Greetings: The study that Pastor Pat brings on Sunday mornings is a reflection of the study for that week. It represents a lot of research. Not all of what he has prepared is communicated. In an attempt to continue the learning process, he is making available his study notes to the congregation. These notes are edited, but not book ready. To the critical eye, mistakes can possibly be found. Therefore, he asks that you take the material with humility, teach-ability, and charity. Enjoy and if you should have any questions or corrections, please do not hesitate to email him at pastorpat@waukeshabible.org. Date: April 9, 2017 Sermon Title: JESUS as the KING of Israel Text: Matthew 21:1-11 Author: Patrick J. Griffiths 2017 Waukesha Bible Church is a family of families seeking to live in the Storyline of the Bible. She is determined by design to have a God-centered, Christ-exalting worship; a Word-centered teaching focused on personal discipleship through intentional and systematic instruction; a Global-impacting mission that resolves to be a church planting church; and a Grace-based fellowship where disciples are invited to live under a reigning grace characterized by a Gospel-driven sanctification that celebrates a divine monergism to the Christian life.
Date: PALM SUNDAY April 11, 2017 Title: JESUS as the KING of Israel Text: Matt. 21:1-11 Theme: Jesus is the King of Israel -- Introduction: During Passion Week, I would like to emphasize certain qualities of our Lord. However, I would like to move the ideas from the abstract to the concrete. Before we begin this study, let me preface our thinking with the following thoughts. I think I have a tendency to see a quality and not necessarily see the connection between it and me. For example, the color orange suggests more than just a color, but a flavor as well as automatically conjuring up images in one s mind. The color orange has a smell; it has an experience assigned to it. Whatever encounter we have with the color shapes how we know the color. This is equally true with our understanding of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our God in three persons is a relational God. His presence and power shapes us. He colors and flavors our experience, thus molding our understanding. This God described in our Bibles and seen throughout the created order engages us on multiple levels. My desire over the last several weeks in preparation for Easter and in our next four studies is to engage God on this horizontal level. We will consider the following four thoughts. The Gospel of Matthew is written for a Jewish audience, especially Palestinian Jews who were at the time oppressed by the Romans. One of Matthew's main goals in his gospel was to prove that Jesus was the true Davidic Messiah--the king the Jews were expecting, who will deliver them from oppression. Jewish scripture foretold that the Messiah will be like a Star out of Jacob and the Scepter that rises out of Israel in Numbers 24:17. He is the One who sits on David s throne in Isaiah 9:7. He comes with the clouds of heaven to reign over a kingdom where all people, nations, and languages, will serve Him in Daniel 7:13-14. In His kingdom the nations will no longer lift up the sword against one another in Isaiah 2:4, and His reign, we re promised, will have no end in Isaiah 9:6-7. And hence Jesus Christ is presented as the Son of David, the Son of Abraham in Matthew 1:1 and the King of the Jews who wise men seek to worship in Matthew 2:2. Forty times He speaks of the kingdom of heaven and says that the day would come when He would return in the clouds to establish His kingdom on earth in Matthew 26:64. Even Jesus is presented being asked directly, Are you the King of the Jews? to which He replies, I am in Matthew 27:11. This infuriated the religious leaders who demanded He be crucified. As He hung on the cross a sign was put over His head that read, This Is Jesus, The King Of The Jews. 1 1
Since his Gospel was written in Greek, Matthew s readers were obviously Greekspeaking. They also seem to have been Jews. Many elements point to Jewish readership: Matthew s concern with fulfillment of the OT (he has more quotations from and allusions to the OT than any other NT author); his tracing of Jesus descent from Abraham (1:1 17); his lack of explanation of Jewish customs (especially in contrast to Mark); his use of Jewish terminology (e.g., kingdom of heaven, where heaven reveals the Jewish reverential reluctance to use the name of God; see note on 3:2); his emphasis on Jesus role as Son of David (1:1;9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30 31; 21:9,15; 22:41 45). This does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. He records the coming of the Magi (non-jews) to worship the infant Jesus (2:1 12), as well as Jesus statement that the field is the world (13:38). He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission (28:18 20). These passages show that, although Matthew s Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook. 2 Matthew s main purpose is to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures. Although all the Gospel writers quote the OT, Matthew includes nine proof texts unique to his Gospel (1:22 23; 2:15; 2:17 18; 2:23;4:14 16; 8:17; 12:17 21; 13:35; 27:9 10) to drive home his basic theme: Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT predictions of the Messiah. Matthew even finds the history of God s people in the OT recapitulated in some aspects of Jesus life (see, e.g., his quotation of Hos 11:1 in 2:15). To accomplish his purpose Matthew also emphasizes Jesus Davidic lineage (see Recipients, p. 1945). 3 Felix Just notes, Christian tradition has long connected the authors of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) with the four "living creatures" that surround God's throne, as described in Rev 4:7. Early Christian writers connected the four evangelists with the four living creatures in various combinations. 4 Thus, there is no overriding consensus as to the four gospels and the four faces of the cherub. However, with that said, it is possible to note the emphasis of each gospel in the following manner. THE BIG PICTURE: Book Author Audience Emphasis Genealogy Element Matt - 28 A disciple publican Mark 16 Luke 24 John - 21 Friend of Peter, well to do Friend of Paul, physician Disciple fisherman Jews King Traced back to Abraham & David 130x quotes & allusions 37x Kingdom of Heaven/God Romans Servant No genealogy immediately 40+; 2 of 3 begin w/ And Greeks Son of Man Traced back to Adam Men sinners-16x; 3x Samar fav 43x women; no else Lk 15/19:10 World Son of God No genealogy Jn 20:30, 31; Sign 17x; belief -100x; life 36x more x s than others 2
Palm Sunday Jesus as KING Jesus Offers He offers Himself as the King of Israel As King, we are to submit to His leadership. Matthew 22x [His Presentation as King] Mark 12x Luke 10x John 13x Acts 20x [His Proclamation as King] Misc. 20x Rev. 20x [His Domination as King] Total 107x Passion Week Jesus as OX Jesus Serves Healing and Foot Washing As SERVANT, we are to receive from Him our healing. Good Friday Jesus as LAMB Jesus Sacrifices He becomes the sin bearer and offers Himself up as the voluntary and substitutionary blood sacrifice for sin. As LAMB, we are to receive from Him our sole means of coming to the Father. Easter Sunday Jesus as LION Jesus Roars Jesus claims His victory over sin and death and secures for Himself a worshipping people. As LION, we are to receive from Him our victory over sin and death. Today, on Palm Sunday, I would like to consider Jesus as KING. There are four elements of this kingship I would like to note as found in this historical event. Jesus entered through the Eastern Gate on Palm Sunday. The Ottomans built the present walls of Jerusalem in 1540. However, they sealed the Golden gate in 1541 AD in order to prevent the Messiah's entrance, which according to the Jewish tradition will enter this gate. A cemetery was built in front of it, outside the walls, as part of the concept that the Messiah will not pass through a cemetery. 5 3
Outline: I. Palm Sunday as Prophecy Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter that begins the Holy Week. It is the day that we remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem as Savior and King. As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem, a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches and their [robes] across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment. The hundreds of people shouted Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Matthew 21:1-11 - Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: Say to Daughter Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, Who is this? The crowds answered, This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. 6 Jesus chose to ride a donkey, which directly fulfilled Old Testament prophecy of Zech. 9:9. In Biblical times, it was common for kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride them showed that they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Zech. 9:9 7 Jesus was steeped in the Old Testament, as we know from his discussions with the Jewish scribes. He knew and understood the prophecies of Israel s coming king who would restore the throne of David. In particular he had absorbed the prophecies of the book of Zechariah. Zechariah had spoken of a shepherd appointed by God over His people, and in the 13th chapter he says that the shepherd will be struck and the sheep scattered. Jesus in Mark 14.27 applies this prophecy to himself in telling the disciples that they will all desert him. He says, You will all fall away, for it is written, (quoting Zechariah 13) I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered : Jesus is applying to himself Zechariah s prophecies. So what is Jesus doing when he mounts a donkey s colt and rides down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem? Notice that this is the only recorded instance in the Gospels where Jesus rides, 4
rather than walks (even though it was only about 2 miles), and pilgrims coming to the Passover feast normally came by foot. Jesus, then, is doing something singular here. But what does it mean? What is this all about? The answer is that Jesus is deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah chapter 9, versus 9-10. Listen to this: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Jesus is deliberately and provocatively claiming to be the promised king of Israel who will reestablish the throne of David. His action is like a living parable, acted out to disclose his true identity. The Messianic secret is now open news. The triumphal entry shows us Jesus messianic self-consciousness and who he took himself to be. He identified himself with the Shepherd-King predicted by Zechariah. The point was not lost on the crowd. People began to spread their cloaks on the road for Jesus to ride over like a red carpet, an action reminiscent of the way the crowds spread their cloaks on the ground in 2 Kings 9.13 when Jehu was anointed King of Israel. They cut palm branches or other leafy plants as Jews did at other celebrations and festivals and strewed them in Jesus path. And then people, perhaps remembering how the blind Bartimaeus back in Jericho had repeatedly cried out to Psalm 118.25-26 Jesus as the Son of David, now begin to chant the words of Hosanna! (God saves!) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! and others respond, Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest! 8 Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus is fulfilling the promises made of God s Anointed One who will save His people from their sins. Secondly, we can see Palm Sunday as Political. II. Palm Sunday as Political Jesus had timed his journey to Jerusalem so he arrived about mid-morning on Palm Sunday the first day of the week. Thousands of Jews journeyed to the Holy City, and they were camped out on the hills around Jerusalem for the great spring religious pilgrimage. Jesus was approaching Jerusalem from the East on the Jericho Road. At the foot of the East side of the Mt. of Olives, the side opposite Jerusalem, Jesus paused at the village of Bethany, while he sent two disciples on ahead to the village of Bethphage at the summit of the Mt. of Olives to secure a donkey and her colt for the ride into the great City. When Jesus reached the crest of the hill with Jerusalem laid out before him, he wept, anticipating the challenges that awaited him, and some people think in anticipation of the destruction of the City forty years later. Then he mounted the donkey and his disciples began the political demonstration, waving palm branches and shouting, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 9 5
At the same time Jesus was approaching the Golden Gate on the East side of the City, Pilate and a troop of Cavalry were entering Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate on the West. The game was afoot. There would now be almost no opportunity to back out. 10 WHAT IS A SUPERPOWER NATION An extremely powerful nation, especially one capable of influencing international events and the acts and policies of less powerful nations. 11The Politics of Palm Sunday - April 10, 2014/in Religion /by Adam Ericksen Make no mistake: the Gospel is political. Politics refers to the affairs of the city and influencing other people on a civic or individual level. Throughout his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus is political. He influences people to live into the Kingdom of Heaven. For Jesus, Heaven is not essentially some place off in the distance where you go after you die. No, Heaven is a way of life to be lived right here, right now. We see this clearly in the prayer he taught his disciples: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey on Palm Sunday, he was performing a political act. But it was a political act unlike any other. Let s contrast the politics of Jesus with the politics of Rome. Rome spread its Gospel, its good news, in a very deliberate way. As Fr. John Dear points out, We re so used to that word Gospel, that it s lost its original meaning. But in those days, when the Roman empire went off and conquered another land in the name of their god Caesar, and killed all the men, raped all the women, and destroyed all the homes, the soldiers would come back parading through the land announcing the Gospel according to Caesar, the Good News of the latest victory of Caesar, that another land has been conquered for their god Caesar, and that Caesar s enemies have been killed. The Gospel is political. I don t want to pick on ancient Rome because ancient Roman politics was essentially like the politics of every other nation. We influence other people through power, coercion, and violence. In spreading its Gospel, Rome was spreading the Pax Romana. Rome genuinely believed that it was spreading peace and its method for spreading peace was violence. They praised their gods that the enemies of Roman Peace had been killed. That s the politics of Rome. But that s not the politics of Jesus. On Palm Sunday, Jesus revealed an alternative way of being political. A political ruler s entry into a city was of great importance in the ancient world. Roman rulers would enter a city on a war horse to show power and domination. Jesus rode on a donkey. Indeed, this was to fulfill the ancient prophecy of Zechariah, which Matthew quotes: Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The large crowd spread their cloaks on the ground and waved their palm branches as they shouted Hossana to the Son of David. The Jewish Annotated New Testament states that the 6
cloaks and palm branches were meant to connect Jesus to the kingship of Israel. The term Son of David was also a clear messianic reference that hoped for a new political ruler, but just what kind of king was Jesus? Matthew gives a hint. Many today might accuse Matthew of playing fast and loose with his quote from Zechariah 9:9-10: Shout aloud, O daughter Zion! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Notice that Matthew omits that the king will be triumphant and victorious. Was Matthew lazy? Did he just forget? No, Matthew was deliberate. He knew that Jesus was a different kind of king and that the Kingdom of Heaven is a different kind of politics. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he was revealing that the reign of God is in stark contrast to the reign of Rome and every other political system that seeks triumphant victory by influencing people through violence and coercion. The Gospel of Jesus is different. This Gospel is the politics of humility, service, forgiveness, and a nonviolent love that embraces all people, but especially those we call our enemies. Tragically, we tend to live by the politics of Rome, not the politics of Jesus. Whether we are Republicans or Democrats, American or Russian, whenever we seek to influence others through coercion and violence, we are following the politics of Rome. Fortunately, Jesus revealed the alternative. He called it The Kingdom of God. It s a political way of life based not on triumphant violence, but rather humble service. The politics of Jesus makes sure everyone has daily bread, it seeks to forgive debts and sins, it avoids the temptation to commit evil against our neighbors, and it calls us into a life of forgiveness. But this is risky. We know that the politics of Jesus led him to Good Friday, where he suffered and died. And yet he stayed true to the Kingdom of God, speaking words of forgiveness even as he was murdered. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. This is not just a call to a personal ethic; this is a political ethic. Indeed, the politics of Jesus seeks to influence our personal lives, but it also seeks to influence our political lives. Wherever personal or political systems use violence, power, and coercion to be triumphant and victorious, Jesus beckons us to follow him into a different kind of politics into the Kingdom of God that lives and dies by love, service, and forgiveness. Jesus came in a way completely different then our political process. There was no lying, cheating, or immorality. Jesus stood in direct opposition to the power of this world. Jesus came as an affront to the political and spiritual powers at play. His strength laid in His humility, generosity, and grace. Who Jesus was enabled Him to carry out all He willed. Jesus spoke of a new kingdom that carried good news to those imprisoned by injustice and enslaved by disease and death. Jesus promised hope, healing, and wholeness. What we will see is our Palm Sunday is filled with promise. This brings us to our third element, Palm Sunday as PROMISE. 7
III. Palm Sunday as Promise What Jesus promised was heaven on earth. He promised the restoring of the Garden of Eden on earth. He promised them life under His gracious and generous rule. Yet the installment would come through the cross. Its inauguration would begin with death. This is why Palm Sunday is paradoxical. It does not look like one would expect. IV. Palm Sunday as Paradoxical Years ago, there was a beloved Christian preacher and publisher named Henry Clay Trumbull who wrote an entire book about this. He called it Practical Paradoxes; or, Truth in Contradictions. The title of his introduction was The Comfort of Christian Paradoxes. This is how he began: The law of the Christian life is a paradox. It is made up of seeming contradictions. All its teachings are contrary to the common opinions of man. According to this law, giving is getting; scattering is gaining; holding is losing; having nothing is possessing all things; dying is living. It is he who is weak who is strong Happiness is found when it is no longer sought; the clearest sight is of the invisible; (and) things which are not bring to naught things which are. 12 Another more current writer listed some of the grand paradoxes of Christianity: We see unseen things. We conquer by yielding. We find rest under a yoke. We reign by serving. We are made great by becoming small. We are exalted when we are humble. We become wise by being fools for Christ s sake. We are made free by becoming bondservants. We gain strength when we are weak. We triumph through defeat. We find victory by glorying in our infirmities. We live by dying. 13 14 You see, the crowd thought that at last God s anointed king had come, the teacher and miracleworker from Nazareth, who would cast off the pagan rulers of Israel and establish God s true kingdom, centered not in Rome but in Jerusalem. And so amid shouting and singing, with the crowds surrounding him on all sides, Jesus rides in through the eastern gate of Jerusalem, into the Temple precincts, and does nothing! He does nothing. In the accounts of Matthew and Luke, the story of Jesus cleansing the temple comes on the heels of the story of the triumphal entry, giving the impression that these were consecutive events. But in Mark 11.11 we read, And he entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. Talk about an anticlimax! Jesus doesn t cleanse the Temple; he doesn t lead the mob against the Roman fortress; he doesn t even give a stirring speech. He just looks around and leaves! That may explain why Jesus wasn t arrested on the spot. His triumphal entry into the city was not something the 8
Romans were expecting or would have understood, and Jesus procession probably just melted into the Passover crowd once they got to Jerusalem. But what a disappointment for those who had hailed his entry! What kind of a Messiah was this? What sort of a deliverer is this? In the ensuing days, Jesus did cleanse the Temple, but he didn t raise a finger against the Romans. 15 Palm Sunday reminds us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any the mind of man could ever conceive or plan. Man looked for someone to fight their battles in the present day world. Yet God had the ultimate plan of sending His Son to fight the final battle over death. This is the greatness of why we celebrate this week. Because of Christ's ultimate sacrifice, we can be set free of death. Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,' John 11:25 We have so much to be grateful for this week. The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he's going to do everything he can to try and distract us away from the true meaning of what this Holy Week means. Don't let him win. In this Holy Week, may God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most, Jesus Christ our King... Let's choose to focus on worshiping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in Him alone. Grace. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Cor. 9:15 16 Shepherding the Sheep: What is the Next Step? On the heels of Palm Sunday, as we begin this Holy Week, may we constantly be reminded of its significance and value for our lives today. That very important day in history, when Jesus began His journey towards the cross. Yet maybe in the midst of busy lives, on the heels of Spring Break, or in all of the upcoming thoughts about Easter, the real meaning of it may, even unintentionally, get missed. His Word reveals such great truths in every part of this story. Truths that draw us closer towards Christ, reminding us that He alone is King. The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem. In the midst of the praise of the moment, He knew in His heart that it wouldn't be long that these same people would turn their backs on Him, betray Him, and crucify Him. His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior. "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:41-42 17 1. Jesus is. 2. Jesus brings with Him the promise of a new world order. This new world order is unlike anything anyone at any time has ever experienced other than Adam and Eve prior to their fall into sin. 3. We must guard ourselves into thinking this world is the only reality and recognize that a new world order has been inaugurated and will be established. 9
1 http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/15533/why-is-it-said-that-the-gospel-of-matthew-presents-jesus-asthe-king-of-the-jews 2 https://www.biblica.com/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-matthew/ 3 https://www.biblica.com/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-matthew/ 4 http://catholic-resources.org/art/evangelists_symbols.htm 5 http://www.biblewalks.com/sites/goldengate.html 6 http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/5-things-about-palm-sunday-that-remind-us-christ-is-king.html 7 http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/5-things-about-palm-sunday-that-remind-us-christ-is-king.html 8 http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-triumphal-entry 9 https://hurstrobert.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/into-jerusalem-2/ 10 https://hurstrobert.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/into-jerusalem-2/ 11 https://www.ravenfoundation.org/politics-palm-sunday/ 12 Henry Clay Trumbull, Practical Paradoxes (Philadelphia: John D. Wattles, 1889), 9. 13 Richard Hansen, Making the Most of Biblical Paradoxes at http://www.preachingtoday.com/skills/2005/august/117 hansen.html. 14 http://www.robertjmorgan.com/devotional/the-paradoxes-of-christianity/ 15 http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-triumphal-entry 16 http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/5-things-about-palm-sunday-that-remind-us-christ-is-king.html 17 http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/5-things-about-palm-sunday-that-remind-us-christ-is-king.html 10