The Triumphal Entry

Again, as I mentioned earlier, we've been going through the book of Mark over the past year. We took a couple months off around Christmas and then we came back to it. We skipped over the first part of Mark chapter eleven month or so ago when we were here in Mark because I wanted to preach on it this morning seeing the events take place on what we call Palm Sunday. We will jump back to the crucifixion this evening and pick up where we were and we'll be set to go for the next Sunday which we call Easter but I like to call resurrection Sunday because Easter doesn't really mean anything about Christ in particular but resurrection Sunday is truly what we gather together to celebrate next Sunday and really truly every Sunday as as remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our savior but before the resurrection, we have his death and before his death, we have his entry, triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. So, let's pick up there.

Mark chapter 11 and verse one and when they came to Jerusalem unto Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount Of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples and he say it unto them, go your way into the village over against you and as soon as you be entered into it, you shall find a colt tied. Where on never man sat, lose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, why do you this, say you that the Lord hath need of him and straightway, he will send him hither. And they went their way and found the colt tied by the door with without in a place where two ways met and they lose him and certain of them that stood there said unto them, why do you loosing the colt? And they said unto them, even as Jesus had commanded and they let them go.

And they brought the colt to Jesus and cast their garments on him and he sat upon him and many spread their garments in the way and others cut down branches off the trees and strayed them in the way and they that went before and they that followed cried saying, Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father, David, and he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna, praise God in the highest. Verse 11, and Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the temple and when he had looked round abound upon all things and now the even tide was come and he went out unto Bethany with the 12. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for the opportunity and the blessing to look back upon this day, this this actual historical event where you, the king of heaven, rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt.

And presented yourself that day as the Messiah, the the king of the Jews. The one who was foretold throughout the Old Testament. And yet the one who your people within a few short days reject and crucify on the cross. We thank you Lord as you came that day to present yourself as a king that in reality, you knew that you were presenting yourself as the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And Lord, we do pray as we exalt your name here this morning together.

That we would do so in sincerity of heart. That we would recognize our own sinful condition in need of the savior that you are and the lamb who died to pay the price for our sins and Lord that we would choose Jesus today and if there's someone here that has yet to choose you by faith as Lord and savior of their life. To place their lives in your hand and to trust you, to give them eternal life. Lord, I pray that they would see today the power and love, mercy, grace, and humility of the one who came to die for them. And be saved.

In Jesus name, amen. The triumphal entry is a title given to Christ's journey from Bethany to Jerusalem. Wherein the crowd that day hailed him as the king. This sets off a series of events beginning with this event called we sometimes call the Passion Week ending with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The one who came to bring to salvation to all who will believe.

There are many important details to this event and we'll look at a few of them just this morning as we continue leading up to the atoning sacrifice of Christ and his resurrection. We'll start this morning with the place. The place is important where this event takes place. This place is Jerusalem. Here is a picture of Jerusalem.

This picture is taken was taken a few years ago. I and my brother were standing on the Mount Of Olives. It's a place where we took it from. Looking across the Kidron Valley which you see there on your left. As it rises back up to the city walls of Jerusalem.

They are generally in somewhat the same place as they were in Jesus' day though they're not the exact same walls. The Temple Mount in Jesus' day the temple sat on it. Bright and shining there and as a testimony to the God of Israel today, sadly, it is not the temple but it's the Dome Of The Rock, a Muslim mosque that sits there instead. However, it's an important I think to get this picture in our mind and imagine the temple sitting there in its place as we think back to this day that we call Palm Sunday and Jesus journey from Bethany which was just the other side of the Mount Of Olives to the the Temple Mount there in Jerusalem. Heading into Jerusalem on the road from Bethany, you see an astonishing sight as you come over the hill of the Mount Of Olives and you'd see the temple there sitting on the Temple Mount across that valley there identified as Kidron.

To ascend up to the place that was David's throne and will one day be the future throne of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This city is God's city where one day he promised to rule and reign for a thousand years as the seed of David, the Messiah. For a moment to the crowd there that day, it seemed that the day, that day had arrived and for good reason, it appeared that that day had arrived. A day that was foretold in the Old Testament. Jeremiah twenty three five and six speaks of the Messiah and his reign in Jerusalem.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord that I will raise unto David, a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. Isaiah nine six and seven, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace, of the increase of his government, and and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Even Luke chapter one, as the angel spoke to Mary and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.

That means Jehovah is salvation, deliverer. He shall be great and he shall be called the son of the highest. That's part of what they sang as he came in the gates that day and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end. This was what the Jews were looking forward to. This is what some of them recognized seem to be occurring on that very day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem in the fashion that he did.

However, it is not yet that day. That day will still come. In which Jesus will return to rule and reign. From the throne of his father, David. Because our our savior is still alive and he is coming again.

No, this is not that day. This is the day, this is the time of Christ's great sacrifice. So, we see the place where Jesus is coming to. The place where he will one day rule and reign. But also I want us to see the manner in which he came because the manner of his coming here is important.

He is coming riding on an unbroken colt. Up from the Kidron Valley up to the Southern gate of the Temple Mount. Why this unbroken colt that never a person had rode upon. Did Jesus choose to that day to ride into Jerusalem? Well, there are several reasons.

First of all, as recorded as we read here in Mark, the manner in which Jesus acquired this colt is important. Jesus did not own this colt. He had not purchased this colt. He wasn't one that belonged to specifically any of his 12 disciples. It wasn't one that had been with him.

It was one that was prepared for him that was ready for him to come lay claim to and he strengthened the faith once again of his disciples as he told them. He said, I want you to go into the city and go to this place. You're going to find this cold. Ask the person. When the person asks you what you are doing, you tell them what it's for and he will say what?

And he will say, take it. And that's exactly what they did. And that's exactly what happened. And they brought that colt back. What does that remind us of?

It reminds us of the authority of the one who's going to write it in just a moment. He is the king of heaven and earth. All things belong to who? All things belong to him. He created all things and they were all created for his what?

For his glory and for his purpose. That colt did belong to Jesus because Jesus is its creator and maker and he had every right and authority to claim it as his own. We not only see his authority in acquiring the colt, we see his power over his creation by riding upon this unbroken colt. I don't know a lot about horses but what I understand is when you ride a horse for the first time it usually doesn't go very well. Nonetheless a donkey or a burrow.

They do not like somebody climbing up on their back. And so they don't respond usually well to that and horses have to be what? Broken. This was an unbroken colt that Jesus rode upon that day. And his writing upon it, he exhibited his power over his creation as the perfect man unlike Adam.

Genesis one twenty six, when God created man, he said, let us make man in our image after our likeness. Let them have what? Dominion. Over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over ever creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Does man have dominion over and control of everything?

Today, are there animals that we fear maybe more than they fear us? Maybe. Horses have to be broken and some of them don't like being broken and if you think differently, go to, what do they call those things? A rodeo, okay? When I was a kid, I remember watching rodeos and especially crazy people that rode bulls with horns and it's like, wow, you are you are a fruitcake but anyway, but Jesus Christ is the perfect man.

And this colt was no problem. For its creator, and for the one who does have dominion. The cult recognized it. Sad to say, the crowd meeting in Jerusalem that day though a few of them seem to recognize it that day later in the week. Unfortunately, they would demonstrate that they did not recognize who he was.

He is riding this colt for the first time signifies his preeminence. He is the first, the greatest, the king of kings, and Lord of lords and he thus was the first one to ride upon this colt. But he also displayed his humility in coming upon such a common and unimpressive animal. This probably wasn't the cult of an Arabian horse. It was more likely the cult of a burrow, a mule, a donkey, that's what this animal was.

Very unimpressive animal. For the king to come riding upon. Reminds us of the humility of our savior. He will one day come back in Revelation nine riding upon a white horse. But on this day, he came riding in on the colt of a burrow or a donkey because he humbled himself because it was necessary to die for the sins of his airing creation that we might be saved.

From the eternal wrath of God. How fitting for so was the purpose and manner of his first coming to minister and to give his life. And by the way, it was foretold in the Old Testament. That on this occasion, he would not come in great glory and land upon the Mount Of Olives as he will one day when he returns but on this occasion that he should ride in Jerusalem in this manner. Rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion, shout, oh daughter of Jerusalem, behold, thy king cometh unto thee.

He is just, having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an and upon the colt, the foal of an This is Zechariah's prophecy that was fulfilled in the manner in which Jesus came that day as some seem to recognize and as he rode up across the Kidron Valley, up the road, the path that led up to the southern gate, of the Temple Mount, They put down clothes and they cut down palm branches and they laid them before the colt as it rode up to the gate. This was to signify a victory celebration. This signified the crowning of a new king. This was the purpose for which they took off their their coats and they cut down palm branches to form what we today would call a a red carpet. To signify the importance of the one.

That rode in there that day. In second Kings nine thirteen, then they hasted and took every man his garment, put it under him on the top of the stairs, blew with trumpets saying, Jehu is king. Now, this is the Old Testament. This is Jehu, the man who God appointed to do away with the house of Ahab and become the next king of Israel and they did in like fashion roll out the red carpet for Jehu as they did for for Jesus that day. The the Jews were used to to cutting down palm branches of sorts during the the feast of tabernacles.

They did likewise to make booths tents for themselves to live in during the week of of that celebration but one day, the Bible says that we will do likewise in heaven. Revelation seven, nine, and 10. After this, I behold, beheld and low a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the lamb that is Jesus, clothed with white robes and what? Palms in their hands. And cried with a loud voice saying, salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the lamb.

This procedure that they went through was one to acknowledge who Jesus is. He is the king of kings. He is the Messiah, the seed of David, the one appointed to deliver Israel, his people from their sins. Sad to say most of them that were in Jerusalem that day didn't understand the sins part. They thought he was there to to save them and deliver them from Caesar.

But their biggest problem wasn't Caesar. Their biggest problem was sin. And he rode in that day. Identifying himself as the Messiah and king. But also the lamb.

They sang praises identifying once again who he was as they put those branches down on the ground. They quoted and alluded to the Psalms. Psalm one eighteen twenty five and twenty six. Save now I beseech thee, oh Lord. Oh Lord, I beseech thee and send thou prosperity.

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. Jesus Christ is God's blessing upon us. Out of the house of the Lord. He is the savior.

He is God manifest in human flesh. He is the rightful king of kings and he does deserve our praise every day without without shame, without holding back. As that crowd that was gathered around him that day. Praised his name. They praised his name in public.

They did it loudly. They were unashamed. I'm afraid to say and this is sort of a tangent this morning. I'll try to keep it brief but I'm afraid to say that we keep most of our praise for God inside these walls. And we need to get it outside these walls.

Because the people out there need to know that Jesus is our king. The people out there need to know that Jesus is the Messiah. That he has come. They need to know that Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And we need to be more bold than we sometimes are.

In praising his name together. We see the place. We see the manner. We see the time. The timing of this vent, this event is important and tells us a lot about what is going on.

There are three things you need to know about the timing of Palm Sunday. Number one is this, Jesus chose a week when nearly half the nation of Israel was present in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Over 2,000,000 people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate during the Passover week. What is about to happen this week? Can truly be laid at the feet not just of a few but of a nation.

From the day of the exalting cries of a probably somewhat small crowd gathered that day as he rode in to the masses just a few days later who will cry out what? Crucify. Yeah. Crucify. Crucify him.

The nation of Israel declared their choice and their choice was to reject. Their king. This was also foretold and we are reminded of it. When we read in the gospel of John, John one says, the light shines in darkness. The light is who?

The light is Jesus and the darkness comprehended it not. It didn't understand. It didn't. Wasn't ready to receive it. He came unto his own in his own what?

Received him not. That week in Jerusalem, crowd there, many who saw him ride on that day, up the street, on that donkey just as Zechariah had prophesied but only a few days later, reject him. And hang him on a cross. He chose a week which marks the celebration of his death in type. The Passover feast commemorated Israel's redemption from slavery in Egypt.

Jesus came to free his people from their sins. As Israel was freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, Jesus had come to free them from a much greater bondage and a much more horrible task master. The Passover marked their redemption. It marked the salvation of all the first born souls who were covered, whose doorposts were covered, and the blood of the Passover lamb. This reminds us that Jesus is as the lamb of God Come not to save us from the tyranny of human governments but to save us from the tyranny of sin and hell.

And if we will put by faith the blood of Jesus Christ upon the doorpost of our heart. Then his wrath and judgement for sin will too pass over us. As it did pass over them. Number three, this particular day may have been the one in which the lamb was chosen. In Exodus twelve three through six, it says, speak you unto all the congregation of Israel saying in the tenth day of the month, they shall take to them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house.

Your lamb shall be without blemish. Our savior was without what? Sin. A male of the first year, he shall take it out of the sheep or from the goats. He shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Why the Passover week? Because the Passover week is all about who? It's all about Jesus. As John identified him in John one, as the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. So, yes, this day was important but finally, it's important for one other reason.

Turn if you would to Daniel chapter nine. Daniel, Daniel chapter nine. Look, if you will, we'll start reading in verse 24 from Daniel chapter nine. Daniel was in captivity of sorts in Babylon. He was a captive ruler.

There as God had exalted him among his among those who had taken him in Babylon. And in his latter years, Daniel wrote several prophecies, visions that God gave him concerning the end times, concerning the coming of the Messiah, concerning the second coming of the Messiah. This here is called this prophecy is called the seventy weeks prophecy. It's not concerning seventy weeks as we would use the term weeks but the word weeks means a set of seven, okay? A set of seven.

Kinda like we use the word dozen, okay? So, these are 70 sets of seven. They are not days. They are 70 sets of seven years. So, this prophecy concerns four ninety years.

The first 04/1983 as we will see leading up to this very day and event. Look if you would in verse 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, that's Israel, and upon thy holy city, that is Jerusalem. To finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Who is most holy?

That is Jesus, right? Verse 25, know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, that was by King Cyrus who sent Ezra and Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and the temple, okay? Know therefore and understand from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the prince, that's Jesus, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks. The street shall be built again. The wall even in troublesome times.

During that time period of about around 04/1950 or so BC, the Israelites went back to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the walls. They rebuilt the temple but under trying circumstances. Wasn't long after that Alexander the Great came and conquered that part of the world. And then after that came the Romans and conquered again.

Therefore, troublesome times. Verse 26, after three score and two weeks, shall the Messiah be cut off? But not for himself. After threescore and two weeks, you add that to the seven weeks, you have 69 of the seventy weeks. After four eighty three years from the declaration and command for for the Jews to go back and rebuild Jerusalem to the day that the Messiah Prince would identify himself on the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Four eighty three years and after that what will happen? After the conclusion that four eighty three year the Messiah would be cut off. Be cut off means to be killed And he he he was. And from their standpoint here he will be. But not for his sins but for the sins of the people that hung him there.

For the sins of the whole world. It was because of our sin. That he hung there. On the cross. This day is an important day because it marks the conclusion of that four eighty three years and a few of the Jews that day must have recognized that the time foretold by Daniel had come to pass and that the Messiah had come.

Sad to say, they didn't recognize the little phrase there and then the Messiah shall be what? Cut off. Even his disciples refused to believe that he was going to die but that is the purpose for which he came. The first time. What was Jesus response to the crowd and their exaltation that day?

Turn if you would to Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19, what was Jesus response to them that day? And let's conclude from Luke 19 beginning in verse 39. Some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto the master, rebuke thy disciples. Though the Pharisees, religious crowds stand around said, are you going to let them do this?

Are you going to let them declare that you are the Messiah and the king? Jesus said in verse 40, answered, said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Jesus accepted their praise because he is the Messiah. The Bible says, one day, everyone, knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. To the glory of God the father.

But sadly that day, though a few came out to cheer him on, the Pharisees and others behind the scenes were planning his death. Verse 41 of Luke 19, it says, and when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it. Saying, if thou hadst known even thou, at least in this day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes, for the day shall come upon thee, that thine enemy shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round and keep thee on every side. Shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children within thee, they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another. Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Even as the crowd exalted in that day, Jesus wept. Because he knew. The judgment that was to come upon his people. Because he came unto his own and they received him not. The judgment, that judgment upon the city came swiftly.

AD seventy a couple decades later Rome came in and did exactly what Jesus foretold here in his prayer. They did not leave one stone upon another. They leveled the walls. They leveled the temple. They laid waste to the city.

They killed thousands upon thousands upon thousands. But that judgment does not begin to compare the judgment and the wrath of God that is upon all those who are found sinners as they stand before God one day at the great white throne judgment. But you and I do not have to appear at that judgment. The bible says that those whose names were not written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire and what does that tell me? That tells me that those whose names were and are written in the book of life are what?

Not cast into the lake of fire. My name is written in the book of life. And yours can't be too. Not because of your righteousness, not because of your goodness, not because you've gone to church enough, not because you've given enough in the offering plate. You cannot give enough.

You cannot do enough but there is one who did it for you. Jesus Christ, the righteous. The Lord, our righteousness. Who would a few days hence die on the cross. For the sins of the world but you must choose.

Would you choose your way? Would you choose the world's way? Would you choose sin's way? Or would you choose today Jesus Christ? By faith.

As your only Lord and savior. For Jesus is the only way. He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. No man comes under the father but by me. It says back in John one, he came unto his known and his own received him not but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name.

And we're reminded in John three, he that believeth on Jesus is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. I was going to sing a song this morning. I I ran out of time entitled What Will You Do With Jesus? For your eternity hinges upon that decision.

What will you do with Jesus? Chorus goes neutral you cannot be and someday your heart will be asking what will he do with me? You can take care of that today. Would you come by faith? Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and your king.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day and this time. Thank you Lord for being our king and also our savior. Lord, I pray if there's someone here today that is yet to receive you and choose you by faith to be their Lord and the savior from their sins. I pray that they would come in humility and faith as we sing this hymn of invitation that we might show them today how they might be saved and know it.

Lord, I pray for us who know you as savior that we would not be ashamed to praise your name, to declare your goodness. Not only inside these walls but outside these walls. That we would find opportunity to be a testimony of our Lord and savior this week and every week. To declare our king. So that others will see you.

In Jesus name, we pray.