WEBVTT 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:06.860 It may surprise some people to learn that one 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:11.099 half of the materials recorded in the Gospels, 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:15.679 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, deals with the 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:18.859 final week of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:25.539 The other half deals with 33 years. But one half 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:28.920 of the total material of the Gospels focuses 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:33.979 upon this last week. of his earthly ministry. 00:00:35.179 --> 00:00:38.299 It would seem that obviously that is the main 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.640 point in their writing. There are some people 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:45.020 who might wonder if there is really that much 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:49.000 else to tell. Well, you may remember that John 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.520 the Apostle conjectured that the world itself 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:56.700 would not be able to contain all of the books 00:00:56.700 --> 00:01:01.380 that should be written. recording the instances 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:06.780 in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:10.319 there are some scholars today who tell us that 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:14.000 Jesus in his ministry, for example, healed so 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:18.099 many people that disease was practically wiped 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:22.659 out in Palestine in those years that he was alive 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:27.319 on the earth. The writers carefully selected, 00:01:27.379 --> 00:01:31.019 however, the material, that they wrote. That, 00:01:31.140 --> 00:01:33.260 of course, was done under the supervision of 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:37.319 God's Holy Spirit so that they wrote inerrantly 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:42.859 and yet purposefully. The Gospels are not intended 00:01:42.859 --> 00:01:46.099 to be a complete record of the life of the Lord 00:01:46.099 --> 00:01:50.579 Jesus Christ. Each writer had a specific purpose 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:56.260 and theme in view and collected by the direction 00:01:56.260 --> 00:02:01.060 of God's Spirit. the materials that would present 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:08.000 that theme. However, when we find an event or 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.039 a parable for that matter that is in two of the 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:15.060 Gospels or three of them or in some cases all 00:02:15.060 --> 00:02:20.000 four, we recognize there is something very significant 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:25.270 about it. And what we are... Thinking about today 00:02:25.270 --> 00:02:27.770 on this Palm Sunday and that which we will read 00:02:27.770 --> 00:02:31.509 in the Gospels, in the Gospel of Luke, is one 00:02:31.509 --> 00:02:36.030 such case. What is found here is recorded in 00:02:36.030 --> 00:02:39.770 each of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, John, as 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:42.990 well as Luke. We're going to read Luke's account 00:02:42.990 --> 00:02:49.560 beginning in verse 28 of chapter 19. And after 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.719 he had said these things, he was going on ahead, 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:56.199 ascending to Jerusalem. And it came about that 00:02:56.199 --> 00:03:00.240 when he approached Bethphage and Bethany, near 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:03.780 the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two 00:03:03.780 --> 00:03:07.780 of the disciples, saying, Go into the village 00:03:07.780 --> 00:03:10.419 opposite you, in which as you enter you will 00:03:10.419 --> 00:03:14.639 find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:18.280 sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:21.699 asks you, Why are you untying it? Thus shall 00:03:21.699 --> 00:03:25.439 you speak, The Lord has need of it. And those 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.259 who were sent went away and found it, just as 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:31.599 he had told them. And as they were untying the 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:34.259 colt, its owner said to them, Why are you untying 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:37.460 the colt? And he said, The Lord has need of it. 00:03:38.219 --> 00:03:41.500 And they brought it to Jesus. And they threw 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:44.259 their garments on the colt and put Jesus on it. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.960 And as he was going, They were spreading their 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:51.319 garments in the road. And as he was now approaching 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:54.560 near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:57.439 whole multitude of the disciples began to praise 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:01.560 God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:05.439 which they had seen, saying, Blessed is the King 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:09.000 who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:13.580 and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:16.600 in the multitude said to him, Teacher, rebuke 00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:19.959 your disciples. And he answered and said, I tell 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:23.319 you, if these become silent, the stones will 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:27.740 cry out. When he approached, he saw the city 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:32.180 and wept over it, saying, If you had known in 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:34.800 this day, even you, the things which make for 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:37.959 peace, but now they have been hidden from your 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:42.420 eyes, for the days shall come upon you, when 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:45.220 your enemies will throw up a bank before you, 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:48.500 and surround you and hem you in on every side, 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:51.879 and will level you to the ground and your children 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:55.720 within you. They will not leave in you one stone 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:59.319 upon another, because you did not recognize the 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:04.060 time of your visitation. We see in this text 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:08.540 quite a contrast of emotion. It is drama in its 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:12.980 highest form. We see first the ecstasy of the 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:16.569 crowd. to be followed by the agony of the Christ. 00:05:18.329 --> 00:05:22.509 I believe that this event underscores the determination 00:05:22.509 --> 00:05:26.410 of Jesus Christ to accomplish our redemption 00:05:26.410 --> 00:05:30.310 on the cross. Think with me of the triumphal 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:33.129 entry as we find it in verses 28 through 40. 00:05:33.589 --> 00:05:37.930 What we see here is not happenstance. It is not 00:05:37.930 --> 00:05:46.000 accidental. It is not coincidental. In the first 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:50.399 place, the timing of it was determined. We see 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:53.560 in verse 28, and after he had said these things, 00:05:53.660 --> 00:05:56.639 he was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem. 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.060 The picture is that Jesus is out in front of 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:02.439 the disciples and those who were following along, 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:06.699 leading the way, pressing on with urgency and 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:12.050 vigor toward the city of Jerusalem. Actually, 00:06:12.129 --> 00:06:17.310 sometime before this day, Jesus had determined 00:06:17.310 --> 00:06:22.389 to go to Jerusalem. Turn back with me a few pages 00:06:22.389 --> 00:06:26.290 to Luke chapter 9, where we see this mentioned 00:06:26.290 --> 00:06:34.170 by the writer. Verse 51, And it came about when 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:37.230 the days were approaching for his ascension. 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:40.759 What does that mean? That means his return to 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:44.259 the Father, his exaltation to heaven once again. 00:06:44.819 --> 00:06:47.459 When those days were approaching for that to 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:52.759 take place, he resolutely set his face to go 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:58.980 to Jerusalem. The time for his return to the 00:06:58.980 --> 00:07:03.019 Father's presence was near at hand, and therefore 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:06.779 he set his face as though it were a flint. to 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.480 go to the city of Jerusalem and there accomplish 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:15.199 the will of his Father. Jesus' statement in Luke 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:21.339 9 .51 comes right after the climax of his Galilean 00:07:21.339 --> 00:07:27.740 ministry. He had fed 5 ,000 men, not counting 00:07:27.740 --> 00:07:33.240 the women and the children. He was exalted for 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:36.819 that great miracle that he performed. And yet 00:07:36.819 --> 00:07:40.019 got alone with his disciples and queried, Who 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:43.800 do the men and women say that I am? And they 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:47.040 responded what the crowd was saying. And he said, 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:50.720 But who do you say that I am? And Peter, answering 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:54.639 for the group, said, You're the Christ, the Son 00:07:54.639 --> 00:08:00.220 of the living God. And immediately after he had 00:08:00.220 --> 00:08:03.480 spoken those words, Jesus replied to Peter and 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:07.779 to his disciples, the very first word of prophecy 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:12.620 regarding his own death. In verse 22 of this 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:15.339 chapter, the Son of Man must suffer many things 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:18.660 and be rejected by the elders and chief priests 00:08:18.660 --> 00:08:22.579 and scribes and be killed and be raised up on 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:26.220 the third day. And he was saying to them all, 00:08:26.300 --> 00:08:28.439 if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:32.080 himself and take up his cross daily and follow 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:39.789 me. pinnacle of His popularity in Galilee, Jesus 00:08:39.789 --> 00:08:44.129 announces to His disciples that His purpose was 00:08:44.129 --> 00:08:47.789 not found in the exaltation of the crowd, but 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:50.629 rather it was to be found in His rejection by 00:08:50.629 --> 00:08:55.509 them, His death, and His resurrection. And He 00:08:55.509 --> 00:08:58.350 tells them for the first time of their own cross 00:08:58.350 --> 00:09:01.590 that they must be willing to take up if they 00:09:01.590 --> 00:09:06.929 were to follow Him. It is at that point that 00:09:06.929 --> 00:09:11.129 Luke begins to write material that is mostly 00:09:11.129 --> 00:09:15.110 unique to his gospel. And these chapters from 00:09:15.110 --> 00:09:18.649 Luke 9 up to 19 contain some of the most beloved 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:22.110 of all the parables that Jesus told. But I want 00:09:22.110 --> 00:09:25.570 you to notice with me how determined Jesus was 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:29.409 to be in Jerusalem on time. Look at verse 53 00:09:29.409 --> 00:09:32.899 of this chapter 9. And they did not receive him 00:09:32.899 --> 00:09:36.620 because he was journeying with his face toward 00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:42.419 Jerusalem. Look in chapter 13, verse 22. All 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:44.779 of this time he's walking, moving, ministering 00:09:44.779 --> 00:09:49.500 to people, but in the same direction. Verse 22 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:53.059 says, And he was passing through from one city 00:09:53.059 --> 00:09:55.919 and village to another, teaching and proceeding 00:09:55.919 --> 00:10:02.070 on his way to Jerusalem. Chapter 17, verse 11. 00:10:03.850 --> 00:10:07.350 And it came about while he was on his way to 00:10:07.350 --> 00:10:10.830 Jerusalem that he was passing between Samaria 00:10:10.830 --> 00:10:16.009 and Galilee. Chapter 18, verse 31. And he took 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:18.889 the twelve aside and said to them, Behold, we 00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:22.710 are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which 00:10:22.710 --> 00:10:24.730 are written through the prophets about the Son 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:28.740 of Man will be accomplished. For he will be delivered 00:10:28.740 --> 00:10:31.200 to the Gentiles and will be mocked and mistreated 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:34.580 and spit upon. And after they have scourged him, 00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:37.440 they will kill him. And the third day he will 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:42.039 rise again. The Lord Jesus Christ had to be in 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:47.159 Jerusalem for this Passover feast in order that 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:49.919 the prophecies of the Old Testament might be 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:53.539 fulfilled. And as we come to our text now in 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:58.279 chapter 19, verse 28. That time has come. The 00:10:58.279 --> 00:11:01.120 determined time has arrived and he is coming 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.519 to Jerusalem right on schedule. The day in which 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:10.679 this took place, this triumphal entry, was the 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:15.679 Sunday preceding his crucifixion and exactly 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:20.299 seven days before his resurrection from the tomb. 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:24.789 That is why it is called Palm Sunday. and recognized 00:11:24.789 --> 00:11:28.990 and celebrated on this day. I want you to put 00:11:28.990 --> 00:11:31.950 yourself in your mind back to that day 2 ,000 00:11:31.950 --> 00:11:35.590 years ago, and let's try to recreate something 00:11:35.590 --> 00:11:38.549 of the mood and the atmosphere in Jerusalem at 00:11:38.549 --> 00:11:41.970 that time. Let's notice first of all this crowd 00:11:41.970 --> 00:11:45.570 that is gathering. There is a certain mood running 00:11:45.570 --> 00:11:48.970 through the crowd. It is not necessarily a pleasant 00:11:48.970 --> 00:11:53.429 one. Storm clouds were brewing. in that multitude. 00:11:54.210 --> 00:11:59.250 They had seen, they had heard, they had watched 00:11:59.250 --> 00:12:03.610 the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only 00:12:03.610 --> 00:12:06.850 that, but word had come to them about Lazarus, 00:12:06.889 --> 00:12:10.350 living but two miles from Jerusalem, who had 00:12:10.350 --> 00:12:12.529 been raised from the dead, and some of them had 00:12:12.529 --> 00:12:16.070 been there and seen it. They had heard as well 00:12:16.070 --> 00:12:19.470 about a blind man back down at Jericho just a 00:12:19.470 --> 00:12:23.389 day or two before this. who had been healed of 00:12:23.389 --> 00:12:26.970 his blindness miraculously. These reports were 00:12:26.970 --> 00:12:31.230 coming together. They wondered whether this one 00:12:31.230 --> 00:12:36.049 Jesus of Nazareth would use the power that was 00:12:36.049 --> 00:12:41.649 his to throw off the Roman yoke of bondage. And 00:12:41.649 --> 00:12:44.490 so there were storm clouds brewing in that multitude. 00:12:44.710 --> 00:12:46.850 They had heard of the miracles. They had seen 00:12:46.850 --> 00:12:51.460 the things he had done. They had heard the teachings. 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:55.899 They knew his great power with crowds. And they 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:59.460 wondered, he is coming, will he use this opportunity 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:04.120 to deliver us from Rome? The disciples who were 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:06.519 walking with Jesus had the advantage of personal 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:10.700 revelation from him. And yet they were confused 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:14.299 about what Jesus was saying. They were unwilling 00:13:14.299 --> 00:13:19.019 to accept his words about dying. for that was 00:13:19.019 --> 00:13:24.340 too incredible that he should be killed. And 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:29.580 yet they despaired because of those words. Thomas 00:13:29.580 --> 00:13:32.759 said, let's go up to Jerusalem so that we can 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:38.179 die with him. Jesus himself knew what lay ahead. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.840 You and I can only try to imagine the thoughts 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:47.759 of his own heart. The climax for his coming was... 00:13:48.090 --> 00:13:52.809 just at hand. And with a certain joy, he anticipated 00:13:52.809 --> 00:13:56.710 these days in Jerusalem and what would be accomplished. 00:13:57.629 --> 00:14:00.629 He was not coming to Jerusalem as a reluctant 00:14:00.629 --> 00:14:03.850 martyr, but he was coming rather as a sovereign 00:14:03.850 --> 00:14:07.690 Savior who was going to lay down his life and 00:14:07.690 --> 00:14:11.029 then take it up again that he might redeem lost 00:14:11.029 --> 00:14:17.779 men. And then, along with... The disciples and 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:21.879 the crowd were those who were his declared enemies. 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:29.379 The elders, the scribes, the Pharisees, they 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:34.240 fretted and fumed over his popularity with the 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:37.620 crowds. They attacked him for his teachings. 00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:42.360 They sought some way to put an end to his challenge 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:45.500 of their position of leadership before the people. 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:50.080 Therefore they plotted his death, how they might 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:54.840 kill him. And already at this time, on this Sunday 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:58.480 that we examine in this text, they had issued 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:01.899 a decree for his arrest, according to John 11, 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:06.139 57. So do you see what was taking place that 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:10.299 day? There was the mixing together of elements 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:16.389 that made an explosion inevitable. In the crowd 00:15:16.389 --> 00:15:19.370 there was a messianic fever that was rising. 00:15:21.929 --> 00:15:25.029 It was fed by the words of Bartimaeus when he 00:15:25.029 --> 00:15:28.409 was healed, and he cried out, Jesus, thou Son 00:15:28.409 --> 00:15:33.370 of what? David, have mercy upon me. And they 00:15:33.370 --> 00:15:36.250 all recognized that that title, Son of David, 00:15:36.350 --> 00:15:40.490 had a messianic implication. And so what even 00:15:40.490 --> 00:15:43.870 Bartimaeus, that blind man said, fed that messianic 00:15:43.870 --> 00:15:46.919 fever. that expectation that was rising in the 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:51.580 nation. Jesus was not a victim of these circumstances. 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:55.440 Indeed, he was in control of them and of this 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:59.799 popular mass movement. You see, the timing of 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:02.419 all of this was determined by God. He was bringing 00:16:02.419 --> 00:16:06.960 it about just at the right time. My friend, as 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:10.360 you and I walk in the will of God, we need to 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:16.230 learn to relax in the timing of God. We may not 00:16:16.230 --> 00:16:19.549 be able to understand what is taking place around 00:16:19.549 --> 00:16:25.090 us. We may even be tempted to disappointment 00:16:25.090 --> 00:16:28.470 because our plans did not turn out as we wanted 00:16:28.470 --> 00:16:33.110 them to. But let's learn to relax in the perfect 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:39.750 timing of God. As Jesus went toward that city, 00:16:39.889 --> 00:16:41.990 the timing was perfect and it was determined 00:16:41.990 --> 00:16:47.830 by God. But so were the details. Such an interesting 00:16:47.830 --> 00:16:49.990 account, as they came to the Mount of Olives, 00:16:50.009 --> 00:16:53.990 Jesus sent two of his disciples to a little village 00:16:53.990 --> 00:16:58.750 nearby to pick up his transportation into the 00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:03.230 city. And that transportation was a colt that 00:17:03.230 --> 00:17:07.869 had never been ridden before. We have here a 00:17:07.869 --> 00:17:12.950 record of his omniscience. For the Lord Jesus 00:17:12.950 --> 00:17:15.369 Christ was able to tell his disciples where the 00:17:15.369 --> 00:17:17.049 colt was, what it would be like, it would be 00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:19.009 with his mother. And he said, they're going to 00:17:19.009 --> 00:17:20.930 say this to you and you reply in this way and 00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:24.829 they'll let you have the colt. Now it may be 00:17:24.829 --> 00:17:26.869 that these people knew Jesus so that when the 00:17:26.869 --> 00:17:29.289 disciples responded, the Lord has need of him, 00:17:29.369 --> 00:17:31.230 they knew exactly who they were talking about. 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:35.609 And so they gave the colt willingly. Jesus was 00:17:35.609 --> 00:17:38.289 not taking the colt unfairly, the colt was to 00:17:38.289 --> 00:17:42.160 be returned. But it shows to us his omniscience, 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:46.240 how carefully these details were determined by 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:48.579 the Lord. We see exactly the same thing when 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:51.660 the Last Supper was arranged, where he told the 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:53.539 disciples to go in and make certain preparations, 00:17:53.779 --> 00:17:55.220 and he said, they're going to say this to you, 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:57.259 and you respond to them these words, and so on. 00:17:57.880 --> 00:18:00.900 Do you see how carefully the details are arranged? 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:04.900 And they are arranged for the fulfillment of 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:08.119 prophecy in the Old Testament. In the book of 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.099 Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 9, there is the prophecy 00:18:11.099 --> 00:18:14.440 that the king would come exactly as Jesus was 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:18.460 coming. We see that more clearly than in Luke. 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:20.920 In the record of Matthew, and I invite you to 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:24.500 turn back there to Matthew chapter 21, verses 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:29.039 4 and 5. It says, Now this took place that what 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.440 was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:35.619 saying, and here he quotes now Zechariah, Say 00:18:35.619 --> 00:18:38.180 to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:42.180 coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:46.680 even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.960 Do you see how carefully God arranged these details 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:55.420 for the exact fulfillment of the prophetic word? 00:18:56.900 --> 00:18:59.799 And notice that Jesus the king, the Messiah, 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:04.779 did not come riding into Jerusalem. on a horse, 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:10.619 an animal of war. But he came riding on a donkey, 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:19.420 even a young, unbroken colt of a donkey, an animal 00:19:19.420 --> 00:19:24.339 of service. That tells us, yes, of his humility 00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:27.819 and his gentleness, but it speaks of something 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:31.619 else. According to some commentators, including 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:35.910 G. Campbell Morgan, There were donkeys that were 00:19:35.910 --> 00:19:43.690 especially kept in that day for royalty, so that 00:19:43.690 --> 00:19:47.190 in certain instances when royalty wished to announce 00:19:47.190 --> 00:19:51.869 its presence, the king would get on to the donkey 00:19:51.869 --> 00:19:55.410 and ride through the crowds on a gentle beast 00:19:55.410 --> 00:20:01.089 of burden. Thus is the significance of a donkey 00:20:01.089 --> 00:20:04.890 being chosen. For Jesus to enter the city of 00:20:04.890 --> 00:20:08.009 Jerusalem. For he was not only coming in humility, 00:20:08.309 --> 00:20:14.170 but he was coming as declared royalty. He was 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:17.190 making the claim by the way he prepared to enter 00:20:17.190 --> 00:20:21.230 the city that he was in fact the king of Israel. 00:20:22.069 --> 00:20:26.490 And frankly it was intended to provoke the multitudes. 00:20:28.930 --> 00:20:32.940 He intended to stimulate them to the fervor that 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:36.380 we see recorded in the Word of God. He wanted 00:20:36.380 --> 00:20:43.180 public attention drawn to this event. The details 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:46.339 were carefully determined to accomplish exactly 00:20:46.339 --> 00:20:49.519 that. And then we see as well that the praise 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:54.700 was determined. For as the people shouted, they 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:59.319 shouted Scripture, including Psalm 118 verse 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:02.650 26. which is quoted here in the Gospel of Luke. 00:21:03.230 --> 00:21:06.549 That psalm, by the way, may have been written 00:21:06.549 --> 00:21:09.509 at the laying of the foundation of the second 00:21:09.509 --> 00:21:14.190 temple, or perhaps at the dedication of that 00:21:14.190 --> 00:21:18.329 same temple. Others say it may have been written 00:21:18.329 --> 00:21:21.289 for the Feast of Tabernacles, which was celebrated 00:21:21.289 --> 00:21:25.390 at that day. Nonetheless, it comes from that 00:21:25.390 --> 00:21:29.490 same time period, the return... from captivity 00:21:29.490 --> 00:21:35.490 of the Jews to their land. They had the city, 00:21:35.609 --> 00:21:44.130 they had the temple, but they had no king. Now 00:21:44.130 --> 00:21:48.250 their king comes. And the psalm that had been 00:21:48.250 --> 00:21:50.549 written hundreds of years before to celebrate 00:21:50.549 --> 00:21:53.950 the temple and the city of Jerusalem and the 00:21:53.950 --> 00:21:57.400 reestablishment of the feasts of the Lord. That 00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:00.180 psalm is used as the basis for the praise of 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:05.099 the king who was coming to Jerusalem. They shouted, 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:12.160 Hosanna. The word simply means, save now. But 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.660 it is an exclamation which came to be equivalent, 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:22.880 essentially, to the statement we hear today sometimes, 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:30.250 God save the king. In other words, this statement, 00:22:30.390 --> 00:22:35.490 Hosanna, was more than a cry for saving, but 00:22:35.490 --> 00:22:38.569 it was actually an exclamation which saluted 00:22:38.569 --> 00:22:43.630 a sovereign. So that as they said, Hosanna, they 00:22:43.630 --> 00:22:49.150 were declaring this one to be the king. And that 00:22:49.150 --> 00:22:53.349 is why the enemies responded as they did. Furthermore, 00:22:53.490 --> 00:22:57.470 they took palm branches, the fronds of palms. 00:22:58.140 --> 00:23:01.640 And they waved them in the air. And they took 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:05.619 their coats and threw them down on that dusty 00:23:05.619 --> 00:23:09.599 road so that the donkey would have something 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:13.000 to walk on. You didn't do that for everybody. 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:18.819 You only did that for royalty. For royalty. And 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:23.200 so everything they were doing and saying proclaimed 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:32.029 Jesus to be the king that he was. The enemy said, 00:23:32.329 --> 00:23:35.009 Teacher, rebuke your disciples. You see, they 00:23:35.009 --> 00:23:39.089 understood what all of this meant. And Jesus 00:23:39.089 --> 00:23:41.970 responded by these strange words, I tell you, 00:23:41.990 --> 00:23:44.470 if these become silent, the stones will cry out. 00:23:45.170 --> 00:23:47.609 What he may have meant by that was that it's 00:23:47.609 --> 00:23:52.630 impossible to shut up all of these people. Or 00:23:52.630 --> 00:23:56.349 he may literally have meant that if these people 00:23:56.349 --> 00:23:59.750 would be quiet, that somehow inanimate nature, 00:24:00.349 --> 00:24:05.670 would proclaim who he was. The interesting thing 00:24:05.670 --> 00:24:09.069 about this praise is that it was mostly superficial 00:24:09.069 --> 00:24:13.890 praise. The crowd was caught up in this idea 00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:19.289 of the Messiah. They expected the Messiah, however, 00:24:19.349 --> 00:24:26.950 to bring a Jewish kingdom to pass. And listen, 00:24:27.109 --> 00:24:32.059 that is why... many of these same people who 00:24:32.059 --> 00:24:38.059 proclaimed Hosanna on Palm Sunday cried, crucify 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:45.259 him later in the week. You see, they expected 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:48.299 that their Messiah King would take advantage 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:53.259 of this moment to throw off the yoke of Rome, 00:24:53.579 --> 00:25:01.700 and he did not do it. Not only that, but a few 00:25:01.700 --> 00:25:04.480 days later, he would allow himself to be arrested 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:10.019 without any resistance. He would be judged before 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:14.839 authorities and say only a few words and would 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:18.180 finally be placed upon a cross to die a shameful 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:26.420 death. That is a Messiah? Ha! And that is why 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:31.000 in 1 Corinthians 1 .23, the apostle says that 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:34.400 Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:40.720 Jews. Messiah crucified is unreasonable, it is 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:44.599 unthinkable, it is unexpected. And the nation 00:25:44.599 --> 00:25:51.359 stumbled over him. Yet as always, Jesus was quite 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:54.710 in control of this situation. He was determined 00:25:54.710 --> 00:25:58.589 that it should allow to be revealed who he was, 00:25:58.750 --> 00:26:03.849 and he was determined not to allow what was taking 00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:08.990 place to divert him from his cross work in a 00:26:08.990 --> 00:26:14.430 few days. Foster, in his book, The Final Week, 00:26:14.549 --> 00:26:17.529 says, Although Jesus brought it about that he 00:26:17.529 --> 00:26:20.490 entered the city in such startling messianic 00:26:20.490 --> 00:26:24.660 acclaim, Yet his purpose was not selfish ambition 00:26:24.660 --> 00:26:29.380 or vain display. The triumphal entry cannot be 00:26:29.380 --> 00:26:32.779 separated from the crucifixion, even as the latter 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:36.019 cannot be separated from the resurrection. Jesus 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:39.180 was deliberately coming up to Jerusalem to give 00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:41.779 his life as a ransom for the sins of mankind. 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:45.599 It was God's will that the sacrifice should be 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:49.180 made in such a public manner that the attention 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:53.690 of the world and of the ages should be concentrated 00:26:53.690 --> 00:26:58.049 upon it. He was not to be assassinated in a dark 00:26:58.049 --> 00:27:03.349 street or done to death in secret. And that is 00:27:03.349 --> 00:27:06.490 why he caused the focus of all of the people 00:27:06.490 --> 00:27:11.029 of Jerusalem to be upon him as that feast began, 00:27:11.369 --> 00:27:15.630 so that when its climax came and the Passover 00:27:15.630 --> 00:27:20.809 lamb was slain, he, God's lamb, would be crucified 00:27:20.809 --> 00:27:26.450 in the sight of them all for their sins. It surely 00:27:26.450 --> 00:27:29.890 is the focus of the ages. And the reason for 00:27:29.890 --> 00:27:32.509 this Palm Sunday is that it might be just exactly 00:27:32.509 --> 00:27:38.430 that. But then a strange thing happens. From 00:27:38.430 --> 00:27:43.650 this ecstasy of the crowd, we come to verse 41 00:27:43.650 --> 00:27:50.099 and we see the agony of the Christ. When he approached, 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:55.839 he saw the city and wept over it. And then he 00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:01.559 gave a warning. You see, as man he wept, as God 00:28:01.559 --> 00:28:06.799 he warned. And what he warned of was judgment. 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:13.119 In contrast to the ecstasy around him, his agony 00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:19.880 of spirit spilled over into tears. The word that 00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:22.900 is used here is not just the word for tears being 00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:25.619 in the eyes or trickling down the cheeks, but 00:28:25.619 --> 00:28:29.380 this is a strong word that means to lament with 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:34.960 sobs. It is a person who is weeping with such 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:42.480 emotion that his chest heaves. It is the kind 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:45.240 of emotion that would be expressed at the grave 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:51.720 of one who had died. With all of the ecstasy 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:57.920 around him, Jesus bursts into tears, and he speaks 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:02.140 of judgment. And the cause of judgment is found 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:07.119 in verse 42. He said, If you had known in this 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:09.980 day, even you, the things which make for peace. 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.759 The cause of judgment was the ignorance of the 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:20.029 nation. Indeed, the willful ignorance. of some 00:29:20.029 --> 00:29:25.849 of them. Their lack of peace. Their refusal to 00:29:25.849 --> 00:29:29.109 accept him for the Messiah that he was. They 00:29:29.109 --> 00:29:34.849 wanted a different kind of Messiah. They had 00:29:34.849 --> 00:29:37.690 rejected his teachings. They wanted his miracles. 00:29:39.329 --> 00:29:43.750 They had rejected his revelation of God. They 00:29:43.750 --> 00:29:48.750 wanted the bread that he could make. They had 00:29:48.750 --> 00:29:53.930 rejected repenting and coming to the Lord. They 00:29:53.930 --> 00:30:00.210 wanted a revolution against Rome. Judgment. And 00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:04.170 it was inevitable. He says, now they have been 00:30:04.170 --> 00:30:09.990 hidden from your eyes. At first Israel would 00:30:09.990 --> 00:30:13.930 not believe, and then Israel could not believe, 00:30:14.069 --> 00:30:19.039 because God gave them blindness. And my friend, 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:24.160 that is God's judicial act when the human heart 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:29.880 hardens itself. Pharaoh is another example, for 00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:32.240 he hardened his heart against what Moses was 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.019 saying, and in response to that, God hardened 00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:38.460 his heart. And here we see Israel as a nation 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:41.559 doing the same thing. They rejected their Messiah, 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:45.339 and therefore God gave them blindness so that 00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:50.140 they could not receive him. It was inevitable 00:30:50.140 --> 00:30:52.759 that the nation would be judged, and he describes 00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:56.119 the judgment. He says, the day shall come when 00:30:56.119 --> 00:30:58.140 your enemies will throw up a bank before you, 00:30:58.160 --> 00:31:00.759 surround you, and hem you in, and will level 00:31:00.759 --> 00:31:03.680 you to the ground, and will not leave one stone 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:10.380 upon another. In 40 years, approximately, this 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:16.150 prophecy was fulfilled exactly. In 66 A .D., 00:31:16.150 --> 00:31:19.009 Titus marched upon Jerusalem with the Roman armies 00:31:19.009 --> 00:31:24.190 to take the city. Apparently because of a warning 00:31:24.190 --> 00:31:26.589 that Jesus had given, there were believers in 00:31:26.589 --> 00:31:29.910 the city who escaped before they came. But once 00:31:29.910 --> 00:31:32.109 the soldiers got there, they surrounded the city 00:31:32.109 --> 00:31:35.849 and laid siege to it. And that siege didn't last 00:31:35.849 --> 00:31:41.730 for six months or a year. But my friend, it lasted 00:31:41.730 --> 00:31:46.960 four years. No one went into Jerusalem and no 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:52.240 one came out of the city. And it was so desperate 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:56.799 that some of the people even turned to cannibalism. 00:32:00.140 --> 00:32:03.059 And finally the armies threw up their banks against 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:07.119 the walls of the city, went in, took it. and 00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:10.799 then used ropes and horses, great teams of horses, 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:14.380 and they began to pull the buildings down until 00:32:14.380 --> 00:32:17.180 there was not one stone left on top of another 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:21.200 in the city of Jerusalem. Why did that happen? 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:26.640 Because the nation had rejected her Messiah. 00:32:28.599 --> 00:32:31.059 Jesus had said some words about this back in 00:32:31.059 --> 00:32:33.140 chapter 13. You may want to look at them. There's 00:32:33.140 --> 00:32:39.839 something additional here. Here he says in verse 00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:45.680 34, Luke 13, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:48.799 that kills the prophets and stones those sent 00:32:48.799 --> 00:32:52.279 to her. How often I wanted to gather your children 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:56.119 together just as a hen gathers her brood under 00:32:56.119 --> 00:33:00.619 her wings and you would not have it. You see 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:05.000 the rebellion, the resistance to God. Behold, 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:08.650 your house is left to you desolate. And I say 00:33:08.650 --> 00:33:12.690 to you, you shall not see me until the time comes 00:33:12.690 --> 00:33:16.309 when you say, blessed is he who comes in the 00:33:16.309 --> 00:33:18.589 name of the Lord. Does that sound familiar to 00:33:18.589 --> 00:33:23.950 you? Actually, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking 00:33:23.950 --> 00:33:28.150 of yet a future day, not the day when they spoke 00:33:28.150 --> 00:33:33.329 this as he entered the city on Palm Sunday. But 00:33:33.329 --> 00:33:35.970 the prophecy that Jesus speaks here is this. 00:33:37.609 --> 00:33:41.369 That on that day when they finally put him to 00:33:41.369 --> 00:33:44.829 death and rejected him, the nation would see 00:33:44.829 --> 00:33:50.710 him no more until he would return to the nation. 00:33:51.309 --> 00:33:54.089 And they would cry out, Blessed is he who comes 00:33:54.089 --> 00:33:57.049 in the name of the Lord. And that refers to his 00:33:57.049 --> 00:34:01.150 second coming. A time yet future when he will 00:34:01.150 --> 00:34:04.890 return to the earth, to Jerusalem, and will stand 00:34:04.890 --> 00:34:08.469 on the Mount of Olives again. and will enter 00:34:08.469 --> 00:34:12.349 the city of Jerusalem. And there will be another 00:34:12.349 --> 00:34:16.530 triumphal entry as he comes to establish then 00:34:16.530 --> 00:34:21.710 his kingdom upon the earth. What a day that's 00:34:21.710 --> 00:34:27.989 going to be. But here we see Jesus weeping, weeping 00:34:27.989 --> 00:34:31.929 over the hardness of hearts, the sureness of 00:34:31.929 --> 00:34:39.239 judgment. G. Campbell Morgan said, regarding 00:34:39.239 --> 00:34:43.679 Jesus weeping. It does not mean merely that tears 00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:46.400 forced themselves up and fell down his face. 00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:50.480 It suggests rather the heaving of the bosom and 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:54.019 the sob and the cry of a soul in agony. We have 00:34:54.019 --> 00:34:57.340 no stronger word than the word that is used here. 00:34:58.059 --> 00:35:01.119 And then he quotes this little poem. The Son 00:35:01.119 --> 00:35:06.869 of God in tears, the wandering angels see. Be 00:35:06.869 --> 00:35:12.389 thou astonished, O my soul. He shed those tears 00:35:12.389 --> 00:35:21.650 for thee. Will you be aware, please, that the 00:35:21.650 --> 00:35:25.969 hardness of heart in Jerusalem, the citadel of 00:35:25.969 --> 00:35:32.090 rebellion against God that it became, is but 00:35:32.090 --> 00:35:39.150 an example of every human heart. For every human 00:35:39.150 --> 00:35:43.409 heart is just like that, except the grace of 00:35:43.409 --> 00:35:49.909 God bring repentance. When Jesus cried for Jerusalem, 00:35:50.170 --> 00:35:54.369 he actually wept for all of humanity because 00:35:54.369 --> 00:35:58.429 of our rebellion and resistance of his love. 00:36:02.230 --> 00:36:04.969 I'm talking to some people here today, a few 00:36:04.969 --> 00:36:10.469 perhaps, but some... almost certainly, whose 00:36:10.469 --> 00:36:13.610 hearts are in a state of rebellion against God. 00:36:17.170 --> 00:36:19.329 And the Spirit of God has been knocking at the 00:36:19.329 --> 00:36:21.550 door of your heart. He's been telling you. He's 00:36:21.550 --> 00:36:24.929 been visiting you. Do you notice how Jesus ended 00:36:24.929 --> 00:36:27.289 that statement in Luke 19? He said, you did not 00:36:27.289 --> 00:36:36.050 know the time of your visitation. My friend, 00:36:36.050 --> 00:36:40.449 without Jesus Christ, will you please know that 00:36:40.449 --> 00:36:43.349 that conviction you feel within, that guilt that 00:36:43.349 --> 00:36:48.309 presses so heavily upon you, that that is actually 00:36:48.309 --> 00:36:53.389 the love of God revealing to you your sin, your 00:36:53.389 --> 00:36:58.869 rebellion? And the Lord Jesus Christ 2 ,000 years 00:36:58.869 --> 00:37:06.670 ago wept over hearts just like yours today. And 00:37:06.670 --> 00:37:08.730 it's his desire that you will receive him and 00:37:08.730 --> 00:37:12.289 know that he is visiting you today, asking that 00:37:12.289 --> 00:37:14.849 he might come into your life and save you. Will 00:37:14.849 --> 00:37:17.710 you let him? Will you let him come into your 00:37:17.710 --> 00:37:21.150 heart? Will you receive him as your Lord, as 00:37:21.150 --> 00:37:24.289 your Savior? Will you make him the king of your 00:37:24.289 --> 00:37:30.929 life? Jesus weeps here because of the tragedy 00:37:30.929 --> 00:37:35.840 of human sin. The unbelief, the self -centeredness, 00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:39.300 the independence from God, which sin produces. 00:37:41.840 --> 00:37:44.619 If you've never trusted Jesus Christ before you 00:37:44.619 --> 00:37:48.199 leave here this morning, will you do that? I 00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:50.000 recognize that there are many of us here who 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:53.320 have already made that decision. We are believers. 00:37:54.139 --> 00:37:58.400 We have received Jesus Christ. Let me bring a 00:37:58.400 --> 00:38:01.000 different application in closing to you and to 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:06.090 me. We see here that the Lord Jesus Christ was 00:38:06.090 --> 00:38:14.190 determined to go to the cross for us. How determined 00:38:14.190 --> 00:38:21.889 are you to live for him? How committed are you 00:38:21.889 --> 00:38:25.449 to your own cross that he's called you to bear? 00:38:29.409 --> 00:38:32.809 Or to say it another way, How quickly do you 00:38:32.809 --> 00:38:37.070 forsake God's purpose in your life because it's 00:38:37.070 --> 00:38:45.449 too costly or too painful? Too painful. Our Savior 00:38:45.449 --> 00:38:48.610 set his face to go to Jerusalem, and there was 00:38:48.610 --> 00:38:54.650 nothing in all of earth, in all of hell below, 00:38:54.750 --> 00:39:00.610 that could keep him from that cross. He was determined. 00:39:01.389 --> 00:39:06.170 to die for us. Are you determined to live for 00:39:06.170 --> 00:39:09.289 him with that same intensity of love and devotion? 00:39:13.570 --> 00:39:20.190 Lord Jesus, forgive us for our lukewarm love, 00:39:20.369 --> 00:39:27.809 our half -hearted devotion. For we see here the 00:39:27.809 --> 00:39:33.300 example that you set before us. And we repent 00:39:33.300 --> 00:39:37.219 of the casual way that we look at living for 00:39:37.219 --> 00:39:46.900 you. Father, we weep within our hearts because 00:39:46.900 --> 00:39:52.780 so often we say that bearing that cross you've 00:39:52.780 --> 00:39:56.579 called us to bear is too painful. It's going 00:39:56.579 --> 00:40:01.679 to cost too much. I pray that you will give us 00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:08.179 today a fresh zeal, a fresh and deeper determination 00:40:08.179 --> 00:40:13.360 to live for you, whatever the cost, and to take 00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:19.739 up the cross and follow you. Lord, search out 00:40:19.739 --> 00:40:22.019 our hearts in the quietness of these moments 00:40:22.019 --> 00:40:26.380 as we close. May we do significant business with 00:40:26.380 --> 00:40:30.369 you. And depart different than when we came in. 00:40:32.130 --> 00:40:38.469 I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. I'd like us 00:40:38.469 --> 00:40:42.829 to conclude our service by singing number 436. 00:40:42.949 --> 00:40:47.090 And as we do, we lovingly and sincerely offer 00:40:47.090 --> 00:40:51.750 to you an invitation to respond to the word of 00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:54.730 God. If today you have no assurance of your sins 00:40:54.730 --> 00:41:00.159 being forgiven, If you are not a Christian, if 00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:02.820 you've never received Jesus Christ into your 00:41:02.820 --> 00:41:05.980 life, we have counselors who are waiting here 00:41:05.980 --> 00:41:07.880 at the front who would like to personally take 00:41:07.880 --> 00:41:10.659 you aside and without coercion, without pressure, 00:41:10.699 --> 00:41:14.960 I promise you, simply explain to you how today 00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:16.840 you can be saved and know it.