everyone in his word, and everyone needs to hear what God has to say. And so it's with that that
we turn. We're in Luke chapter 19 today. If you've been with us, you know that we've been
in the book of Nehemiah, and we're going to finish the book of Nehemiah. Don't worry, I'm not
ending early just because there's one more list of names.
But because this is Palm Sunday, and we're looking forward to Easter next week, we're going to take
a quick jump out to remember the final week, Jesus before his death and his resurrection.
And as we come to this passage in the gospel of Luke, this is in Luke chapter 19, but it was all
the way back in Luke chapter 9 that we found out that Jesus, the author of Luke, tells us that he
set his face towards Jerusalem. In other words, Jesus set his intentions, his desire, his purpose
was to make it to Jerusalem for this very reason that he would die for the sins of his people.
And so as he's going along for the last 10 chapters in the gospel of Luke, as he's teaching,
as he is healing, as he's performing miracles, all of it is in the context of him heading towards
Jerusalem. All of it is towards his purpose of heading towards Jerusalem. While many people might
think or say that they believe that Jesus is a good man or a great teacher, it would be an insult to
Jesus to say that he was just teaching or performing out of context. When the author of Luke tells us
over and over again, not just in chapter 9, but then in chapter 13 and 17 and 18, that Jesus slowly and
steadily, as he teaches, as he interacts with people, has one mission. And that is to make it all the way
to Jerusalem. And the reason he is there is so that he can die for his people. Now even as Jesus is making
this journey, many people still misunderstand, even his followers misunderstand where we're picking up.
We're going to start in verse 28 of chapter 19, and Jesus has just told another parable right before it.
And in that parable at the beginning, in verse 11, tells us that he told them a parable because he was
near to Jerusalem, so he's on his way to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God
was to appear immediately. In other words, as Jesus was going around preaching and teaching, as he was
making his way to Jerusalem, while he knew what he was heading towards, there were many people who believed
that the kingdom that he was teaching about was something that was going to happen immediately.
Once Jesus came and entered Jerusalem, he was going to give them the political victory that they longed for.
He was going to overthrow the Roman Empire.
Every form of oppression that they experienced would be broken.
And so Jesus has just told them a parable to try
to lower their expectations,
that they would know that the kingdom is not going to appear
immediately. Everything that he's come to bring, everything they want and long for,
is not going to happen in that moment, just because Jesus is entering Jerusalem.
As we come to this passage, the triumphal entry,
the time when Jesus actually enters the city that he is
the king of, the city of Jerusalem,
we're going to see two things. First of all, that Jesus is much less
than we want.
Jesus is much less than we want.
We're also going to see that Jesus is more than we could imagine.
He's less than we want on the one hand,
and he's more than we could imagine on the other.
On the one hand, he does not meet our expectations.
On the other hand, he greatly exceeds them.
And so it's with that that we turn to Luke chapter 9,
starting at verse 28.
You can follow along if you're with your worship guide.
It's near the end.
You can follow along on your phone.
You can follow along in your Bibles.
But we're going to start.
And remember as we come to this passage that this is God's word.
And God tells us that his word is more precious than gold,
even the finest gold,
and that it is sweeter than honey,
even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.
And so it's with that reminder that we begin in verse 28.
And when he had said these things,
he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem.
When he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany
at the mount that is called Olivet,
he sent two of the disciples saying,
Go into the village in front of you,
where on entering you will find a colt tied
on which no one has ever yet sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks you,
Why are you untying it?
You shall say this,
The Lord has need of it.
So those who were sent went away
and found it just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt,
its owner said to them,
Why are you untying the colt?
Verse 34.
And they said,
The Lord has need of it.
And they brought it to Jesus,
and throwing their cloaks on the colt,
they set Jesus on it.
And as he rode along,
they spread their cloaks on the road.
As he was drawing near,
already on the way down the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of his disciples
began to rejoice and praise God
with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen,
saying,
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.
And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
Teacher, rebuke your disciples.
He answered,
Lord, I tell you,
if these were silent,
the very stones would cry out.
Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Dear Father in heaven,
we thank you that Jesus is a king,
and he's not just a king,
but he is the king.
We ask that you would come this morning,
and you would help us to see him,
even as he doesn't meet our expectations,
as a king that is greater,
and more glorious,
and more beautiful than any other king.
And that we would be willing to follow him,
and have faith in him,
and trust him,
and obey him for the rest of our lives.
We ask these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.
At the beginning of this passage,
Jesus is finishing his journey to Jerusalem.
He is approaching from the east,
heading west.
That's what's happening as he draws near here to Bethpage and Bethany.
This is a suburb on the east side of Jerusalem.
So he's completing his journey.
He's traveling in.
And he sends his disciples ahead of him,
because what he's about to do is
enter the king of Jerusalem,
like a king.
The Romans were very familiar with
a conquering king coming in
to the city of Jerusalem,
or any city really,
after that they had finished
a time of war,
after they'd vanquished someone,
they would come in with their triumph.
And so that's why this is called the triumphal entry,
because Jesus is acting here
like a Roman king
coming with his victory behind him.
And so he does what a king would do.
He sends his disciples to find
something for him to ride on.
And since he is the king
and everything belongs to him,
he has no problem with him
taking the donkey,
this colt here,
from whoever they need it from.
In fact,
he anticipates that
someone's going to ask them
why it is that they are
taking this away.
And this answer
seems to be sufficient,
just to say,
the Lord has need of it.
And of course,
that's exactly what they say
in verse 33.
The owners ask them,
why are you taking our colt?
He says,
well,
the Lord has need of it.
And no further explanation
is needed,
because this is a king
who is taking his property.
Everything belongs to him,
because this is his kingdom.
And then they continue
to treat Jesus as a king,
throwing their cloaks down
on the donkey,
throwing their cloaks down
on the road.
They're giving him
a sign of submission.
This is how they show a king
that he is the one
who rules over them.
Now,
it doesn't specifically use
the word donkey here.
In this passage,
it just says a colt,
but we know from the other
gospel accounts
that this is the colt
of a donkey.
And this is what Jesus
is going to ride in
as he comes in his triumphal entry
into the city that is his,
the city over which
he is supposed to be a king.
And we don't see it explicitly
in this passage,
but we also know
from the other gospels
that he is the king
people come,
as our children did
earlier this morning,
with palm branches
to lay before him.
And so while the cloaks
were a sign of their submission
to him as a king,
the palm branches
were a sign of Jewish pride
and nationalism.
In other words,
as they threw these palm branches
down
and they threw these cloaks down,
believing that the kingdom
was near,
that it was going to come
immediately,
as I mentioned
in verse 11 before,
the hope
and the desire
and the expectation
is that Jesus,
as he comes in,
is going to make
Israel great again.
They're putting down
the sign of Jewish nationalism.
They've been under
Roman rule
for too long.
They've never been able
to restore
their political boundaries
after the exile.
And so the hope
and the celebration
is that Jesus would come
and finally make,
politically,
everything right.
And just as their
expectations are off,
Jesus' entry
is off as well.
Just as their
expectations are wrong,
Jesus' entry
into Jerusalem
is also wrong.
Because while he's
following the pattern
of a Roman general,
he's made one mistake.
If you're a Roman general,
you don't come in
riding the cult
of a donkey.
Instead,
you come in
riding a mighty war horse.
And so while Jesus
is playing into
this known
pattern on the one hand,
he is disrupting it
and disappointing it
on the other.
He's signaling
what his disciples
will not fully understand
until after his resurrection,
which is that he is
a very different
kind of king.
He is not entering
into Jerusalem
to conquer it
on a war horse.
Instead,
he's entering
on a donkey
because instead of
conquering it,
he is going to die.
And so while the crowds
right now
are cheering him on,
there will come a time
in just a few days
where instead
the crowds
will cry out
for him to be crucified.
And while they
don't realize it
now,
this is a king
and a donkey
and an entry
that will be
very,
very disappointing.
They are looking
for the fall of Rome
and that is not
going to happen.
At least not right now.
And so we have
a bunch of crowds here,
people cheering on
that either are
right now
or will very soon
be disappointed
in Jesus.
Have you ever been
disappointed
in Jesus?
Maybe you started
following Jesus
and you thought
that if you were
just a Christian,
if you were obedient,
it would guarantee
that your children
would not make
horrific mistakes.
Maybe you thought
that if you followed
Jesus and you were
faithful and obedient,
it would mean
that you could
actually be
on the winning
side of every
argument.
You could always
be right.
Maybe you thought
that if you followed
Jesus,
you could be a part
of taking back
America for God.
Maybe you thought
that following Jesus
meant that Jesus
would provide you
a marriage in which
there was no baggage.
Maybe you thought
that following
after Jesus
meant that your life
would not be confusing
anymore.
You would always
know the next thing
to do.
You would always
know the right path
to take and the right
decision to make.
Maybe you thought
that following
after Jesus,
that Jesus being
the king meant
that you would
not face
devastating
heartbreak
and loss
in this life.
Jesus can,
at times,
be very,
very disappointing.
When we long
for him to come
in on a war horse,
often he comes in
instead on a donkey.
Jesus is not
interested
in giving you
your best life
now.
Jesus is not
interested in
taking back
America for God.
That is,
one country,
one area,
one nation.
That's actually
too small of a
vision for God.
He wasn't
interested in
taking back
Jerusalem for God
from the Romans.
Jesus is not
interested in
the political
power that
so many
Christians
long for.
In fact,
this is part
of what's
happening in
this chapter
is that they
believe that
Jesus is going
to bring in
a political
kingdom for
them.
He's going
to do away
with the
Romans.
And the
problem isn't
that their
expectations are
too high,
it's that they're
too low.
Jesus is
interested in
so much more
than the
Roman Empire.
And so what
we want to
happen in
the short
term,
Jesus has
decided is
going to
happen in
the long
term.
Jesus is
not going
to fix
everything
right now.
And so
Jesus often
comes in
on a donkey
when what
we want
is a king
on a war
horse.
If you
are not
a Christian,
if you're
someone who
has doubts
and questions
and objections
about Christianity,
this might be
part of the
reason,
that Jesus
is
disappointing.
If you
think that
following after
a savior,
a man,
who rather
than being
politically
victorious,
died,
and then
some people
claim raised
from the dead,
if you think
that is foolish,
you know what
the apostle
Paul says?
He says,
you're right.
Some people
think this is
really foolish
because it
goes against
everything that
this world
wants and
expects.
Oftentimes,
the gospel
also looks
like a donkey
when we want
a war horse.
And so
as Paul
tells us
in 1 Corinthians
1,
Jesus and
the gospel
are on the
one hand
a joke
to some
people,
they're foolish
and offensive
to others,
and at
the heart
of it,
what Jesus
does here
does not
make sense
to us.
If you
find that
it is
disappointing
and foolish
to think
that a
place where
people come
together
and sing
songs
and read
an ancient
book together
is actually
the most
powerful place
in the world,
then I
understand.
If you
believe that
a place
where people
come together
and sing
songs
and read
an ancient
book is
the most
powerful place
in the world,
then I
understand
because it
looks a lot
like a donkey.
We long
for a
war horse.
And so
Jesus is
often
disappointing.
He's going
to disappoint
many people
in the next
week of his
life.
He's going
to be
confusing
for the
disciples
when he
dies.
He
is
risen
from the
dead.
And so
Jesus is
often much
less than
we want
or expect.
The problem
is that
Jesus is
also a
king.
And while
on the one
hand he's
disappointing,
on the other
hand he is
more than we
could ever
imagine.
he disappoints
us with
our
expectations.
He also
surprises us
when he
exceeds our
expectations.
That he is a
greater king
than they
could expect.
That while
they want the
Roman Empire
to be thrown
over and
turned down,
Jesus has
so much
more in
mind.
He has not
been journeying
for ten
chapters
towards Jerusalem
for the
small and
piddly goal
of overthrowing
the Roman
Empire.
And so
while we
have these
crowds praising
him,
some of them
disappointed,
others know
what Jesus
is capable
of.
He's not
going to
overthrow the
Roman Empire
but he can
raise people
from the
dead.
He did that
with Lazarus
in John
chapter 11.
He can
heal the
blind and
the mute.
And so
that's what
we see in
verse 37
and 38.
the whole
multitude of
his disciples
began to
rejoice and
praise God
with a loud
voice for
all the
mighty works
that they
had seen.
In other
words,
while these
people were
at times
confused about
Jesus'
mission and
his purposes,
they were
there when
he raised
Lazarus from
the dead.
They were
there when
he gave
the blind
man sight.
They were
there when
he made
a lame
man walk.
They knew
how powerful
Jesus was.
They just
didn't
understand how
he was
going to
use his
power.
And so
they cry
out in
verse 38,
blessed is
the king
who comes
in the
name of
the Lord,
peace in
heaven and
glory in
the highest.
And they're
right.
They're
right that
Jesus is
more,
much more
than they
could ever
imagine or
expect or
think.
He's not
going to
bring them
the liberation
that they
want,
but he
is going
to bring
them the
liberation
that they
need.
He's not
going to
overthrow the
Roman Empire,
but he is
going to
overthrow the
power and
penalty of
sin in
their lives.
He's not
going to
reign and
rule over
one country
or one
nation,
but he is
coming so
that one
day he
will rule
over every
country and
every nation.
And so
their hopes
are simply
not high
enough.
because Jesus
is less
than the
king they
expect because
he comes
in on a
donkey.
He's also
more than
the king
they expect,
not just
because of
his works,
but because
of what we
find out at
the very
end.
This last
verse here
of our
section is
what I
think is
maybe one
of the
most astounding
claims in
all of the
Gospels.
The Pharisees,
Jesus'
opponents,
upset by
the fact
that he's
being praised,
come and
tell him
to tell his
disciples to
sit down
and be
quiet.
Verse 39,
and some
of the
Pharisees
in the
crowd said
to him,
teacher,
rebuke
your
disciples.
And
Jesus
answered,
I tell
you,
if these
were silent,
the very
stones
would cry
out.
he's
not like
other
kings
because
he
comes
in
on
a
donkey.
He is
also
not like
other
kings
because
he
demands
praise
and
honor
and
glory.
Unlike
any
Roman
king
who
ever
came
in
on
a
war
horse,
Jesus
must
be
praised.
There
are
many
kings
who
came
in
on
many
war
horses
that
you
and
I
do
not
know
the
names
of.
And
there
is
no
one
around
the
world
right
now
singing
their
praises.
But
Jesus
tells
the
Pharisees
that
if
he
told
his
disciples
to
be
quiet
it
would
be
futile
because
his
need
the
demand
for
God
to
be
praised
is
so
serious.
It
is
so
ingrained
in
the
fabric
of
the
universe
that
if
people
who
God
has
put
on
earth
as
his
representatives
if
people
cease
to
praise
God
then
the
creation
will
have
to
step
up
and
fill
our
place.
Now you
could argue
that
Jesus
is
using
hyperbole
here
that
he's
exaggerating
I
don't
think
he
is.
If
everyone
around
the
world
stopped
praising
God
I
believe
what
Jesus
is
telling
us
is
that
the
earth
would
have
to
come
and
step
in
and
fill
the
gap.
That
is
how
glorious
and
powerful
and
majestic
this
king
is.
Other
kings
would be
praised
for a
time
or
for a
day.
Other
kings
who
came
in
with
real
time
political
victories.
But
this
king
is not
going to
be
praised
for a
day.
He
is
going
to
be
praised
forever.
And
so he
is
disappointing.
He's
also
surprising.
I
mentioned
earlier
that
if you
think
that
it's
foolish
to
believe
that
people
who
gather
in
a
place
and
sing
songs
and
read
an
ancient
book
are
actually
doing
the
most
powerful
thing
in
the
world.
We
don't
just
gather
here
together
and
sing
songs
on a
Sunday
morning
because
that's
what
church
people
do.
We
gather
together
and
sing
songs
because
God
demands
our
praise.
And
if we
stop,
the very
rocks will
have to
take
over.
And
he demands
our praise
because he
is greater
than any
earthly
king.
He's
greater
than any
Roman
general
or
emperor
who could
come in
to Jerusalem
or Rome
or any
other city.
And so
he's more
than we
could imagine.
if we
are
disappointed
in
Jesus
it's
because
he's
not
interested
in
providing
us
with
comfort.
He's
interested
in
giving
us
joy.
If
we
are
disappointed
in
Jesus
it's
because
he
is
not
interested
in
taking
back
America
for
God
but
he
is
interested
in
one
day
taking
back
the
entire
world.
If
we're
disappointed
in
Jesus
it's
not
because
he's
uninterested
in
solving
a few
injustices
or
healing
a few
wrongs.
It's
not that
he doesn't
care about
that but
he is
coming back
to heal
every
injustice
and
every
wrong.
He's
not
interested
in
overthrowing
the
Roman
Empire
because
he's
not
interested
in
a
political
victory
in
one
time
or
one
place
but
he's
interested
in
complete
and
total
victory
everywhere
in
every
place.
If
Jesus
is
disappointing
it's
in
the
manner
of
his
victory.
If
he's
surprising
it's
in
the
results.
And
the catch
is this
it's
only
by
disappointing
us
that
Jesus
can
surprise
us.
It's
only
by
dashing
our
expectations
that
he
can
exceed
them
because
imagine
for a
second
that
Jesus
had
come
in
on
a
war
horse
coming
to
have
victory
and
conquer
all
of
his
enemies.
If
Jesus
had
come
in
on
a
war
horse
and
skipped
his
death
and
his
resurrection
then
his
victory
would
not
be
good
news
for
anyone.
If
Jesus
had
come
in
first
on
a
war
horse
he
would
have
brought
full
and
final
and
complete
justice.
And
the
bad
news
is
that
would
have
included
every
single
one
hope
for
what
we
want
what
these
people
want
for
Jesus
to
do
is
the
last
thing
that
is
good
for
them.
Because
if
Jesus
comes
as a
conqueror
without
first
dying
for
the
sins
of
his
people
there
is
going
to
be
no
hope
for
Israel.
Because
for
both
people
who
are
Israelites
and
people
who
are
Gentiles
for
people
who
are
outside
the
church
and
people
who
are
inside
the
church
the
only
hope
that
we
have
is
that
when
Jesus
brings
his
full
and
final
justice
we
will
be
able
to
say
that
he
has
taken
the
penalty
for
us.
And
so
it's
the
disappointing
king
it's
the
king
that
comes
on
a
donkey
that
we
need
and
it's
only
the
king
that
comes
in
on
a
donkey
who
can
provide
us
with
the
true
victory
that
we
want.
The
good news
is
he
came
to
die
so
that
he
could
pay
the
penalty
for
our
sins
and
so
that
whoever
has
faith
and
hope
and
trust
in
Jesus
and
follows
after
him
would
receive
life
rather
than
death.
But
the
good news
is also
this
Jesus
is
coming
again
and
when
he
comes
again
he
is
not
going
to
come
on
a
donkey.
Revelation
chapter
19
gives us
a
picture
of
Jesus
coming
again
to
judge
the
earth
and
what
is
he
riding?
He's
on a
white
horse.
The
king
coming
in
on a
donkey
is
not
the
end
of
the
story.
It's
the
coming
in
on a
donkey
that
makes
his
entry
on a
horse
good
news.
Because
in
Revelation
19
he's
not
coming
to
die.
The
ones
who
are
dying
are
his
enemies.
He's
not
coming
to
overthrow
the
Roman
empire.
He's
coming
to
overthrow
anyone
and
everything
that
stands
against
him
and
his
rule.
And so
what they
long
for
it's
going
to
come.
It's
just
not
going
to
come
in
this
moment
because
first
it
has
to
come
through
Jesus
death
and
his
resurrection.
And so
that is
why
Jesus
has
set
his
face
towards
Jerusalem.
That
he
could
be
the
greatest
king.
That
the
rocks
would
cry
out
and
they
would
cry
out
because
he
is
greater
and
more
powerful
than
any
other
king.
He
is
more
worthy
of
praise
than
any
other
king.
He
has
more
grace
and
more
love
than
any
other
king.
Not
only
because
he
is
capable
of
dying
and
rising
from
the
dead
but
because
he
chooses
to.
Because
he
does
it
for
the
sake
of
his
people.
And so
if we're
disappointed
in
Jesus
we
thought
he
was
going
to
provide
us
more
here
and
now
this
passage
reminds
us
that
he
is
coming
with
more
than
we
could
ever
expect
or
imagine.
He
is
coming
to
make
everything
right
but
he
has
to
do
it
for
our
sake
through
his
death
and
his
resurrection.
And so
that's
why we
worship
him
as
the
king.
That's
why
the
rocks
will
cry
out
if
we
do
not.
And
that's
why
he
can
bring
us
life
and
joy
and
peace.
He
can
bring
us
what
these
disciples
praise
him
for.
Peace
in
heaven
and
glory
in
the
highest.
And so
that's
exactly
what we
are
going
to
do
as
we
end.
We
are
going
to
sing
a
song
about
a
king.
We're
going to
sing
a
song
about
a
king
eternal.
That's
our
first
verse
which
means
he's
not
just
a
king
for
one
time
and
one
place.
He's
a
king
for
all
time.
We're
going
to
sing
about
sin's
fierce
war
ceasing
that
not
just
some
injustice
is
going
to
come
to
an
end
but
all
injustice
will.
And
then
we're
going
to
sing
about
deeds
of
love
and
mercy
which
reminds
us
of
Jesus
love
and
mercy
for
us
that
his
justice
is
only
good
news
if
Jesus
took
the
punishment
for
us.
And
so
that's
why
we're
going
to
say
at
the
end
thy
cross
is
lifted
o'er
us
we
journey
in
its
light
the
crown
awaits
the
conquest
lead
on
O
God
of
might
because
this
is
the
king
the
disappointing
king
on
a
donkey
is
the
one
that
we
follow
and
trust
and
obey
because
he
is
the
one
for
whom
the
very
rocks
will
cry
out.
Please
pray
with
me.
Dear
Father
in
heaven
we
thank
you
that
you
are
a
greater
king
than
we
could
ever
want
or
imagine.
We
ask
that
you
would
again
show
you
might
and
your
glory
and
your
majesty
so
that
we
would
see
you
for
who
you
truly
are.
A
king
who
was
humble
and
laid
his
life
down
so
that
he
could
lift
us
up.
We
ask
all
these
things
not
because
we
have
earned
them
but
because
Jesus
our
king
through
his
death
and
his
resurrection
have
earned
them
for
us.
And
so
we
ask
them
in
his
name.
Amen.