The Redeemer Has Come March 25, 2018 Matthew 21:1-11 I. Introduction A Lutheran pastor was preaching in an unfamiliar church one Sunday morning. As he stood in the pulpit to begin the service, he tapped the microphone to make sure that it was on. He heard nothing, even though, it was working fine. So he leaned closer to the microphone and said, he thought, to himself; "There is something wrong with this thing." The congregation, being well trained church people immediately responded, "And also with you." It can become dangerous to drive on a road that we drive on every single day. It s dangerous because we stop being alert, we take things for granted; we figure we can drive this route with our eyes closed. If something different happens on the road we may not notice it at all at least, until it s too late. A husband and wife can soon take for granted all the things their spouse does. In fact, they can become so used to those routines (meals cooked, garbage taken out, laundry done, yard mowed, children taken care of) that before long we don t even realize that the person is doing those things. And before we know it, we feel we are the only one putting anything into our relationship. It is at those points that marital problems can develop. These 3 stories all illustrate the danger of the familiar. We can be so caught up in routine that we stop paying attention to what we are doing or saying. This is also the danger we face as we come to Passion Week. The accounts of the Triumphal Entry, the cross, and the Resurrection are so familiar to most of us that we can easily go through the motions of a celebration without ever allowing the message of these events to touch us. The challenge every year is to read these accounts with fresh eyes. As we consider this familiar account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus keep your ears and hearts open so that the Holy Spirit can show you something new. Palm Sunday 2018 1
Passover was, and still is, one of the most important Jewish festivals and, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, it was less than a week away. Passover commemorated the time when God brought the tenth and final plague on Egypt which led to the Jewish Exodus. In this plague, God destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians but spared (or passed over) those who had followed the command to place the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. Turn to the record of that night, turn to Exodus 12:21-23, 29-32. Because of Passover s importance, every Jewish male from 12 years old and up was required, if it was at all possible, to gather in Jerusalem for Passover. Numbers 9:13 says, But if a man who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not present the LORD's offering at the appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin. This meant that Jesus and His disciples had to go to Jerusalem. This also meant that the number of people gathered in Jerusalem would be ginormous. Passover was a time to look back; a time to remember and celebrate God s raising up of Moses and the Exodus as the Israelites were led out of captivity in Egypt to the Promised Land. Passover was, also, a time to look forward to the promised Messiah, the son of David, who would establish a mighty kingdom the new kingdom of Israel. Towards the end of the Passover or Seder meal, a cup of wine would be poured for each person at the table. This included a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is expected to come on Passover to announce the coming of the Messiah. The crowd that gathered in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago was enthusiastic and expectant Maybe this year the warrior, the conquering Messiah would come and free Israel forever! Emotions would be running high. The Roman government knew the volatility of the crowd during Passover. So for safety s sake, during this time, the number of soldiers in and around Jerusalem would be increased. Palm Sunday 2018 2
II. The Preparations for His Entry This was the scene Jesus was about to enter. His time had come. It was time for Him to be sacrificed as the perfect Passover lamb for all mankind. This had been God s plan since before the beginning of time. This is why, in John 1:29 when John the Baptist saw Jesus at the beginning of Jesus ministry, he said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jesus knew why He had come and what He was doing. He had even made preparations for His entry into Jerusalem. So He sent 2 of His disciples ahead to get a colt and its mother. He knew where to send them and even what they should say: The Lord needs it (Luke 19:29-31). The colt hadn t been ridden before, but it accepted Jesus as God, Jesus is the Lord of creation. Up to this time, Jesus had always kept a low profile, e.g. coming down from His transfiguration Jesus had said, Don t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead (Matt. 17:9), but this time things were different. His grand entrance had been prophesied 500 years earlier turn to Zechariah 9:9. Jesus wasn t going to ride in on a beautiful, majestic horse He wasn t coming with military might to slay Israel s enemies and establish a kingdom greater than David s. He was going to enter Jerusalem riding a colt of a donkey Jesus was coming to bring peace not war; peace between God and mankind. He came to die for mankind s sins. Instead of coming in power and majesty and glory, Philippians 2:6-8 says that Jesus came in meekness and humility; He laid aside His godly attributes; He humbled Himself and He became obedient to death even death on a cross. Another reason for this grand entry was to force the Jewish leaders the Pharisees and Sadducees to act. They had already decided not to do anything about Jesus during Passover because they were afraid of what the crowd might do. Turn to Mark 14:1-2. But when they saw how the people Palm Sunday 2018 3
cheered for Him, the Jewish leaders knew they couldn t wait. This was part of God s plan, too. Jesus had to die as the Passover lamb at the right time in the right place. Following the preparations there was... III. The Grand Procession As Jesus rode into the city, a large crowd spread their cloaks on the road before Him others cut palm branches to lay in the road. As they had done in the past for other kings and conquerors, they were showing respect and submission to a king s authority. As He rode into Jerusalem, the Lord would have been surrounded by a mass of humanity, perhaps several hundred thousand people some going in front and others behind Him. The expectations and hope that Jesus, as the Messiah, would bring deliverance from Roman rule was so great that the crowd became totally caught up in a frenzy of mob hysteria. They didn t know it, but Jesus had come to bring deliverance but not from Roman rule as they expected, but from the rule of sin in their lives. They cried out, Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest! Although it was used as an exclamation of praise, hosanna really means save now. But the crowd on that day wasn t interested in Jesus saving their souls but in saving their nation. Many had seen His miracles; others had heard about them. Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought back from the dead just months earlier (John 11:1-45), was well know by those in Jerusalem. For that matter, Lazarus may have even entered Jerusalem along with Jesus and His disciples. All those in the mob probably wondered what had taken so long for Jesus to use His supernatural powers against the Romans. They were crying out for the Messiah s deliverance, almost pleading, Save us now, great Messiah! Save us now! Now, at last, they thought, He has come to be the Conqueror to be their Liberator. What better occasion or time could there possibly be for God s Anointed, the Messiah the Christ to make the ultimate and final deliverance of His people from the tyranny of Rome than at Passover just like Moses had done thousands of years earlier. Just like the Passover meal had promised for thousands of years. Palm Sunday 2018 4
Sadly, the people wanted Jesus on their own terms. They would not bow to a King who was not of their liking, even though He was the Son of God. They wanted Jesus to destroy Rome, not their cherished sins or the hypocritical and superficial religion of the Pharisees. But Jesus would not deliver them on their terms, and they would not be delivered on His. The words of the crowd were right Save us now, but their hearts were not. Jesus hadn t come to be crowned but to be crucified. Jesus had come to bring deliverance from sin. IV. The Question: Who is this? Matthew closed his account of Jesus triumphal entry with a question that was being asked throughout the city, Who is this? The people s response is found in verse 11: This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Obviously, many of them had paid little attention to what they had been shouting so loudly. They had just finished proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David, who came in the name of the Lord. But when the mass hysteria calmed down, they were hard pressed to say who Jesus really was, other than a prophet from Nazareth. They no longer called Him the Son of David or praised Him as the great Deliverer. He now was no more than just a prophet. Many of them had heard Jesus messages; they had seen or heard about His miracles. They even acknowledged that He must be from God (John 3:1-2). But, like the Pharisees, most of the crowd s hearts were totally earthbound, materialistic, and self-centered. They were interested only in the kingdom of this world, not the kingdom of heaven. They would have accepted Jesus as an earthly king, but they would not have Him as their heavenly King. V. Conclusion On that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the disciples and the people gathered there were unaware of what God was doing. Things weren t going as they expected and they missed the significance Palm Sunday 2018 5
of that day. Only later did they come to see the hand of God in all that had taken place. The Redeemer has come. This lack of understanding may be true in your life as well. The fact that you don t understand what is going on in your life does not mean that God is not at work. The fact that things aren t working out the way you want them to doesn t mean God s plan isn t working. Jesus has promised that He will lead everyone who believes in Him to that which is ultimately good. The promise is that God knows what He is doing Romans 8:28 says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. You may not understand but you can trust Him. In fact, God does not require you to understand He just asks you to trust. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do you trust God enough to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Most of you gathered here this morning have been Christians for years are you coasting in your spiritual life? Are you taking the things of God for granted? Are you listening to God s Word but hearing nothing? Perhaps it is time for you to read once again the fundamental accounts of how God has revealed his love to you. Maybe it is time for you to remind yourself of the fact that God is on the throne of life not man; not yourself. Perhaps it is time for you to once again bow before His throne and give God the honor and praise that He desires and deserves to give Him the Lordship you promised Him when you made Him your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9). Jesus loves you. He left heaven to come to earth for you. He faced the mobs for you. He endured torture for you. He went to the cross for you. He went there so you could be free... free from sin s addiction and penalty, free from an eternity in hell, free to live the life the way it is meant to be. How have you responded to His invitation to be His child? John 1:12 says, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Oh, you Palm Sunday 2018 6
admire Him but are you willing to trust Him? Are you willing to follow Him... not just to church but in your daily life? Are you willing to entrust yourself to Him even when the future is confusing believing God has a plan? Are you willing to serve Him until that day when His plan on earth is fulfilled? These are the questions of Palm Sunday. These are questions for Christians and non-christians alike. Take a fresh look at this familiar event... You may be surprised at what you see. It could change you forever. Let me close with some familiar words from Psalm 37:5-7a: Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. Palm Sunday 2018 7