The Triumphal Entry.
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Opening:
It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.
Introduction of the Text:
This morning we will be in Matthew 21:1-11. We come together on the Lord’s Day to worship our King. We come together to in essence do what is happening in our text today. In our text today we see what is commonly referred to as “The Triumphal Entry.” This has been the description of this event throughout history. However, on it’s face, this account does not seem triumphant. Mere days after this encounter Jesus will be put on trial, and executed by crucifixion. So the immediate question comes, “Is this a ‘Triumphal’ entry?” Throughout this sermon, my goal is to defend the fact that this really is truly a Triumphal Entry.
Matthew wrote this account as an eye witness to the life of Christ. He was one of the Apostles who was with Christ through His life. And Matthew is writing this to a first century Jewish audience in order to show that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised savior and King.
Reading of the Text:
With this in mind I would ask you to stand with me for the reading of the Word of God.
Matthew 21:1-11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “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.’ ”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
The Word of God. Let’s pray.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you would open our hearts and minds to hear Your Word. Be with us this morning as we study Your Word. We commit this time to you. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
Transition:
As we open this text, we see Jesus sends two disciples for the colt.
Jesus Sends Two Disciples For the Colt.
Jesus Sends Two Disciples For the Colt.
Explanation:
Jesus and the disciples, and likely still the crowd that had followed Him approach Jerusalem. Jesus comes to Bethphage, a small town just outside Jerusalem, and then to the mount of olives. The mount of olives is central place to prophesy and to redemption. This is just outside of Jerusalem. When Jesus comes there, he sends two disciples on. He then tells 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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
Jesus gives striking detail of what they will find. He even tells them what they are to do if anyone questions them. We know from the other accounts in Mark and Luke that the owners of the colt and donkey did question them. Jesus shows such detail even to know that they would be questioned and what they are to say in response. This is a display of the deity of Jesus. He is displaying the divine nature known as omnipotence. The all knowing nature of God. Matthew is the only gospel that mentions the colt’s mother. This is likely to show the specificity of the fulfilled prophesy and to show just how young the colt was.
Illustration:
But What is so significant about the donkey? It speaks to the kingliness of Jesus. He is a King and this was a practice of kings. When a king would ride a magnificent steed, it was a symbol of the warrior nature of the King. Kings would often ride great war horses to show their military victory over wherever they were riding into.
However, when a King came in peace, they would ride into the city on a donkey. This was a vehicle of peace. In fact, this is an image that the Jewish people would understand well. In 1 Kings 1:33 we read this, “33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.”
When King David was old and dying, his son Adonijah practically anointed himself king. David had promised the throne, according to the Word of God, to Solomon. So when Solomon was anointed the true king, there was great worry that there would be war. In fact, Adonijah feared that Solomon would have him killed. David gave this instruction to have Solomon ride in on a donkey in order to show that there was to be peace. The true king was to ride on a donkey not a war horse. The king was declaring peace not war. Solomon was the true King. He was riding in to be anointed, but he rode in on a donkey.
Argumentation:
The Jewish audience would have recognized not just the practice but the historical significance of what was happening. I doubt if David knew the prophetic nature of what he had commanded right before his death, but we can see the providential nature of God at work. God had promised that Solomon would sit on the throne and that one of Solomon’s descendants would sit on the throne to rule forever. God had specifically promised that the Messiah would be of David’s line. And here is Jesus calling for the donkey to ride in on. The historical parallel is uncanny.
Solomon, the true king, rode in on a donkey to claim his throne that was occupied by a false king. Jesus, the True King, rides in on a donkey to claim His throne that is being claimed by Caesar. Caesar is claiming to be lord of all, a deity. Yet, here comes Jesus, claiming His true place as Lord of all. This is a beautiful picture that I am sure people recognized. The Son of David had come to claim what was His.
Transition:
And this is the beautiful nature of this passage. We see the fulfillment of prophesy.
The Fulfillment of Prophesy.
The Fulfillment of Prophesy.
Explanation:
Matthew is showing that Jesus is fulfilling prophesy. Why did Jesus send for the colt? Matthew tells us in verse four and five.
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “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.’ ”
This is a quote from Zechariah and Isaiah. Matthew explicitly quotes a couple lines from it, but we must remember that this book was written to a first century Jewish audience. The first century Jews were expecting the Messiah. They were very familiar with the prophesies of the Messiah. Because of this, Matthew only includes a couple lines. Listen to the full prophesy from Zechariah.
Zechariah 9:9-11 9 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.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Argumentation:
These prophesies were clearly fulfilled in Jesus. The prophesy from Zechariah specifically mentions the donkey. The Messiah would ride into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the foal of a donkey. The detail in this is incredible. Let’s just break down what is being said about Jesus, the fulfilment of this.
The people are to rejoice. They are to shout aloud. The king has come. Jesus is here declared to be the promised King. He is righteous and bringing salvation. He is humble and mounted on a donkey. Clearly about this event. Then God says that He will cut off the instruments of war. The chariot and the war horse and the bow. Jesus will speak peace to the nations. Jesus’ rule is from sea to sea. All the way to the ends of the earth. But there is more. For the saved, true Israel, they will be free from the waterless pit because of the covenant of blood. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, all those under the new covenant will be saved from the waterless pit, hell.
This is astounding! This is clearly speaking of Jesus. He is the fulfilment of this. He came not in war but in peace. He is King over all the earth, from sea to sea, from the rivers to the ends of the earth. He has saved His people. We are saved from hell through the covenant of blood. This is what Jesus has done!
What good news! And even though they did not understand the fulness of these prophesies, the people knew them well. The Jews were under the subjugation and persecution of the Roman government. Because of this, there was much buzz about the Messiah. They longed for Him. They were waiting for the one who would come and free them. As I said, they did not understand the fullness of these passages but they knew them well. The sign of Christ riding on a donkey was an immediate sign to them of who He was.
Transition:
And we see this in their reaction to Him. They do two things. The first reaction we see is the spreading of cloaks and branches.
The Spreading of Cloaks and Branches.
The Spreading of Cloaks and Branches.
Explanation:
The disciples did as Jesus commanded and brought the donkey and its mother. They laid their cloaks, their outer garment, on the colt and Jesus sat on them. He rode the colt into Jerusalem and as He did, we see the crowd react. Verse eight says “8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” As Jesus approached, the crowd present and gathering began to take off their cloaks and spread the road. They spread them in from of the colt for it to walk on. Those who did not have cloaks or who kept their cloaks began to cut down tree branches. This is why we refer to this day on the church calendar as “Palm Sunday.”
This was not a common thing. People did not do this for anyone. It was a symbol of great honor and reverence. In fact, it is specifically a symbol of great reverence for the Jewish people. Most will recognize the names Ahab and Jezabel. They were wicked rulers and God raised up Jehu to be King and to eliminate them. When Jehu, God’s anointed, was made king, the people reacted in a specific way. 2 Kings 9:13 says 13 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.”
The taking off of one’s outer garment and laying it down for one to walk on was a practice reserved for kings. Specifically for welcomed and revered kings. Here Jesus is walking in Solomon’s footsteps by riding the donkey. Here Jesus is walking in Jehu’s footsteps to restore righteousness. But this is not all.
Transition:
The crowd honors Jesus in yet another way. They cry something very important out. “Hosanna to the Son of David.”
“Hosanna to The Son of David.”
“Hosanna to The Son of David.”
Explanation:
If you have spent any time in church, likely you have heard that word “Hosanna.” There are so many modern and classic christian songs titled “Hosanna.” But what is so significant about that word? Verse nine records the cry of the people. 9 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!”
They were quoting a Psalm. Hosanna is a shortening of “Save us, oh Lord.” It is a cry of worship and honor. They were crying to Jesus for their salvation. They were crying out to Jesus Psalm 118. Specifically this is drawn directly from Psalm 118:25-29.
25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
What words! These people are quoting these words in regards to Jesus. They are saying that Jesus is the one to save them. They are saying Jesus is the one who comes in the name of YHWH. They are saying that Jesus is the fulfilment of all that has been promised! These are incredible words. They are applying this prophetic Psalm to Jesus, and they are right!
But it is more than this. They also call out that familiar phrase Matthew uses often. “Son of David.” The crowds are literally crying out to Jesus as the Messiah. “Save us oh Son of David!” is their cry. “Save us in the highest!” They are recognizing Jesus as the promised descendant of David who had come to save them.
Argumentation:
These people are under oppression. They are enslaved. They are lost and hopeless. The boot of Rome is on their necks. But here at last is Jesus. Jesus has come! Here is the Son of David! They are lining the streets. They are laying their coats and tree branches down so as not to allow the colt’s feet to be sullied by the dirty street. They are crying out to Him, “Save us oh Son of David!” Hope has ridden in on a donkey and they will not be silenced. This is an incredible picture. But what is even more incredible is the fact that Jesus accepts this.
Jesus is the instigator in this account. He sent the Disciples to get the donkey. This is all His plan. He accepts their praise. He accepts their adoration. Luke hammers this point home by giving the account of the Pharisees telling Jesus to quiet the crowd. The Pharisees attempt to silence people and Jesus says that if they stop praising Him, the stones would begin to cry out. What a claim! This was so set to happen in God’s plan that even the stones would cry out if necessary. The earth itself would begin to hail Jesus as King.
There can be no mistake, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem as THE King. He is the one and only. He is the Lord almighty. He is the King. He is the one who made heaven and earth. He is the one who holds all authority. He has come to redeem His people. He has ridden into Jerusalem bringing with Him the salvation of His people. There can be no mistake about Jesus’ intent here. He has come to announce Himself as King.
Transition:
And yet, the crowds misunderstand.
The Crowds Misunderstand.
The Crowds Misunderstand.
Explanation:
The closing words of Matthew’s account of this matter shows the limited understanding of the people to what is happening around them. Matthew 21:10-11 “10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” The whole city is stirred up and begins to ask “Who is this?” This is a good question. Who is this who is coming as a king? And the crowds said “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” It is true that Jesus is a prophet. He is THE prophet. But He is so much more. I feel that John clarifies this in his gospel account.
John 12:16 “16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.” Even the disciples did not understand. It was the blinding hand of God to keep people from understanding. They were hailing Him as King but it is as if they did not fully know or recognize they were hailing Him as King.
Argumentation:
This shows so clearly the providence of God. He orchestrated the entire affair. Jesus is hailed as King at the will of God God had set this from before the foundations of the World. Nothing could change it. It was determined to happen on this day, at this time, with these people. Every detail had been set. God had set the female donkey to have her colt at such a time as to be able to be ridden by Jesus. All of this was at the hand of God. This why He prophesied it through the prophets in such detail. Truly Zechariah spoke his words to foreshadow this exact day. Truly the Psalmist penned his song with those exact words so as to be sung to Jesus as He entered into the city.
The cry was “Save us, oh Son of David!” That is why He came. He came to save His people. Salvation and righteousness had followed Him as He entered into the city of His crucifixion. This was no accident. Jesus set His face to Jerusalem. He was heading here for the reason of the eternal plan of God to crush sin and death. Jesus willingly marched to the cross. He came to save His people.
However, the crowds did not grasp this. They did not see that Jesus had come to save them from their sins. They expected Jesus to crush the Roman government. But the reality is that there was a far worse oppressor than the Roman government. But Christ came not to overthrow just one corrupt government. Christ came to crush sin. Sin in the hearts of men that is a far worse oppressor than any government.
He rode into Jerusalem and there in Jerusalem He would be flogged. He would be nailed to a cross. He would die. He would rise again. He would crush sin. He would redeem His people and He would rule over all. All authority is His. He is God. And we are His people. He would claim Rome and every other nation, but not how the people expected.
Transition:
So let us look at that question we asked at the outset. Is this a “triumphal” entry?
Is this a “Triumphal” entry?
Is this a “Triumphal” entry?
Skeptics have often painted Jesus as misguided. They claim He was a religious leader who was tragically killed. Some claim He was a failed radical. They look to this passage and say, “How could this be a triumphal entry when He dies mere days later?” They see this through darkened eyes. To the skeptic, Jesus came and was hailed as a king, then was killed. To the skeptic this passage is hailed as a great tragedy. Jesus here is not seen as marching to victory, He is seen as marching to failure. This is the road to death and failure to the skeptic.
Blind and wicked fools. This is not A triumphal entry. This is THE triumphal entry. No king has ever marched to such success. No king has ever been more rightly hailed. No king has ever been so justly honored. No other moment like this has ever occured in human history. Only one moment will ever overshadow this. When Jesus returns, the cry will go out again “Hail to the Son of David!” That will be the second triumphal entry. He entered Jerusalem this time to establish His kingdom and to conquer sin and death. He will return to the New Jerusalem to the victory of the church. We will see our Lord and we will know all is made right.
This is THE triumphal entry because Christ won. Jesus won. The cross was not a symbol of failure. The cross is the greatest victory. On the cross, sin was paid for. On the cross, man was made right with God. On the cross, all of God’s sheep were redeemed forever. On the cross, the wrath of God was satisfied. Think about it. The greatest problem we have is being under the wrath of God. The greatest problem we have is being in sin. In sin we are rightly deserving of the wrath of God. We deserve hell and eternal torment. No one has ever gone to hell who did not fully and rightly deserve it. It is truly what we all deserve. But God, in His mercy sent Jesus. And here, Jesus rides into Jerusalem to accomplish the perfect plan of redemption. Here the sovereign and providential plan of God is perfectly executed to provide salvation. Here the lost sheep of God are brought back again. They are saved.
Transition:
There is but one question.
Application:
Will you cry Hosanna to the Son of David?
Will You Cry Hosanna to The Son of David?
Will You Cry Hosanna to The Son of David?
Will you cry out to Jesus for salvation? Will you bow to the King? He is the Lord. He rules over all. He is Lord of the entirety of creation. He is THE King. Will you bow to Him? Many have yet to submit to the Lord. If this is you, then you are lost. Salvation is found in one. Acts 4:12 “12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Salvation is only found in Jesus. He alone is the Savior. He alone is the Lord. You must bow to Him. Romans 10:9 “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Submit to the lordship of Christ. Confess and believe. Then you will be saved. If you do this, even today, you will be saved. This is the promise of Scripture.
But to those of you who are Christians, I give this charge. Will you bow to Christ as King?
Will You Bow to Christ as King?
Will You Bow to Christ as King?
The crowds really got part of this right. But we know that they also missed a large part of this. So we must examine our own hearts. Do we understand the kingship of Christ? The Triumphal Entry was Christ coming in as King. And we know what He is King of. He is King of all. He has all authority as He declared before the ascension. He fulfilled the prophesy of Psalm 2:7–8“7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
Christ is King of all nations. Christ is King of all. That means that He is King of our lives as well. Will we obey Him? Sadly we seldom think of the Kingship of Christ in our lives. Partly this is because here in America we have no concept of kingship. We abhor royal authority. So this is a real hurdle we must jump.
But a king is an ultimate authority. His word is law. And this is what Christ is. He is THE King. His Word is Law. It is not suggestion. So truly ask yourself this. Do you treat Christ’s command as mere suggestions or as divine decree? As you live your life, how does the command of Christ change what you do? Is He your King?
Many of us live as if we are autonomous. We live our day to day lives as if what we want is the deciding factor. If we are honest, we live as people who do as we wish. We do not think as subjects of a King.
See, the people in our passage today understood some things, but not others. They proclaimed Christ as King and Savior. “Hosanna to the Son of David” was their cry. Hosanna, save us. They knew Jesus was a savior. Son of David. They knew Jesus was the coming King. But sadly these people did not grasp the fullness of what they were saying.
In the same way, we can say all the right things but miss the reality we are proclaiming. We can say Jesus is our Savior. We can say Jesus is our King. But we cannot just say this. This must be real in our lives and hearts. It must affect our everyday life. When we say Jesus is our Savior, it means we have faith in His sacrifice. We trust that He has paid for our sins. When we say Jesus is King, it means He is the highest authority.
So as we enter holy week, meditate on these things. What does it mean that Jesus is my Savior? Ponder the depths of the salvation Christ has brought to us. Christ, the perfect Lamb of God died in my place to redeem me from my sin. My sin paid for through the perfect sacrifice of Christ on my behalf.
Ponder this week that Christ is King. That is Lord of all. That when Christ died and rose again, He won the victory over hell and the grave. That He ascended into heaven and is right now ruling over all. He is Lord. He has all authority. And we are to obey Him.
Holy Week is for us to cry out Hosanna to the Son of David. We declare that Christ is Savior and King. He is Redeemer and Lord. This is who Christ is.
Hosanna to the Son of David, Amen.
Prayer:
Offering Hymn:
Offering Prayer:
Closing Benediction:
Jude 24-25 “24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”