The Arrival Of The King Series

The Arrival of THE King

Luke 19:28-40

“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 Shucks! The one Sunday I miss, is the Sunday that Jesus shows up.” (illustration from Sermoncentral.com)

Jesus is here today: Palm branches are not the evidence, but His Spirit and HIS Word are His evidence. This day of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, this Palm Sunday, has been celebrated for hundreds of years, and yet, for some, it may be the FIRST time that YOU actually are considering it. The account of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a young colt only five days before His crucifixion with great excitement is recorded in all the Gospels with amazing accuracy and agreement.

Luke 19:28 reveals it to us this way: 28 After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here.31"If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.' "32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt ?" 34 They said, "The Lord has need of it."

“The LORD HAS NEED OF IT” is an extremely important statement: We saw the divine authoritative essence of Jesus statement: I AM the Bread of Life. He speaks and exists on the eternal, self- existent character of the GREAT I AM, the LORD of HOSTS. The word for “Lord” is “kyrios”: (Kur i os) It means the Master, the Possessor over all things, the disposer of things. Kyrios is the title of the Messiah, the Promised One before all time. He has the Supreme right over ALL things. John 1:1-3 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

The disciples did exactly as Jesus commanded, and the owner released the colt because when the Creator and Lord of the Universe demands something and HE DECREES it, NO ONE has any other choice but to obey Him, or die. We only THINK that we actually OWN things. When the LORD has need of something, He can take it, because it is His. How often have you seen WEALTH just disappear without warning? Job certainly found that out in the Old Testament!

Every aspect of this EVENT was planned by God beforehand. This was not a bunch of half-baked people getting together with a less than perfect plan to try and railroad Jesus into an earthly kingship. This was EXACTLY the way God planned it in order to fulfill HIS PERFECT will. This event was planned before all time, prophesied in the Old Testament, and comes to fruition TOTALLY on God’s timetable and almighty will. This King, Jesus, the LORD, rides into Jerusalem on a colt because it was God’s plan.

35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. The whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting : "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest !" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"

Let’s pray: Lord I pray that your appearance will not be hidden from anyone’s heart. I pray that by your mercy and grace, the Spirit of the King of the Kingdom of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, would visit hearts that before this time, have not been able to recognize you as THE KING who comes in the Name of the Lord. TO your Glory, I pray. Amen.

Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is so unlike other kingly announcements and entries, but if He came in any other way, He would be contradicting His own message of servant-hood, sacrifice and humility.