Triumphal Entry of the King

All right. let me have you turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 11. Mark chapter 11. Today is Palm Sunday. which is a very important Sunday of the year on the religious calendar. It was on this Sunday of the year, almost 2000 years ago, that Jesus entered into Jerusalem, writing on a cult. And people laid palm branches on the ground as they celebrated his arrival. Actually, the gospel writers tell us that they also laid their coats on the ground. So this could have been called Coat Sunday, just as well, but for some reason, that name never stuck. But this event, of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. begins what we call the Passion Week or the week of Christ's suffering, which culminates in Christ's crucifixion on Friday of this week and His resurrection on Sunday. And in honor of this event, today, our text will be from Mark chapter 11 verses 1 through 11, but as we work through the text this morning, we will be allowing Matthew And Luke and John. to speak to us as well and to insert additional details as to what happens with this triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. You learn a lot actually about a king or a ruler or even a president by observing how they choose to present themselves at the outset of their rule. Just recently, we watched a president come to power and we saw ways that our new president kept up certain inaugural traditions and ways that he broke with tradition. On the day of his inauguration, President Trump laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. As prior presidents have done, showing that he will honor our troops and the sacrifice that they have made for The freedoms that we enjoy. He also attended a church service at Saint John's Episcopal Church, as prior presidents have done, showing some at least symbolic regard for the place of faith in his life. And presidency. But President Trump also did a few things that were unique to him. For one, he cut the inaugural parade short by an hour and a half to signal his urgency. To be done with the festivities and to get on with the business of governing. he also had fewer inaugural balls. for the same reason. At one of those inaugural balls, Trump chose to dance with his wife to the song, I Did It My Way. Which spoke volumes about his campaign, right? Which broke every rule in the book and probably prophetically spoke volumes about his presidency. And you all remember the debate as well for days afterwards about the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration. Trump wanted everyone to know that he had the largest crowd ever. To witness an inauguration because that would reflect well on him, right? His opponents were quick to argue the opposite because they wanted his smaller crowd compared to Obama's to reflect poorly on Trump. Both sides tried to take control of the narrative about the inauguration to advance their agenda either for or against the president. Inaugurations are important. And in our passage today, we will see Christ's inaugural march. As he enters into Jerusalem, heading towards his coronation as king. A coronation the likes of which nobody expected. According to Romans chapter 1, verse 4, Paul tells us that Jesus was declared the royal Son of God with power through the resurrection from the dead. The Sunday of Jesus' resurrection is the day of his crowning as King. But it's on this Sunday, this prior Sunday of the year that Christ makes his inaugural march into Jerusalem to set in motion a chain of events. That will culminate in his death and then in his crowning resurrection. And as we look at Christ's march, as it were, into Jerusalem today, we're going to observe four things that Jesus does, which served to tell us much about the King. That he is. If you're here today and you don't know much about Jesus Christ, watching the way that he behaves himself in our passage today as he comes into Jerusalem for his crowning will help you to understand the King that he is and the King that he wants to be in the lives of those who follow Him. First of all, before we get to the text, let me set the stage for you, very quickly. Jesus has been up in Galilee. and then he began traveling down from Galilee toward Jerusalem. All the disciples, if you read the gospel accounts, they know that this visit to Jerusalem, though it's not the first visit of Jesus to Jerusalem, it's going to be momentous. On the one hand, the disciples sometimes think that Jesus is coming down to Jerusalem to enter into his kingdom. So the disciples are arguing with each other over which of them are the 2nd greatest in Christ's kingdom. And which of them will get to sit closest to him when he sits on the throne of Israel? On the other hand, Jesus keeps Interrupting their discussions by telling them how he's going to suffer many things and die and be raised from the dead. But the disciples push those thoughts out of their heads, and they keep following Jesus to Jerusalem. Something about the urgency of Jesus' step. As he travels toward Jerusalem, tells these disciples that this visit to Jerusalem will be different than any prior visit. On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus stops in Bethany, as you see on the map behind me, which was a little town nestled in the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. John's Gospel tells us that when Jesus got to Bethany, he stopped. In the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, and you'll recall that it was several weeks prior that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead in that very village of Bethany. When Jesus gets to Bethany, he is at this point, about a 2 mile walk from the city of Jerusalem. From Bethany, Jesus will have about a 1 mile walk. up the Mount of Olives to the crest of the Mount of Olives, and then He will have about a 1 mile walk down the slope of the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem Now when Jesus gets to Bethany, we know that a lot of pilgrims are in Jerusalem at this time for the feast of Unleavened bread and the Passover celebration. Which we're gonna take place that week. In John chapter 12 verse 9, John tells us that a large crowd of the Jews then learned that he, Jesus was there, which is in Bethany. 2 miles away from Jerusalem and they came out. Not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead, several weeks prior. So imagine guys, an exodus of people coming out of Jerusalem, heading up the Mount of Olives and then heading down toward Bethany. And imagine Jesus and Bethany getting ready to make his inaugural royal entrance into Jerusalem. This is exactly where the narrative in Mark chapter 11 verse 1 begins, where we will observe four acts of Jesus associated with his triumphal Entry as king into Jerusalem. And the first of these acts, we'll look at, and I just want to warn you in advance that this first point is not going to immediately rock your world. None of you are going to hear this point and say, oh, I so needed this point to be made today. None of you are going to think that, but Mark believes that this point is important nonetheless, and this point will bless you if you give it a chance. So you're ready to hear the first act of Jesus? Associated with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, here it is. Number one, he makes use of a cult upon which to present himself as king. He makes use of a cult upon which to present himself as king. That's the first thing that Jesus does associated with his triumphal entry. Now you may not think this is a big deal, but consider this. In Mark chapter 11 verses 1 through 11, Mark spends 11 verses. Telling us the story of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, and he spends the 1st 7 of those 11 verses doing nothing but talking about the donkey. That Jesus rides upon, how he obtains it, and how it is used. Mark lingers on this point because of what it shows us about Jesus, and by the way, so does Matthew, and so does Luke. Look at the narrative beginning in Mark chapter 11 verse 1. Says, and as they approached Jerusalem at Beth Pagey and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, go into the village opposite you and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there on which no one yet has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. Now a lot is happening here even in this instruction. Jesus is showing supernatural foreknowledge. Jesus knows that these two disciples will A, find a colt, B, find a colt that has never been ridden on before, and C, find a colt that will be tied to a post or a fence, which means that it is owned by somebody. The colt is somebody's property. Somebody cares enough about it that they tied it to a post so that it would not wander away. By the way, in Matthew's gospel, Jesus, Matthew has Jesus telling the disciples to find a donkey and a colt with the donkey. And Jesus tells them to bring both the donkey and the colt. Mark and Luke and John though focus only. On the cult Jesus then gives two instructions as to what these disciples are to do when they find this colt. Look at what he says at the end of verse two, untie it and bring it here. Now don't just pass over that. We would expected Jesus to say something like, when you find the cult, Find the owner. Of the colt and ask the owner of the colt for permission to untie the colt and bring it to me. That's what we would expect. imagine that I said to you today, Go out into the parking lot and you will find a brand new Toyota Prius. When you find it, open the door of the car, get in, start the car and bring it to me. If I gave you an instruction like that, what would you think? You would probably be thinking, man, there's a high likelihood that someone's gonna see me and stop me and say, what are you doing with my car? So Jesus anticipates even this happening. And he says to them in verse 3, he says, and if anyone says to you, why are you doing this? You say, the Lord has need of it and immediately he will send it back here. Now, not every translation puts the quotation marks. There were not quotation marks in that they use back in the first century when they wrote in Greek, and not every translation that you guys have will put the quotation marks in the place that I have just put them in my reading of this passage. But the English Standard Version, the Revised Standard Version, The new international version and the amplified Bible do essentially put the quotation marks where I have them on the screen behind me. And this is the way that I would suggest that we understand Jesus' instructions, especially because of his use of the word send together with the word back. This understanding makes the most sense. And with this understanding, Jesus is telling these two disciples to say two things. To say, the Lord has need of this colt, and to say another thing, and that is that the Lord will return the colt immediately when he is done with it. The Lord needs the colt and the Lord will send it back. When he is done with it. Does that make sense? Now, first of all, it's noteworthy here that Jesus does not tell the disciples to find the owners and ask the owners of the cult for permission. To use the cult. Why is that? Because Jesus is king. And Jesus is behaving as a king, even in the way that he is obtaining use of this cult. A king does not have to ask people in his kingdom for permission. Because everything belongs to him anyway, right? So Jesus just says, when you find the colt, untie it. And if anyone asks what you are doing, just tell them the Lord has need of it, and he'll return it when he's done. It's that simple. And that's the way a king talks. Think about it for a moment. Some of you are first generation Christians. How many of you are first generation Christians? You did not come from a Christian family. Jesus didn't talk to your parents and ask their permission before taking you for himself and making you his. Some of you got saved before your spouse did. Jesus didn't ask your spouse for permission to take you for himself before he saved you. He just did. He's king. He has the right to make those choices without seeking permission. God did not ask Mary, the mother of Jesus, he didn't ask Mary's permission before Oh I'm sorry, he didn't ask Mary's parents for permission before making Mary the mother of the Messiah. God didn't even ask Joseph's permission. who was legally her husband. Gabriel just appeared to Mary and told her what God was gonna do with her and making her the mother of the Messiah. God is king. He can do that. God did not ask the church of Antioch's permission to call Saul and Barnabas to the mission field. He just calls Saul and Barnabas, and then he says to the leaders of the Church of Antioch, separate Saul and Barnabas to the work that I have past tense already called them. God is king. Christ is king. And Jesus acts like a king in our passage today. Jesus tells the two disciples, when you find the colt, untie it, bring it to me. And if anyone asks what you're doing, tell him that the Lord has need of it, and he will immediately send it back here. That's the way a king talks. But notice the king that Jesus is. He promises to return the colt. Apparently Jesus is not just a king who takes, but he's a good king who gives back what he takes. Jesus wants the owner of the colt to know that when he's done with the colt, he will see to it that the colt is returned to the owner. In fact, Jesus' promise actually, in reality, is even greater than that. The owner of this colt will not only receive his colt back from Jesus, but he will receive back a distinguished colt. A cult that now has the distinction of having carried Jesus on its back during his triumphal entry. I imagine that the owner of this colt spent the rest of his life telling people about his colt and the honor bestowed upon his animal, bringing ultimately a greater joy. To this owner, this owner would find greater joy in his cot. Now than he would have if he had never allowed Jesus to take his colt. In the first place. I'm reminded of the words of CS Lewis when he once said, No you have not given away. will really be yours. And this is so true. In fact, I think we can say, say it this way, given our passage today, nothing is more fully yours than that which you have given over to Jesus. Part of the reason why this is so is because Jesus is a king who returns what he takes, and he returns in a manifold way. In fact, in the previous chapter in Mark chapter 10, Peter comes to Jesus and says, Jesus, we left everything, we have left everything and followed you. What do we get? Listen to how Jesus responds to Peter. And Jesus said, truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms for my sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive 100 times as much. Now in the present age and in the age to come. That's the Lord that Jesus is. He returns what he takes. In a manifold way, he always gives back more than what he takes. And that's what he promises the owner that he would do here. Anyway, observe what happens next, starting in verse 4, the text tells us, and they, the two disciples, went away and found the colt tied at the door outside in the street, just as Jesus had told them that they would find, and they, the disciples, started to untie it. And sure enough, look at what happens, and some of the bystanders were saying to them, What are you doing untying the colt? And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they, the bystanders gave them permission. So we know there were bystanders around and so these two disciples would have come up on the scene and it's like, that's the cult Jesus is talking about, this is exciting. But then they see people standing around and it's like, I'm sure they were tempted to say, let's find the owner and let's ask him, but no, Jesus said just start untying it. So imagine their awkwardness. And just going in front of whoever these bystanders were, and they start untying the colt in obedience to what Jesus told them to do. Now Mark only tells us that these people were bystanders. Which means that they were standing by from the research that I did, but But the fact that they granted permission implies that they were actually, or at least some of them were more than bystanders. So we're not surprised to, to read in Luke's account that at least some who were among the bystanders were the actual owners of the animal. In Luke 1933, it says, and as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, why are you untying the colt? So these two disciples said the Lord has need of it, and when he's done with it, he will return it. And after they said this, the owners of the cot and the other bystanders said, You can use. Our cult and they gave them permission. I think there's every indication that when the owners of this cult heard these two disciples say the Lord has need of it, that they knew exactly who the Lord was. Keep in mind that Jesus' presence in Bethany has already created a sensation. That extends 2 miles away into Jerusalem. People are already coming from Jerusalem, streaming out of Jerusalem to come see Jesus. Keep in mind that Jesus raised raised Lazarus from the dead several weeks prior, so everybody in this area. knew who Jesus was, they knew his lordship over death. So if these two disciples say to anyone in this area, the Lord has need of it, you can bet that whoever they are talking to, would know exactly who the Lord is. So observe what happens next. These two disciples have acquired the colt, and then look at what Mark records in verse 7, and they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and he sat. On it. Now why is Jesus so insistent on Riding on a cult in Jerusalem. Mark doesn't really tell us, neither does Luke. But Matthew pauses in the narrative to actually answer that question for us, and Matthew 21. Verse 4, Matthew says this all took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, and now he quotes from Zechariah 9:9, which says verse 5, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt. The foal of a beast of burden. Based on this prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, we can see that in coming into Jerusalem, writing on a cult, Jesus is saying at least two things. First of all, he's saying, I am the promised Messiah King of Old Testament prophecy, promised 550 years ago in Zechariah 9:9. Jesus is also saying, I come right now in a spirit of gentleness. I am not coming with the intention of making war and doing military conquest. I come in peace. I come in gentleness. That's why it says in Zechariah 9:9, behold, your king is coming to you gentle and mounted. On a donkey And we hear that and we respond by saying, oh, that's one of the things I love about Jesus. He comes in gentleness. Yeah, we love that, but sometimes we don't love the fact that Jesus comes in gentleness towards our enemies. But this is how Jesus comes to his people, the people of Israel, on this day, and gentleness toward them and toward their enemies. The Jews of this day, they were waiting for the Messiah to come and to knock the Romans in their teeth. And shatter the Romans and scatter them away from Jerusalem and from the promised land of Israel. The Jews were not praying for a Messiah who would come in gentleness toward the Romans. Yet Jesus on this day, comes into Jerusalem, writing on a cult essentially saying, I am coming in a spirit of gentleness toward all. Toward you, the Jews, and towards your enemies. There's another thing that Jesus does, and this brings us to the second act of Jesus associated with his royal entry into Jerusalem, which teaches us volumes about Jesus, and that is he receives the crowd's praise to him as King. He receives the crowd's praise to him. Asking Jesus would have traveled from Bethany and traveled up to the crest of the Mount of Olives. And Luke 19:37 tells us that what happens next began as he was approaching the descent of the Mount of Olives. At this 0.2 crowds converged into one. People were traveling with Jesus from Bethany to the summit, not the summit, but the crest of the Mount of Olives. And people were flocking out of Jerusalem at this moment to come and see Jesus. When Jesus reaches the top of the Mount of Olives, and looks down and sees Jerusalem coming into view, it's then that Jesus would see the full mass of humanity. Who were streaming out of Jerusalem, traveling up the Mount of Olives to see him. According to John chapter 12. Verses 12 and 13, John says the large crowd. And by the way, when John tells us it was a large crowd, we can trust him. It was a large crowd. who had come to the feast when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him. And then in Mark 11:8. Mark says, and many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. Nowadays, we roll out the red carpet for somebody important. This was their way of doing that. They're laying out the green carpet. For Jesus. They even lay their coats on the road. Men, imagine being dressed in a sports coat and tie and taking off your coat. And laying it on the dusty ground for the donkey that Jesus is riding on to walk upon. That's what they were doing here. This was an act of tremendous homage and honor to Jesus. And look at what happens next, beginning in verse 9. The text says, and those who went in front, In other words, those who had come out from Jerusalem and those who followed the, these are those that came with Jesus from Bethany up to the crest of the Mount of Olives. They were all shouting, Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David, Hosanna in the highest. Luke 19:38 tells us that some were saying, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Clearly they are extolling Jesus as king here. In Mark's Gospel, it's clear that the crowd sees Jesus as the one, the messianic one who is coming in the name of the Lord, and they're thinking that this is the moment when Jesus is going to take his seat on the throne of David and restore the kingdom of David to Israel after centuries. Of no one sitting on the throne of David. To accomplish this feat, they know that Jesus will need to save the Jews from the Romans. So they keep on saying, Hosanna. Which is a hugely significant. Expression The Hebrew word Hoshea means salvation. The prophet Hosea, his name means salvation. Hoshea. means salvation and when you take the word Hoshea. And you put the expression gnaw. On the end of that expression. The translation is salvation now or salvation please. In our language today, Hosanna. is often something that people say because it sounds worshipy. But actually on this day and on this occasion, it was a desperate plea. The expression Hoshea nah. is actually a direct quote from Psalm 118:25. The New American Standard Bible translates it, O Lord, do save. In Hebrew, it simply reads Jehovah Hoshena. Jehovah Hoshea Nah. Hosanna The crowd is also saying, Hosanna in the highest, which is their way of saying that they think even heaven is agreeing with them and calling for the Messiah to come and save them now. They are so ready for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem and to bring the Jews salvation, namely salvation from the oppression of the wicked Romans. The crowds were extolling Jesus, shouting their hosannas. And doing all of this to such a degree that we know from Luke's Gospel that there were some Pharisees in the crowd who were very disturbed by what was happening. Look at what happens according to Luke's Gospel in Luke 19:39, the text says some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, Teacher, Rebuke your disciples. Guys, imagine worshiping Jesus. And while you're worshiping, you hear people pleading with Jesus to make you stop. I've sometimes had people standing next to me during a worship service who've heard me sing. To Jesus, and I know some of them have silently prayed to Jesus to make me stop. But no one has ever prayed that out loud to where I could hear them, but the Pharisees do. And look at how Jesus responds to their plea. But Jesus answered and said, I tell you, if these people became silent, the stones will cry out. Jesus knows the sufferings and the rejection that await him in the days ahead during this passion week, but his attitude right now at this moment is today, I will have my praise. And if somehow this crowd were to fall silent, even the stones would cry out my praises. This talk from Jesus shows us that there were at least some genuine worshippers in the crowd, and Jesus is pleased with their worship, even if their worship was not fully informed. By the way, we probably should ponder the fact that these worshippers knew so little about Jesus compared to what we know today, right? Yet they're so bold and passionate in their worship of Jesus. There were even Pharisees in their midst who were scowling at them. And asking Jesus to stop them. Imagine during the singing part of the worship this morning. If you look around and you see people scowling at you. And then going and getting the elders and you hear them asking the elders to get you to stop. That would put a damper on your worship, right? That's what's happening to the people in this crowd, but it didn't hinder them. And their worship. Yet they knew so little about Jesus compared to what we know today. Yet they're so bold and worshiping Him. We know so much more today of his death and of his resurrection and of his ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit and the gospel blessings that we enjoy in Christ, yet how do we worship today? How passionately, how boldly. Do we worship Jesus today compared to these worshippers who knew so much less than we do? There's a third act of Jesus associated with his triumphal entry, and it reveals much to us about the King that he is, and that is he weeps over the city that would reject him as King. He weeps. We don't learn this in Mark's Gospel, but we see it in Luke's Gospel, and it comes, honestly, as a surprise to us. Up to this point, we're left with a very positive vibe about what is happening. We would imagine that Jesus is very happy right now, but look at what happens next, according to Luke's account of the triumphal entry in verse 41, it says, and when he approached Jerusalem, so he's coming down the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem. And as he's getting close to the city, It says he saw the city and wept. Over it. Why was he weeping? Listen to his words. He was saying, if you, Jerusalem, had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace. But now they have been hidden from your eyes, for the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. The people of Jerusalem will end up, we know, rejecting Jesus. On Friday of this very week. They will end up following a different path than the one that Jesus would have led them on if they had accepted him as their Messiah King. The path that they're going to choose is going to lead them to an awful fate. And Jesus on this day, weeps over the fate of suffering that will befall the people of Israel. And sure enough, guys, almost exactly 40 years from this very moment, the Jews will be following the zealot nationalistic messiahs of their own choosing. They will try to deliver themselves from the Romans and their actions will provoke the Roman armies to set siege around Jerusalem. During the siege, the Roman army will cut off the water and the food supply to the city. Eventually creating conditions of starvation. Inside Jerusalem that are unimaginable to us. Josephus, the Jewish historian tells us that during the latter stages of this siege, That happened in 70 AD. The people of Jerusalem became so emaciated and starved that they were literally gnawing on their leather sandals for nourishment. Some mothers ate their infant children. Because of their desperate hunger. According to Josephus, there were Jews who were so hungry that they ran out of the city into the arms of the Roman soldiers hoping that they would give them food. And Josephus tells us that the Roman soldiers would take those Jews. And crucify every one of them. Outside the city walls of Jerusalem. Eventually the Roman army invaded Jerusalem and they showed no mercy. They were told by the emperor. To spare the temple. Because he wanted to make it a shrine to himself and to the Roman gods, but Josephus says that during the attack of the city, the temple caught fire and by the time everything was said and done, not one stone of the temple was left on top of the other. Guys, over the last 2000 years, The Jewish temple has not existed on the Temple Mount. Because of what happened in 70 AD, 40 years after Jesus weeps in our story today. Here in Luke 19, Jesus weeps because he knows that the city of Jerusalem is not going to recognize him as their Messiah King. They will refuse to crown him king and instead will crown him with thorns. Instead of giving him a throne, they will give him a cross. They will reject him as king, and they will choose rather to follow their own Messiahs, who will tell them what they want to hear. And they will pay an awful price for doing so. Little do they know About 40 years from this day. That according to Josephus, 500 Jews a day will be crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem, and all those crucifixions spread out over many days will fail to appease the wrath of the Roman army, even the least little bit. In the end, over a million Jews. will be slaughtered in the siege and the sacking of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas that followed. Many tears are going to be shed in those future days, just 4 decades away from this moment in history. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, but Jewish readers of the Gospel accounts. would know that the weeping over those atrocities started here. On the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Jesus was the first mourner. Who would mourn The fall of Jerusalem and the suffering. That the Jews would experience. Now in God's providence, this was all God's sovereign plan, but Jesus is no unfeeling sovereign. He's a weeping sovereign who feels deep pain over the fate of those who reject him and who refuse to let him be their savior from sin. He weeps over the fate of those who make self-destructive choices to rebel against him and against his ways. And we feel this, don't we? The Christian life is a life of many triumphs and of many joys. But we sure do a lot of weeping. Don't we? We grieve Over those who are resisting God's ways and who are refusing to let Christ have his rightful place. In their life We mourn over the tragic consequences of sinful choices that people make. Maybe they haven't even experienced consequences, but we see the path they're on, and we know what lies down that road. And we mourn just like Jesus does here. And if you today are weeping over the sinful choices. That people in your life are making today, I want you to take comfort in the fact That you're not alone and you're weeping. Jesus weeps. With you. There's a 4th act of Jesus associated with his triumphal entry. Which teaches us much about the king that he is, and this brings us to our 4th and final point this morning, and that is he inspects everything in the temple as a king would inspect his domain. When I read Mark's account of the triumphal entry, I'm, I'm just struck by how anticlimactic the story is. You have this amazing triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem as he travels from Bethany. To the crest of the Mount of Olives and then down into Jerusalem, everyone is going crazy and hailing him as King, pleading with him for salvation now. And then look at what happens next in Mark 11:11. And Jesus entered Jerusalem. And came into the temple. And after looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the 12 since it was already late. Who would have expected that? It seems anticlimactic. Yet if you look closely, you'll notice that 2 things are happening. Number 1, Jesus comes into the temple, and number 2, he spends time looking around at everything. Walter Wessel says on this note that Jesus looked around at everything, not as a tourist, but as the sovereign Lord. Who sees all And we know what Jesus saw, don't we? Because of what happens the next day. He sees money changers doing business in the court of the Gentiles. He sees animals being trafficked and sold and business being conducted. He sees that some of those business dealings amount to thievery. This temple is Jesus' house, and it's supposed to be a house of prayer for the nations. Yet instead, the court of the Gentiles has become a noisy center for business and unjust gain, and it's even become a shortcut for people who are transporting their goods because they're too lazy to go around, so they just travel and bring their wagons through the court of the Gentiles. As a result, there's all this noise and hustle and bustle hindering the Gentiles from being able to worship God. And pray to him. And what is Jesus doing? He's walking around, he's taking notes, he's looking at everything that's going on, and not one thing escapes his notice. He observes the emptiness of the religion of Israel, and he is offended at what he sees. I am sure that the Jews expected that when the Messiah came, he would go to the halls of Roman power and inspect what the Romans were doing. But Jesus doesn't do that. Instead, he goes to the heart of the Jewish religion and inspects what the Jews were doing. Little do the Jews realize in this moment that Jesus isn't coming to deliver the Jews from the Romans. He's coming to deliver the Jews from their own sins. And from the emptiness of their own religion. How does Jesus' inspection of the temple affect him? Well, we know that the next morning, Jesus was in a righteously foul mood. We know this because as he's walking back into Jerusalem on the next day, he sees a fig tree that had foliage on it, and that foliage seemed to indicate that there would be figs on the tree. Jesus is hungry, so he approaches the tree to find a breakfast of figs. Yet when he gets to the tree, he looks closely amongst the foliage, he finds no figs on the tree. So he curses the tree and says, May no one ever eat fruit from you again. Guys, of all the miracles that Jesus performed throughout his public ministry, this is the only miracle Jesus ever performed that was destructive. And brought death Clearly, Jesus is profoundly disturbed. And he curses the fig tree, not because he's angry that he got cheated out of breakfast. He curses the fig tree because it matches what he saw in the temple the day before. Jesus saw the day before that the religion of Israel featured a lot of beautiful foliage and no fruit. After cursing the fig tree, Jesus will continue into Jerusalem and go into the temple and start overturning the tables of the money changers and those who were selling sacrifices, and he will refuse to let people use the court of the Gentiles as a shortcut, and he will rebuke. The people of Israel and say to them, my house is to be a house of prayer for all the nations, but you have turned this place into a den of robbers. In doing this, Jesus is acting like a king. And asserting his authority. And what guys, the Jews should have responded. To Jesus, by saying, whatever you say, Jesus, You are the Messiah, you are the King. Tell us what you want us to do. Tell us how you want us to regulate our lives and, and the way we act in the temple. And we will do whatever you say because you are king. But that's not how they responded. In fact, we know in Mark chapter 11 verse 18, That the religious leaders respond by observing Jesus doing that and then resolving to destroy him one way or another. Jesus has just picked a huge fight. The battle is on and the die is cast. And Jesus will be crucified before the week is over. So we might think that Jesus' triumphal entry was not all that triumphant. After all, it began in triumph, but it ends with him weeping over Jerusalem and sadly inspecting the emptiness of Israel's religion, followed by him cleansing the temple and the religious leaders determining to kill him. But with hindsight, we still call this the triumphal entry. Because though Jesus will suffer, and though he will die, During this passion week, we know that he will conquer through defeat. And prevail over death. He'll suffer many things. He'll be crucified on Friday of this week, but all of that will serve as merely a prelude. To the greatest triumph of all. The resurrection When Jesus will be crowned King. We've already pondered much that we can learn from this powerful moment in the public life of Jesus. We learned today that Jesus is a king who is gentle when he needs to be. He comes with salvation to save us from our sins, he receives our praises, he feels deeply and he weeps over the sinful choices of those who reject him. We also see that Jesus sees everything. And we see that he's not afraid to be ungentle when that is what is needed. So let me close by asking you some questions. Are you willing to pay homage? To a savior king who comes riding to you on a donkey. Who comes to save you from your sins. Or do you just want to save your, who will deliver you from all those things and all those people outside of yourself that you point to and say, they are the problem. Deliver me from those things and those people. In our culture today, anyone you talk to has a theology of salvation. Everyone believes that we need salvation. The only problem is that everyone is thinking that they need to be saved from things outside of themselves. Some people think we need to be saved from the liberals. Others think we need to be saved from the conservatives. Some think we need to be saved from the Democrats and others think we need to be saved from the Republicans. Some think we need to be saved from the Clintons, while others think we need to be saved from Donald Trump. Some think that the greatest need of our society today is to be saved from Christians. The list is endless, and all of those things are outside of ourselves. Meanwhile, Christ cuts through all of the clamor. That prevails in our culture today, and he comes to each of us riding on a donkey, and he comes to save us from us. To save us from ourselves and from our own sins. Yes, he comes to drain the swamp. And not the one in Washington DC. He comes to drain the swamp that is in you. And in me Normally I would end a message like this by appealing to you to come to Jesus. This morning, I end this message by appealing to you to let Jesus come to you. As your king To save you from yourself. Will you let him do that? If you have never prior to this point ever invited Jesus, to be the king of your life and to save you from yourself and from your sins. I urge you to do that today. Call out to him. As your saving Lord, even where you're seated right now. And say to him, Hoshea, nah. Salvation, please. Save me From my sins. And if that is your cry this morning, I know that Jesus would be pleasured to answer that prayer. And to save you today. Let's pray together Lord, we thank you for This moment in the life of Jesus and what it shows to us about him. He is a good king Jesus, you Are a good. King Who saves. And you save each of us from the greatest threat of all, and that is from our sins. Our own sins. And from the wrath and the judgment that we deserve for our sins. And maybe some of us in this room are praying this for the first time, but even for those of us that have prayed this 1000 times, we say together, Hoshea na. Save, please, Lord. I myself have a whole lot of saving that still needs to be done in me. I say to you today, Hoshea, nah. Save In ways that only you can. Save any who are here. who need deliverance. And draw them to yourself in grace. We thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to give of our offerings to you. We ask Lord that you would receive our offerings and do much with All that we give in this offering this morning. To be used for the spread of the truth about our King Jesus. At the same time we give ourselves to you. In the name of Jesus, and all God's people said,