WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:05.480 Well, I've had two weeks now to think about this passage, and I must say, every time that 00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:10.140 I've done it for the last two weeks, there's a song that I learned when I was a kid that 00:00:10.140 --> 00:00:12.400 keeps coming to my mind as I read through this. 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:20.400 The churches that I grew up in, in their worship services, they typically, a regular Sunday 00:00:20.400 --> 00:00:26.480 morning or Sunday night service would have a solo or group special that was performed 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:28.339 just before my dad would preach his sermon. 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:31.259 You've probably, I'm sure, been in plenty of services that are like that. 00:00:31.759 --> 00:00:37.159 And I remember one man in particular, his name was W.T. Sanders was his name. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:37.980 He's in heaven now. 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:43.100 He routinely would sing this song called The King is Coming. 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:44.439 It's a Bill Gaither song. 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:45.600 Maybe you've heard it before. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:52.240 The song is, the music of it, it builds gradually throughout the verses, and it ultimately 00:00:52.240 --> 00:01:00.320 crescendos into this final chorus in which he would sing out so passionately, oh, the king 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:00.940 is coming. 00:01:01.300 --> 00:01:02.440 The king is coming. 00:01:03.120 --> 00:01:03.880 Praise God. 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:04.859 He's coming for me. 00:01:05.099 --> 00:01:06.079 Have you heard that song before? 00:01:06.980 --> 00:01:10.960 And the last couple of weeks as I've listened through that or as I've read through this text, 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:12.340 I kept thinking about that song. 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:15.200 And of course, that song is about the second coming of Christ. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:18.960 And that's not exactly what's happening here in this text. 00:01:19.299 --> 00:01:26.280 But I couldn't help think that as these people are parading down this road from the Mount 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:33.439 of Olives to the entry into the city of Jerusalem, there was a similar type of thought, a similar 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:38.960 type of song that they're singing in that moment as they march down the street. 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:44.819 And of course, there is a sense in which their song was also about the second coming of Jesus. 00:01:44.979 --> 00:01:46.199 They just didn't realize that. 00:01:46.459 --> 00:01:49.799 They were a bit confused, as we're going to see as we go through. 00:01:50.059 --> 00:01:55.119 But it has this mind with it, this kind of thought with it that the king has come. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:59.319 The king has come, and he has come to deliver us now. 00:02:00.139 --> 00:02:06.359 And now that Jesus had arrived at Jerusalem, or at least in the vicinity of it, this band of 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:13.800 pilgrims that are traveling with him down the road, they assumed that Jesus was there to 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:15.039 make his final move. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:19.919 And by final move, they don't think payment for our sin. 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:22.439 They're not thinking atonement. 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:29.360 By final move, they're thinking kingdom establishment, deliverance from Rome, and from oppression. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:34.139 And the king has come, and he's come to deliver us in that sense. 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:36.939 But we're going to see they had the right person. 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:39.359 They had the proper praise. 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.039 There's nothing wrong with what they said. 00:02:41.119 --> 00:02:44.239 It's actually a quotation of scripture as they praised here. 00:02:44.399 --> 00:02:49.439 The problem is that they misunderstood what was actually supposed to take place in the 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:51.179 week that was ahead of them. 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:58.939 And we understand, too, everything written in the Bible is essential, right? 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:00.479 It's all essential. 00:03:01.500 --> 00:03:08.120 There's some passages that are certainly more impactful than others, but all of it is necessary. 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:11.560 And we know that first because God has given it to us. 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:16.680 He has given us his word in the exact way that he's given it for a particular reason. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.599 All of it is necessary, and all of it is essential. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:28.299 But whenever there are events and statements and phrases that are routinely repeated, we 00:03:28.299 --> 00:03:35.340 find that they carry a unique weight of significance, and such is the case with this particular text. 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:42.719 All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all four cover the details of this particular 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:43.139 event. 00:03:43.539 --> 00:03:46.219 And that's actually not very common between the four. 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:52.960 It's not very common that all four of them would see it necessary to cover the same things 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.000 in almost the same exact way. 00:03:55.479 --> 00:04:01.319 But this is one of those events, and it means that there is a particular significance to it. 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:06.039 And so the question then immediately becomes, what exactly is that significance? 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:15.020 And why were the Gospel authors so careful to include this in their books? 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.740 And at first, we might pass it off as well. 00:04:18.840 --> 00:04:21.699 This is just a note for the narrative, right? 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:27.019 It's placing the time frame for us so we can understand exactly where Jesus is and what's 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:29.259 going on and all of those kinds of things. 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:32.220 But I don't think that's exactly what's happening here. 00:04:32.620 --> 00:04:35.879 I don't think that was the intention of including it, at least not the first intention. 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:41.160 The Gospels generally aren't concerned with chronology. 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:47.280 They're intentional in what they're writing, not just to provide a timeline of Jesus's life, 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:51.020 but to say something important about who Jesus is. 00:04:51.640 --> 00:04:58.280 And among all the important dynamics of this particular event, the timing of it and the timing 00:04:58.280 --> 00:05:02.500 of Jesus's arrival to Jerusalem is largely irrelevant. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:04.320 It's not completely irrelevant. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:09.620 It's just there's nothing in the Scripture that says Jesus has to arrive to Jerusalem at 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:14.740 this time and in this way, or the mode is important, but not necessarily the timing. 00:05:15.099 --> 00:05:22.120 Some scholars have even suggested that Jesus might have very well been in this area for 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:25.600 more than a week, maybe even up to a few months at this point. 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:27.000 We don't know that. 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:28.579 There's no way for us to know that. 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:32.259 And I actually think that it's best to follow the layout that the Scripture gives us and that 00:05:32.259 --> 00:05:33.180 the Gospels give. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.279 But ultimately, the timing of it is not really that important. 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:39.759 That's not why they're writing about this. 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:48.699 What they're doing is emphasizing that what happened with Jesus in these verses is prophetically 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:52.319 crucial to his identity and purpose. 00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:57.339 They're not just, this isn't just a passing note in the narrative. 00:05:57.339 --> 00:06:07.539 This is an essential, crucial event in the life of Christ that identifies who he is and 00:06:07.539 --> 00:06:08.379 why he came. 00:06:08.979 --> 00:06:11.419 So they're not interested in sequence here. 00:06:12.099 --> 00:06:19.199 They're laying out all the facts necessary for us to understand that Jesus of Nazareth is 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:25.500 the Messiah and the Son of God, and that his first coming was with the intention of making 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:26.939 an atonement for our sins. 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:27.739 Right? 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:29.239 That's what the Gospel authors are doing. 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:34.179 That's what the purpose of this event is and why all four of them include it. 00:06:34.779 --> 00:06:40.419 And I would say that without the details of this event, this entry into Jerusalem, 00:06:41.419 --> 00:06:48.759 Old Testament predictions of the Messiah would be unfulfilled, leaving us plenty of room to 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.159 question the claims of Jesus and the identity of Jesus. 00:06:52.159 --> 00:06:56.420 And to look to someone else as this potential deliverer and Messiah. 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:58.360 It's an important passage. 00:06:58.860 --> 00:07:01.339 And so that's what Mark is aiming to do for us here. 00:07:01.719 --> 00:07:08.219 He's helping us to see who Jesus is, helping us to see why Jesus came so that we might believe 00:07:08.219 --> 00:07:09.699 and follow him. 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:14.300 And so I want to take the next few moments and kind of pick this story apart just a little 00:07:14.300 --> 00:07:14.399 bit. 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:17.639 We're going to have Palm Sunday in January is how it's going to work out today. 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:21.219 And for my notes, maybe this would be helpful to you. 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:23.560 I've divided it in three ways as normal. 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.620 And maybe you'll find some benefit to that. 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:28.860 I see prophecy fulfilled. 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:31.480 I see people confused. 00:07:31.860 --> 00:07:34.819 And then I see purpose revealed. 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:39.459 So prophecy fulfilled, people confused, purpose revealed. 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:41.720 Let's first look at this prophecy fulfilled. 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:43.980 Look with me at the first seven verses again. 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:53.639 And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:57.959 two of his disciples and said to them, go into the village in front of you. 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:03.979 And immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. 00:08:04.779 --> 00:08:06.240 Untie it and bring it. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.180 If anyone says to you, why are you doing this? 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:13.659 Say the Lord has need of it and we'll send it back here immediately. 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:18.439 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:20.560 And they were, they untied it. 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:23.579 And some of those standing there said to them, what are you doing? 00:08:23.579 --> 00:08:24.500 And untying the colt. 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:27.159 And they told them what Jesus had said. 00:08:27.359 --> 00:08:28.599 And they let them go. 00:08:29.459 --> 00:08:32.579 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on it. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:34.319 And he sat on it. 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:41.980 Now the gospel authors didn't argue for the identity and purpose of Jesus based on their 00:08:41.980 --> 00:08:47.860 gut feeling or just by way of a remarkable intuition. 00:08:47.860 --> 00:08:57.539 Each of them was very careful to point out that the things Jesus did and said were precise 00:08:57.539 --> 00:09:00.980 fulfillments of God's covenant promises. 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:06.800 Now remember, the entire Bible is ultimately a book about Jesus. 00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:13.240 It's a book about redemption and who God is and how he is redeeming his people through his 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:16.519 own son, the person of Jesus Christ. 00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:21.720 And it's two major sections as we're looking at the Old Testament and the New Testament. 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:26.379 They have to be read together to really fully understand the gospel. 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:30.660 As some would say, I'm sure it was Alistair Begg that I've heard this from, as he said, 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:33.340 it takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian. 00:09:33.920 --> 00:09:39.220 And there have been attempts in recent years and probably all through history to eliminate 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:44.379 portions of the scripture or to say that there is no need for the Old Testament, that we can 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:47.139 just focus on the resurrection and those things and move forward. 00:09:47.139 --> 00:09:47.960 But that's just not true. 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:52.259 God has given us a full and complete word and we need both sides. 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:56.879 We need the Old Testament and the New Testament to really fully understand the gospel. 00:09:57.779 --> 00:10:04.439 And so the Old Testament then are stating the promises that were made by God. 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:12.319 The New Testament reveals how God kept those promises through the person and work of Jesus. 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:15.179 And this is exactly what the apostles taught. 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:17.699 This is actually how they taught. 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:24.579 They taught from the Old Testament scriptures about the person of Jesus so that we could 00:10:24.579 --> 00:10:26.539 understand fully the gospel. 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:29.019 And we need not deviate from that pattern. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:35.979 Paul said it to the Corinthians that all of the promises of God find their yes in Christ. 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:37.739 They find their yes in him. 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:43.000 In other words, as we come to the scriptures and as we understand both portions, the Old Covenant 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:48.440 and the New, what we begin to see is God made a bunch of promises and then God kept a bunch 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:48.960 of promises. 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:52.840 And the way that he kept those promises is through Jesus. 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:59.240 Ultimately, no matter where we turn, we're finding a direct path to Jesus, to the cross, 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:02.460 to the resurrection, to the kingdom. 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:11.139 And this set of verses here is fraught with prophetic fulfillment and Old Testament imagery that related 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:12.820 to the Messiah. 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:14.820 Some of it is explicit. 00:11:15.300 --> 00:11:17.500 Some of it is symbolic. 00:11:17.500 --> 00:11:26.860 But a lot of it revolves around this simple idea or fact that Jesus mounted a donkey's colt 00:11:26.860 --> 00:11:30.440 and rode it on his way into the city of Jerusalem. 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.759 And you say, well, what does that have to do with anything? 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:34.659 I'm going to tell you. 00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:37.159 Two types of fulfillment that I want to point out, okay? 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:39.919 First, I see here covenant fulfillment. 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:41.919 Covenantal fulfillment. 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:43.360 Let me explain. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:52.159 The message of the Bible is conveyed to us and built upon covenants that God made with 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:52.680 his people. 00:11:53.659 --> 00:11:59.500 And each of these covenants, each new covenant that God makes in the scripture progressively 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:04.519 specifies how God intended to do his work of grace. 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:05.139 Okay? 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:09.379 So if you were to just try to zoom out for just a moment and look at the scripture as a 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:13.080 whole, you see all of these covenants, all of these promises that God made. 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:15.139 And how God has actually filled them. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:19.740 And as you progress through the scriptures, you see that each of these covenants begin 00:12:19.740 --> 00:12:21.220 to narrow in focus. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.440 They begin to specify exactly what God is doing. 00:12:24.680 --> 00:12:28.320 And ultimately, we find ourselves at Jesus Christ, right? 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:30.639 We start in Genesis 3. 00:12:31.379 --> 00:12:34.600 God makes a promise to Adam because of sin. 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:40.440 And he says that he is going to one day send a deliverer, a savior, a messiah. 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:46.300 This deliverer will crush the head of Satan and will deliver his people from their sins. 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:46.540 Okay? 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:47.360 That's a covenant. 00:12:47.540 --> 00:12:48.320 It's a simple one. 00:12:48.420 --> 00:12:49.500 It's a very broad one. 00:12:50.040 --> 00:12:51.279 But then he begins to narrow it. 00:12:51.340 --> 00:12:54.779 We eventually get to a Noahic covenant about judgment and destruction. 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:57.000 Then we go a little further and we find Abraham. 00:12:57.699 --> 00:12:59.899 And what's the covenant that God made with Abraham? 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:04.899 I'm going to make of your progeny a kingdom of people that cannot be numbered. 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:11.399 And we see in the pages of scripture, there is an immediate fulfillment in the nation of Israel. 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:16.399 But the ultimate fulfillment is in the people of God, the entire people of God. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.639 And then it narrows from there. 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:21.199 It passes to Isaac and then to Jacob. 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:27.279 And then in Jacob's final blessing of his 12 sons, we see it passing once again onto them. 00:13:27.579 --> 00:13:30.699 And then it comes specifically to one of his sons named Judah. 00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:38.779 And the covenant promise and the blessing of Jacob then is that there will be a deliverer that comes specifically from Judah. 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:49.639 And then it continues on to there where one of those sons of Judah named David becomes the greatest king that Israel ever saw outside of Jesus Christ. 00:13:50.059 --> 00:13:52.439 And then another covenant is made with David. 00:13:53.139 --> 00:14:00.179 Now I'm telling David that the Messiah, the deliverer, the Savior is coming from your line. 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:06.279 And so as the Israelites would have understood these covenants, they see this progression through covenant. 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:09.740 And all of it ultimately is built around David. 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:17.259 Now I want to read you something about the blessing that Jacob gave to his son Judah in Genesis 49. 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:26.039 Not only did he say that a king would come, an everlasting king, one whose kingdom would know no end. 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:35.679 But interestingly and confusingly almost, he ties in this coming king of Judah with a donkey. 00:14:36.319 --> 00:14:37.599 Genesis 49. 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:47.319 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him. 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:57.520 And to him shall be the obedience of all the peoples, binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine. 00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:02.340 He has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:09.980 He says, well, it's a pretty big stretch, Jared, to say, well, that the blessing of Judah was actually a prediction of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:11.019 And I agree with you. 00:15:11.259 --> 00:15:13.460 He's not predicting the entry into Jerusalem there. 00:15:14.160 --> 00:15:20.019 This is the royal, kingly lineage of Judah that would pass through David. 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:27.299 As we continue in the Old Testament, we see that the Davidic kingdom, the donkey was actually a royal animal. 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:33.519 There's covenantal symbolic significance to this as we go through it. 00:15:33.579 --> 00:15:42.819 All of it is pointing to the fact that Jesus is this Messiah king that belongs to the Davidic dynasty. 00:15:43.439 --> 00:15:46.679 That's a huge significance to this particular passage. 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:48.759 It's pointing to his royalty. 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.919 It's pointing to his kingliness. 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:56.319 It's pointing to the lineage of David, which ultimately points back to all the promises. 00:15:56.580 --> 00:16:02.179 All the promises are being fulfilled in this man who is riding a donkey's colt into the city. 00:16:02.620 --> 00:16:02.799 Okay? 00:16:03.299 --> 00:16:04.340 You say, that's a stretch. 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:06.559 Okay, let me get more specific then. 00:16:06.779 --> 00:16:08.439 Let's look at the messianic fulfillment. 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:12.659 Because while the covenantal fulfillment is symbolic largely, 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:16.279 the messianic fulfillment is explicit. 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:26.879 Because hundreds of years before this, the prophet Zechariah had explicitly predicted that this is what would happen with Jesus. 00:16:27.939 --> 00:16:29.339 Mark doesn't mention it. 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:41.259 But Matthew 21 and John chapter 12 both quote this prophecy as being definitively fulfilled in Jesus' entry to Jerusalem. 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:44.539 And there's some things that Zechariah notes. 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:45.639 I'm going to read it to you in a second. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:46.840 But there's some things he notes. 00:16:47.220 --> 00:16:51.580 That it's going to be Jerusalem as the place that the king would enter. 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:57.679 He states that the king would ride on a young colt that had not yet been separated by his mother. 00:16:58.419 --> 00:16:59.279 Or from his mother. 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.500 And it's undoubtedly messianic. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:06.000 It's content emphasizes God's salvation. 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:11.799 And the eternal righteous rule of this deliverer. 00:17:11.879 --> 00:17:12.680 I'm going to read it to you. 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:14.660 Zechariah 9.9. 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:16.220 Here's what he writes. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:19.779 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.619 Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. 00:17:23.619 --> 00:17:26.959 Behold, your king is coming to you. 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:30.919 Righteous, having salvation is he. 00:17:31.419 --> 00:17:34.899 He's humble and he's mounted on a donkey. 00:17:35.219 --> 00:17:36.379 On a colt. 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:38.719 The foal of a donkey. 00:17:39.639 --> 00:17:41.299 Notice the precision here. 00:17:41.659 --> 00:17:43.679 Matthew and John both picked up on this. 00:17:43.739 --> 00:17:46.219 And they said this, what's happening with Jesus here. 00:17:46.419 --> 00:17:48.159 This is what Zechariah said. 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:49.219 Notice the precision. 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:54.740 All four gospels note that it was a colt that Jesus rode. 00:17:55.460 --> 00:18:00.380 And Matthew's account even states that the foal's mother was a part of the procession. 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:02.660 There's actually two donkeys going down the road. 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:05.519 Which makes sense if it's a donkey that's never been ridden before. 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:12.720 Having its mother alongside is going to help that procession be a little more orderly and organized as they go down the road. 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:14.400 But it's not the mother that Jesus rides. 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:15.900 It's the colt that Jesus rides. 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:18.220 There's precise fulfillment here. 00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:26.600 This is where we begin to see how prophetically crucial Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was. 00:18:27.860 --> 00:18:35.759 Notice Jesus says, there's a donkey in the village, men, on which no one has ever sat. 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:36.880 It has not been broken. 00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:40.519 It has not been used for ordinary use, for bearing burdens. 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:43.319 There was a significance to this as well. 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:51.839 Anything in the Old Testament set aside for sacred purposes, as far as animals was concerned, could not be used in any other way. 00:18:51.839 --> 00:19:02.259 Royalty in those days, in general custom, they would not just use animals that they picked up off the farm that had been working for a few years and now was broken in. 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:03.759 No, that's not how it worked. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:09.240 Royalty rode on donkeys that no one else rode, on horses that no one else rode. 00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:15.619 Sacrifices were made to the Lord with animals that had not been put to other uses. 00:19:15.619 --> 00:19:17.019 They were set apart for. 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:18.379 They were sacred. 00:19:19.399 --> 00:19:21.239 And there's a sacredness to this. 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:25.119 I saw a video clip one time of Creflo Dollar. 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:34.879 A prosperity preacher had, somebody was questioning him about his extravagant lifestyle and all of the money that he had spent on a particular vehicle. 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:36.699 I think it was hundreds of thousands of dollars. 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:41.180 And his response to that was, well, even Jesus rode on a donkey on which no one else had ever sat. 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:43.860 And, which is foolish, you know. 00:19:44.539 --> 00:19:45.819 That's not what it was. 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:47.840 This is royalty. 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:49.580 This is sacred purpose. 00:19:49.900 --> 00:19:53.519 All of this pointing to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:56.819 Jesus is this Davidic king. 00:19:57.360 --> 00:20:00.140 He has fulfilled this prophecy. 00:20:00.860 --> 00:20:03.220 So this was no ordinary ride into the city. 00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:05.120 It's prophetically significant. 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:11.120 You know, before we move on, I just, I want to point out how deliberate Jesus was here. 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:13.019 You notice that? 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:21.319 Sometimes we, I think, can have a habit of thinking that prophecy is fulfilled by happy accident. 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:24.200 But that's not what's happening here. 00:20:25.100 --> 00:20:30.000 It's not that Jesus was tired and wanted to ride the rest of the way into the city. 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:37.480 And by doing that, he inadvertently fulfilled this obscure prophecy that Zechariah had made. 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:38.700 That's not what's happening here. 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:40.440 Notice, Jesus is in control. 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:44.220 He sends the disciples into the village. 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.660 He says, there's a donkey's colt there. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.200 It's tied up. 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:49.619 Nobody's ever sat on it before. 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:50.839 It's there for me. 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:52.500 Go get it. 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:54.299 There's going to be some people there. 00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:56.220 They're going to ask you why you're doing it. 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:57.980 Tell them the Lord needs it. 00:20:57.980 --> 00:20:59.700 He's going to bring it back when he's finished. 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:01.099 And they'll let you go. 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:02.740 He's in control of all of this. 00:21:02.819 --> 00:21:03.660 What do we see with that? 00:21:03.860 --> 00:21:05.940 This is deliberate action on Jesus' part. 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:08.759 He is intentionally fulfilling this prophecy. 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:13.019 This is a bold claim of Jesus as he enters the city. 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:15.400 I am this Messiah. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:19.860 I am this Davidic king. 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:23.259 And you say, why do we have to care about this? 00:21:26.639 --> 00:21:30.199 Because if Jesus had not done this, he would not be the Messiah. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:31.979 He couldn't be. 00:21:33.819 --> 00:21:36.899 All of the promises of God had to find their yes in him. 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:40.039 And all of them do find their yes in him. 00:21:40.199 --> 00:21:40.819 Paul was right. 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:43.500 They all find their yes in Christ. 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:46.839 Which tells us that this is who Christ is. 00:21:46.940 --> 00:21:48.519 There's no middle ground here with him. 00:21:50.099 --> 00:21:51.220 This is who he is. 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:52.799 You must believe him. 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:55.779 You must take notice of what he has said. 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:58.059 Of what he has called us to. 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:03.599 Take notice of this thing that he actually does accomplish in the city. 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:05.460 So, prophecy fulfilled. 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:06.039 Let's move on. 00:22:06.380 --> 00:22:07.240 People confused. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:08.259 That's my second note here. 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:09.440 People confused. 00:22:09.539 --> 00:22:10.099 Look at verse 8. 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:12.480 Many spread their cloaks on the road. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:17.879 Others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:22.559 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, 00:22:22.899 --> 00:22:23.359 Hosanna! 00:22:24.159 --> 00:22:26.399 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:22:27.419 --> 00:22:30.439 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. 00:22:31.199 --> 00:22:32.339 Hosanna in the highest. 00:22:33.339 --> 00:22:37.019 So, once the disciples had saddled the colt with their cloaks, 00:22:37.019 --> 00:22:43.139 Jesus began this short journey from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem proper. 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:44.980 And I want to show you actually a couple pictures 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:46.960 because I think it's helpful to have a visual of this. 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:49.319 Will you put the first picture up there for me, Julie? 00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:50.559 Okay. 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:52.759 So, this picture right here, my brother sent these to me. 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.000 He and my dad went on a trip to Israel a couple years ago. 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:58.799 He is standing on the Mount of Olives right here. 00:22:59.379 --> 00:23:02.460 So, this dome right here, as you probably are well aware, 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:04.079 that's on the Temple Mount. 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:05.199 So, that's the Dome of the Rock. 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:08.819 That's actually controlled by Muslims at this point. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:11.519 But that's on the Temple Mount right here. 00:23:11.699 --> 00:23:13.579 And this is the Old City Wall of Jerusalem. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:18.359 This right here is the Eastern Gate that we read about so often in biblical prophecy. 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:20.039 And all of this is a graveyard. 00:23:20.659 --> 00:23:24.939 So, this is all Jewish graves here that lead up to the Mount of Olives. 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:28.620 And then what would be behind where Jonathan is standing taking this picture 00:23:28.620 --> 00:23:35.080 would be on one end, one of the villages that would have been one of the villages of Bethphage. 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.440 And on the other end would be Bethany. 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:40.039 And they'd be on this road into Jerusalem. 00:23:40.360 --> 00:23:40.519 Okay. 00:23:40.620 --> 00:23:41.960 This is standing on the Mount of Olives. 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:43.120 Now, go to the next picture, Julie. 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:45.580 Just ignore Jonathan on this one. 00:23:45.600 --> 00:23:46.420 I know he's a distraction. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.019 So, this road right here, you can see again in the back, Temple Mount's there. 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:52.720 This is on the Mount of Olives. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:58.200 This is the road that they presume that Jesus actually traveled in this procession. 00:23:58.299 --> 00:24:03.339 Moving from the Mount of Olives down to the old city of Jerusalem, into the gate, 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:07.120 and then on in verse 11, eventually to the Temple Mount. 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:09.720 Now, I want you to picture that because I want you to see where this is happening. 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:16.680 We think so often with this entry into Jerusalem, we think city proper. 00:24:17.100 --> 00:24:18.700 That's not actually where this is happening. 00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:20.900 This is unfolding outside of the city. 00:24:20.900 --> 00:24:26.180 This begins as a procession in the Mount of Olives and continues until he gets to Jerusalem. 00:24:26.180 --> 00:24:30.820 But there's really no indication in the scriptures that it actually happens inside the city, 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:34.400 but it happens leading up to the city of Jerusalem. 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:36.200 Remember Zechariah's prophecy. 00:24:36.840 --> 00:24:38.880 Your king is coming to you. 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:41.340 He's on the outside and he's on his way in. 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:43.660 And that's when these things are beginning to unfold. 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:45.500 And I think the picture helps me at least. 00:24:45.860 --> 00:24:49.140 Picture exactly what's happening with Jesus in this moment. 00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:53.300 Now, suddenly Mark introduces us then to this crowd of people. 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:59.300 And there's this electrifying moment of praise that begins to unfold. 00:25:00.180 --> 00:25:01.640 And these people are enthusiastic. 00:25:02.080 --> 00:25:04.040 You can picture them crowded on this road. 00:25:04.100 --> 00:25:05.660 Of course, there probably wouldn't have been any walls there. 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:08.500 And they're crowded on this roadway down. 00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:10.000 And there's people yelling. 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:11.539 And they're shouting. 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:13.180 And they're throwing their clothes on the ground. 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:15.220 And they're cutting leaf of palm branches. 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:16.460 And they're throwing those on the ground. 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:19.000 This massive procession. 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:23.119 Let's pick this one apart now and see what's actually taking place here. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:24.660 Number one, notice the crowd. 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:27.160 Who exactly is this? 00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:30.119 Who's with Jesus moving down the road? 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:41.319 Now, I've heard people insinuate so many times before that the folks who praised Jesus at the beginning of the week are the same people who were shouting, crucify him at the end of the week. 00:25:41.539 --> 00:25:43.459 But I think that's a faulty conclusion. 00:25:43.619 --> 00:25:45.079 I don't think that's the same people. 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:51.539 In the gospels, Jerusalem is often symbolic of Jewish apostasy. 00:25:51.539 --> 00:26:00.200 So, everything that was the antithesis of Jesus and his gospel had a stronghold in Jerusalem. 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:05.359 Those people were the ones who were crying out, crucify him at the end of the week. 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:07.460 I don't think that's the same crowd here. 00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:17.240 This crowd, I believe, is made up of pilgrims that are traveling on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:21.079 They're witnesses to Jesus' miracles. 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:27.879 John specifically highlights the fact that they were witnesses of Lazarus' resurrection. 00:26:29.659 --> 00:26:38.799 These are disciples, according to Luke, using that term in the broadest sense of the word, not in the way that Jesus called for us to follow him, 00:26:38.879 --> 00:26:44.599 but just by the fact they were intrigued by Jesus, they thought he was the Messiah, and they were following him into the city. 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:48.079 And I want to read to you what Luke said, Luke 19, 37. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:27:07.019 This isn't people in the city. 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:12.660 These are people traveling to the city that had witnessed Lazarus' resurrection. 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:17.740 Perhaps they had witnessed Bartimaeus' opening of his eyes in Jericho. 00:27:18.139 --> 00:27:24.539 Perhaps they had been in Galilee and seen the things that Jesus had done there, and they believe that he's coming in this moment. 00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:28.859 And then Luke says in verse 39 that even the Pharisees recognized this. 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:31.599 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:37.319 Teacher, rebuke your disciples for the things that they were saying. 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:39.319 Now, here's the point. 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:47.059 These weren't the kind of people who would turn against Jesus before his crucifixion, but after it. 00:27:49.899 --> 00:27:52.460 Remember the parable of the soils in chapter 4? 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:58.299 Remember, I think the people of Jerusalem, generally speaking, not all of them, generally speaking, 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:02.440 I think the people of Jerusalem would fit the hard soil. 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:09.539 That the sower sows the seed of truth, but the truth never makes any kind of penetration into the soil, 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:12.019 and it's immediately robbed by the birds, right? 00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:19.720 I think the people in this crowd, we could helpfully point them at the shallow soil and the rocky soil. 00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:25.720 There's a portion of these people that is excited in this moment. 00:28:26.100 --> 00:28:31.620 They are rejoicing in this moment that they believe Jesus is this Messiah, 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:33.700 but they're going to quickly wither away. 00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:43.860 They're going to die out because you're going to find out that Jesus isn't actually there to do what they thought he was going to do. 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:45.360 That's who the crowd is. 00:28:45.600 --> 00:28:46.720 Now notice their cheers. 00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:49.039 So we see the crowd now see their cheers. 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:55.519 And the shouts give us an idea of what they were expecting Jesus to do once he got there. 00:28:55.720 --> 00:28:59.039 The first thing we see them doing, spreading their cloaks on the ground. 00:28:59.620 --> 00:29:00.720 What's that all about? 00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:03.759 They're not spreading their cloaks on the side of the road. 00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:06.019 They're spreading their cloaks in the middle of the road. 00:29:06.620 --> 00:29:12.140 They were rolling out the red carpet quite literally for Jesus, for this donkey to walk over. 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:15.960 This was a sign of their view of his kingship. 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:19.220 There's precedence for this in the Old Testament. 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:27.360 In 2 Kings chapter 9, when Jehu was announced king, he told the people this is what the prophet has said and what they did in that moment. 00:29:27.420 --> 00:29:28.759 I think I've actually got it written in my notes. 00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:39.039 Yeah, then in haste, every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, Jehu is king. 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.599 So what are these people doing? 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:44.900 They're laying their garments on, giving a red carpet for Jesus to walk on. 00:29:45.019 --> 00:29:45.319 Why? 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:46.980 Because they believe he's the king. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:48.779 And they're right. 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:51.000 They're treating him like a king. 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:54.400 Next thing we see them doing, leafy branches. 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:56.400 They're cutting them off in the fields. 00:29:56.960 --> 00:30:02.220 John 12 says that these were palm branches, which is where we get that term, palm sundae. 00:30:02.940 --> 00:30:06.460 And we often think of them as waving palms, palm branches in the air. 00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:08.200 Mark says that's not actually what they're doing. 00:30:08.420 --> 00:30:10.500 They're putting them next to the garments on the road. 00:30:11.259 --> 00:30:11.839 They're walking. 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:18.099 It's a continuation of this red carpet being rolled out for Jesus as he makes his way into the city. 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:20.460 Well, what's the significance of the palms? 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:24.099 There's a significance in Jewish history here. 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:31.319 150 years before Jesus had ever come to be, at least before he was born, 00:30:32.380 --> 00:30:37.779 there was a man named Simon Maccabeus in the second Maccabean revolt 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:41.079 who had delivered the city of Jerusalem from the Seleucids. 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:45.920 As the people celebrated the victory with Simon Maccabeus, 00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:50.680 they took palm fronds and they waved them and they laid them on the road. 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:56.700 And the palm frond then became the official symbol of this second Maccabean revolt. 00:30:57.160 --> 00:30:58.599 So what is that all about? 00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:08.240 These branches represented a nationalistic desire to be delivered from another nation's oppressive rule. 00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:10.240 So hang with me. 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:11.380 We're going somewhere with this. 00:31:11.380 --> 00:31:11.799 I promise. 00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:12.319 Hang with me. 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:14.480 They're laying the garments down. 00:31:15.120 --> 00:31:15.620 King. 00:31:16.920 --> 00:31:19.099 Now they're laying palm branches down. 00:31:20.339 --> 00:31:21.579 National deliverance. 00:31:22.460 --> 00:31:24.839 He's finally going to rescue us from Rome. 00:31:24.839 --> 00:31:30.899 No more oppression as a people, as a national people. 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:33.599 Now look at their cheer itself. 00:31:34.500 --> 00:31:37.819 It's a quotation from Psalm 118, which says, 00:31:38.379 --> 00:31:40.720 Save us, we pray, O Lord. 00:31:41.399 --> 00:31:43.959 Hosanna means save now or save us, please. 00:31:44.439 --> 00:31:45.980 Save us, we pray, O Lord. 00:31:46.139 --> 00:31:48.179 O Lord, we pray, give us success. 00:31:48.639 --> 00:31:50.859 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:54.240 We bless you from the house of the Lord. 00:31:55.159 --> 00:31:57.219 This would have been fantastic to see. 00:31:57.659 --> 00:32:03.899 It seems like it was an antiphonal chant where there was a group of people that were going before Jesus. 00:32:04.219 --> 00:32:06.659 And then there was a group of people going behind Jesus. 00:32:06.979 --> 00:32:10.219 And the people in the front would yell, Hosanna! 00:32:10.939 --> 00:32:15.000 And the people in the back would then respond with the next line. 00:32:15.719 --> 00:32:17.959 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:21.460 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. 00:32:21.660 --> 00:32:23.519 And then the front group would then chant again. 00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:25.360 Hosanna in the highest. 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:27.840 This is causing quite a stir, you can imagine. 00:32:28.319 --> 00:32:31.019 For about a mile or so, maybe three quarters of a mile. 00:32:31.160 --> 00:32:32.519 They're traveling down the road. 00:32:32.840 --> 00:32:36.900 People are beginning to hear the shouts of a multitude of a crowd yelling, Hosanna! 00:32:37.600 --> 00:32:39.700 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:32:39.860 --> 00:32:41.740 They're laying their garments on the road. 00:32:41.840 --> 00:32:43.500 They're throwing down the palm branches. 00:32:43.840 --> 00:32:45.360 The king is here. 00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:48.699 He's going to deliver the nation finally. 00:32:48.939 --> 00:32:51.219 Now, that's the crowd and the cheer. 00:32:51.579 --> 00:32:52.799 Nothing wrong with either one. 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:54.659 Nothing wrong with either one. 00:32:55.079 --> 00:32:56.539 Let's look at their confusion now. 00:32:58.240 --> 00:33:00.299 They identified the right person. 00:33:01.419 --> 00:33:04.759 And there's nothing at all wrong with the praises that they shouted. 00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:15.259 The problem with the crowd is that they weren't actually looking to Jesus for personal salvation, but for national deliverance. 00:33:16.420 --> 00:33:18.460 That's what they were concerned about. 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:21.059 There's no thought of sin. 00:33:21.879 --> 00:33:26.019 There's no thought of reconciliation with God. 00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:29.680 There's no thought of personal salvation here. 00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:32.560 This is all about delivering the nation. 00:33:33.080 --> 00:33:34.500 National deliverance. 00:33:34.580 --> 00:33:35.940 They were Jewish nationalists. 00:33:36.460 --> 00:33:42.299 They wanted to be free from Rome, but they weren't concerned with being free from sin. 00:33:42.299 --> 00:33:50.159 And it's not very different from people who sit in churches every Sunday around us. 00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:55.539 They have an expectation of what Jesus will provide. 00:33:55.700 --> 00:34:00.159 But what they expect from Jesus is comfort, is prosperity. 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:05.019 Maybe what they have in their mind is Jesus is the gateway to heaven. 00:34:05.019 --> 00:34:14.380 And I can at least receive in this next life, whatever happens after death, maybe I can at least go to heaven and I can experience this comfort there. 00:34:14.500 --> 00:34:16.579 But they actually have very little interest in Jesus. 00:34:18.780 --> 00:34:22.059 Jesus is just a way to get to what they really want. 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:24.340 They're not actually concerned about repentance. 00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:28.699 They're not actually concerned about God changing their life. 00:34:28.940 --> 00:34:32.579 They're not actually concerned about surrendering to Jesus as Lord. 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:34.460 They're not concerned about those things. 00:34:34.460 --> 00:34:35.659 They just want to go to heaven. 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:38.380 They just want God to give them money. 00:34:38.659 --> 00:34:40.500 They just want God to give them success. 00:34:40.780 --> 00:34:43.380 And there's a pretty clear picture of that with these people. 00:34:43.559 --> 00:34:45.720 As they're traveling down the road, they're excited. 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:48.019 The one who can bless us has finally come. 00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:51.820 But what's in their mind is not sin and salvation. 00:34:52.099 --> 00:34:53.659 It's not Jesus himself. 00:34:53.900 --> 00:34:59.579 He's almost irrelevant except for the fact that he's going to get them away from Rome's grip. 00:34:59.579 --> 00:35:06.739 It's not unlike the crowd at the feeding of the 5,000. 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:09.840 Maybe it was even some of the same people. 00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:13.819 Remember, they tried to make Jesus a king by force. 00:35:13.820 --> 00:35:21.640 And the excitement and enthusiasm with Jesus' arrival had nothing to do with his actual purpose. 00:35:23.100 --> 00:35:29.740 And the crowd's confusion then becomes the backdrop of everything that's going to unfold moving forward in Mark's gospel. 00:35:29.740 --> 00:35:31.380 Even with the 12 apostles. 00:35:32.220 --> 00:35:34.700 They're a part of this at this point. 00:35:34.699 --> 00:35:42.079 Now, do you see now how this crowd couldn't be composed of the same people crying for Jesus' crucifixion? 00:35:42.639 --> 00:35:46.079 His death was the last thing they wanted. 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:51.599 In fact, it was because of his death that they abandoned him. 00:35:51.599 --> 00:36:03.039 And what happens to these people later in the week when Jesus is arrested and tried and crucified? 00:36:05.539 --> 00:36:07.940 They're typified in the 12 apostles. 00:36:09.079 --> 00:36:15.639 Who were not only facing disappointment for what they felt were unmet expectations. 00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:18.980 But were absolutely crushed. 00:36:20.319 --> 00:36:22.980 Because they felt all hope was now gone. 00:36:24.759 --> 00:36:27.420 Surely, if there was a Messiah, it's Jesus. 00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:29.500 Look at what he's done. 00:36:29.879 --> 00:36:31.679 Look at all the things that he fulfills. 00:36:31.879 --> 00:36:33.460 And what the prophets have said. 00:36:33.519 --> 00:36:34.839 It has to be Jesus. 00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:36.699 And they had all of that right. 00:36:36.960 --> 00:36:38.879 But they didn't understand his purpose. 00:36:39.699 --> 00:36:41.059 They missed his purpose. 00:36:41.420 --> 00:36:42.440 And they were confused. 00:36:42.779 --> 00:36:45.000 And when it came down to it, they were crushed. 00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:49.699 Either Jesus had completely fooled them. 00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:53.159 Or God had abandoned them. 00:36:53.799 --> 00:36:55.599 And just teased them. 00:36:56.119 --> 00:36:58.819 And gave them somebody that matched all the requirements. 00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:03.279 But then removed him before he could actually bless the nation. 00:37:04.039 --> 00:37:05.000 And they're crushed. 00:37:06.219 --> 00:37:09.319 And then they're faced with decision, aren't they? 00:37:09.320 --> 00:37:17.559 The point here is you can't accept Jesus and his identity without his purpose. 00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:24.059 Even if his purpose turns out to be different than you anticipated. 00:37:25.980 --> 00:37:31.739 And it's not enough to view Jesus as a means to a better life or a prosperous future. 00:37:31.739 --> 00:37:35.919 He didn't come to bring us wealth and comfort. 00:37:35.919 --> 00:37:38.000 But to save us from sin. 00:37:38.519 --> 00:37:42.739 And have his rightful place of lordship in our hearts. 00:37:42.739 --> 00:37:48.599 And some of the people in this crowd would believe and continue in faith. 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:56.679 Many of them would see his death and say, I don't want a Messiah who dies. 00:37:56.679 --> 00:38:01.119 He didn't do what I wanted him to do. 00:38:01.919 --> 00:38:04.339 And they walk away in unbelief. 00:38:04.340 --> 00:38:12.300 So that when we get to our readings and acts, we find there's 120. 00:38:13.900 --> 00:38:15.300 120 people gathered. 00:38:17.140 --> 00:38:21.019 That's quite a big difference from a multitude of people that are crying as they go into the city. 00:38:21.380 --> 00:38:22.180 Where'd all those people go? 00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:25.019 Well, some of them might have gone home that were real believers, maybe. 00:38:25.640 --> 00:38:28.760 I think a lot of them, they saw the death of Jesus and they said, 00:38:28.980 --> 00:38:29.800 He can't be the one. 00:38:29.900 --> 00:38:30.559 What a disappointment. 00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:32.059 What a disappointment. 00:38:32.059 --> 00:38:37.759 People come to Jesus with all kinds of personal expectations now. 00:38:39.880 --> 00:38:42.239 Many walk away when they don't get what they want from them. 00:38:44.139 --> 00:38:48.759 And there's so much danger in the prevalence of this prosperity gospel that's out there right now. 00:38:48.799 --> 00:38:50.759 And you can see all the things about it. 00:38:50.920 --> 00:38:51.860 You can see it around you. 00:38:52.179 --> 00:38:58.940 People who run to Jesus because they think Jesus' purpose is to make them rich and to make them successful. 00:38:58.940 --> 00:39:03.740 And they do all the things that these guys tell them to do. 00:39:04.519 --> 00:39:07.720 And then they find out that those things aren't coming to fruition. 00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:09.280 And who is it that they walk away from? 00:39:09.420 --> 00:39:09.800 Jesus. 00:39:10.179 --> 00:39:10.380 Why? 00:39:10.679 --> 00:39:13.400 Because that's not the kind of Messiah I want. 00:39:13.940 --> 00:39:17.840 I don't want a Savior who's not going to meet my expectations. 00:39:17.840 --> 00:39:23.180 They're happy to recognize some kind of significance in Him. 00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:25.780 But they only want Him on their terms. 00:39:27.100 --> 00:39:28.340 And so the question then becomes, 00:39:28.840 --> 00:39:32.700 Well, what's your response when Jesus doesn't meet your expectations? 00:39:35.340 --> 00:39:37.300 Will you walk away in unbelief? 00:39:37.300 --> 00:39:54.320 Or will you find in Him that invaluable treasure that is forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God and eternal life? 00:39:56.840 --> 00:39:58.600 Finally, we see purpose revealed. 00:39:59.100 --> 00:39:59.940 Verse 11. 00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:18.900 I think there's a hint of Jesus' true purpose that's revealed in His destination. 00:40:18.900 --> 00:40:25.240 Which for Mark is not the city of Jerusalem, but the temple. 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:29.880 It's not an altar or not a throne. 00:40:30.900 --> 00:40:31.980 It's an altar. 00:40:35.460 --> 00:40:39.820 Jesus is the fulfillment of everything that the temple represents. 00:40:40.539 --> 00:40:43.220 And notice, that's where He went. 00:40:43.800 --> 00:40:46.320 All the Gospels focus in on this fact. 00:40:46.320 --> 00:40:49.019 He didn't go to the palace in Jerusalem. 00:40:50.120 --> 00:40:51.940 He went to the altar in Jerusalem. 00:40:53.280 --> 00:40:56.100 Now, that was a busy week at the temple. 00:40:57.519 --> 00:41:02.920 It's full of priests and worshipers who have come for the Passover celebration. 00:41:05.480 --> 00:41:15.580 Thousands of animals are being purchased and processed and prepared and sacrificed as a part of this celebration of the Exodus. 00:41:16.320 --> 00:41:17.320 It's busy. 00:41:17.320 --> 00:41:17.640 It's busy. 00:41:18.640 --> 00:41:22.200 Lots of things representing atonement are happening there. 00:41:22.539 --> 00:41:34.700 Jesus comes to that temple that day as the perfect Lamb of God who would make a full atonement once and for all for the sins of man. 00:41:34.699 --> 00:41:39.919 But it's not just about sacrifices at the temple, is it? 00:41:40.719 --> 00:41:42.460 The temple was full of priests. 00:41:42.579 --> 00:41:45.079 And what was one of the responsibilities of the priest? 00:41:45.139 --> 00:41:48.000 To make intercession for the people to God. 00:41:48.000 --> 00:41:56.059 Jesus comes as the one intercessor and mediator between God and man. 00:41:56.960 --> 00:42:03.699 And He stands in the temple that day, not only as the perfect sacrifice, but as the only way to God. 00:42:05.159 --> 00:42:06.539 You don't need a priest. 00:42:08.360 --> 00:42:10.800 You don't need me to get you access to God. 00:42:11.139 --> 00:42:12.059 You don't need a saint. 00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:13.639 You don't need the church. 00:42:13.639 --> 00:42:14.839 You need Jesus. 00:42:15.719 --> 00:42:20.659 And Jesus comes in that moment to the most sacred place in Judaism. 00:42:21.460 --> 00:42:24.379 The place that represents communion with God. 00:42:24.500 --> 00:42:27.480 And He stands there as the only way to actually get to God. 00:42:28.599 --> 00:42:30.000 But that's not it either. 00:42:31.219 --> 00:42:32.099 There's more. 00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:37.019 The temple represented the presence of God among His people. 00:42:37.019 --> 00:42:43.679 Jesus stands there as the image of the invisible God. 00:42:44.820 --> 00:42:46.719 The firstborn of all creation. 00:42:47.739 --> 00:42:51.719 He stands there as the exact imprint of God's nature. 00:42:52.940 --> 00:42:54.659 He is the presence of God. 00:42:56.659 --> 00:43:00.099 Jesus and what He did in His death and resurrection. 00:43:00.559 --> 00:43:05.300 He didn't come as a supplement to the temple and temple worship. 00:43:05.300 --> 00:43:09.500 He came as a total replacement of it. 00:43:10.560 --> 00:43:15.420 His death and His resurrection render the temple and temple worship obsolete. 00:43:15.940 --> 00:43:17.920 That's the significance of the veil, remember? 00:43:19.180 --> 00:43:20.140 Jesus dies. 00:43:20.260 --> 00:43:21.940 The veil in the temple is rent. 00:43:22.220 --> 00:43:25.980 Indicating that everything that's happening there that day and that Passover, 00:43:26.240 --> 00:43:27.440 now doesn't matter. 00:43:28.060 --> 00:43:32.060 We have access to God through Jesus, through the perfect Lamb. 00:43:32.060 --> 00:43:35.200 He is the presence of God among us. 00:43:36.019 --> 00:43:37.340 He is our mediator. 00:43:37.680 --> 00:43:40.160 He is our intercessor. 00:43:41.120 --> 00:43:43.039 And once He finished His task, 00:43:43.500 --> 00:43:48.640 He took His rightful place on the throne in the kingdom of God. 00:43:49.519 --> 00:43:50.260 Hebrews 1. 00:43:51.060 --> 00:43:53.240 He is the radiance of the glory of God. 00:43:53.440 --> 00:43:55.320 The exact imprint of His nature. 00:43:55.660 --> 00:43:58.080 He upholds the universe by the word of His power. 00:43:58.079 --> 00:44:05.599 And after making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. 00:44:06.819 --> 00:44:07.699 Philippians 2. 00:44:08.659 --> 00:44:14.440 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, 00:44:14.819 --> 00:44:16.199 even death on a cross. 00:44:16.199 --> 00:44:23.779 Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 00:44:24.139 --> 00:44:29.219 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and in earth and under the earth, 00:44:29.339 --> 00:44:34.599 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 00:44:34.599 --> 00:44:41.719 Father, both of those passages describe Jesus' kingship, His lordship, His highness, His throne. 00:44:41.860 --> 00:44:45.639 But the pathway to that throne in both cases is suffering. 00:44:45.880 --> 00:44:46.819 It's death. 00:44:47.059 --> 00:44:48.179 It's the cross. 00:44:48.179 --> 00:44:51.859 Jesus didn't come to rule in a palace. 00:44:52.059 --> 00:44:53.899 He came to die on a cross. 00:44:54.500 --> 00:44:57.519 That doesn't mean that He's not the eternal king. 00:44:57.819 --> 00:45:02.779 It just means that He's made a way for you to be a citizen of His kingdom. 00:45:04.559 --> 00:45:07.539 And I think that was the purpose of Mark including this year. 00:45:07.960 --> 00:45:10.500 He wants us to see Jesus' destination, 00:45:10.699 --> 00:45:14.339 because everything that begins to unfold after this is happening in and around the temple. 00:45:15.339 --> 00:45:15.819 Why? 00:45:16.280 --> 00:45:18.240 Because it wasn't about a throne at this point. 00:45:19.320 --> 00:45:21.840 It's about the cross at this point. 00:45:22.260 --> 00:45:26.780 It's about salvation, redemption, resurrection. 00:45:29.220 --> 00:45:33.700 John said that the disciples didn't grasp the significance of this, 00:45:33.760 --> 00:45:35.900 and of course we wouldn't expect them to, right? 00:45:35.960 --> 00:45:38.519 Except for the fact that Jesus had told them this is what He was going to do. 00:45:39.800 --> 00:45:41.019 A bunch of times. 00:45:43.240 --> 00:45:44.380 But they didn't get it. 00:45:44.380 --> 00:45:49.160 John 12 says that His disciples did not understand these things at first, 00:45:49.660 --> 00:45:53.760 but when He was glorified, that is after His resurrection. 00:45:54.840 --> 00:45:59.340 Then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. 00:45:59.820 --> 00:46:00.860 Now how did they remember? 00:46:01.440 --> 00:46:03.119 Luke tells us that Jesus just told them. 00:46:03.880 --> 00:46:05.680 He sat down with them and took His Bible and He said, 00:46:05.740 --> 00:46:06.700 let me show you all the ways. 00:46:07.160 --> 00:46:08.019 All the ways. 00:46:08.660 --> 00:46:10.700 But that was all post-resurrection, wasn't it? 00:46:10.699 --> 00:46:12.460 It was all post-resurrection. 00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:14.079 Now think about that for us. 00:46:15.259 --> 00:46:17.879 We have the privilege of looking back on these events 00:46:17.879 --> 00:46:21.559 and having a better understanding than the 12 did in that moment. 00:46:22.719 --> 00:46:24.000 Let's not give them a hard time. 00:46:26.419 --> 00:46:27.819 We can see the whole picture, 00:46:27.919 --> 00:46:30.960 and yet how long has it taken us to really care 00:46:30.960 --> 00:46:33.239 and to really grasp it? 00:46:33.239 --> 00:46:35.599 They didn't have that full picture. 00:46:37.399 --> 00:46:40.639 There's no denying that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God 00:46:40.639 --> 00:46:43.799 because all of these promises find their yes in Him, 00:46:43.919 --> 00:46:46.299 and this is just one very small example of it. 00:46:46.539 --> 00:46:47.979 It's all over the Scripture. 00:46:49.579 --> 00:46:53.119 There's no need for us to misunderstand His purpose like the crowd. 00:46:53.119 --> 00:46:56.500 We can see now what they could not see at the time. 00:46:59.019 --> 00:47:02.179 But we do have to face the same decision as they did. 00:47:03.799 --> 00:47:06.880 Will you trust and follow Jesus on His terms? 00:47:08.739 --> 00:47:14.279 Or will you deny Him, reject Him, and follow your own way? 00:47:14.280 --> 00:47:44.260 Thank you.