Central Christian Church - Lampasas

“Hosanna!” was the word that began the most explosive 7 days in all of eternity. Never would there be a week, nor a word, that would so profoundly impact every life in recorded history.

It was Passover week in Jerusalem and nearly 2.5 million people were crowding the streets of this ancient city. All adult Jewish males were required to come to Jerusalem three times a year with Passover being one of those times. What a week for the presentation of a King!

As Jesus rode through the jammed streets, the mass of humanity threw their cloaks on the way ahead of Him. Fittingly, such was the historical way that a population would welcome their victorious king home from battle.

This exuberant crowd also cut branches from trees along the way and threw them in front of the King on His donkey. They waved the branches high above their heads as they proclaimed, “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

These people were worshippers! They were declaring, “Everything that we have is Yours, Jesus!”

The holy city of Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims who had come for the annual Passover celebration. Jesus had spent many months traveling through the towns and villages of Palestine. He preached about the kingdom of God and healed the sick wherever He went. Now the time had come for Him to claim His title as the Messiah - the Savior that God had promised to the Jewish people.

Jesus knew His mission was almost finished. As they traveled to Jerusalem, Jesus warned His disciples that He would soon be put to death, and after three days He would rise again.

As they came near Jerusalem, Jesus told two of His disciples to go into a nearby village and bring a donkey that would be waiting there. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Crowds of people spread their coats on the ground in front of Him. Some waved branches of palm trees, a sign of victory. The people shouted,: Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord –the King of Israel!

Only a king would be greeted this way (2 Kings 9:13), and the people wanted Jesus to be their king. To understand what is about to take place in our passage today, it’s important to grasp at least three background details.

BACKGROUND

First, everyone in Israel knew that the Messiah would be enthroned as King in Jerusalem. The Old Testament makes it very clear that the coming King would do His main work in the city of David. Since the Garden of Eden, all of heaven and earth have been waiting for that moment when Messiah would enter Jerusalem for the last time. The scarlet thread of redemption weaves its way throughout Scripture and will culminate on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Second, the Passover feast was just about to begin. This celebration brought many spiritual pilgrims to Jerusalem and fueled the fires of spiritual and messianic expectations. Historians tell us that it was not unusual to have between two and three million people in Jerusalem for the Passover.

On the Passover, the paschal lamb is slain, just as it was at the beginning of the exodus. This yearly reminder served to help the Israelites never forget that it was the blood of the lamb that provided their deliverance. Now, Jesus the Lamb of God is about to be slain once-for-all, for the remission of sins.

Third, Jesus had recently performed several spectacular miracles that attracted the crowds and further fueled their messianic enthusiasm. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, John 11:45-46 tells us that many of the Jews put their faith in Christ. Others went away and told the Pharisees what had happened. The growing popularity of Jesus alarmed the religious leaders. They met together after Lazarus was raised from the dead, and from that day on, they were intent on killing Jesus. In fact, they were also planning to kill Lazarus.

It’s difficult for us 2000 years removed from this event to grasp the mood of that time. The people were looking for the Messiah, and Jesus was a likely candidate. The moment was right as He headed to the capital city. The people were excited and pumped. They couldn’t wait for a King to come and free them from Roman rule. In contrast, the religious leaders were intent on putting Jesus to death and were just waiting for the right opportunity.

As we come to this passage, we will examine how we can welcome the King this morning:

1. Welcome Him with Obedience (19:28-35a)
2. Welcome Him with Gifts (19:35b-36)
3. Welcome Him with Praise (19:37-40)

Welcome Him With Obedience

In Luke 19:28, I picture Jesus walking ahead of the disciples, more determined than ever to enter the city of David. This is why He had come. It’s almost as if He couldn’t wait to complete His job. The disciples may have been following rather reluctantly; perhaps they were even dragging their sandals. They knew very well that their Master was already under the sentence of death by the Jewish leaders.

Luke 19:29 tells us that Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethany, which was just two miles east of Jerusalem. John 12:1 indicates that He was there six days before Passover, which would have been on a Sabbath. According to my harmony of the gospels, after sunset he was invited to the home of Simon the leper, where he met with the risen Lazarus and was served a meal by his sisters. After supper Mary anointed His feet with expensive burial oil.

The next day was Sunday and Jesus began his final walk to Jerusalem. At the hill called the Mount of Olives, he called for two of his disciples to do a special assignment for him. The Mount of Olives is a place of great significance. According to Zechariah 14:4, the Messiah was to appear on this mountain. Interestingly, during His last week on earth, Jesus spent His nights there. It’s also where Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse, where He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and from where He ascended into heaven (see Acts 1:12).

Jesus spells it out for them very specifically. Somehow, He knew all about the colt that would be tied up. Matthew tells us that the colt was a donkey and that it was with its mother. The disciples are instructed to bring both, perhaps to help the colt not be so wild.

These animals were quite expensive, and we see in verse 32 that there were at least two people who had gone in together to buy these donkeys. In our culture today, it would be like someone coming up to a bright red convertible Porsche, opening the door, starting the car and driving away. When the owner comes running outside you would just say, “The Lord needs it.”

Some cultural background helps at this point. According to a custom called angaria, a dignitary could procure use of property for personal reasons. It would be like a president coming up to you and telling you that he needed to use your car.

Another important point to make is this. When the disciples were sent to get a colt, Jesus was putting into place yet one more very specific prophecy about who He was. In Zechariah 9:9, which was written some five hundred years earlier, we read,

Now, keep in mind that many of the followers of Jesus were hoping that the Messiah would come with power and overthrow the Roman government. The one who raised Lazarus from the dead could certainly defeat the Romans. As they bowed down to Rome, they longed for a warrior king who would come on a great white horse, like King David did one thousand years earlier when he wiped out the Philistines. You can imagine the confusion in their minds when the people saw their Messiah ask for a baby donkey.

Jesus was about to enter the city of David not as a warrior Messiah who would physically conquer the Roman army, but as the prophetic Prince of Peace who would seek to conquer the spiritual hearts of people. Many in the crowd would have understood the message behind the symbolism.

While the disciples obeyed without asking any questions, I wonder what was really going through their minds. They could have been amazed, once again, that everything was just as Jesus said it would be. Or, they could have wondered what went wrong with the script. You may recall that shortly before this, the disciples were arguing about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom. They were hoping Jesus was going to set up His cabinet and begin His reign in Jerusalem. But, instead of ruling, the disciples find themselves running errands and saddling donkeys, not marching in places of honor. Nevertheless, they obeyed.

Are you as quick to obey as the disciples were ­ even when you don’t understand everything that’s going on? When you discover clear commands in the Bible, do you follow or do you falter? Do you need to own up for any deliberate deeds of disobedience right now? If so, do it. Determine to welcome the king with an obedient heart. John 14:15 reminds us that if we say we love Jesus, then we will obey what He commands.

Welcome the King with Gifts

The first way we can welcome Jesus this Palm Sunday is by our obedience. The second way is by welcoming the King with our gifts.

There were at least three gifts given that day. The first one was the colt. The owners didn’t question the disciples after they were told the colt was for Jesus. Maybe they had heard of Jesus before and were happy to give their possession away. They gladly gave Him what rightfully belonged to Him anyway. As the Creator, Jesus has every right to possess what is ultimately His. Someone has suggested that the owners may have been laughing to themselves because they knew that this little colt had never been ridden before and would give the rider quite a ride!

Not only did Zechariah prophecy about the Messiah riding a colt, the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem on the back of a donkey brought back memories of King Solomon’s procession to Gihon in 1 Kings 1:38-39:

In 19:35-36 We learn about the second second gift that was given to Jesus. The disciples put their cloaks on the colt as a saddle for Him and
They willingly took off their outer garments and laid some of them on the colt and others were placed on the road in front of Jesus.

Can you imagine what all this commotion would have done to the colt? Remember, it had never been ridden before and now Jesus was on its back, the crowd was shouting, and cloaks and palm branches were being laid in front of it as it walked down the hill toward Jerusalem.

The laying of cloaks on the road would be like rolling out the red carpet for someone today. In 2 Kings 9:13, people spread cloaks under King Jehu as he walked on the bare stairs. The people recognized Jesus as royalty and gave Him the honor afforded a King.

The third gift ­ the laying of palm branches on the road was a common way to welcome a victorious King when he would return from battle. These palm branches were also a symbol of joy and victory and were placed on graves as a sign of eternal life. Since they often grew out in the desert near water, palm trees were a sign that life-giving activity was near. By laying palm branches on the road, the people were signifying that Jesus was the victorious King who gives eternal life to those out wandering in the desert of life.

The gifts of the colt, the cloaks, and the branches all point to who Jesus is. What started out as a Jewish feast is now turning into a Messiah celebration. The colt was expensive, the cloaks were essential, and the branches were an expression of joy. Friend, what can you give to welcome the King today? Is He asking you to give something that is expensive? Is He longing for you to give something that you consider essential? Or, have you been holding out on an expression of joy? If you want to welcome the King, you can do so with your gifts. While there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven, or nothing we can give to impress Jesus, our giving does demonstrate our love and devotion.

Welcome the King With Praise

The followers of the King welcome Him with obedience and with their gifts. We see next that they welcome the King with their praise. If they started with preparation they now break out into celebration.

The language suggests that it was more than just the 12 disciples who were praising God. At this point, there were many followers of Christ, and as they move down the mountain, the city of Jerusalem comes into view, causing them to get even more excited.

The people broke out into a great spontaneous outpouring of praise. Sadly, however, these same vocal cords with which they praised God for the Messiah’s entry would be used just a few days later to scream, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

This is a quotation from Psalm 118. The phrase comes in the name of the Lord means that Jesus is coming according to the promise of God. This Psalm speaks of the coming Messiah and was sung aloud during the Passover meal. By singing this Psalm, the followers of Christ are declaring that Jesus is the sent King who comes with the very authority of God. Matthew 21:9 tells us that they included the word, “Hosanna” which means save now. There was a feeling of celebration, exaltation, and adoration for what they were anticipating would come to pass.

The religious leaders knew that the crowd was declaring Jesus as the Messiah and so they tell Jesus to reject the claim and to rebuke his followers. These claims are offensive to the religious leaders.

If the disciples do not speak, creation will. Just as Jesus calmed the wild colt, so too He can command an inanimate object like a rock to praise Him because He is the creator of all things. Or, to put it another way, Jesus is saying, “If I stop my disciples from singing Psalm 118, then you’re going to hear a literal ‘rock concert!’”

Instead of rebuking the disciples, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees by implying that the rocks know more about what is taking place than they do! By the way, in effect this was literally fulfilled when we read in Matthew 27:51, that after Jesus died, “…the earth shook and the rocks split.” The rocks responded to Jesus even though the Pharisees didn’t.

How are you doing at welcoming the King with praise? Do you have moments in your schedule in which you stop and break out into adoration? Do you start and end your day with praise and worship? When you come here on Sundays to worship collectively with others is it the culmination of a week of personal worship experiences or is it your only time of praise?