Triumphant to Death
Notes
Transcript
Good Morning,
Let’s Open with a word of Prayer.
Today, is Palm Sunday and this marks the beginning of what is considered Holy Week in many traditions. This week our first passage is in Luke 19 starting in verse 28.
I put a timeline of the week up for you
If you look at the timeline, you will see quite a few days that modern protestant churches don’t really look at or celebrate. This is in part because most of these follow a liturgical calendar, the other part of this is the different view protestants have for this week. For most, there is nothing particularly holy about the days themselves, where as in Catholicism especially, but other high churches as well, making sure to attend church this week has an additional level of “holiness” added. The palm branch that you are holding in a Catholic church is part of what they would call the sacrament of today’s mass, it is given a special blessing and prayed over.
We however, don’t have this view. This is one of many reasons, that protestant churches sometimes include and other times don’t include the Palms. For us the palm is nothing sacred or mystical, at this point you might be asking yourself if it isn’t special or anything why do we have the palm branches today. This year, I wanted to include the palm branch for a similar reason to why Jesus established the ordinance of the Lord’s supper. Please don’t hear me wrong, I am not equating this with the Lord’s Supper, they are not equivalent in that way. However, the Lord’s supper is a vivid reminder for us of the price He had to pay to bring us into fellowship with God. It is a reminder that his body was beaten and pierced in our place, he took all the wrath of God that we deserved upon himself. It is a reminder of His blood that was poured our to wash our sins away. We do it in remembrance of Him.
Again the Palm branch is not the same, but it is rather a vivid reminder of just how easily and quickly the hearts of men and women turned on Jesus. How within the course of one week the crowd went from shouting Jesus’s praises to shouting crucify Him. It is a reminder of how we can do the very same thing if our eyes are not focused upon Him.
Today, we will cover a lot of ground. We are going through not only his triumphant entry, but we will also look at his crucifixion and several things in between, but I have a couple of areas I will need your help with. I have two areas that I need you all to read out loud when we get to them. And if you want to shout them that is good too. You are the crowd in the narrative. When we get to them they will be on the screen.
Luke 19:28–36 “28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.”
Luke 19:37 “37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,”
Everybody says:
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19:39–44 “39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.””
The first question we have to ask ourselves when we read this is...
What does Luke 19:28-40 tell us about Jesus?
What does Luke 19:28-40 tell us about Jesus?
We notice a couple of big things about Jesus in these verses. The first things we see are connected to one another and both of them come from the fact that Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt. The first part of this is that this is a direct fulfillment of an Old Testament prophesy found in Zechariah 9:9.
9 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.
If we were to look over at Matthew chapter 21 verse 2 we would read that this colt’s mother was a donkey, fulfilling both parts of this prophesy. Jesus was the coming king described in this passage. He, in these verses, is getting the coronation procession that is due to a King. The crowds are shouting and singing His praises and He receives the honor that is due to a King in being the first person to ride this colt. However the choice in the animal gives us more insight into his kingship.
It was a common practice for a new king to enter with praise and joy, however most kings rule by force. They enter on chariots or on mighty warhorses, Jesus, though, enters on a donkey a humble animal and the picture of peace not of war. The kingdom that Jesus is going to establish here is one of Peace and love. Specifically, peace with God and from God, then Love for our neighbor.
The next thing we notice about Jesus comes from an exchange between the Pharisees and Jesus in verses 39 and 40. The pharisees want Jesus to rebuke his disciples for the praise and glory he is receiving. In the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus is receiving that which belongs to God alone worship. Yet, Jesus’s response to them is that if they were silent the very stones would cry out. Jesus understands the same thing the Pharisees do, these people are worshiping Him, yet Jesus understands that it is properly placed. Jesus tells them he is so worthy of worship that if these people didn’t do it creation would sing his praises. Yet despite the worship and praise He is receiving as Jesus draws closer to the city we see Him weep over it.
Why does Jesus weep over Jerusalem?
Why does Jesus weep over Jerusalem?
In verses 41-44, Jesus has this interesting monologue, where he weeps over the city because of a future destruction, but really what makes it interesting is the cause of the destruction. In verse 42, Jesus says that the things that make peace are hidden from their eyes, and this is why the the city will be destroyed. However, the reason these things are hidden from them is because they did not know the time of their visitation. Jesus already has been fulfilling many of the Old Testament prophesies about the coming messiah, Jews should have expected this and seen who he was. Beyond that though, in Daniel 9 there is an interesting prophesy that the Jews should have seen and expected the Messiah to come. There are a couple of ways to calculate Daniel 9, but both of them give us the time of Jesus’s ministry on earth. They should have known the season and been looking for the promised messiah, but Jesus was not the man they expected or wanted. He came to restore our relationship with God, yet these people believed themselves to be more righteous than God’s own Son.
Before we get to the cross, the pharisees will try to trap Jesus and he will rebuke them. In Matthew, Jesus tells this series of parables starting in 21 verse 28 and going all the way through 22 verse 14. The first of which is talking about the two sons, one who tells his father no but then does what he was asked and the other who says yes but then ignores his father’s command. Jesus compares the pharisees here to the son who never went, even after they saw they did not change their minds and believe.
The next parable is the parable of the vineyard tenants. Comparing the pharisees to these wicked tenants who were trying to steal what belonged to God. Jesus says they go so far as to kill the son of the owner of the vineyard.
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.
46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
He then tells the parable of the wedding feast, the pharisees and Jews had been invited and were welcome, but they rejected the invitation. This is the message of the last parable in this sequence, Jesus tells them judgement will come upon them for their shameful treatment of the Master’s servants and for rejecting the invitation given to them.
The pharisees go on to try to test Jesus and to trap Him in His speech. They were hoping to find some way they could persecute him for what he was saying. We see as many as three different tests the pharisees and scribes try and trap Jesus in depending on which Gospel you are reading. He answers them each and every time astounding them with not only the wisdom He displays but also the authority by which he speaks.
Given the fact that Jesus answers them so well and so easily
Why did the Jews crucify Jesus?
Why did the Jews crucify Jesus?
Again we are skipping a lot of stuff that happened during the week leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion and some of it plays a part in why, but the main reason is found during their questioning of Jesus.
Turn with me to Matthew 26 and we will start in verse 57.
Matthew 26:57–63 “57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.””
Matthew 26:64–66 “64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.””
We see the truth of why the Jews deliver Jesus over to be crucified here in this passage. The high priest said that, “He has uttered blasphemy.” If you ever need a passage to display the fact that Jesus claimed to be God, this is a great one to take people to. In verse 64, Jesus claims to be the Son of Man, which many mistake to be simply a man. However, this is a divine claim found originally in Daniel 7.
In Daniel 7:13–14 “13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
The Jews understood this to speak of God. His dominion is an everlasting dominion meaning it will go on forever. It says to him was given Glory something that belongs to God alone and all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him, this is again something that is only due to God. Had this been any other person saying this, the high priest would have been correct in calling it blasphemy. They understood he was claiming to be divine and equal to God, this was why they viewed Him as worthy of death.
It is for this reason they deliver him to Pilate to be crucified.
If you turn with me to Luke chapter 23 we read about what happened when Jesus was delivered over to Pilate and here I will need your help again.
Luke 23:18–20 “18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus,”
Everyone says:
21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”
If you are like me, this one is much harder to say than the one earlier. The same crowd that was shouting Jesus’s praise earlier, the crowd that was waiving the palm branches and laying their coats down as a procession were now shouting for his death. So often we want to say we would be different, we would stand by His side, but we would be right there in the crowd jeering him and calling for his death. I can tell you this because of the way we each are willing to shy away from the opportunity to stand for Him. Our flesh will always fail and each of us would have been in that crowd.
This brings up an interesting question though.
Why did Jesus die?
Why did Jesus die?
This is an interesting question because of who He is. It would seem logical to say He died because of the beatings and the cross, but this is wrong. John records this in a couple of ways first is in John 1
John 1:1–3 “1 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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Jesus has existed from eternity past, and is God. John says all things are made through him and everything we see cannot be apart from Him. This tells us that even while he is hanging on the cross he is holding the universe together, but just in case that isn’t enough Jesus makes it undeniably clear in John 10 when he is talking about being the Good Shepherd. Toward the end of this starting in verse 17 Jesus says:
John 10:17–18 “17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.””
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus laid down His life, He intentionally went through this and it could not kill him. Colossians 2:9 says,“9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” He was truly God and He was truly man. He chose to lay down his life when the full cup of the father’s wrath was poured out on himself.
In Luke 23:46, we read “46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.” He gave up His Spirit and this is confirmed by the reaction of the Romans soldiers. They did not expect him to be dead, that is why they broke the two criminal’s legs to speed up the execution, Jesus however was already dead, so they pierced his side.
So back to our question, why did Jesus die?
This is best answered in the last supper Luke 22:19–20 “19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
He died for us. He died taking the full wrath of God upon himself and atoned for our sin with His Blood. We don’t have to pay the price we owe because of Him, we can now have the Spirit of God living inside of us giving us the peace of God and the courage to stand against the attacks of this world. This week I challenge you to read through what is called holy week and especially those events leading to and including Jesus’s crucifixion and remember what it cost to purchase us.
Let is pray.