Sermon Tone Analysis

JUST LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD

“DON’T ARGUE WITH A DONKEY”

 

/A./

/Presentation of the King (vv.

1–11)./

This was in fulfillment of Zech.

9:9.

Christ will not come with justice and salvation (victory) for Israel until He returns in Rev. 19:11–21, riding a white horse.

John 12:17–18 indicates that many in the great crowd were there because of the raising of Lazarus.

The crowd quoted Ps. 118:26 in its praises;

 

Note in v. 11 that the city called Him “the prophet” but not the King!

Unfortunately, the Jews “did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:41–44,) and rejected their King.

*/Matt 21:1-11/*

*/1          And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,/*

*/2          Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me./*

*/3          And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them./*

21:1–3 On the way up from Jericho, Jesus came to the east side of *the Mount of Olives* where Bethany and *Bethphage* were located

 

This significant event is better understood against the background of the excitement and pageantry that accompanied the Passover celebrations.

First, as already noted, the attendance at Jerusalem was vast; and, as is usual with large crowds, there was a festive mood and the people were ready for any excitement or spectacle.

Second, as there was insufficient accommodation in Jerusalem, many pilgrims lived in booths (tents) in the surrounding environs.

So there would have been many pilgrims close to the route Jesus followed from Bethany; a crowd of some tens of thousands could well have participated in the triumphal entry.

Third, Jerusalem’s inhabitants traditionally welcomed the arriving pilgrims with an antiphonal chant based on Ps 118:25–28.

Jerusalemites would chant the first half of each of these verses, while the arriving pilgrims responded with the last half, and in unison they would sing v.29, concluding with Ps 103:17.

What a scene to witness: Jerusalem’s inhabitants going out in the evening to meet the pilgrims arriving from Jericho after their long, slogging, day-long climb, the hills around Jerusalem reverberating to their antiphonal chants (the psalms of ‘ascent’ were used for this purpose, hence their name).

He *sent two disciples* to Bethany with the foreknowledge that they would *find a* tethered *donkey, and a colt with her*.

They were to untie the animals and *bring them to* Jesus.

If challenged, they were to explain that *the Lord* needed the beasts.

Then the owner would consent.

Perhaps the owner knew Jesus and had previously offered to help Him.

Or this incident may demonstrate the omniscience and supreme authority of the Lord.

Everything happened just as Jesus had predicted.

*/ /*

*/4          All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,/*

*/5          Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass./*

*/ /*

21:4, 5 The requisitioning of the animals fulfilled predictions by Isaiah and Zechariah:

*“Tell the daughter of Zion,*

*‘Behold, your King is coming to you*,

*Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,*

*A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”*

*/ /*

*/ /*

*/ /*

*/6          And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,/*

21:6 After *the disciples* had spread their garments on the animals, Jesus mounted the colt (Mark 11:7) and rode onward to Jerusalem.

It was a historic moment.

Sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy had now run out, according to Sir Robert Anderson (see his computations in the book /The Coming Prince/).

Next the Messiah would be cut off (Dan.

9:26).

In riding into Jerusalem in this manner, the Lord Jesus made a deliberate, unveiled claim to being the Messiah.

Lange notes:

He fulfills intentionally a prophecy which at His time was unanimously interpreted of the Messiah.

If He has previously considered the declaration of His dignity as dangerous, He now counts silence inconceivable.

... It was hereafter never possible to say that He had never declared Himself in a wholly unequivocal manner.

When Jerusalem was afterwards accused of the murder of the Messiah, it should not be able to say that the Messiah had omitted to give a sign intelligible for all alike.

*/ /*

*/7          And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon./*

*/8          And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way./*

*/ /*

21:7, 8* *The Lord rode to the city on a carpet of *clothes* and palm *branches*, with the acclamation of the people ringing in His ears.

For a moment, at least, He was acknowledged as King.

*/ /*

*/ /*

*/9          And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest./*

*/ /*

21:9* The multitudes* shouted, *“Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”*

This quotation from Psalm 118:25, 26 obviously applies to the Messiah’s advent.

*Hosanna* originally meant “save now”; perhaps the people meant, “Save us from our Roman oppressors.”

Later the term became an exclamation of praise.

The phrases, *“Son of David”* and, *“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,”* both clearly indicate that Jesus was being recognized as the Messiah.

He is the Blessed One who comes by Jehovah’s authority to do His will.

Mark’s account records as part of the crowd’s shouts the phrase, “Blessed is the kingdom of our Father David that comes in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:10).

This indicates that the people thought the kingdom was about to be set up with Christ sitting on the throne of David.

In shouting, *“Hosanna in the highest,”* the crowd was calling on the heavens to join the earth in praising the Messiah, and perhaps calling on Him to save from the highest heavens.

J.

/Hosanna!/

P.     Hosanna to the Son of David!

J.     /Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!/

P.     Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!

J.     /The King of Israel!/

P.     Blessed is the Kingdom of our father David, that comes in the name of the Lord!

U.     Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!

Hosanna in the highest!

However, the nation’s leaders, too, were in the crowd—the Gospels mention them three times (Luke 19:39; John 12:19; Matt 14:15); their presence is both sinister and negative.

John 12:19; Luke 19:39; Matt 21:15–16 together present the confusion which reigned among them; it seemed to them that their worst fears about Jesus were materializing before their very eyes.

The common people, on the other hand, though happy to welcome their King, still focused on the physical benefits of the Messiah’s reign, and not on the spiritual Kingdom that Jesus offered (Luke 19:37, 42 supplements John 12:17–18 in indicating that the crowd’s acclaim was because of Jesus’ spectacular works, not because of His spiritual message).

This combination held no hope: with the hierarchy’s antagonism added to the populace’s interest only in His physical provision, Jesus would not force His spiritual Kingdom on them.

Jesus, alone in all that crowd, was sad, for He could see the course of Jerusalem’s future history.

As a consequence of the nation rejecting Him, God would punish them most severely, and that punishment would start with the destruction of the very Jerusalem He was about to enter.

Luke 19:41–44 prophesies that destruction in such remarkable detail that it alone vindicates Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah.

Mark 11:11 records that, once in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple—not inside the temple but into the courtyard.

Presumably it was the house of God, but He was not at home in this temple because the priests and people refused to give Him His rightful place.

After looking around briefly, the Savior withdrew to Bethany with the twelve.

It was Sunday evening.

* *

* *

*QUESTIONS:*

#.

What type of ‘PRAISE’ are you offering?

* Jn. 4 (….ye

worship ye know not what…)

* Matt 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

(KJV)

*  

*/ /*

*/ /*

*/10        And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?/*

*/11        And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee/*.

21:10, 11* *Meanwhile, inside *the city* there was bewilderment as to His identity.

Those who asked were told only that He was *Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

*From this it seems that few really understood He was the Messiah.

In less than a week, the fickle crowd would be crying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

 

 

QUESTIONS:

 

#.

The People weren’t referring to Jesus as the King because of spiritual matters but what they knew him to do physically (i.e.

feeding 5000, etc.,).

Are we guilty also of only looking and praising the Lord for his ‘physical blessings’?

Seldom do we hear in a testimony how the Lord has changed our attitudes, given us a forgiving spirit, talk us to love the hard to love, to be more spiritual minded, live more holy.

We hear about the blessings of a job.