The King Who Comes to Save Us!
I. The Manner of His Coming
II. The Kingdom He Rules
Matthew 21:1–9
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, and 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!”
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for sending our Savior, who came humble and lowly, riding on a beast of burden, as he carried our burdens to the cross. Grant us humility and faith to trust in this King of grace as our hope, strength, and life! In Jesus name. Amen.
Many people treat the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the Bible the way in which I just treated this romantic novel that I picked up from the thrift store. They pick and choose what they want. They keep what they like and throw out everything that they do not want. We live in a world that is customizable. You have the ability to choose and personalize everything from how you want your burger made to your phone plan to the vehicle you drive. You have options, so we pick and choose.
People have been doing this with God since the beginning. Remember that the devil’s first temptation to Eve was questioning God’s command, “did God really say?” If she disobeyed God, she would become like God the devil said. The first sin was idolatry—worshiping herself and her desire rather than God’s clear command. This is still the perennial sin of our day. When people find things about Christ that do not meet their wants or human reasoning, they disregard or change it. People think that they know better than God.
Today is Palm Sunday. This lesson appears two times during the church year—at the beginning of Advent and in Lent. In Advent, it prepares us for Jesus’ birth and how he comes to us. Today it prepares us for his journey to the cross. When Jesus entered Jerusalem the people shouted hosannas, but in less than a week, these shouts of praise could no longer be heard. There were still shouts, but they now called for his crucifixion. “Away with him! Crucify him!” Jesus was not the King they wanted and so they crucified him. However, it’s only by the true Messiah, the one foretold in Scripture and fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, that we can be saved.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem his popularity was soaring. He had recently raised Lazarus from the dead and the news had spread. All the events surrounding Jesus pointed to him as the Messiah. When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of a donkey he was fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah who would come to save God’s people. The Son of David had finally come! They knew the words of Zechariah and so they called out, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Hosanna means “save.” It’s why he had come.
Yet, as the week went on and Jesus preached to the people, the excitement slowly faded. Jesus was not turning out to be the Messiah that many expected. The people had certain ideas of what they wanted from Jesus. These expectations were not based on the Scripture, but on what they needed saving from in their present circumstances. There was corruption in society, oppression by the pagan Roman government, and the list went on. But instead of coming to pet their egos and save them from their earthly troubles, Jesus preached against the sin and corruption in their own hearts and their own need to repent. This was not the sermon they wanted to hear.
The teachings of Jesus get the same reaction today. Who are you to say that marriage is between a man and a woman? Who are you to say that sexual relations are to be kept in the confines of marriage? Who are you to say that God intended only men to be pastors? Who are you to say that I cannot take communion wherever and whenever I want? Who are you to say that my anger, gossip, lust, or pride is a sin?
The preaching of Jesus will always be a stumbling block and foolishness to the world. In the Old Testament, the Israelites would go after other false gods to satisfy their cravings and desires. Today, people just re-brand Jesus to make him more palatable, crafting their own idol. This is why it’s so hard to stand for Jesus’ teaching. You are called hateful, unloving, or bigoted to believe the true teachings of Jesus. It was not popular to stand with Jesus on Good Friday and it still is not today. Even Peter, bold and fearless Peter, denied Jesus three times.
So why hold on to God’s Word? Why face backlash from popular consensus, family, or friends? Why attend a small church which holds to the truths of God’s Word? Because it is only the humble Lord Jesus who came riding on a donkey, who took the lonely way of the cross to pay for our sins, and rose again on the third day, that can save our souls from death! A cross-less and re-branded Christ is no Christ at all.
Remember at the beginning of our lesson when Jesus told his two disciples where they would find the donkey and her colt? Jesus knows all things. Your King knows everything. When people take away the words of Jesus, the cross, his suffering and death, this becomes a terrifying thought. The King who is coming back on judgement day knows everything you have every done, thought, or said. Scripture says that Christ will “bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts” (I Corinthians 4:5). What’s more, every sin that you have committed is treason against your King. What will judgement bring? It’s no surprise that people do not like talking about death, judgement, and their own sin. And this is why, we need the real Jesus—the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is why we hold on to his word—because without it, we have no hope or certainty.
Jesus had a reason for everything he did. He raised Lazarus to show his power over death. He rode in on a donkey to fulfill the Scriptures. And he rode in on Palm Sunday to show us that he came to save us from our sin and death! The day that Jesus’ rode into Jerusalem was the 10th of Nisan. This was the day the paschal lamb would be selected for the Passover (Exodus 12:3). By Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the 10th of Nisan, he shows himself to the true Paschal Lamb who came to suffer and die for the sins of the world.
Remember that the Passover goes back all the way to when the Israelites were still slaves in Egypt. God had sent nine horrible plagues upon Pharoah and the Egyptians so that he would let Israel go. But Pharoah hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go. Therefore, God sent the tenth and final plague, where the death angel would come to kill the firstborn of every family and animal in Egypt. However, in order save the Israelites, God commanded them to pick a lamb without blemish, whose blood would be used to cover their doorposts. If there was blood over the doorposts of the house, the death angel passed over and they would be saved.
The Passover points us to Jesus. John the Baptizer called out, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Paul writes, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (I Cor 5:7). Jesus shed his blood on the cross as our true Passover Lamb that he might cover our sins and deliver us from death.
This is a tremendous comfort to those who are troubled by their sins and know their need of saving. No matter who was in the house, if they had the blood over their doorposts they were saved. No matter your sins, if you trust in Christ as your Savior, you are covered by the blood. You are saved. You are forgiven. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
We have all sinned. We have all had times where we could have stood up for Christ but felt embarrassed or ashamed. But it is the love of Jesus, who forgave and consoled Peter who denied him, who forgives and comforts you and me. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins. And when we know this, then we are glad to have Jesus as our King, his teachings and all because we know that he who knows everything knows what’s best for us.
The Kingdom that Jesus rules is the kingdom of grace and mercy. He does not rule with power and might, but with his gospel. He didn’t come to conquer this world, but to save us from it. His kingdom is not of this world. Yet, as we are here in this world, he gives us strength to carry on. In addition to painting their doorposts with the Passover Lamb, the Lord had the Israelites eat the lamb so that they might have strength on their journey to the promise land. Today, we have the body and blood of the true Lamb of God, which gives us forgiveness and strength to carry on in our earthly life until we reach the promised land of heaven.
What’s more, as our good and gracious Savior, he is not only concerned about the life to come. Your all-knowing Lord cares for you now. He knows your every need and concern before you do. He knew that our greatest need was a Savior. He also knows our everyday needs. He knows how to comfort and uphold us. When we are feeling troubled and burdened, he tells us to “cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7). He promises to hear your prayers and to strengthen you in times of need.
We need this Jesus. When we ignore, reject, or alter who this Jesus is and his teaching, we lose all certainty of the forgiveness and life he brings. Jesus does not change—he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And that is a wonderful comfort! This is the Messiah Scripture foretold. This is the Savior who came for all people. The one who came in humility riding a beast of burden as he carried the burden of our sins to the cross. God grant us humility to submit ourselves to this King, abide in his Word, knowing that he has come to save us from our greatest need. So may we sing “Hosanna to the Son of David!” all our days and throughout eternity! Amen.