[0:00] Poem Sunday. Why Poem Sunday? Where did that name come from?
[0:12] ! Poem Sunday. It's Jesus riding into Jerusalem,! They literally put down palm branches for Jesus to ride on.
[0:35] And that's simply where that name comes from. Also called the triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
[0:46] And so as we look at this account this morning, I want to actually look at his riding in.
[0:59] But then deeper, look at what was the expectations of the Jewish people. And then what was Jesus' expectations as he rode in.
[1:13] And just to see the contrast of that. So we have this account of Poem Sunday in all four Gospels.
[1:24] And I chose to have the one in Mark read for us. And it is the Sunday before the crucifixion. So it's five days ahead.
[1:35] And Jesus had arrived with his disciples in Bethany on Saturday night and lodged there with Mary and Martha and Lazarus.
[1:47] And the next day he sets the wheels in motion to present himself as king. To present himself as king.
[2:00] And so our story goes. In verse 1 it says, And when they drew near Jerusalem to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and he said to them, And if anyone says to you, And immediately he will send it here.
[2:37] And so they went their way and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street. And they loosed it. And but some of those who stood there said to them, What are you doing loosing the colt?
[2:54] And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it. And he sat on it.
[3:04] Does this fit our picture of a king riding into his glory? Why not?
[3:18] I see a lot of nods no. Why not? Not donkeys.
[3:29] Not donkeys. Not donkeys. And so largely donkeys were not used in war. Or by kings.
[3:42] But Jesus chose this humble way to present himself as the king of glory. And we see his sovereignty here.
[3:57] In a couple of ways. Even in sending two of his disciples to the next little village. And bring me a donkey, a colt.
[4:11] Matthew tells us it was the foal of a donkey. So it's not a horse, a colt. It's a donkey colt. And so Jesus' sovereignty is shown in that these, the owners, released the donkey on their say-so.
[4:34] And Jesus had prepared them ahead of time, their heart, to let go. And so these two strangers walk up and start to untie the donkey and, and hey, what are you doing?
[4:47] The master has need of them. Oh, okay. There you go. That's, you know, Jesus showed that he was God, even in that.
[4:58] And the fact that he's a colt means that, that the donkey is unbroken, untrained to ride. And Jesus straddled this colt and rode him for the first time having a rider.
[5:16] And even in that, we see his sovereignty over creation. That this animal yielded to him.
[5:30] If I would try to ride a colt or a horse that hadn't been broke yet, I would have a wild ride. And that's the way of things, right? But even there, we see God's hand in this.
[5:43] As he brought about the circumstances for this ride in. And so, as this all happens, and they bring the colt, it says, They threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it.
[6:03] And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches, or palm branches, from the trees, and spread them on the road.
[6:15] What do we do for our kings today when they go visiting? We roll out the red carpet. And here, they're putting down their clothes.
[6:27] And a pathway for the king to ride down on. So, we have all the signs in place, as far as that goes, that they're recognizing him as a king.
[6:41] The donkey part doesn't quite line up in the people's minds. And yet, Zechariah 9, verse 9, prophesies that your king will come lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt of a donkey.
[7:02] Zechariah 9, 9 prophesies it. And so, it needed to be fulfilled, and Jesus did it that way. So, as they spread their clothes on the donkey and on the road, Jesus then gets on the donkey, and he rides up to the Mount of Olives and overlooks the city there.
[7:28] And it says, Those who went before and those who followed. So, of the multitude, there's people before him and people following him in a procession.
[7:45] And they're crying, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord.
[7:57] Hosanna in the highest. So, the multitudes are shouting out, Hosanna! And blessed are you, Jesus. Now, what does the word Hosanna mean?
[8:25] Anyone? Anyone? To save. It means to save, and more fully, we beseech you, save us.
[8:42] It's a plea, Lord, save us. And so, that's what they're shouting to Jesus riding in on this donkey.
[8:55] And what is in the people's hearts that they're shouting this? Save us from?
[9:06] From Rome. Save us from Rome. And so, in Old Testament prophecy, they understood there was a coming kingdom where Jesus would be the ruler.
[9:23] And so, they are begging him, Lord, save us at this time from the Romans. That was their plea.
[9:34] That was their expectation.
[9:46] And so, they overlooked and did not anticipate or even desire that Jesus would ride in to pay for their sins.
[10:02] That was not part of their agenda. To them, this Jesus would show himself only through becoming king that he was truly from God.
[10:18] And Jesus disappointed them. Now, why did Jesus ride in to Jerusalem?
[10:38] To fulfill prophecy. Demonstrate he was the Messiah.
[10:51] He rode in to die. He rode in to take my place on the cross.
[11:03] He rode in to pay for our sin. He rode in to set us free. He rode in that we could be declared righteous.
[11:23] That we could be reconciled to our Heavenly Father. He rode in to the Lord. He rode in to the Lord. He rode in to the Lord. He rode in to the Lord. He rode in to the Lord. That we could enjoy the kingdom with him down the road.
[11:43] And so, all of the Old Testament led up to this. And if we think back to the land of Egypt, as God was going to lead them out, and they had to kill the lamb, and spread the blood, or put the blood on the doorposts and on the lintel, covering them with the blood of God.
[12:08] And it prophesied the lamb of God. All of this pointed, as they've done that year by year, it pointed to this exact day, that Jesus would be the fulfillment.
[12:25] You know, I love the story of Abraham being asked to go and offer up his son Isaac. And it demonstrates a relationship with God as Abraham obeyed and traveled three days to Mount Moriah, which is Jerusalem, the Temple Mount.
[12:50] And, you know, as Isaac looks at his dad, and he says, you know, we have the wood, and the altar, and the fire, but where's the offering?
[13:01] It's a heart-wrenching story, if we think it from a human perspective. And Abraham answers his son, God will provide.
[13:17] God will provide. But we know that Abraham proceeded to tie up his son and place him on the wood, and he actually reached for the knife.
[13:31] and was about to slay his son. What did God do? He provided a substitute.
[13:49] See, Isaac represents me and you deserving to die. Deserving to die. And God says, hold it.
[14:02] And there was a ram caught in the thicket. He will take your place. This is Jesus riding into Jerusalem.
[14:16] And so all of the Old Testament leads up to this. It builds up and builds up. And when Jesus comes to earth, and at the end of his 30 years or three years of ministry, and at all climax, as he is about to ride in and to present to the world, here I am to die for the world.
[14:41] And unfortunately, the Jews rejected him. And they wanted a physical king versus a spiritual savior from their sin.
[15:05] Let's turn to the account in Luke. Luke chapter 19.
[15:17] Luke 19, and starting in verse 41.
[15:41] Now as they drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, if you had known, even you, especially in this, your day, the things that make for your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes.
[16:00] For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close in on every side, and leave you and your children within you, or level your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation.
[16:25] It's a familiar passage as Jesus then pauses on top of the Mount of Olives. He would look down through the valley, the Garden of Gethsemane, and back up the hill, and there he would see the Temple Mount.
[16:42] And as he saw that, it caused him to weep. Even when they're shouting, Hosanna! Come save us!
[16:56] Jesus is weeping because he knows their hearts, and he knows there is no surrender in them. but rather, they want a king who will save them so they can prosper.
[17:19] And Jesus wept. And he said, only you had known for what would make for your peace. in Sunday school this morning, we read in Romans 5, we now have peace with God because we're reconciled with Christ.
[17:43] We have peace with God. If only you had known and desired that peace, but now you're rejecting.
[17:55] you're rejecting my purpose. So the Jewish people, their purpose for Christ was selfish.
[18:08] They wanted peace in their country so they could prosper in their lives. I don't need a personal Savior from my sin.
[18:22] Just let me live here and do well. Is that something that that's still with us today?
[18:44] That mentality? you know, to use the Savior of mankind as a crutch so that my life will improve here and now but not use him for eternity?
[19:04] it causes us to think.
[19:18] You know, we pray for our governments and we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray for our elections in Canada. But what is it that we desire deep down?
[19:30] would we like for our government to cut taxes so that I can prosper more?
[19:48] Deep down, all of us would. But can that be our primary focus? the Lord's will be done even in our elections because it's in his hand.
[20:07] But as we look at Jesus, the ultimate king, we need to examine our hearts that he isn't just a crutch to improve my life here and now but rather that he's my Savior, my Lord.
[20:29] And that as I recognize that I need help, that I can't deal with my sin, that I am broken, that I am broken, I am sinful, and only, only through the cross that there is help.
[21:03] Brothers and sisters, as we recognize that, as we bend, yield our hearts brokenly before him, that's when his peace comes upon us.
[21:20] and I trust that many of you are there. And it would be my desire that all of us would be there.
[21:37] And out of that stems a flow of gratitude. gratitude. And I love, I love the song that you chose, Mark, for a man of sorrows.
[21:53] It just so totally fit in with that message. As we become broken before him, the rest of our life, filled with gratitude and focused on eternity.
[22:07] and we all recognize that we are commanded to provide for our families and so on. But our focus is now on eternal values.
[22:22] And the Jews missed it. The Jews missed it. And it caused Jesus to weep. What were his expectations?
[22:33] Jesus knew his purpose. And I want to look at some verses in John, the Gospel of John, as we review that.
[22:48] But one of, if we would sum up his purpose, he expected to ride in to die for mankind and then to give eternal life to those that would believe.
[23:03] and let's start in John 13, 13. The Gospel of John. John 13, 1 to 3.
[23:24] And this is Thursday night, so it's four days after his triumphal entry. It says, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
[23:45] And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God.
[24:06] And that last phrase, as Jesus acted in those days, and this is the night before his death, he knew where he had come from, and he knew what would follow, where he was going.
[24:26] And in between, there's a valley, the valley of death. And Jesus was willing to travel that.
[24:38] Why? He understood who he was and where he was going. And as I thought about that, that is so crucial for us to know who we are in Christ and what's ahead.
[24:57] Even though there are valleys in between, and sometimes difficult ones. And Sadie's dad went through a very hard one.
[25:12] The last ten days were very rough on him, and yet he has arrived. To know where we are going means to be focused on eternal values.
[25:30] You know, how old do we need to be to start to think on these things? I look at some of our youth here.
[25:42] You know, are we old enough to start to think on these things? Absolutely. Absolutely. We begin to teach our children as soon as they're old enough to understand that we start to focus on eternal values, and that I too need to give my heart to the Lord.
[26:03] John 10. I'm going to read a few more verses yet, a few more passages.
[26:15] John 10, starting in verse 24. And then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt?
[26:29] If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
[26:40] But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.
[27:01] Why did Jesus come? Why did he ride into Jerusalem? To give us eternal life, that we might live with him forever, being forgiven.
[27:20] He understood that principle, that he had the power of life. Life John 12, verse 23, it's also the last week, John here, verse 23, John 12, but Jesus answered them, saying, the hour has come that the son of man should be glorified.
[27:58] Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain.
[28:09] He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also.
[28:24] And if anyone serves me, him my father will honor. And in this illustration, Jesus says, my hour has come, and unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.
[28:47] And Jesus died that he might multiply, and the church could be born. But he's also calling me to die, so that I could have eternal life.
[29:07] And he's calling all of us to die to self, to give up on ourselves, to come before him brokenly, and say, here I am.
[29:24] I want to live for you. To invite Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And then one more passage in John 17.
[29:40] Also, the night before the crucifixion. Jesus spoke and the first three verses in John 17. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you.
[30:02] As you've given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you've given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
[30:19] And so over and over, the purpose of Christ is to give eternal life. To give eternal life through his sacrifice.
[30:33] And as we ponder on the concept of eternal life, God has given us life forevermore with him, starting here on earth as we surrender, when we deserved to be Isaac on the altar, or Jesus on the cross.
[31:08] God will know us. It fills us with bewilderment and gratitude.
[31:22] And as Jesus wrote in on Palm Sunday to take my place, to die in my stead, the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.
[31:38] That is so, so powerful. Jesus was able to face death because he knew his purpose and he knew what would follow.
[31:59] And so for us as believers, we too, we face death here on earth because we know what follows is sure because he has promised eternal life forevermore.
[32:16] And then we need not fear as God has provided the way. As we, as I conclude and as we ponder on these things, do we have Jesus in truth?
[32:33] Do we understand? Does my life display gratitude? gratitude?
[32:54] Am I sold out as a bondservant to Christ? These are questions we can take home in our hearts. What a Savior.
[33:07] Hallelujah. Let's pray. Amen. Father, as we bow before you, we have few words that express what you've done for us.
[33:36] We just say from the depth of our heart, thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. we look forward to being with you.
[33:49] May you bless each individual here. May you strengthen us. May you lead us ever onward into a closer relationship with you.
[34:06] In Jesus' name, Amen.