Derrick Trent - Palm Sunday The Unexpected & Rejected King (full service)
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Title:
The Unexpected & Rejected King
Text:
Matthew 21:1-11
INTRODUCTION
Let’s turn together
in our Bibles
to Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 21—
& we’re gonna read
verses 1-11.
Matthew 21:1-11.
& when you find that
in your Bible
Pls stand for the reading
of God’s Word.
The Title of today’s teaching is:
Unexpected Salvation
Through An
Unexpected King
In Matthew 21:1-11
the Scriptures say:
Matthew 21:1–11 (EHV)
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Immediately you will find a donkey tied there along with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 Tell the daughter of Zion: Look, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their outer clothing on them, and he sat on it.
8 A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them out on the road.
9 The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, asking, “Who is this?”
11 And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
You may be seated.
Today is
the beginning of
what most Christians
call Holy Week.
During this week
we’re encouraged
to remember
the last days
of our Lord Jesus
on earth.
Among other things
we remember
the Lord’s Last Supper
w/ His disciples.
His washing
His disciples’ feet.
We remember
the Lord’s three hours
of intense prayer
in the Garden
of Gethsemane.
His betrayal
by one
of His disciples.
& His being deserted—
By all
His disciples.
We remember
the Lord’s arrest
& trial;
The brutal beatings
& mockery
he endured;
The crown of thorns;
He wore;
The cross
He carried;
& the six agonizing
hours He spent
suspended btwn
heaven & earth
as the sinless
Son of God
Poured out His blood
as the Lamb of God
to took away the sins
of the world.
We remember
His death & burial.
& all of that led up
to the glorious day
when He conquered
the grave.
But you’ve gotta
come back
nxt week to hear
abt that—
When we celebrate
the Resurrection.
Today we’re gonna
Talk abt what happened
btwn the Sunday
bfr the Resurrection
& the Friday
When Jesus was
crucified.
As we talk abt
Unexpected Salvation
Through An
Unexpected King.
PRAYER
Let’s pray.
Lord, we thank You
for Your Word.
Open my mouth
to speak
the truth.
Give us all
eyes & ears
to see & hear
the truth.
& give us the will
& ability
to put the truth
into practice.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
The year is 33 AD.
The month is March.
& just like
they’ve done
for thousands of years
Faithful Jews
Frm all over
the world
are taking
an annual trip
to Jerusalem
for the Passover Feast.
The Passover Feast
was an annual
7-day-long celebration
where God’s ppl
remembered
how God
delivered them
frm slavery in Egypt.
This was the most
Important event
on the
Jewish Calendar.
& as many as
two & a half million
Jews wld come
to Jerusalem
for this event.
& this was always
a season
of expectation;
Bcs God’s ppl
were not only
looking back
to God’s deliverance
frm their enemies of the past
They were also
looking fwd
to God’s promise
to send the Messiah—
Israel’s King—
Who wld once again
Deliver them
frm their enemies.
& this year:
on March, 31
in 33 A.D....
The atmosphere
in Jerusalem
is especially electric
bcs that prophesy
is abt to be fulfilled!
On the east side
of the City of Jerusalem
there’s a parade of ppl
coming twd
the Eastern Gate.
& Israel’s long-awaited
King is coming
w/ them!
Among them
we see
former fishermen
radical politicians
& tax collectors;
Former prostitutes
thieves
& other sinners
whom Jesus has
freed frm their sins.
We also see...
Former blind men;
lepers;
demoniacs;
& many others
whom Jesus
healed frm
various diseases.
As they take
The mile-long-trek
frm Bethany
to Jerusalem’s
eastern gate—
the number
of ppl in this parade
starts to swell.
The Large crowd
that came for the
Passover Feast
hear that Jesus
is going to Jerusalem
& they join the parade.
In John 12:17-18
John gives us one
reason why
They were joining
the parade.
John says:
John 12:17–18 (NIV)
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.
18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.
More than anything else…
It was the miracles
of Jesus that proved
over & over
that Jesus was Israel’s
long-awaited King.
& by the time
Jesus gets to
the eastern gate
of Jerusalem—
there’s a great
crowd in front
of & behind Him.
& in Matthew 21:8-9
Matthew tells
Us what this crowd
is doing.
He says:
Matthew 21:8–9 (EHV)
8 A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them out on the road.
9 The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
& in John 12:13
John adds this:
John 12:13 (EHV)
13 Taking palm branches, they went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!”
This is a joyful
celebration.
Loud shouts
of praise.
Some ppl
excitedly wave
Palm branches.
Others lay out
their clothes
in the road;
Still others
put palm branches
in the road.
It’s like a 1st century
red carpet welcome
for Israel’s King.
This is why we call
today Palm Sunday:
Bcs on this Day
2000 years ago
Jesus entered Jerusalem
surrounded by shouts
of praise
frm ppl proclaiming
He’s the King of Israel
as they waved
Palm branches
& placed them
on the road.
So, what’s
the significance
of palm branches?
Palm branches
represent
salvation
& eternal peace.
& when we
combine the symbolism
of the Palm branches
w/ the crowds shouts
of “Hosanna”
to the King of Israel”—
which means
“Lord, save us!”—
We get this beautiful
picture of the crowd
that came
for the Passover
acknowledging
that Jesus is
the King of Israel.
& they were expecting
Jesus to bring
Salvation
& eternal peace
to Israel
by delivering them
frm their enemies—
& establishing
God’s Kingdom.
& the crowd
was right abt this.
Jesus is their King.
& Jesus did come
To bring salvation
& eternal peace
& establish
God’s kingdom.
But this wld not happen
the way anyone expected.
At that time
Israel was under
Roman rule.
So, the Messianic
expectation was that
Israel’s King
wld be a political ruler
who wld give Israel
independence as a nation
& release them
frm physical poverty
& the harsh oppression
of Roman rule.
But everything
Jesus had done
up to this point
in His public ministry
showed His followers
He had no concern
for earthly kingdoms.
He came to establish
a kingdom that is
not of this world.
Jesus had been
preaching this kingdom
for 3 & a half years.
Now he enters
Jerusalem as the
King of this kingdom
to set in motion
the events that
will vividly reveal
the true nature
of His kingdom.
& in the process
Jesus does
at least three things
That show the crowd
His kingship
& kingdom
are not what they
Expect.
First:
Jesus comes
to Jerusalem
riding on a donkey.
In Matthew 21:4
Matthew tells us
Jesus did this
To fulfill a particular
prophecy—
A prediction
God gave
500 years bfr
it happened.
We read
this prophecy in
Zechariah 9:9–10 (EHV)
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your King is coming to you.
He is righteous and brings salvation. He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be taken away, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His kingdom will extend from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
Zechariah says:
To God’s ppl
Your King is
coming to you
But not like
other Kings.
He will not come
as a King of war
w/ pride & power
riding a warhorse
or in a chariot.
Israel’s King comes
humbly as a King
of peace
riding on a donkey.
Israel’s King
will cut off
chariots & war horses
frm Jerusalem
& He will take away
the battle bow
& proclaim His kingdom
as a kingdom of peace
to all the nations.
But the way
He does this
is not by fighting the Romans—
Not by making war
w/ any
of Israel’s earthly enemies—
Instead His war
is w/ the enemies
of all humanity.
Those enemies include
Sin...Satan...death...
& all the spiritual forces
of darkness
in heavenly places.
& the King of Israel
will not fight this war
w/ spears
swords
or bows.
The only weapons
In this war
will be
A whip;
A hammer;
A crown;
Two beams of wood
& three nails.
& the only blood
that will be shed
is the blood
of Israel’s King.
The King comes
humbly to Jerusalem
riding on a donkey
to begin the week
that will end w/ Him
humbly submitting
to being tortured
& crucified
& pouring out His blood
as he dies
for the sins
of the world.
He will then be buried.
& three days later
Rise frm the grave.
He does all this
to end humanity’s war
w/ God
& w/ one another.
& to save humanity
frm the kingdom
of darkness—
& bring us into
the kingdom of Light.
So, although
Israel’s King comes
just as the prophet predicted—
humbly
on a donkey
as the King of peace—
Jesus did not meet
The Messianic
Expectation
of most of Israel
at the time.
Now
As Jesus gets
to the eastern gate
of Jerusalem
he does something else
that’s unexpected.
In Luke 19:41-44
Luke tells us:
Luke 19:41–44 (EHV)
41 As [Jesus] came near [Jerusalem], he saw the city and wept over it.
42 He said, “If you, yes you, had only known on this day the things that would bring peace to you. But now, it is hidden from your eyes.
43 In fact, the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side.
44 Within your walls, they will dash you and your children to the ground.
And within your walls, they will not leave one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time when God came to help you.”
This is not
the kind of talk
you wld expect
frm the man you think
is supposed to save
your ppl & your city
frm the Romans.
This sounds more like
a prediction
of destruction
than it does a promise
of deliverance.
& it is
a prediction of
destruction.
& this prediction
was fulfilled
just 37 years after
Jesus spoke
those words.
To make
a long story short:
In 66 AD
The Jews in Judea
Rebelled against their
Roman oppressors.
& the results of
This rebellion are
described in detail
By the Jewish historian
Josephus.
& it happened
just as Jesus
predicted.
The Romans built
an embankment
against Jerusalem;
surrounded it;
& hemmed the ppl in
on every side.
In 68 AD
Under the leadership
of Titus
the Romans
broke thru the walls
of Jerusalem.
& then spent two years
Dashing the ppl
& their children
to the ground
& systematically
destroying the city.
& in 70 AD
the Temple
was burned
& torn a part
just as Jesus predicted.
For Israel’s King
to ride into Jerusalem
& predict
such destruction
was certainly unexpected.
A 3rd thing
Jesus did
that was Unexpected is:
Instead of coming
into Jerusalem
& rallying the troops
for an uprising
against Rome
In Matthew 21:12-13
Matthew says
Matthew 21:12–13 (EHV)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple.
He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers!”
& in Mark 11:16
Mark adds:
Mark 11:16 (EHV)
16 He would not allow anyone to carry any merchandise through the temple courts.
Does this sound like
the puny
lovey-dovey
emasculated
pretty boy Jesus
ppl often portray
in music and movies?
No.
Jesus was
a very scary man.
Especially when
false teachers
were making a mess
of His Father’s house.
God’s ppl were not
using God’s Temple
for its intended purpose—
Which was
to connect ppl
to God in worship
& prayer.
Instead
crooked leaders
Had turned worship
into a business.
& Jesus was tired
of seeing these
robbers ruin
His Father’s house.
So, Jesus shut
the whole thing
dwn.
He’s Flippin’ tables;
Tossin’ chairs;
Whippin’ animals
Runnin’ ppl off;
Tellin’ others
“Boy, don’t
“Bring that stuff
“Into my
“Father’s house.”
By cleansing the temple
Jesus shows His ppl
their biggest problem
was not
the Romans.
Their biggest problem
was their view of God;
& the way the religous rulers
had taught them
to mishandle
the things of God.
& of course
the religous rulers
didn’t like this.
So, in Mark’s account
of Jesus’ cleansing of
the Temple
Mark gives us
some details that show us
what I blv
is the main reason
Jesus was not
the Messiah
the Jews expected
& was ultimately
rejected as Israel’s King.
In Mark 11:18…
Mark says:
Mark 11:18 (EHV)
18 The chief priests and the experts in the law heard this and were looking for a way to kill him. Indeed they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Notice mark says
the whole crowd
was amazed
at Jesus’ teaching.
Even after Jesus
Rode in on a donkey;
Predicted Jerusalem’s
Destruction;
& cleansed the Temple
The crowd
of common ppl
still hung on
His Words.
It was the
religious rulers
that did not like
what Jesus said.
It was the
religious rulers
who wanted to kill Jesus
bcs they were afraid
of Him.
& in John 11:48
John tells us
what they were
afraid of.
The religous rulers
were saying:
John 11:48 (EHV)
48 “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
The religious rulers
were afraid
that if everyone
Believed Jesus
is the Messiah
Then Jesus
wld lead a rebellion
against Rome
& the religious rulers
wld lose
the lavish lifestyle
they’d built
for themselves
on the backs of
God’s ppl.
The majority of
God’s ppl
were oppressed
& poor—
Under the Romans.
But the religious rulers
were living
the dream.
& w/o the influence
of those
religious rulers
God’s ppl might
not’ve rejected
Jesus as their King.
But when we read
The rest of
the gospels—
We see these
Religious rulers
Slitherin’ around
Startin’ fights
w/ Jesus.
& stirrin’ up
The Jewish ppl
& the Romans
to turn them
against Jesus.
& when we fast fwd
Five days after
Palm Sunday:
After Jesus has
been betrayed
by Judas;
Falsely accused
by the religious rulers;
Unlawfully tried
& convicted
by the religious rulers
& brought bfr the
Roman governor
by the religious rulers.
We see these
rotten religious
rulers at work
Convincing the ppl
to help them
carry out their plan
to kill Jesus
by choosing
a ruthless rebel
over their rightful King.
In Mark 15:6-15.
Mark writes.
Mark 15:6–15 (EHV)
6 At each [Passover] Festival, Pilate used to release to the people one prisoner whom they requested.
7 There was one named Barabbas, who was imprisoned with the rebels and had committed murder in the rebellion.
8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 Pilate replied, “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?”
10 In fact, he knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
12 Again, Pilate replied to them, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted back.
14 But Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Since he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. After he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Pilate wanted
to let Jesus go.
He knew Jesus
was innocent.
He knew Jesus
Had done nothing
deserving death.
& he knew
The religious rulers
were behind
this whole thing.
& I blv
It’s likely the crowd wld’ve
asked Pilate
to release Jesus.
But the religious rulers
Convinced
the crowd
to ask for Barabbas
to be released
instead of Jesus.
So, five days after
The glorious celebration
on Palm Sunday
most of those
Who shouted
“Hosanna to the King—
“Lord, save us”—
Most of them
had been so
influenced by the
Religious rulers
That they were shouting
“Crucify Him.”
They were convinced
to trade their true King
for a murderous
man who had
rebelled against Rome.
So, the religious rulers
rejected Jesus
as the Messiah—
& convinced the crowd
to do likewise.
& this wld be
a truly tragic tale
if it ended there.
But what
nobody knew
at the time is:
This was all
a part of God’s plan.
The Jewish leaders
& the crowd
did not know it yet:
But what they
were asking for
w/ shouts of
“Hosanna”—
“Lord, save us...”
Wld be accomplished
thru their cry to
“Crucify Him!”
In their rejection
of the Messiah
& their giving Jesus
over to be crucified
God was using
everyone involved
to fulfill
Jesus’s Mission
as the Messiah—
to bring salvation
& eternal peace
not only to the Jews
but to the entire world.
As Paul says in
Acts 13:27–33 (EHV)
27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the statements of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
28 Though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
29 When they carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead,
31 and for many days he was seen by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These same individuals are now his witnesses to the people.
32 “We are preaching to you the good news about the promise that was made to our fathers.
33 God has fulfilled this promise for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.
This was the mission
of the King of Israel.
This is how He
brought abt salvation
& eternal peace.
According to the Scriptures
The King of Israel
was conceived
by the HS;
born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under
Pontius Pilate
Was crucified
Died & was buried.
& he rose again
on the 3rd day.
& in doing that:
He established
the kingdom of God.
& made it possible
for all the world
to be
Free frm
the pwr of Sin
Free frm
the pwr Satan
Free frm
the pwr of Death
& free frm
all the powers
of darkness
thru their union
w/ Him in the Church.
That was God’s plan
Bfr the foundation
of the world.
CONCLUSION
So, as we close:
During this Holy Week
as we prepare to celebrate
the Resurrection….
Let’s remember
why Jesus came.
He came to save us
frm Our sins...
frm Satan
frm Death....
& frm the powers
of darkness.
Jesus did that
by becoming Human;
Living a sinless life;
Suffering & dying
On a cross;
& rising frm
the grave.
& now
For all who turn
Frm sin & darkness
& are united w/ Christ
in baptism
We’re transferred
Out of the kingdom
darkness
& brought into
the kingdom of Light.
& as we live
as citizens
of Christ’s Kingdom
by obeying Christ’s Commandments
We will find
a glorious salvation
that will lead us to
eternal peace
w/ God
in Christ’s eternal kingdom.
PRAYER
Let’s all stand
for prayer.
Father, we thank You
For sending Your Son
To this earth
To be our King
& the one thru whom
We can find salvation
& eternal peace.
Lord, help us to
Keep serving
Jesus as our King.
To obey Him
as our King.
Today & always.
In Jesus name.
Amen.