His Crying - Luke 19:41–44
A. Greek word for weeping used here means heavy sobbing.
B. He wept because He knew they would reject Him as their Savior.
C. He wept as He prophesied of Jerusalem’s coming destruction. (A. D. 70)
CONCLUSION
READ Revelation 19:11–16
