It's great to worship with you all.
It's Palm Sunday today
and one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church
and it's my great joy
and honor
to serve King Jesus
and preach his word
this morning.
Matthew 21, 1-17.
Let me pray
for the reading and preaching of God's word.
God, you are the God of light and glory.
God, your brilliance exposes all our sins.
But Lord, also strangely,
your light also warmly invites us,
sinners, to come
to be forgiven,
to be received.
So Lord,
reveal yourself this morning to your people.
Exalt your son, Jesus Christ,
that we might behold his majesty
and his meekness
and that in our encounter with him
and in our faith in him
and union with him
might be transformed
from one degree of glory to another
into the likeness of your son, Jesus Christ.
Help us to behold him today.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Please stand if you are able
so that we can honor God together
as we read from his word.
Matthew 21, verses 1-17.
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage,
to the Mount of Olives,
then Jesus sent two disciples,
saying to them,
go into the village in front of you
and immediately you will find
a donkey tied and a colt with her.
Untie them and bring them to me.
If anyone says anything to you,
you shall say,
the Lord needs them.
And he will send them at once.
This took place to fulfill
what was spoken by the prophet,
saying,
say to the daughter of Zion,
behold, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt,
the foal of a beast of burden.
The disciples went and did
as Jesus had directed them.
They brought the donkey and the colt
and put on them their cloaks,
and he sat on them.
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks
on the road,
and others cut branches from the trees
and spread them on the road.
And the crowds that went before him
and that followed him
were shouting,
Hosanna to the son of David.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
And when he entered Jerusalem,
the whole city was stirred up,
saying,
who is this?
And the crowd said,
this is the prophet Jesus
from Nazareth of Galilee.
And Jesus entered the temple
and drove out all who sold
and bought in the temple.
And he overturned the tables
of the money changers
and the seats of those
who sold pigeons.
He said to them,
it is written,
my house shall be called
a house of prayer,
but you make it a den of robbers.
And the blind and the lame
came to him in the temple
and he healed them.
But when the chief priests
and the scribes saw
the wonderful things that he did
and the children crying out
in the temple,
Hosanna to the son of David,
they were indignant.
And they said to him,
do you hear what these are saying?
And Jesus said to them,
yes.
Have you never read?
Out of the mouth of infants
and nursing babies
you have prepared praise.
And leaving them,
he went out of the city
to Bethany
and lodged there.
This is God's holy
and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
In his defense of Christianity
entitled Pense,
which simply means
thoughts in French,
the 17th century
mathematician and philosopher
Blaise Pascal
wrote this,
I do not admire
the excess of a virtue
as of courage,
except I see
at the same time
the excess
of the opposite virtue
as an Epaminondas
who had extreme courage
and extreme benignity.
For otherwise,
it is not to rise,
it is to fall.
One does not show
his greatness
by being at one extremity,
but rather
by touching both at once
and filling
all the intermediate space.
Pascal uses Epaminondas,
a 4th century B.C.
Greek general
and statesman,
as an example
of a person
who had both
extreme courage
and extreme gentleness
and kindness.
Extreme courage
on the battlefield,
but extreme kindness
and gentleness
in his private life.
A person who only
possesses extreme courage,
Pascal considered
a brute.
a person who only
possesses extreme gentleness,
Pascal considered
a weakling.
Unfortunately,
it is common
for Christians
to see Jesus
as either
of these two extremes.
Some see him
predominantly
in his kindness
and gentleness
and meekness.
This is the
saccharine,
sentimental Jesus,
the gentle Jesus,
meek and mild.
others see Jesus
predominantly
in his majesty
and fiery holiness.
The Revelation 19
Jesus
with eyes
like flames
of fire
and a sharp
double-edged sword
coming out of his mouth
to strike down
the nations.
Of course,
neither side
will openly
acknowledge
that they have
this one-dimensional
view of Jesus,
but if you listen
to the way
they talk
and the way
they deal
with sinners,
you can tell
that they
functionally
have a one-dimensional
Jesus.
Referencing
this Pascal quote
that I just cited,
C.S. Lewis,
Oxford professor
and theologian,
once wrote
in a letter
in 1959,
gentle Jesus,
my elbow.
he's a Christian,
you know,
he can,
yeah.
Gentle Jesus,
my elbow,
the most striking
thing about our Lord
is the union
of great ferocity
with extreme tenderness.
Remember Pascal,
I'll skip the quote
since I read it already,
add to this
that he is also
a supreme
ironist,
dialectician,
and occasionally
humorist,
so go on.
You are on the
right track now,
getting to the real
man behind all
the plaster dolls
that have been
substituted for him.
This is the
appearance in human
form of the God
who made the tiger
and the lamb,
the avalanche
and the rose.
He'll frighten
and puzzle you,
but the real Christ
can be loved
and admired
as the doll
cannot be.
This is the real
Christ that we see
this morning
in our passage.
The two dramatic
scenes as Jesus
enters Jerusalem
and as he cleanses
the temple
show that Jesus
perfectly combines
these two extremes.
Jesus is
the majestic
and yet meek
Messiah
who reigns
over the blind
and the lame.
So we're going to
look at those two
attributes of Christ
in turn.
First, his majesty,
the majesty of the king,
and secondly,
the meekness
of the king.
Let's first talk
about the majesty
of the king.
In a few months,
300,000 to 500,000
people will descend
upon the Charles River
Esplanade
for Independence Day.
Boston is called
the Cradle of Liberty
because of its pivotal role
in the American Revolution,
so it's no surprise
that we attract
one of the largest crowds
for Fourth of July
celebrations
in the country.
The scene is similar
to that Fourth of July
scene in Matthew 21.
Jesus is here
entering Jerusalem
on the week of Passover.
Jerusalem's normal
population around this time
would have been
around 30,000,
but during Passover,
which was the most
celebrated
and eagerly anticipated
festival
that was observed
by all Jews,
the number of people
in Jerusalem
swelled to around
200,000 pilgrims
from all over
the Middle East
in the Mediterranean region
flocking to Jerusalem
to celebrate this Passover.
Jerusalem proper
could not accommodate
all these people,
and so tens of thousands
of people would pitch tents
all around
and camp around the city.
That's why later
in verse 17,
it says that Jesus
went out of the city
of Jerusalem
to Bethany
and lodged there.
There is simply no room
in the city itself.
And remember also
that the Passover,
which the Jews
had been celebrating
for over 1,400 years
by this time,
it was a celebration
of God's deliverance
of Israel,
his people,
from their slavery
in Egypt.
It's pretty much
the Jewish equivalent
of Independence Day,
except that they
weren't independent anymore.
They were occupied
and oppressed
by the Romans,
and they had been waiting
for God to send
another deliverer
like Moses,
another deliverer
like King David
to free them
from this rule.
So imagine if
in the unlikely event
that we,
the United States
of America,
were to be colonized
by another country
in the near future,
and that we continue
to celebrate
Independence Day,
right under the noses
of our occupiers.
Can you see why
that would be subversive?
Why that would make
the Roman rulers
nervous?
Imagine this scene
in the first century
Jerusalem.
A Jewish family
gathers around
the hearth at night,
and they're eating
the Passover meal,
and the kid asks,
Dad, what does
the Passover mean?
Oh, I thought
you would never ask.
Long time ago,
we were oppressed
by these Egyptian rulers.
They were violent
and ruthless.
Sorry, no offense
to our Egyptian brothers here.
You have been saved
by the blood of the Lamb.
Amen.
Yeah.
Not unlike
the Romans today.
Pharaoh even ordered
the newborn Jewish boys
to be killed,
but one survived.
His name was Moses.
And God,
through Moses,
struck Egypt down
with ten plagues
or ten disasters.
And the final one
was when he struck down
all the firstborn
males of Egypt.
But because
of the blood
of the Lamb
upon our doorposts,
the destroyer
passed over us,
spared us,
and in doing that,
God delivered us
out of the hand
of Egypt,
and he can do it again.
He will do it again.
The scriptures prophesy
of a son of David
who will come,
a Messiah,
a king,
who will restore
his kingdom
to all its glory.
So,
this is the Passover.
It's pregnant
with nationalistic,
patriotic fervor.
And this is why
Pontius Pilate,
the Roman governor
of Judea,
is in Jerusalem
during this time
as we find out
later in Matthew 27.
Normally,
he resided in Caesarea,
which is modern-day
Tel Aviv,
but he came to Jerusalem
for the Passover
because he needs
to keep order
in case a riot breaks out.
He needs to maintain control.
That's the mood.
remember this mood
as we enter
into this scene
in verse 1.
Now,
when they drew near
to Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage,
to the Mount of Olives,
then Jesus sent
two disciples.
Each of these three locations
is theologically significant.
I don't have time
to get into them all,
but the political leaders
that are around the world
in our country
often have to be mindful
of the symbolic implications
of their actions,
including where they hold
their rallies,
where they announce
their campaigns,
what song they play
as their campaign
is announced
and they come onto the stage.
Ronald Reagan
launched his general election
campaign in 1980
in front of the Statue of Liberty,
positioning himself
as the keeper
of the flame of liberty.
Barack Obama
announced his candidacy
in Springfield, Illinois,
indicating that he is
from the heartland,
from the land of Lincoln,
and that he too
is a historic figure
like Lincoln.
In a similar way,
Jesus has very deliberately
chosen the Mount of Olives
as the location
from which he will descend
into Jerusalem.
Because it was prophesied
in Zechariah 14, 4-5
that the Messiah,
the promised king
and deliverer
of God's people,
the representative
of Yahweh,
would come to Jerusalem
and stand on Mount of Olives
and that he would fight
the decisive battles
against the enemies of God
and deliver them.
So Mount of Olives
is the beginning point
of Jesus' inaugural parade.
Jesus is not being shy
about his royal status.
Not only that,
Matthew intentionally
builds suspense
by repeated use
of the verb
draw near
in his book.
It says in verse 1
that Jesus and his followers
drew near to Jerusalem
and Matthew
has used that verb
only three times
up to this point
in the gospel
and every single time
is to say
that the kingdom of heaven
is near.
Jesus and his disciples
drawing near to Jerusalem
is bringing the kingdom
of heaven near.
Here is the king
that was promised.
Here is the king
that brings the kingdom
of God
to bear upon this earth.
As Matthew 5.35 said,
Jerusalem is the city
of the great king,
the city of David
and here comes
the son of David
standing atop Mount of Olives
of all places
surveying Jerusalem
and about to enter.
What else can all of this mean?
It's about to go down.
From there,
Jesus sends two of his disciples
on a mission
in verses 2-3
saying to them,
go into the village
in front of you
and immediately you will find
a donkey tied
and a colt with her.
Untie them
and bring them to me.
If anyone says anything to you
you shall say
the Lord needs them
and he will send them
at once.
Jesus here displays
supernatural knowledge
and sovereign control
of his environment
in his instruction
to the disciples
to secure a colt
for him to ride on.
A colt is a young male donkey.
Usually,
people waited
until the donkeys
were fully grown
to ride them
and the significance
of the colt
is that it is
a brand new
unused
unadulterated donkey
that no one else
has ever ridden on.
That point
is made explicit
in the parallel account
of this triumphal entry
in Luke 19.30
which says
that this is a colt
on which no one
has ever yet sat.
Several Old Testament passages
speak of the importance
of bringing an animal
for sacrifice
to God
that has never been worked
and has never worn
a yoke.
Numbers 19,
Deuteronomy 21.
So this colt
represents purity
that is fit for God.
Fit for a king.
I've never owned
a brand new car
ever in my life.
It's not because
used cars are better.
It's because
used cars are cheaper.
Right?
A new car
loses 10%
of its value
as soon as it is
driven off the lot.
10%.
And by the end
of that first year,
even if the car
is in great condition,
it will lose
up to 20%
to 30%
of its value.
And how does that
make sense?
Right?
A one-year-old car,
I've never even
dreamed of
in a one-year-old car
before.
A one-year-old car
is pretty much
brand spanking new.
Like you don't have
to do any major repairs
for years to come.
Right?
That's a great car.
How in the world
is a one-year-old car
lose,
does it lose
30%
of its value?
How can a car
that was literally
just driven off
the lot
that has five miles
on the odometer
lose 10%
of the car's value?
It doesn't make
any sense,
right?
That's why used
cars are good value.
Right?
An article published
in the Journal of Product
and Brand Management
2025
observes
what all of us
intuitively know,
namely that
with any kind
of used product,
there is this
perceived
contamination.
It's no longer
pristine and perfect.
Yes,
the car only has
five miles
on the odometer,
but someone else
put that five miles
on that car.
It's not fully mine.
It's no longer
solely mine.
It's not pure anymore.
Of course,
if I'm getting
a car for myself,
I'm going to get
a good value used car.
Thank you very much.
But if I'm getting
a car
for the king
of kings,
I'm not getting
a used car.
As if
he's no better
than that guy
who rode in that car
earlier on?
Absolutely not.
Brand new,
unused,
pure,
and pristine.
Because the king
of kings
cannot ride
on anything
that's less
than perfect.
So he rides
on the colt
on which no one
else has ever sat.
And an unbroken
colt was usually
introduced into service
in the presence
of its mother,
lest it become
nervous and jumpy.
The mother's presence
would keep the colt
peaceful and calm.
And so that's why
the disciples
instructed to bring
both the mother
and the colt,
the donkey
and the colt.
As they acquire
the donkey
and the colt,
if anyone objects
to this,
them untying
this donkey
that doesn't
belong to them
and bringing
it to Jesus,
they are not
instructed to
apologize profusely
and then beg
for their pardon.
Instead,
they're simply told
to tell the owner,
the Lord needs
them.
The Lord
is an exalted
title often used
throughout the
Gospel of Matthew
to refer to Yahweh,
to God himself.
And the first time
Jesus applied that
title to himself
was in Matthew 7
when he described
himself as the
supreme Lord
and judge of all
creation who will
be sitting in the
judgment seat on
judgment day,
at the end of the
days.
So this is an
extraordinary claim.
The Lord needs
them.
And that is reason
enough.
In the ancient
world, it was
understood that a
king had the
authority and the
right to impress
the property of his
subjects into his
own service.
We have something
similar in our own
context.
We call it eminent
domain, which gives
the government the
power to take private
property and convert it
into public use, as
long as they provide
fair compensation for
it.
If you have any
questions about that,
you can talk to Josh
Granbo.
He told me all about
it last year.
Similarly, Jesus
impresses into his
personal service the
property of one of his
subjects, which he
has every right to do
as the messianic
king.
So the disciples went
and did as they were
instructed, and they
brought the donkey and
the colt.
So this is a command
fulfillment formula in
the Bible.
It's highlighting Jesus
as kingly authority.
And just think about it
for a minute.
Can I get two
volunteers?
Just two volunteers?
Okay.
Shall we?
One more?
Okay.
David.
Can you go to knock
on the third house on
Windsor Street?
And then tell them,
ask them for the key to
the car that's parked
in front.
And if they say
anything about it,
then just tell them
the pastor has need
of it.
Right?
Yeah.
Why aren't you guys
going?
Yeah.
You see, they don't
take me seriously
enough.
You see?
Yeah.
And rightly so.
Imagine what would
happen.
Not only is my
information inaccurate,
I don't even know
where the house,
third house would be.
But no one would
hand over the key
to their car.
And that's why you
guys aren't going.
The reason, of course,
is simple.
I don't have that
kind of authority.
But King Jesus does.
And then in verses
four to five,
Matthew tells us
what the donkey
is four.
This took place
to fulfill what was
spoken by the prophet
saying,
say to the daughter
of Zion,
behold,
your king is coming
to you,
humble and mounted
on a donkey,
on a colt,
the foal of a beast
of burden.
The first phrase,
say to the daughter
of Zion,
echoes Isaiah 61,
11 to 12,
which is a prophecy
of how the Lord
himself will bring
salvation to his
people.
But most of the
citation in verse
five is from
Zechariah 9,
which we read for
our call to worship
this morning.
Rejoice greatly,
O daughter of Zion.
Shout aloud,
O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold,
your king is coming
to you.
Righteous and having
salvation is he,
humble and mounted
on a donkey,
on a colt,
the foal of a donkey.
It's a prophecy
concerning the
messianic king,
and amazingly,
it predicts that
the king will arrive
on a donkey,
on a colt,
the foal of a donkey.
So Jesus is saying,
here I am.
I am the messianic
king who fulfills
this prophecy.
I am the messiah
that you have been
waiting for.
This is the only time
in the gospels
that Jesus ever
rides on anything.
He's always walking
all over the gospels,
always walking
with his disciples.
Moreover,
according to Jewish
oral commentary
on Leviticus
and Deuteronomy,
Jews were specifically
instructed and expected
to arrive in Jerusalem
as pilgrims for Passover
on foot.
So why does Jesus
decide to ride
on a donkey
on this last mile
into Jerusalem?
There is a widespread
misunderstanding
that I try to expose
every Palm Sunday
when I preach,
that riding on a donkey
is a lowly,
humble thing,
something that's reserved
for common farming folk.
But that's not true.
In fact,
riding a donkey
is a sign of royalty.
To give you some examples,
Judges 10, 3-4,
it says that Jair of Gilead,
a judge of Israel
for 22 years,
had 30 sons
who rode 30 donkeys
and controlled
30 towns in Gilead.
Riding a donkey
signifies rulership,
kingship.
Similarly,
in 1 Kings 1,
33-34,
when King David
commands Zadok the priest
and Nathan the prophet
to announce that Solomon
is his chosen heir
to reign after him.
What does he tell him
to do?
He tells him
to take his donkey
and put Solomon on it
and parade him
around the city,
announcing that he is king.
Finally,
there's a letter
that archaeologists
found in the ancient
Near East,
in Mari,
an ancient Sumerian city
around 1760 BC,
where a royal advisor
counsels his king
this way.
Verily,
you are the king
of the Haneans,
but secondly,
you are the king
of the Acadians.
My lord should not
ride a horse.
Let my lord ride
in a chariot
or on a mule,
and he will thereby
honor his royal head.
A military general
seeking to conquer
a city that doesn't
belong to him
gallops in
on a stallion,
but a king
who owns it all
rides in
on a donkey.
No wonder,
it says in verse 10,
that the whole city
was stirred up
by Jesus' entry
into Jerusalem.
He's a talk
of the entire town.
Who is this?
The word stirred
is the same word
used to describe
how the earth
shook in Matthew 27, 51.
The whole city
is agitated,
shaken,
thrown into commotion,
that there's someone
who is claiming
to be the son of David,
the king,
the Messiah,
riding on a donkey
and coming in
to Jerusalem.
And in verse 7,
the disciples
put their cloaks
on the colt
and for Jesus
to sit on,
and in verse 8,
the crowd spread
their cloaks
on the road
and cut branches
from the trees
and laid them
down on the road.
What are they doing?
Spreading garments
on the ground
so that a person
does not have to walk
on the bare earth
is a gesture
of honor
and respect.
It's similar
to our practice
of rolling out
the red carpet
for presidents
and heads of state
that come to visit
on special occasions.
Jesus,
you are too holy,
too worthy
to sit
on the donkey's
bare back.
So here's a cloak.
Jesus,
you're too glorious
and majestic
to set your feet
on this bare earth.
Here,
let me soil
my cloak instead.
Here,
take it.
Let your donkey
trot on it
because that's
how worthy you are.
That's how glorious
you are.
That's the idea.
That's the majesty
of the Messiah.
And imagine
what an awe-inspiring
sight that would have been
to see Jesus
riding down
from Mount of Olives
on a donkey.
Remember,
there are hundreds
of thousands
of pilgrims
in and all
around Jerusalem.
Remember,
there are hundreds
of thousands
of all of them
on foot
all of a sudden
amidst a sea
of people.
You see Jesus
rise above them all.
amidst a sea
of pedestrians,
you see one man
click, click, click, click,
riding in
on a donkey.
And everybody's heads
are turning.
Who is this?
It's glorious.
Jesus is not being demure
about his kingship.
He's putting the entire city
on notice
and inviting everybody
who sees
to draw
the inevitable
and appropriate
conclusion.
That's why the crowd's
acclamation in verse 9
is particularly
fitting.
Hosanna to the son
of David.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The title
son of David
is the traditional title
given for the Jewish Messiah
who is expected
to be a descendant
of King David.
And throughout his ministry
up to this point,
many times
Jesus has been called
the son of David.
But he has been
very guarded
about his
messianic identity.
Some people call this
the messianic secret
in the gospels.
But at this point
in the narrative,
as he is headed
to the cross
in Jerusalem,
all reticence
has gone out the window.
Now is the time
for the revealing
of the messianic king.
Now is the time
for Jesus' enthronement.
And so the crowds
cry out,
Hosanna,
which is taken
from Psalm 118,
25 to 26.
It's a combination
of two Hebrew words.
One that means
to save
and another one
that means
to please,
please.
So it means together,
please save us.
It says in Psalm 118,
15,
save us,
we pray,
oh Lord.
We are downtrodden
and defeated.
We are poor
and needy.
Save us,
Lord God.
We need you.
King,
come and deliver us.
That's the cry.
The cry
that the Old Testament
saints cried out
to the Lord God
himself.
Now these crowds
are crying out
to Jesus.
it's a significant
claim.
Later on
in verse 15,
the children
in the temple
also cry out
Hosanna to the
son of David
and the chief priests
and the scribes
probably at first
are just laughing
in disbelief.
Look at these
cute,
ignorant children
calling this man
the son of David.
It looks like
their parents,
Messiah fever
got to them also.
Maybe they expect
Jesus to tempt down
this misguided fervor
but Jesus doesn't
do that.
He accepts
their acclamation
as the son of David,
Yahweh's king.
And when they realize
that that's what
Jesus is in fact doing,
he says the chief priests
and the scribes
became indignant
in verse 16.
Do you hear
what these are saying?
I mean,
you can't be
that brazen
and self-important,
can you?
They're saying
that you are
the coming
Davidic king.
They're saying
that you are
the Messiah.
Please,
disabuse the masses
of their ignorance.
Tell them
that they've got
the wrong guy
right now.
But Jesus responds
in verse 16,
yes.
Yes.
I hear what
they're saying.
Yes.
I accept it.
Jesus continues
in verse 16.
Have you never read
out of the mouth
of infants
and nursing babies
you have prepared
praise?
I'll talk more
about this a little later
but Jesus is quoting
from Psalm 8 verse 2
which is about
how infants
and babies
praise God.
and shockingly
again,
Jesus applies
this praise
that is given
to God
to himself.
Yes,
Psalm 8
was about me.
Yes,
it applies
to me.
I am the son
of David
and even more
than that,
I am the son
of God.
So the crowds
are right to cry
out,
Hosanna in the highest
because I am
of the most
high God.
And then after
saying that,
Jesus leaves
the chief priests
and the scribes
to pick up
their jaws
off the floor
and then he
leaves the city.
This is the
majesty
of our king.
Do you think
some Christians
are a little
too devoted?
A little
fanatic
maybe?
Hyperbolic
and overly
lavish?
In their praise
of Jesus,
think again.
No praise
is high enough.
No shout
is loud enough.
No words
are strong enough.
No life
is long enough
to praise
our savior
and no song
is sweet enough
for our savior
and king.
This is the majesty
of our king.
This is why
what Jesus does
in verses 12
to 13
does not
surprise me.
And Jesus
entered the
temple
and drove
out all
who sold
and bought
in the temple
and he
overturned
the tables
of the money
changers
and the seats
of those
who sold
pigeons.
He said to them
it is written
my house
shall be called
a house
of prayer
but you
make it
a den
of robbers.
some people
read this
and think
man
Jesus
seems a little
unhinged
here
a little
bit over
the top
maybe
he's got
some anger
issues
absolutely
not
it's the
only
proper
and righteous
response
for the
son of
God
there's
several
reasons
for this
one
what Jesus
mentions
house
of
prayer
that's
an allusion
to Isaiah
56
when God
spoke
and said
that one
day when
his salvation
comes
to Jerusalem
that foreigners
and Gentiles
will come
and pray
and seek
the Lord
God
in this
house
of prayer
and where
are they
having
all these
commercial
activities
inside the
temple
they're doing
it in the
court of
the Gentiles
a little
bit of
Jewish
ethnic
superiority
here
hey
it's
crowded
busy
during the
Passover
where should
we put
these
money changers
and the
pigeon
sellers
just put
them in
the
court
of
the
Gentiles
and Jesus
says
no
this is
a place
we're
there
to come
and seek
God
my
father
I
would
not
have
them
here
he
calls
it
a
den
of
robbers
that's
an
allusion
to
Jeremiah
7
where
God
accuses
his
own
people
of
worshiping
idols
and
Baals
throughout
the
week
and
then
they
come
to
worship
God
on
the
Sabbath
they
come
to
worship
God
at
the
temple
and
he
says
no
you're
turning
my
temple
into
a
den
of
robbers
so
there's
an
implicit
there's
an
application
here
that
Jesus
is
making
to
you
obey
other
gods
you
serve
other
lords
and
you
disobey
me
throughout
your
life
and
you
come
to
the
temple
like
you
are
my
people
you're
turning
into
a
den
of
robbers
but
centrally
and I
think
the
thing
that
Jesus
is
most
upset
about
here
in
addition
to
all
of
that
the
one
that
Matthew
focuses
on
is
the
presence
of
the
merchants
and
the
money
changers
in
the
temple
the
fact
that
they
exist
in
Jerusalem
during
the
Passover
is
not
at
all
remarkable
pigeons
were
commonly
used
in
sacrificial
offerings
in
worship
and
it
would
have
been
difficult
imagine
if you're
coming
from
far
away
coming
from
Saudi
Arabia
let's
say
you're
trying
to
go
to
Jerusalem
and
that
entire
journey
you're
bringing
along
some
pigeons
!
from
afar
to
say
hey
you
can
buy
the
pigeons
here
because
it's
much
easier
to
transport
money
just
bring
your
money
you
can
buy
the
pigeons
here
and
you
can
offer
them
a
sacrifice
similarly
the
money
changers
were
a
necessary
part
of
the
Jerusalem
life
at
the
time
because
the
Jewish
law
stipulated
that
the
temple
tax
which
was
required
of
every
Jewish
male
20
years
old
or
older
be
paid
quality
but
pilgrims
would
bring
all
kinds
of
coins
from
all
over
the
place
and
so
this
was
also
a
service
that
was
offered
to
the
pilgrims
and
of
course
the
pigeon
sellers
and
the
money
changers
would
make
some
profit
off
of
these
commercial
activities
and
some
people
think
that
they
were
being
extortionists
and
stealing
from
people
in that
sense
and
that's
why
Jesus
calls
them
the
den
of
robbers
I
don't
think
that
because
it
says
Jesus
doesn't
merely
drive
out
the
sellers
it
also
says
that
he
drives
out
those
who
bought
in
the
temple
in
verse
12
he
has
a
problem
with
the
buyers
too
so
it's
not
unfair
marketing
practices
that
Jesus
is
after
he's
incensed
by the
very
presence
of
trade
activity
inside
the
temple
in
another
instance
Jesus
appears
to have
cleansed
the
temple
on
another
instance
earlier
in
his
ministry
and
that's
recorded
in
John
chapter
2
and
there
Jesus
says
specifically
take
these
things
away
do
not
make
my
father's
house
a
house
of
trade
I
know
some
of
you
guys
are
traders
and
there's
nothing
wrong
with
your
job
it's
not
the
activity
per
se
but
that
they
were
engaging
in
that
activity
inside
the
house
of
God
why
couldn't
they
sell
the
pigeons
and
exchange
currency
outside
the
temple
why
did
it
have
to
be
inside
the
temple
imagine
people
trying to
worship
in the
house
of God
with
the
din
of
commercial
activity
all
around
they
imagine
Gentiles
coming
into the
court of
Gentiles
trying to
pray to
God
with all
this
ruckus
going on
around
them
healthy
unblemished
pigeons
fit for
sacrifice
for sale
a
quarter
of
a
quarter
of
a
denarius
for
one
bird
half
denarius
for
two
if
you
pay
a
denarius
I'll
throw
in
an
extra
one
five
pigeons
change
money
change
money
here
we
take
drachmae
denari
every
currency
you can
imagine
and we'll
give
you
sterling
tyrian
shekel
for
them
two
drachmae
for
half
a
shekel
is
the
best
exchange
rate
in
the
city
I
guarantee
it
it's
so
distracting
and
so
disrespectful
to
God
imagine
that
happening
during
our
Sunday
worship
even
if
they
were
trying
to
do
things
that
pertain
to
worship
like
oh
I
see
you're
carrying
an
NIV
Bible
this
church
uses
ESV
here
I'm
selling
it
for
$10
per
Bible
if I
had
tables
and
vendors
along
the
side
it's
like
oh
hey
here
here's
the
illuminated
ESV
Bible
journal
from
Crossway
you can
use
it
to
take
notes
on
your
sermons
it
it's
distracting
and
it's
disrespectful
toward
God
the
king
right
I mean
when we
talk to
someone
I mean
we do
this all
the time
but we
should
fix
that
right
when we
talk to
each other
often
the person
you're
talking
to
will
stare
at their
phone
and you
consider
that
rude
right
when we
approach
the
living
God
the
king
of
kings
do we
come
with
less
reverence
the
church
is not
a
cinema
worship
is not
a
concert
and a
sermon
is not
a
TED
talk
we
gather
in the
name
of
Jesus
Christ
as
the
people
of
God
in
the
presence
of
the
king
of
kings
himself
and
we
hear
from
him
as
he
speaks
from
his
word
and
yes
our
worship
should
be
joyful
yes
we're
commended
to
make
a
joyful
noise
to
the
rock
of
our
salvation
in
Psalm
95
we're
supposed
to sing
with
thankfulness
in our
hearts
to God
but is
there
simultaneously
a
reverence
fit for
the
king
of
majesty
in our
attitude
and posture
of
worship
humility
and reverent
fear
Isaiah 66
2
this is
the one
to whom
I will
look
he who
is
humble
and
contrite
in spirit
and
trembles
at my
word
but if
our
king
really
is
that
majestic
and
glorious
and
fierce
and
holy
as
Jesus
demonstrates
who
dares
approach
him
we can
approach
this
king
because
he's
not only
majestic
but also
meek
and
humble
he
perfectly
combines
the two
extremes
go back
with me
to verse
five
maybe
some
of you
had
this
objection
spring to
your mind
as I was
preaching on
this passage
earlier
if Jesus
is not
being demur
about his
kingship
if he
really is
being in
your face
about his
messianic
identity
if riding
down on
a donkey
really is
a sign
of kingship
and rulership
why does
it say
in verse
five
behold
your king
is coming
to you
humble
and mounted
on a donkey
on a colt
the foal
of a beast
of burden
doesn't that
mean Jesus
is being
humble
by riding
on a donkey
if Jesus
is declaring
his kingship
openly
by riding
a donkey
how is
that
humble
the description
of Jesus
as humble
does not
stem from
the lowliness
of the donkey
but from
the fact
that Jesus
comes
in peace
as was
prophesied
in Zechariah
nine
the Greek
word
translated
humble
here
in verse
five
is the same
word
translated
as meek
in Matthew
chapter five
verse five
blessed are
the meek
for they
shall inherit
the earth
the world
thinks
that it's
the aggressive
and the assertive
who will inherit
the earth
but Jesus
taught that
it's the meek
who will inherit
the earth
the same word
is translated
as gentle
to describe
Jesus
in Matthew
11 29
come to me
all who labor
and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest
take my yoke upon you
and learn from me
for I am gentle
and lowly in heart
and you will find rest
for your souls
for my yoke is easy
and my burden
is light
King Jesus
comes in humility
and gentleness
because he does not
come to lay
a heavy burden
on his people
but to lift up
their burdens
King Jesus
comes to a city
full of his enemies
people who are waiting
with proverbial
pitchforks
to with trumped up
charges
slander him
condemn him
and crucify him
on the cross
yet instead
of riding in
on a stallion
to wage war
against them
and subdue
these rebels
Jesus comes
on a colt
sauntering down
the mountain
in peace
not to kill
sinners
but to be
killed
in the place
of sinners
like you
and me
he comes
to Jerusalem
as the king
who will be
slaughtered
like a lamb
why is it
humble
for him
to ride
down
in a donkey
because he
comes down
even though
he comes
in his majesty
he comes
to embrace
the weak
and the poor
and the needy
and to save
those who are lowly
look at who
comes to Jesus
in verse 14
this majestic
glorious king
that we saw
in his ride
down to Jerusalem
who comes to him
in verse 14
and the blind
and the lame
came to him
in the temple
and he healed
them
the blind
and the lame
are the ones
who are
irresistibly
drawn to
this majestic
king
but how dare
they
Leviticus 21
specifically said
that no one
who has
a blemish
may approach
to offer
the bread
of his God
for no one
who has
a blemish
shall draw near
a man
blind
or lame
the blind
and the lame
even if you
are a descendant
of Aaron
and of the
priestly class
in order
you were not
allowed
if you were
blind or lame
to come
and offer
your sacrifices
at the temple
in 2 Samuel 5
6-8
when King David
was attacking
Jerusalem
which was occupied
at the time
by the Jebusites
the Jebusites
jeered at David
saying
you will not
come in here
but the blind
and the lame
will ward you off
they were so
confident
and secure
in their own
defenses
that they mocked
David saying
you're not
going to get in here
even our blind
and the lame
can ward you off
so David
turned that
mockery against
him
as he successfully
conquered Jerusalem
saying that they
are the blind
and the lame
and that became
a proverb
in Jerusalem
that the Jews
knew at the time
which is to say
that the blind
and the lame
will not come
into the house
of God
they are referring
to the Jebusites
and those who
oppose God
in the joint
security area
inside the Korean
demilitarized zone
I don't know
if you guys
have seen pictures
of this
between North
and South Korea
there's that
dividing line
historically
I don't know
if they still do it
now
historically
a soldier
from North Korea
and a soldier
from South Korea
would stand
face to face
sometimes just
feet apart
staring each other
down across the line
an iconic
Cold War standoff
and I remember
reading years ago
that despite
majority of
North Korean soldiers
being skinny
short
and malnourished
they would always
post the healthiest
and the tallest
and the strongest
looking soldier
at that post
to intimidate
the South
to posture
and say
this is what
all our soldiers
look like
you know
but imagine
if they put
instead there
a blind soldier
groping about
or a lame soldier
on a wheelchair
on that post
what message
would that send
how does that
glorify
the king
and yet
those are
the people
that Jesus
welcomes
inside the temple
the literally
blind
and the lame
those who are
proverbially
the outcasts
of society
the people
who have
nothing to offer
to the king
they're the ones
that king Jesus
welcomes
into his entourage
this is the day
that Micah 4
6-7
prophesied
that we read
for the assurance
of pardon
the lame
I will make
the remnant
and those
who were cast
off
are strong
nations
isn't this why
over and over
again
throughout the
gospel of
Matthew
we've seen
Jesus
make the blind
see
and make
the lame
walk
that's
kind of
the signature
miracle
that Jesus
does
over and over
again
Matthew 11-5
Matthew 15-30
isn't this why
in the parable
of the banquet
that Jesus tells
in Luke
chapter 14
12-14
the master
of the house
who represents
God
invites to
his great feast
the poor
the crippled
the blind
and the lame
this is what
Jesus said
earlier in
Matthew 9
12-13
when the Pharisees
were grumbling
that Jesus
was befriending
tax collectors
and sinners
who were coming
to him
and repenting
of their sin
why do you
welcome them
and Jesus
said to them
it is not
the healthy
who need
a doctor
but the sick
for I have
come to call
the righteous
not the righteous
but the sinners
I'm a doctor
who have come
for the lame
I'm a doctor
who have come
for the blind
and it's not
just the blind
and the lame
it says in
verses 15-16
that the children
are crying out
to Jesus
Hosanna
to the son
of David
and Jesus
says out of
the mouth
of infants
and nursing
babies
you have
prepared
praise
if you trace
that back
to the original
in Psalm 8
verse 2
it actually
says strength
instead of praise
it says out of
the mouth
of babies
and infants
you have
established
strength
or fortress
or stronghold
because of
your foes
to steal
the enemy
and the avenger
how is it
that God
fortifies
his heavenly
dwelling place
with strength
how does God
do that
according to
Psalm 8
it's what comes
out of the mouth
of babies
and infants
he means
that by the
babbling praise
of babies
and infants
God
strengthens
his fortress
and silences
his enemies
and defeats
them
this is why
the Greek
translation
of the Hebrew
Bible
the Septuagint
said out of
the mouth
of babies
and infants
you have
prepared
praise
and that's
what Jesus
is referencing
so who are
these
soldiers
and guards
that King
Jesus uses
to fortify
and represent
the majesty
of his kingdom
infants
and nursing
babies
how can
that be
isn't that
why
Jesus
again and
again
throughout the
Gospel of
Matthew
has been
calling his
disciples
the little
ones
Matthew
1042
186
isn't this
why Jesus
repeatedly
said
unless you
turn and
become like
children
you will
never
enter
the kingdom
of heaven
whoever
humbles
himself
like this
child
is the
greatest
in the
kingdom
of heaven
so then
who are
the blind
and the
lame
and the
babies
and the
infants
that Jesus
invites
into his
kingdom
they are
those who
acknowledge
their need
those who
acknowledge
that they
are sinners
in need
of a savior
people who
recognize
that their
own righteousness
and credentials
are completely
inadequate
and depend
on the
mercy of the
king
alone
for their
salvation
people who
say here
I am
I want to
serve you
I want to
serve you
king
Jesus
I want to
give my
life to
you
I want to
represent
you
I want to
fight for
you
but woe is
me
I am
blind and
lame
they're the
ones
that
Jesus
calls
into his
kingdom
I'll
heal you
are you
sinner
I will
cleanse
you
are you
blind
I'll make
you see
are you
lame
I will
make you
walk
I am
the king
for sinners
sick and
sore
so come
to me
I am
the king
who died
for your
sins
on the
cross
so that
you might
be forgiven
and declared
righteous
it's for
you
that I
roll down
Mount of
Olives
to Jerusalem
not on a
war stallion
but on a
donkey
that I
might
proclaim
peace
not to
judge
sinners
but to
justify
sinners
not to
kill the
rebels
but to
redeem
them
so will
you come
come to
king
jesus
today
let's
pray
oh king
jesus
we worship
you
you are
worthy
worthy of
all praise
honor
all rule
and glory
you are
worthy
and we
wish only
that we
could offer
you
the
worship
that
befits
your
glory
and
station
we only
wish
that we
could
render
useful
service
to you
our
king
we
thank you
dad
that you
do not
call the
righteous
but that
you call
sinners to
repentance
and you
justify
them
thank you
father for
your grace
in sending
jesus
your only
son
to rescue
us
it is
to him
and through
him to
you
oh lord
that we
pledge
our
allegiance
make us
a faithful
people
who love
and serve
you all
our days
in jesus
name we
pray
amen