The Return of the King - Matthew 21:1-11

We have a few announcements and a few corrections to is we go through it again. We have have our prayer time tonight at 6 o 'clock and we look forward to any that would like to join us then and We have also women's Bible study this coming Saturday at 10 o 'clock and if you have your bold since it says chapter 12 is what they're going to study but her Secretary made a mistake.

It's supposed to be chapter 11. And if you don't know who her secretary is. And So it's supposed to be chapter 11 and Also next Saturday, we will not have men's Bible study in Saturday afternoon at 330 and also We want to mention that next Sunday is Resurrection Sunday and We're not going to have the normal Sunday school Bible study at 930, but we're having a fellowship time together at 10 o 'clock.

So tenant don't come at 930 or you can come at 930. But we'll have a fellowship time starting at 10 o 'clock just to celebrate and look forward to our service together Sunday morning, and we have some refreshments and Just a light refreshments and breakfast at that time but we thank the Lord for the time that we can get together and fellowship together and look forward to a time of celebrating our Lord's resurrection.

Because everything that we have in Christ is because he died but also that he resurrected and Made a plan of salvation for us and we thank the Lord for that. Let's have a word of prayer to open up. Thank you.

Heavenly Father for the blessings that you have given to us as sons and daughters in Christ. We thank you Heavenly Father for the plan of salvation that you Made that we might have fellowship with you.

We thank you Lord that we can have fellowship with you and you desire to have fellowship with us. We pray even today as we Spend the time singing praises to you and then listening to pastor Ilgen as it brings your word May your whole Holy Spirit guide and direct our thoughts.

Keep our minds stayed on you and may it be a blessed time of fellowship Lord. And we'll thank you for that and we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Good morning. And let's praise the Lord in song Stand, please. Good morning.

The Coming King in Zechariah and Matthew

Scripture reading this morning's from Zechariah chapter 9 verses 9 through 17. Book of Zechariah 9 9 through 17. Rejoice greatly. Oh daughter of Zion shout Oh daughter of Jerusalem. Behold your king is coming to you.

He is just and having salvation lowly and riding on a donkey a colt the foal of a donkey. I Will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations.

His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. As for you also because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold you prisoners of hope even today.

I declare that I will restore double to you. For I have bent Judah my bow fitted the bow with Ephraim and raised up your sons Oh Zion against your sons Oh Greece and Made you like the sword of a mighty man.

Then the Lord will be seen over them and his arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord God will blow the trumpet and go with whirl whirlwinds from the south. The Lord of hosts will defend them they shall devour and subdue with sling stones.

They shall drink and roar as if with wine. They shall be filled with blood like basins like the corners of the altar. The Lord their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown.

Lifted like a banner over his land. For how great is its goodness and how great is its beauty? Grain shall make the young men thrive and new wine the young woman.

Matthew chapter 21 Verses 1 through 11. Matthew 21 verse 1. Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives Then Jesus sent two disciples Saying to them go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her.

Loose them and bring them to me and if anyone says anything to you, you shall say the Lord has need of them and Immediately he will send them. All this was done That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets saying tell the daughter of Zion Behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a colt a foal of a donkey.

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey on and the colt and laid their clothes on them and set him on them and a very great Multitude spread their clothes on the road.

Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed crying out saying Hosanna to the son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest.

And When he had come into Jerusalem all the city was moved saying who is this? So the multitude said this is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray father as We look to this passage When Jesus entered Jerusalem as king.

But not as a king to be served but a king who came to serve. That he might die for his people that his people may be redeemed by his blood. Father, we pray that we would treasure Christ as our king forever In Jesus name.

The Meaning of Kingship in the First Century

Amen. Now we live in a country Where the concept of King is just a distant memory. In fact when we call politicians Kings It's an insult rather than a praise. For politicians in America, you don't want to be King.

However, we need to put away this American mindset and put on the ancient Jewish goggles when reading this passage. What did King mean to the ancient Jews in the first century? Well first God promised King David That he would one day raise one of his descendants to rule forever and That descendant will be son of God and that's in 2nd Samuel 7 and over time various prophets whom God sent revealed what kind of king this son of God will be.

In Isaiah, we see that the Spirit of God will be upon him and in Ezekiel we see that he will shepherd his people as the Lord shepherds his people and in Psalm 2 and Daniel 2 we see that this King will destroy all Opposing kingdoms and he will rule the earth.

Not just Israel now. However, historically there was a bigger problem. Ever since the fall of Judah in the 6th century BC when the temple was destroyed and The Babylonian army took away the Judeans. The Jews did not have a proper King from one empire to the next there were a people under subjugation and around the 1st century BC The Jews finally revolted against the Seleucid Empire a Greek Empire and actually won Even though they preserved the Davidic lineage.

They had a record of who needs to be the king according to the Davidic line and They knew who ought to be the king of the Jews. They allowed the Maccabeans to rule over them a Levite a Levitical family when the Jews finally had a chance to place a Davidic King over them over the throne of Jerusalem.

They chose someone else and the opportunity to have the right King quickly faded away when a greater Empire than the Seleucid Empire took over the Roman Empire and when Jesus was born Herod the Great a Jewish man was ruling over Judea.

But he was still under the Roman Empire. Herod the Great was a controversial ruler Because he finished massive architectural projects. He even renovated the temple. But he was ruthless. Anyone who God in his way was dealt with promptly.

Even his own sons. He killed his own sons to maintain his power. In fact Caesar Augustus the Emperor of Rome himself the boss Once joked that he would rather be Herod's pigs. He would rather be Herod's pig than Herod's son.

This was a pun because the word for pig Hoyras sounds very much like the word for son Heos and of course This was the joke that Herod a Jewish man would not kill a pig in his kingdom because he wouldn't be eating it.

The Jews knew That Herod could not be the promised Davidic Messiah the Davidic King Because he was still under the Roman Emperor. Hence they longingly waited for the promised King from the Lord to restore his kingdom and rule forever.

And this longing anticipation for the Davidic King is important to us this morning as It was important to the crowd 2 ,000 years ago in Jerusalem when the true king entered. Because this king is not just the king of Israel, but he's the king of the whole world.

This king did not just come to restore Israel but restore the whole world and This king is as relevant to us as he was relevant for the ancient Jews in the first century. Because he is the only chosen king By whom God saves the world from sin and death.

And the question this text asks us this morning is How do we celebrate the coming of God's promised King? How do we celebrate the coming of God's promised King? Which leads to the main point we celebrate the coming of God's promised King by knowing who he is.

We celebrate the coming of the God's promised King by knowing who he is first. How does God's King come to his own people? The humble King comes fulfilling scripture to restore his people. The humble King comes fulfilling scripture to restore his people.

The Humble King Comes Fulfilling Scripture

Chapter 20 of Matthew ends in Jericho and from Jericho to Jerusalem Jesus would have had to travel about 17 miles along the Roman Road. Now before entering the city, he's at Bethphage. Jesus commands his disciples to bring a donkey.

He says go into the village opposite you and immediately you'll find a donkey tied. And a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to me. Now a colt is a young male donkey. The gospel according to Mark tells us that it was a colt that no one has he ever sat on an Untamed donkey.

Because this is a very peculiar request. Jesus even prepares the disciples to what to say if someone challenges them of. The premise is Jesus did not raise the donkey and the colt for this day he's borrowing them and if anyone says anything to you you shall say the Lord has need of them and Immediately he will send them.

Jesus in his sovereignty. Guarantees even the very manner of his entrance into the city. This is not a pure accident and Here the reason that Jesus gives as to why the donkeys can be borrowed is because the Lord has need of them.

This is significant because the title the Lord in the New Testament Was the title for God the name of the Lord Yahweh. The Jews in the New Testament did not say The word Yahweh out of their reverence to God.

So they use the term Lord here Jesus refers himself as the Lord. The Lord has need of them. The donkeys will serve a significant role in the return of the Lord to his people. Verse 4 to 5 tell us why this particular manner of entrance was necessary.

Verse 4 all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets saying Tell the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a colt the foal of a donkey.

And Verses 6 through 7 tell us that it was done precisely this way. Jesus enters Jerusalem Writing on a colt in order to fulfill scripture written by the Prophet Zechariah 500 years before Jesus was even born.

This is specifically a quotation from Zechariah 9 9 which was read to us today by David. The context of the passage as we heard is that God will restore Israel through the Messianic King. But not only Israel but the whole world and it is through this Messianic King who is in line of King David's.

The Messianic King who will restore God's people enter Zion also known as Jerusalem sitting on a donkey a colt and This is precisely why Jesus sent his disciples to retrieve a Colt and his mother so that God's Word from 500 years ago may be fulfilled in him.

And what does the fulfillment of this prophecy tell us about Jesus? First Jesus is King. He's not just any religious figure. But King. He is not just a good guy. But King. He is King who came to save his people.

He is the promised King to restore his people. And what kind of King is he in the gospel according to Matthew. Matthew depicts three Kings. He portrays three kings who are characters in the book. Herod senior.

Herod the great whom I mentioned in my introduction Herod jr. His son who took over and Jesus in Matthew 2 when Herod the great found out that the wise men Wisely refused to disclose where Jesus was born.

He commits a genocide against all Jewish baby boys in Bethlehem. To Herod senior any threat to his power must be eliminated. His son is also wickedly gruesome after making a foolish oath to his stepdaughter.

Herod jr. Decapitates John the Baptist and Gives the prophets head on a platter to his stepdaughter. These kings who lived in the palace treated other people just as disposable tools. I'll keep you as long as you're useful to me, but you get in the way.

Not good. If Anyone gets in their way He will be eliminated promptly. Compared to these two Kings Matthew portrays a different King who enters his city, Jerusalem. First King Jesus is lowly. Lowly is another word for humble.

When we consider the two Herod's lowly is not the word we would use. However, Jesus took King is lowly. He is humble. He is not presumptuous. He is utterly approachable. Unlike the two Herod's who had no regard for anyone who got in their way.

This King will stop to restore and deliver. Anyone he finds on his way unlike the two Herod's who put their enemies to death. This King will die for his enemies on the cross in the most humiliating way possible.

That's what it means by lowly second. This King will enter his city on a colt. What is the significance of a colt? Kings Ride horses when going to war but kings Ride donkeys during the time of peace. Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9 9 to the dot the Messianic King of God Was visiting his people as the prince of peace.

To bring peace. To bring peace for his people with God. To purchase peace with his blood for his people furthermore according to the parallel passage in Mark Mark 11 verse 2. This colt was a colt that no one has ever ridden before.

No one has even sat on this colt and Jesus enters Jerusalem riding an unbroken colt. For any normal human riding an unbroken beast would be dangerous. More so when there is a large crowd shouting praises, but not so for this King.

Despite the rowdiness of the crowd despite the unbrokenness of the colt. The young colt calmly carries the Messianic King into his city. Even this lowly creature recognized the return of his creator. It is a glimpse of the peace That will be restored by this King peace even between animals and humans.

Now, what does this mean for us? This King flows Humility when you come before Jesus. You do not have to get yourself all put together before this humble King. To approach this humble King. You don't have to clean up your mess.

You don't have to be good enough. You don't have to pretend that you're someone else. This humble King is not disgusted by what you have done in your life the words you have said and the thoughts in your head.

He knows them far deeper than you do or anyone else for that matter yet He desires to make you his. He is the only King who compassionately clothes you to stand Righteous before his throne. Rather than throwing you out of the palace for being inappropriately dressed.

Unrighteous. He is the only King who died for you when you were his enemies. Rather than killing you because you are his enemies. That's the humble King who entered his city to restore his people that day and that's the same King same humble King who's seated on the throne and He welcomes you with open arms.

No matter what you've done No matter who you are. All you have to do is go to him. Because you know you need him now. How do the people respond to the return of their king? Although his people celebrate the return of the king They misjudge who he is.

Although the people celebrate the return of their king they misjudge who he is. Verse 8 shows us Two ways in which the crowd outwardly celebrated the return of the king and a very great multitude. Spread their clothes on the road.

Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. First the clothes they spread on the road were their cloaks their outer garments and They were precious possessions for the common folks.

Hence Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount tells them actually do not retaliate give them your cloak as well. That was radical because it was that precious. The act of laying down their garments before the king Happened in the Old Testament as well.

After Elisha Anoints Jehu to be the king of Israel in first Kings 9. The servants spread their cloaks on him. Verse 13. Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps and they blew the blue Trumpets saying Jehu is king.

In one sense at one level the crowd recognized Jesus to be king and The act of cutting down branches from the trees the palm branches is to celebrate Jesus as King Jesus as a ruler and it reflected what the Jews did in the first century AD when Simon Maccabeus a Jewish hero who revolted against the Seleucid Empire.

When they when he entered they actually celebrated with the palm branches so this Celebration of branches had a historical significance for the Jewish people. The crowd recognized Jesus to be a significant figure and Verse 9 shows how the crowd praised Jesus.

Hosanna to the son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase Save please. It has the same verbal root as the name Jesus.

Yes, Sua, right? Hosanna comes from the same word to save. It is a cry for deliverance and in this context It's used as a shout of acclamation a celebration. Knowing that salvation is coming in a limited sense.

They understood that Jesus is the son of David who came to save the outward and vocal celebrations prompt an important question by those who are in Jerusalem in Verse 10. And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved.

All the city was shaken up Saying who is this? Now know that the crowd has been following him from Jericho and then the crowd came out to meet him from Jerusalem so This question is not asking. What is his name?

Who is this guy? Or Who the or who are we actually celebrating? After all these crowds have seen the miracles. They have heard of the miracles and the teaching that Jesus had done. The question is Who is this guy that he is getting such a special treatment?

What great figure is this who deserves a kingly Celebration. The crowd however gives a rather underwhelming response. This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. They celebrate the Messianic King who came to save them.

Yet they only see him as a prophet from Nazareth. When their promised King to bring full restoration of not only Israel, but of the world entered the city God's people misjudged him to be Only a prophet.

In fact Matthew has been building up this question ever since Matthew 8 27 when his disciples Questioned who Jesus is after Jesus calms the winds and the sea. Who can this be that the wind and the sea obey him?

However, they actually don't answer when Jesus enters his hometown the crowd misguidedly assume who Jesus is after hearing Jesus teaching and Seeing his miracles. Hey, isn't this the carpenter's son to his hometown folks.

Jesus is just a Carpenter's son and when the news of Jesus reaches the throne room of Herod Herod falsely assumes Jesus to be the risen John the Baptist Whom he beheaded. And here now the crowd asks who Jesus is and They grab on to an underwhelming answer.

Oh He's just a prophet from the Nazareth region. Now when we consider how the greatest Prophet of all from according to Jesus mouth was treated John the Baptist He was beheaded and his head was served on a platter.

To view Jesus just as another prophet is Extremely inadequate. He cannot be viewed as Just like another John the Baptist. Look what they did to him after all now the question is When does the world find out who he truly is?

Other than the two times in which God the Father declares who Jesus is once at his baptism and at the Mount of Transfiguration this is my beloved son and Also Peter excitedly blurting out that Jesus is the Son of God.

The world does not find out who Jesus is until the cross. First the world finds out by the placement of the ironically Written sign in multiple languages on top of his bleeding thorn crowned head. This is Jesus the king of the Jews.

It is precisely when the king fulfills what he came to do the answer to the question who is this is Revealed for all the world to see he is not just a carpenter's son. He's not the resurrected John the Baptist.

He's not just another prophet. He is God's chosen King who came to deliver his people from a more oppressive enemy than Rome itself sin and death. It is precisely when this King is nailed on the cross and faced a punishment of sin that we all deserved.

The world clearly sees Jesus for who he is the king of the Jews the promised Messiah Who came to restore all to himself? Yet the irony does not stop here. Who is the first person to recognize Christ's true identity and Say it out loud.

Was it the high priest? Who supposedly would have known the law and the prophets like the back of his hand? Was it the Levites who were serving at the temple? Was it even one of his disciples who saw the miracles for the three years of ministry?

No, it was a Gentile. Matthew 27 54 tells us it was none other than a Roman centurion. And this is what he says. Truly, this was the Son of God and this is an important question for us today when approaching Jesus.

Who is this? Are we misjudging the king as the crowd did? The crowd not only misjudges Jesus But they also misjudged their own circumstance. When they call out Hosanna save us, please. They think they need to be merely saved from the Roman Empire.

Yet they cannot fathom that this King came to save them from a greater threat Sin and death. And we too are in a great danger of misidentifying this King and our dire situation. If Jesus is just another religious teacher similar to Buddha or Muhammad Then you're totally missing what he came to do what he accomplished.

If Jesus is just an Auxiliary helper in your life so that you live a good moral life Then you've remained completely lost in your filthy sin Enslaved to sin. And in order to correctly come before this King We must see him for who he is.

We must see him on the cross. We must see that nothing. But this King nailed to the cross Could possibly save us from our own sin. That's the dire situation. Without this King we are one of the most wicked Rebels.

Without this King We're traitors. Without this King We were backstabbers of God. There was nothing good in us that God would save us the only thing That we rightfully deserved. Was his wrath the punishment for our sin.

After all any rebellion against a sovereign king deserves to be punished but God In his mercy and grace Sent his chosen King his very son To take the punishment on our behalf that he may be cross crucified and Face the full wrath of God that we have earned so that We could be entering into his kingdom.

That we could be his citizens rather than rebels sons and daughters Rather than convicts. And the only way we appropriately respond to this King in Faith is To see him as who he is To see him for what he came to do and we see that On the cross, let us pray father.

We are thankful that despite our Inadequacies despite our wickedness despite our Undeservedness That you gave us Jesus to die on the cross for us and father. We pray that this morning unlike the crowd that we would see Jesus as the king that he is Nothing less than a king who came to save his people It's sufficient Father, please open our hearts and open our eyes to recognize that truth in Jesus name.

Amen.