Jesus was not the first king to enter into Jerusalem.
On a donkey.
About a thousand years before him, at the end of the reign of King David, when he was old and frail and on his last days, there was a question in the land, who would be king?
If you read the story in 1 Kings chapter 1, you see that one of David's sons, Adonijah, thought that there was an opportunity for him to take the throne, even though it had been promised to David's son Solomon.
David's faithful advisors alerted him to this usurping.
And David sends Solomon to be brought into Jerusalem on the king's mule, as it says in verse 38.
Verse 38.
And the people rejoiced, and Solomon took the throne, and David's kingdom continued, at least for another generation, undivided.
This is a historical backdrop to the passage that we come to this morning in our series in the book of Luke.
As you know, beginning this January and going all the way to Easter, we're going to be preaching through the end of the book of Luke, from chapter 19 to chapter 24.
We're going to be finishing up.
And remember that, as Pastor Nick outlined last week, part of what we see in Luke is that chapter 9 through 19 is all about Jesus moving from the north in Galilee towards Jerusalem.
In fact, nine times it is said, he's going to Jerusalem, he's going to Jerusalem, he's going to Jerusalem.
And here, in our passage this morning, we see the final time it says he is going to Jerusalem.
His destination is the city where the throne of David and the temple of God sit.
This is the city that God had designated as central to his redemptive purposes in the world.
Imagine for a moment what the expectations might have been in Jesus' day.
Here he comes, the miracle worker who's brought healing and hope to many.
He will come and renew our land.
Here he comes to sit on David's throne as a political ruler to expel the hated Romans.
Here he comes, a prophet like Moses, to renew the spiritual life and restore the glory of Israel.
Expectations abounded as Jesus approached Jerusalem.
And yet, for the writer Luke and for all of his readers, they would know that Jesus was heading not to a throne, not to a battlefield, but to a cross.
In the meantime, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and creates a crisis.
As the text says, the hour of visitation has come for Jerusalem and a decision must be reached.
How will Jesus be received?
This is what our text leads us to this morning.
We're in Luke chapter 19.
If you're reading along in the Pew Bibles, it's in page 825.
Luke 19, we're going to start in verse 28 and read to the end of the chapter.
So let's read this together.
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem.
When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet,
he sent two of his 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 owners said to them,
Why are you untying the colt?
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.
And he answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying,
Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace.
But now they are hidden from your eyes.
For the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade round you
and surround you and hem you in on every side
and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you.
And they will not leave one stone upon another in you
because you did not know the time of your visitation.
And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold,
saying to them, It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of robbers.
And he was teaching daily in the temple.
The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people
were seeking to destroy him.
But they did not find anything they could do,
for all the people were hanging on his words.
This is God's word.
Let's pray together.
Lord, we thank you for this word,
and we thank you for this morning and the opportunity to gather together
to hear your word and to respond to you in worship and song.
Lord, we ask for your Holy Spirit this morning
to be at work in us.
Lord, illuminating and making clear your word,
applying it to our hearts,
changing our minds,
moving our hands to obedience.
Lord, I ask for your help this morning,
that I would speak clearly.
Lord, that you would fill me with your Spirit,
that your word might be proclaimed with truth and power.
Lord, I ask for your help this morning.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
The King is here.
That would be the New York Times Post back page headline.
The King is here.
But what would that mean,
and what would the article say?
Well, as we look at this passage
and we think about what we see
is that this passage shows us
signs of the King coming
and the crisis that the King brings
as we look at our passage this morning.
So, let's look at those things in turn.
So, what are the signs of the King's coming
that we see in this passage
as Jesus and his disciples come into Jerusalem?
First, let's look at what Jesus himself understood
and the way that he gives signs
that he is the King.
And this brings us to the very beginning of the passage.
Where they are geographically,
just so you know,
is that we are off to the east of Jerusalem
on the far side of the Mount of Olives.
And basically, to get from there to Jerusalem,
you have to go up over through these towns
and then come back down around
to come into Jerusalem from the east.
And so, that's where we are.
And the first thing that we see
is that Jesus sends his disciples to get the donkey.
And if you look at the number of verses,
this is a major part of the story.
This donkey fills a good part of the whole thing.
Why is it such a big deal?
Well, because many Jews would know the words
that were read earlier this morning
from the prophet Zechariah.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, your King is coming to you,
righteous and having salvation as he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah was drawing from an idea
that was actually even planted in the Old Testament
even earlier in Genesis 49.
When Jacob the patriarch is blessing his sons
at the end of his life,
in 49.11, he mentions to Judah
that the scepter will stay in Judah's house
and that a donkey or a colt
will be one of the signs
of the way that a son of Judah
will take the throne of God's people
in the future.
So Jesus is intentionally drawing
and pulling on these Old Testament imagery,
these Old Testament predictions
to say, I will ride into Jerusalem this day
on a donkey.
And it's not just any donkey, is it?
Did you see what it said?
It is a donkey that is unridden.
No one has ever been on this donkey before.
That might sound risky to you.
It sounds risky to me.
Who knows what this donkey is going to be like
with a passenger.
But, in fact,
there is a meaning for this.
For it is seen and is thought
that an unbroken horse or donkey
would be set apart,
would be something special,
that one who would ride on an unridden horse.
This would be a place of honor
and something special.
To ride on a donkey
that someone else had ridden on,
that's normal, that's common.
But to ride on one
that has never been ridden on before,
this is a donkey set apart.
And this is a rider
who is set apart wholly
for a special use from the Lord.
And as we have seen in Zechariah,
it is also a sign of humility.
He did not ride on a great war horse.
He did not ride in
at the head of a column of an army.
But he came humbly on a donkey
as he came.
So the first sign
is that Jesus intentionally
fulfilled this prophecy
to indicate that he knew
he was coming as a king.
But the second thing is that
as he demanded this donkey,
as he sent his disciples
to get this donkey,
he made a claim of ownership on it.
Now, this might have been
just a cultural understanding
that dignitaries and people,
traveling rabbis,
might have the right
to ask people for the loan
of a donkey
in a certain situation.
But in fact, it seems
that as you look carefully
in the language,
one of the things
that's interesting is it says,
and this is distinct in Luke
because in Matthew,
it just says,
some people asked the disciples,
why are you untying the donkey?
But do you see who asks it here?
It's the owner who asks.
Why are you untying my donkey?
Why are you driving my car
out of my driveway?
Where are you going with it?
And the disciples,
saying the words
that Jesus had given them,
the Lord,
that is the owner,
it's the same word,
it's the same root,
the owner has need of it.
Jesus, as he's coming in,
makes this very subtle
but very clear claim,
I am the owner of everything.
And that is a claim
to kingship
in this cultural pattern.
Jesus is saying,
everything that you own,
actually I am the owner
of all of it.
So, Jesus gives a sign
of fulfillment of prophecy,
he gives a sign
of the assertion
of his authority.
And then finally,
in verses 39 and 40,
we see the first response
that's negative
to this whole thing.
As Jesus is coming down
from the Mount of Olives,
as he's approaching Jerusalem,
the Pharisees,
the religious leaders,
with whom he had had
increasing conflict
throughout his ministry,
tell him to rebuke
his disciples.
For they feel that it's wrong.
Jesus shouldn't be worshipped
and praised in this way.
He's just a man.
To do this is misleading
at best
and destructive at worst.
So, they tell him,
rebuke your disciples.
Don't.
Tell them to stop.
And Jesus' response,
striking, isn't it?
No, I tell you
that even if these were silent,
the stones themselves
would cry out in praise.
I tell you,
if the lips of men and women
were somehow stopped,
creation itself
would rise up
to recognize me
as the king.
Jesus pushes back
on their rebuke
and says,
it is right
that they worship me
like this.
I am worthy
of their praise.
I am the king
who was coming
to sit on the throne
of David.
The signs
that Jesus has come
to claim this kingship,
this messiahship,
this rulership
are actually
multiple
and multifaceted
in this passage.
If you've ever
heard someone say,
well, Jesus didn't
really claim
to be anything
more than a good teacher,
this passage
shows something different.
And the Jesus
who rode into Jerusalem
that day
is the same Jesus
who comes into
our lives today
to claim worship.
He comes
to say,
I am the king
of all.
Will you receive me?
And the Jesus,
as he comes in,
it's complex,
isn't it?
He's not
what we expect.
Jesus comes
as a humble king.
Now,
I like that.
I like someone
who doesn't just
run roughshod over me.
He comes in
in humility
and invites me
to come
and says,
come all ye
who are weary
and heavy laden.
He comes in
riding on a donkey,
not on a horse.
that sounds great.
I can submit
to a king like that.
He also comes
as one
who claims
the worship
of all of creation.
And that's a little
scarier,
but I still like it
because he's the lord
over all the enemies
and the things
that are scary
in this world
that to me
are scary.
Suddenly,
he comes
and he claims lordship
over all of that
and I think,
whew,
that's comforting too.
That's a king
that I want to follow.
That's a king
I want to worship.
But then Jesus comes
and he meddles.
He meddles in my life.
When I was a new believer,
someone gave me
a little booklet
by a guy named
Robert Munger,
My Heart,
Christ's Home.
Maybe you've heard of it.
It's still worth reading.
Talks about the process
of when Jesus comes in.
You invite Jesus
into your house
and how he comes in
and he sort of
takes up residence
and then he starts
wandering around
and he starts
finding those rooms
that you'd rather him
not find
and the closet
that you locked
really tightly
to make sure
that he couldn't get in.
Jesus comes
and he meddles
in our lives
and he claims
a lordship
and a kingship
in places
where maybe
we don't want him
to be.
You know,
in the history
of the church,
we've talked about
three of the great
dynamics
of human life
are money,
sex,
and power
and Jesus comes in
and he says,
your money,
I own it all
and what I've given
to you,
I'm loaning to you
to use.
It's not yours.
I'm giving it to you
so you can use it
to worship
and honor me.
He says the same thing
with our sex lives.
This glorious gift
that he's given us
says this isn't for you
ultimately.
This is for me.
Use it
to honor me
in abstinence
and in exercise
according to how
I have determined it
to be used.
power.
This is one
we don't talk about
nearly as much
in our world today
but let me think
about it this way.
Help you think about it.
How is it that you
use the authority
that you have
over other people
and how is it
that you respond
to other people
who have authority
over you?
Some of you
are still
young
living in your
parents' house.
Children
talking to you.
Jesus says
because I am the king
of your life
I am calling you
to think about
how you respond
well to the authorities
in your life.
Honor me
by honoring your parents
and obeying them.
Parents
teachers
in your workplaces
all of us
have various places
where we exercise
authority over people
even as a customer
in a store
we exercise
a kind of authority.
How do we use that
to honor
Jesus?
We often want
to use people
to serve our ends.
Jesus wants us
to serve people
to further
his ends.
Jesus comes in
as a humble king
that sounds great
as the king
of the universe
that sounds a little
comforting too
but ultimately
he comes
and he meddles
in places
that unseat
the very sense
of self
that we have.
He says
I want to be king
of that.
The Pharisees
felt threatened
because their
spiritual identities
were at
were being called
to being submitted
to Jesus
and they didn't
want to do that.
And friends
if you haven't felt
that wrestling
if you haven't
gone through
that tug of war
with Jesus
about some part
of your life yet
then I don't know
if you've reckoned
with Jesus
coming as your king.
Maybe you haven't
yet really grappled
with those places
where he wants
to come
and meddle.
Meddle for your good
and meddle
for his glory.
So the signs
that Jesus gives
are clear
but then
it's not just him
who affirms
that Jesus
comes in
as a claiming
to be king
but his disciples
also honor him
as a king.
As you look
at this
and this is well
known
you guys know
this
they take
their cloaks
and they put
it on the donkey
because no king
would ride
a horse
that is unsaddled
and uncovered.
And so they cover
the donkey
so that
and interestingly
did you notice
Jesus didn't
hop on the donkey
he didn't climb up
onto the donkey
but they took him
and they set him
on the donkey.
It says
his disciples
put him there
in the place
of honor
and then they
laid their coats
down on the road
before this donkey
in a cultural pattern
of showing
this man
is so high
and so honored
he doesn't
it would be wrong
for him
to simply walk
on the dusty path
that we common
people do.
He needs to be
exalted
and so we cover
it's rolling out
the red carpet
so that your ball gown
will be clean
as you enter
the opera.
Rolling out
the red carpet
so that when
the king comes
he won't have to
walk through
the everyday
dirt and grime
but he will be
honored and exalted
in these things.
Not only do they
use their coats
and set Jesus
up on this donkey
like a football coach
right at the end
of the game
lifting him up
in praise
but then they use
their words
as well.
Look with me
in verse 38
blessed is the king
who comes
in the name
of the Lord
peace in heaven
and glory
in the highest.
And any Jew
in the first century
would recognize
that this is a quote
from Psalm 118
verse 26
blessed is he
who comes
in the name
of the Lord
we bless you
from the house
of the Lord
this would have been
a common phrase
that would have been
used particularly
as pilgrims
would come
to the temple
courtyard
during the high
seasons
during the feast
of tabernacles
or during the Passover
they would come
in and at times
perhaps they would
be led by the king
and this phrase
would come
from the priests
to the king
and the pilgrims
coming to the temple
to worship God
blessed is he
who comes
in the name
of the Lord
blessed is he
who comes
to worship
and to honor
God
in his temple
and Luke
records them
as adjusting
the phrase
by saying
explicitly
not blessed
is he
but blessed
is the king
who comes
in the name
of the Lord
the disciples
themselves
were willing
to say
this is him
this is the one
we've been waiting
for
this is the one
who's going
to sit
on the throne
of David
and restore
the glory
of Israel
and then they
go on
and say
peace in heaven
and glory
in the highest
and if you
were a careful
reader of this book
those phrases
would jump
off the pages
in you
because way
back at the beginning
when the coming
of Jesus
to earth
as a baby
was announced
the angel
speaking to Mary
said this
he will be great
and will be called
the son of the most high
and the Lord God
will give him
the throne
of his father
David
and he will reign
over the house
of Jacob forever
and of his kingdom
there will be
no end
and then
when the angels
announced
to the shepherds
in the field
they said
glory to God
in the highest
and on earth
peace
among those
with whom
he is well pleased
and these phrases
though not quoted
would resonate
with what had happened
30 some years ago
that when Jesus
came
there was this
grand
and spectacular
announcement
that something
unique
and special
had happened
that the
the long
awaited
deliverer
had come
and now
30 years later
his disciples
pick up these words
to say
this is the one
they had seen
his mighty works
the healing
of the blind
and the lame
the deliverance
of some
from the
control
of demonic
forces
they'd seen
him teach
with authority
unlike the scribes
and Pharisees
they had seen
him providing
feeding
multitudes
and showing
compassion
on them
they had seen
him honoring
the outcasts
the women
the unclean
the gentiles
expanding
the kingdom
of God
and they
worshipped him
for his mighty
deeds
and they did it
with this
grand
parade
this grand
symbolic
parade
with praising
and donkeys
and coats
on the ground
and all
of the resonance
of Solomon
coming in
long ago
I've never been
to Jerusalem
but reading
about this
approach
it sounds like
this road
would have been
a beautiful road
to travel
it would have
gone up
to Bethphage
near the top
of the Mount
of Olives
and then come
back down
towards Bethany
and then come
around the corner
and then Jerusalem
would have lay
in the valley
below them
and as they're
praising God
and as he approaches
goes down
into the Kidron Valley
before he would
go up to the gates
of Jerusalem
the hills
would resound
with this praise
and this celebration
and this glory
like the ticker tape
parade in New York City
after a championship
win
like the duck
boats in Boston
but even better
the King of David
sitting on a donkey
coming into Jerusalem
I wonder
I wonder what you
would feel like
about being a part
of a parade today
to honor Jesus
I wonder how you
feel about others
who are
kind of embarrassing
in the way
that they talk
about Jesus
all the time
sometimes fear
that we have
an overly
privatized
sense
of religion
and worship
in our world
today
now look
we need to be wise
and there's nuance
to claim the name
of Christian
today
doesn't mean
what it used
to mean
it's become
a very broad
word
that describes
many people
who don't believe
in the Bible
or the deity
of Christ
and even
in the last
20 years
the word
evangelical
has become
more fraught
it's become
more of a
political term
for many people
and more of a
political identity
and ideology
for some
so there's nuance
in thinking
about how do we
identify
and celebrate
Jesus
publicly
but friends
are we so afraid
of being misunderstood
that we hold back
where his disciples
exalted
and gloried
and praised
Jesus was so often
misunderstood
in fact
even in this
Jesus was misunderstood
even by those
who were praising him
let alone those
who opposed him
for many of his
disciples would run
later this week
let alone the crowds
who would join
into this procession
but then later
be swayed
in other directions
Jesus was often
misunderstood
the cost of identifying
with Jesus
will always
be great
at some point
my kids like
watching the
story keepers
have you ever seen
the story keepers
they're on YouTube
if you haven't seen them
it's this really cool
cartoon that was
done in the 90s
about life
in early church
and how people
honored
and
it talks about
how they were
both hiding
and yet
very open
about their faith
it's actually
a beautiful
portrayal
I think
it's fictional
but it's
it's worth
seeing
if you have
kids
probably under
the age of 11
so
after that
it's valuable
but probably not
compelling for you
so
but
but it's a picture
of how they
love Jesus
and were willing
to be wise
and yet
very clear
about their
allegiance
and the
costliness
of identifying
with Christ
having the
privilege of
having lived
in China
for two years
and knowing
some national
believers there
seeing them
count the cost
societally
in their own
homes
and in their
own families
knowing that
to identify
publicly
as a believer
could cost
them
job
prospects
marriage
prospects
even
their own
homes
being
misunderstood
in all
of these
cases
and yet
being willing
to identify
with Christ
here
closer to
home
we live
in a
world
particularly
I will say
the world
of academia
where
for some
identification
with Christ
will bear
a great
cost
and it's
easy to
hide
it's easy
to live
in fear
and the
day may come
when our
society
will shed
more of
its
Christian
trappings
and where
it will be
costly
for all
of us
to publicly
identify
with Christ
and to
worship
him
but the
disciples
gladly
did so
God
because
they saw
their
king
and they
saw that
he was
worthy
of their
praise
he was
worthy
of their
adoration
he was
worthy
of them
laying down
their coats
and laying
down their
lives
and they
didn't even
understand all
that that
would mean
they didn't
really understand
that Jesus
was heading
to the cross
they didn't
understand all
of those
things
and yet
as we
will see
by the
end of
Luke
the
disciples
will
understand
and many
will still
do the
same
they will
follow him
and worship
him
so what
about you
how unabashed
is your
worship
of Jesus
to ask
that question
creates a
crisis
does it
not
at the
very end
of our
passage
we see
that Jesus
coming
creates
a crisis
for all
of us
as we
see in
verses 41
and following
as he
comes
around the
corner
and sees
Jerusalem
he stops
and he
weeps
and he
mourns
because he
sees them
and he
knows
that there
will be
some
who will
reject him
he knows
in fact
that this
city
as a
whole
will not
receive him
as the
king
and put him
on the
throne
of David
but that
he
will be
rejected
he
predicts
that
because
of their
rejection
there will
ultimately
be a
judgment
he
predicts
and says
the time
is coming
when the
Romans
will come
and raise
this city
and in fact
that's exactly
what happened
in AD
70
Titus
came in
and he
literally
tore down
every wall
every building
according to
the records
he left
three towers
of the
entire city
standing
solely so
that people
would know
that there
had been
a city
there
because if
he had
taken those
down
literally
it would
have looked
like there
had never
been a
city
the destruction
was complete
and Jesus
looked at
this city
and he
knew that
his coming
would provoke
a crisis
of belief
and he
knew that
many
did not
know
and would
not respond
to the
day of
his visitation
with faith
and from
there then
Luke records
he goes
into
Jerusalem
and he
goes to
the temple
and he
creates
another
crisis
by walking
in
and blowing
up an
economic
system
that had
served
the worship
at the
expense
of the
worship
of God
Luke
is very
brief
on this
Matthew
John
other people
have much
more to say
about this
but he
goes in
and he
creates
this
crisis
my
father's
house
should be
a house
of prayer
but you
have made
it
a place
of commerce
and then
Luke
ends
this
section
verse
47
and 48
he was
teaching
daily
in the
temple
and you
see the
division
the chief
priests
and the
scribes
and the
principal
men
of the
people
were seeking
to destroy
him
those who
had lots
lots of
power
lots of
prestige
lots of
religious
authority
they had
lots
to lose
and in
that
they
resisted
Jesus
coming
and they
sought
instead
to destroy
him
verse 48
but they
did not
find anything
they could
do
for all
the people
were hanging
on his
words
the people
saw him
and they
responded
to him
and they
were hanging
and yet
we know
these are
the same
people
who will
be fickle
and Jesus
knows these
are the
same
people
who will
be fickle
but he
comes in
and he
creates a
crisis
such that
everyone who
encounters
this Jesus
in Jerusalem
when he
first entered
and every
one of us
today as we
encounter this
Jesus in
this text
have to
respond
who will
be king
this was
the question
that was
asked in
Solomon's
day
will it
be Solomon
or will
it be
Adonijah
for us
who will
be king
will you
deny
Jesus
his claim
on your
life
or will
you receive
him
knowing
that he
is a
king
who will
ultimately
earn his
throne
by going
to the
cross
and dying
for sinful
rebellious
stubborn
independent
hearts
like mine
and like
yours
he who
came
to establish
his kingship
not by imposing
it upon us
but by offering
himself up
for us
and ultimately
he would gain
great victory
because he would
rise from the
dead
and he would
ascend to the
father
and he would
sit at his
right hand
and we know
from the rest
of scripture
that one day
he will come
again
and he will
establish his
kingdom
and he will
sit on the
throne
and all
will bow
their knee
before this
king
Jesus
today
is the day
of visitation
for all
who hear
this text
in Jerusalem
in the first
century
this was the
first time
in a
one time
thing
in redemption
history
but today
this is the
day for us
to consider
the day
of our
visitation
for Jesus
has come
for us
he has
come for
you
what will
you do
with this
king
let's pray
Lord we
are humbled
and
challenged
by this
text
we thank
you
for
your
word
penetrates
our
hearts
Lord I
ask this
morning
that we
would not
resist your
Holy Spirit
as you
may be
working
in us
Lord if
there are
those of
us here
this
morning
who
have
areas
of our
lives
that we
have
not yet
allowed
you
to be
king
Lord
that we
would respond
to you
in faith
and surrender
those to
you
and allow
you to
begin to
reorder
these parts
of our
lives
according to
your plan
and for
your glory
Lord I
pray this
morning
for those
here who
may have
realized that
they have
never truly
bowed their
knee before
you as
king
they have
liked you
as a
teacher
they have
been
comforted
by you
as a
counselor
but Lord
they have
never now
bowed their
knee before
you
I pray
Lord
you would
help them
now
to kneel
before you
Lord
that their
repentance
would go
to the
depth of
their
being
Lord
that they
would repent
of themselves
sitting on
the throne
of their
lives
and receive
you
instead
as their
savior
who has
dealt with
sin on
their behalf
and as
their king
who has
come to
rule
Lord we
pray that
you would
do these
things
for the
glory of
your name
that your
salvation
would be
seen
and known
and proclaimed
and that
songs of
praise would
ring out
to the
ends of
the earth
we pray
this in
Jesus name
amen