Behold Your King! (Matthew 21:1-11) | Worship Service

Morning and welcome to Kootenai Church. We're glad that you're here today. Would.

You please stand and join us as we sing All Creatures of Our God and King. Oh, praise Him. Oh, praise Him. Hallelujah. Praise the Son. Praise the Spirit. Has defeated every sin. Return and join to sing.

Who shall fall on Creatures of Our God and King? Matchless King through all eternal Lord. Those wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified. He shall be victorious in the strife for you say. His glories now we sing.

Is that death made of the known? One with the skin coming from yonder glorious throne. To thee be endless praise. Endless days adored and magnified.

The psalmist says in Psalm 10, 16 to 18, Yahweh is king forever and ever. Nations have perished from his land. Oh, Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will strengthen their heart. You will cause your ear to give heed.

To give justice to the orphan and the oppressed so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause error. Let's sing together. Come now,.

Almighty King. Come now, Almighty King. Help us thy name to sing. Help us to praise. Father, all glorious or all victorious. Come and reign over us ancient of days. Come thou incarnate word. Dirt on thy mighty sword.

Our prayer attend. Come and thy people bless and give thy word success. Spirit of holiness on us descend. Come holy comforter. Thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour. Thou who almighty art now rule in every heart and there from us depart spirit of power to the great one and three eternal praises be hence evermore.

Thy sovereign majesty may we in glory see and to eternity love and adore. You may be seated. Okay, that was great. Thank you all. Just a few announcements.

Actually, too many announcements probably, but this is the last Sunday to sign up for the Easter breakfast. There's a sign up sheet on the back. We really do need people to sign up so we know how much food to bring.

If you don't sign up and you show up, you better bring your own food because we don't tolerate that kind of stuff around here. If you'd like to donate, you can see Thomas. He's standing up in the back.

I was told last time there are some people who don't know Thomas. I was surprised by that. That's Thomas. Women's conference, there's a sign up in the very back for that along with the spring conference with Kosti Hinn.

You'll want to sign up for that. Fellowship dinners, there's a new round of those, so there's a sign up sheet for those. There's probably other stuff to sign up. Just sign up. Just sign up for stuff. Be careful what you sign up for.

Psalm 118 and the Call to Worship

Our scripture reading today is in Psalm 118. We're going to read the entire Psalm. I won't ask you to stand for this. Psalm 118. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. For his loving kindness is everlasting.

Let Israel say his loving kindness is everlasting. Let the house of Aaron say his loving kindness is everlasting. Let those who fear the Lord say his loving kindness is everlasting. From my distress, I called upon the Lord.

The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me. I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me. Therefore, I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All nations surrounded me. In the name of the Lord, I will surely cut them off.

They surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me. In the name of the Lord, I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me like bees. They were extinguished as a fire of thorns. In the name of the Lord, I will surely cut them off.

You pushed me violently so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous.

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I will not die but live and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness. I shall enter through them. I shall give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to you for you have answered me and become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day in which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

O Lord, do say we beseech you. O Lord, we beseech you, do send prosperity. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light.

Buy in the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I give thanks to you. You are my God. I extol you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loving kindness is everlasting.

Let's pray. Father, it has been already a glorious day of praise to you. You are truly wonderful. Your salvation is beyond comprehension, beyond anything we could ask or even think. And so, Lord, our only prayer today is that we would hear from you, we would glorify you, and what we hear and what we sing and what we think, what we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Please stand and let's sing.

The Lamb of God and Christ's Atoning Death

Lamb of God. Your only son, no sin to hide, but you have sent him from your side to walk upon this guilty side, and to become the Lamb of God. O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God.

Oh, wash me in his precious blood, my Jesus Christ, the Lamb. Your gift of love they crucified, they laughed and scorned him as he died. The humble king they named a fraud, and sacrificed the Lamb of God.

O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God. Oh, wash me in his precious blood, my Jesus Christ, the Lamb. I was so lost, I should have died, but you have brought me to your side to be led by your staff and rod, and to be called a Lamb of God.

O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God. Oh, wash me in his precious blood, till I am just a Lamb. Oh, wash me in his precious blood, till I am just a Lamb.

In Romans 5, it says, for while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man, someone would dare even to die.

But God demonstrates his own love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let's end our music service this morning in saying,.

My Worth in Christ Alone

My worth is not in what I own. My worth is not in what I own, not in the strength of flesh and bone, but in the costly wounds of love at the cross. My worth is not in skill or name, in win or lose, in pride or shame, but in the blood of Christ that flowed at the cross.

I rejoice in my Redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul. I will trust in Him, no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone. As summer flowers, we fade and die. Fame, youth, and beauty hurry by.

But life eternal calls to us. I will not boast in wealth or might, or human wisdom's fleeting light, but I will boast in knowing Christ at the cross. I rejoice in my Redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.

I will trust in Him, no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone. Two wonders here that I confess, my worth and my unworthiness, my value fixed, my ransom paid at the cross. I rejoice in my Redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.

I will trust in Him, no other. My soul is satisfied in Him. I rejoice in my Redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul. I will trust in Him, no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone.

You may be seated.

The King Comes to Jerusalem in Matthew 21

Open your Bibles to the 21st chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 21. Matthew 21, and let's pray. Our great God and Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come and ask for your Spirit's enablement this morning as we seek to lift up and glorify Christ through His Word.

May your Spirit grant us the ability to communicate the truth here. May you enable us to be alert in mind and heart to receive what you have, that Christ would be seen in the glory of His kingdom. In His name we pray, amen.

When I was a child, I can remember flannel graphs in Sunday school. Perhaps some of you remember them as well. And they used them to illustrate Bible stories, flannel graph pictures. But the problem, at least from my perspective, was is that these stories were kind of presented in a disjointed way.

In other words, there was a story, but it wasn't really attached to the flow and narrative of whatever was going on. And so my conclusion was is that it was a story like other stories that I heard in my childhood that had been read to me.

And so I wasn't really able to connect with it in any kind of truth proposition. And one of those stories that I can still remember was the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. And in fact, the church that I was part of, or our family was part of at the time, they would have the children on Palm Sunday come forward waving palm fronds as part of this whole endeavor.

And we'd come and sit up front and there would be some children's message that didn't make a lot of sense to us. And then it was over. And that was my conclusion of what Palm Sunday was all about. And I really had no idea.

I had no idea. Why, question, why did Jesus come to Jerusalem at that time of year? Why did Jesus come to Jerusalem at that time of year? And why was it necessary for him to come in such a public way?

Why did he come at that time of year? And why was it necessary that he come in such a very public way? The purpose and result of this last journey to Jerusalem had been clearly stated by the Lord himself.

For example, in Matthew chapter 16, after Peter's confession of Christ, right? That you are the son of the living God. Jesus said, or it says, from that time, Matthew 16, 21, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day.

Luke chapter 9, verse 51, and then verses 13 and 33 says, when the days were approaching for his ascension, he was determined to go to Jerusalem. For it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.

So clearly, Jesus knew and thus planned to die in Jerusalem in fulfillment of the Passover lamb who takes away the center of the world.

John 1, 29.

But there is more here. There's more here. He came publicly to the temple, the very heart of the nation, even though, even though he knew that both the leadership and the people had already rejected his message.

They'd already rejected this message. So why did he come? Why did he come? The answer is this. It is because the rejection of him had been individual and unofficial up to this point. It had been individual and unofficial.

Until now, he had not made to the nation an official offer of his kingdom. And thus, the nation had yet to render an official decision as to whether they would have him as their king. This official offer had to be made in the capital city, and it was made in the capital city at the time when the nation, the city of Jerusalem was thronging with worshipers, pilgrims drawn from all over the empire.

The population swell in Jerusalem at the Passover was immense. People came from everywhere. And so, so in the economy of God, there would be a publicly recognized, explicit, decisive, and implacable rejection of God's kingship over his people.

This would render the official decision. Now, several months earlier, at the Feast of Dedication in which Jesus had proclaimed, I am the Father, are one, John 10, 30, he had then fled from Judea across the Jordan River into Perea in order to avoid the murderous intent of the Pharisees, John 10, 40.

While teaching there, some Pharisees attempted to scare Jesus into returning to Judea where they could get at him and kill him. They told, they did this by telling him that Herod was going to kill him.

Herod ruled Perea.

And Jesus responded as follows in Luke chapter 13 and verse 31. You don't need to turn there.

I'll read it for you.

Just at that time, some Pharisees approached saying to him, go away, leave here for Herod wants to kill you. And he said to them, go and tell that fox, behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow.

And the third day I reached my goal. Nevertheless, I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her.

How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you would not have it. Behold, your house has left you desolate. And I say to you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Jesus saw through their ruse, laments the city of Jerusalem that generates such a hard and unbelieving heart, and then quotes Psalm 118 in verse 26. You will not see me until the time comes when you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

That prophecy was fulfilled on Palm Sunday, Palm Sunday. So here's what I have for you this morning. I want to look with you at three aspects of Jesus' official offer of the kingdom to the nation of Israel so that we understand the significance of this momentous day.

Matthew 21 and beginning in verse one. When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphagia 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 there and a colt with her.

Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say the Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet.

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. The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them and brought the donkey and the colt and laid their coats on them.

And he sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road and, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of him and those who followed were shouting, Hoshanah to the son of David.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hoshanah in the highest. When he had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred saying, who is this? And the crowds were saying, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.

Dropped down at 14 and the blind and lame came to him in the temple and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he had done and the children who were shouting in the temple, Hoshanah to the son of David, they became indignant, said to him, do you hear what these children are saying?

And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you never read out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes? You have prepared praise for yourself. And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

What a strange account. What a strange account. Now, several weeks, several weeks before this event, Jesus had deliberately and shrewdly taken advantage of the sudden death of his friend, Lazarus, John chapter 11.

You remember that he delayed two days when he heard that Lazarus was sick unto death. And he did that in order to begin the process of publicly declaring his claim to the throne of David. Previously, Jesus had suppressed that kind of proclamation.

He had suppressed the publicity of his miracles. For example, in Mark chapter 7 and verse 36, Mark writes 736, he gave them orders. This was after he had healed the ability, given the ability to hear and see to this man.

And he gave orders, verse 36, not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more widely they continue to proclaim. That's just one. He gave orders not to tell who he was and what he had done. John chapter 7 and verse 4, John 7 and verse 4, this is where his brothers say to him in verse 3, leave here and go into Judea so that your disciples also may see your works which you are doing.

For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. He's hiding it. He's concealing it. He's telling these people, don't tell what I have done for you.

But now it's all changed. Now he actively seeks to heighten that knowledge. And he did this in order to galvanize the crowds, in order to galvanize the crowds by his amazing display of kingdom power.

Why?

So that the crowds themselves would protect him from the murderous intent of the Jewish authorities until his time had come. Again, you remember at the end of John 11, there's a meeting of the leadership of Israel and they say, we have got to kill this man.

If we don't, we're going to lose it all. How is he going to enter into the capital city? How is he going to make the final and official offer of the kingdom to the nation and not die before his time? Shrewd as a serpent, innocent as a dove.

Shrewd as a serpent, innocent as a dove. He arranges such an outcry on the behalf of the crowds that are streaming to Jerusalem that they protect him. They protect him. Matthew 26, verses four and five.

They plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they were saying not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people. They want him dead, but not now, not in public.

If we arrest him publicly, there will be a riot. After raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus and his disciples, they withdrew from Jerusalem a few miles north to a small village, Ephraim, according to John 11, 54.

And they spent a week or so there before joining the crowds of the Galilean pilgrims who were traveling south to Jerusalem for the Passover. Along the way, Jesus taught, performed miracles. And in particular, when they crossed over from the east side of the Jordan River at Jericho, he healed two blind beggars, Matthew 20, verses 29 to 34.

This further excited the crowds. It heightened their excitement. They have been traveling south for the Passover. And the whole way Jesus has been traveling with them and doing miracles and teaching at night around the campfire.

There is a fevered pitch. And now as they travel the 15 grueling miles from Jericho up to Jerusalem on the backside of the Mount of Olives, Jesus and his disciples go with them. But interestingly, Jesus and his disciples stop for the night in the village of Bethany, the village of Bethany.

It is just to the east of the crest of the Mount of Olives. And there Jesus and his disciples stop and spend the night because the Sabbath is coming. And so they spend the night in the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, their friends.

Sundown begins, or Sabbath begins sundown on Friday and ends Sunday morning. The crowds, they stream on down, back down the west side of the Mount of Olives and into the city of Jerusalem. And they are intent on one thing, making him known.

By this time, the city and its environs have swelled to overflowing with pilgrims. There's a buzz in the crowd. John 11, 56. They were seeking for Jesus and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, what do you think?

He'll not come to the feast at all? Do you think he'll come? Will he come? All the pilgrims who have been traveling with him, when they arrive in the city and they spread the news, they say, yo, he's coming.

He's coming. We've traveled all the way south with him. We know he's coming and we know when he is coming. We know where he is staying and we know when he is coming. He will come into the city at the close of Sabbath on Sunday.

Beloved, this explains the massive surge of crowds early on Sunday that streamed out of Jerusalem and up the ascent to the Mount of Olives to receive their king. See, Jesus has arranged this event. 21, when they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphagia at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her.

Untie 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. It's Sunday morning now. It's Sunday morning. Jesus, his 12 disciples, his friends and neighbors there in Bethany, they begin the one and a half mile walk from Bethany down to Jerusalem.

Along the way, Jesus instructs two of his disciples to go into a nearby village called Bethphagia, the house of figs, and to secure transportation for him. Their job was interesting. It is to bring a donkey and its unwritten colt back so Jesus can ride on them.

Jesus says to them, if they are challenged, they are to respond. The Lord has need of them. The Lord has need of them. Mark and Luke tell us that they went into the village. They found a colt tied there outside in the street.

And when they untied it, its owner and those standing around asked him, why are you untying this animal? And they respond with the designated counter sign. The Lord has need of them. Mark 11, one to six.

Now, if you'll permit me a little sanctified speculation, it is my sanctified speculation that Saturday night, Jesus arranged to have the donkey ready.

But why?

Why? I mean, it's not like he needs a ride. It was to fulfill all prophecy. To fulfill all prophecy. Listen, the nation of Israel is white hot with messianic expectations at this point. And it was by this deliberate act of self-disclosure that Jesus was openly declaring himself king.

Notice Jesus refers to himself here for the very first time in the Gospel of Matthew as Lord, rather than his favorite designation, son of man. It's further lifting of the veil of secrecy. Over his true identity.

The time had come. The time had come for the nation to decide. There on the Temple Mount in the heart of the ancient city, both the leaders and the people would be exposed to Jesus's unambiguous claim to be Messiah.

By the time this day was over, the leaders would decide what they would do. The crowds who are so enthusiastically behind him at this point will also be faced with a decision. Their decision will follow over the next two days, Monday and Tuesday of the Passion Week.

Now, on previous occasions, Jesus had tested the people of Galilee in order to reveal their true.

Nature.

For example, in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, Jesus exposes or puts before them the test. You have heard that it is said, but I say you have heard that it is said, but I say he is directly contrasting himself with the Pharisees.

The righteousness necessary to enter the kingdom. Matthew 5 to 7, Sermon on the Mount. John 6, 53, the bread of life discourse. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourself.

The end of John tells us many stopped following him from that point, a cost of discipleship. Luke 14 and verse 26, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Multiple times he had brought the people of Galilee. And by the way, Galilee is the largest concentration of Jews in the world at that time. He had brought them face to face. Individually with his claims.

On Monday and Tuesday. On Monday and Tuesday of the Passion Week, Jesus would engage in an intense running verbal battle over authority with Israel's leadership. Look at verse 24, look up in 23. When he entered the temple, this is Tuesday, by the way, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him.

While he was teaching, he said, they and said, by what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority? Jesus said to them, I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

It is a battle over authority. This battle waged in public in the precincts of the temple would publicly test the true nature of his popularity among the nation. He would demand that they turn their backs on the righteousness of the pharisaical system.

And turn instead to him to bow their knee to him as the true son of David, as the king, the rightful king of Israel, their refusal to bend the knee. Would bring the entire nation under the judicial judgment of God for their unbelief.

Matthew 23 and beginning in verse 37. Notice it follows, by the way, after the eight woes to the Pharisees. Side note here, just in case. There are two leadership groups in Israel, Sadducees and Pharisees.

The Sadducees control the temple and the people hate them. They've been ripping them off for generations. They hate them. The Pharisees control the synagogues. The people love slash fear the Pharisees.

They assume the Pharisees have the keys to life. And Jesus brings them face to face with that decision. Pronouncing here at the end in 23, the eight woes upon the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Having previously warned his disciples, beware the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, right?

Verse 37, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together. The way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you were unwilling.

Behold, your house is being left to you desolate. For I say to you from now on, you will not see me until you say. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Israel will never see their Messiah.

Until they repent nationally. And call out, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They remain in darkness and unbelief to this day. Previous preparation. Verse four, Matthew 21, prophetic proclamation, prophetic proclamation.

Verses four and five. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet. 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.

This is a quote from Zechariah chapter nine and verse nine. This passage, nine and 10, was commonly acknowledged to be a prophecy of Messiah. Commonly acknowledged. The rabbis often discussed this passage along with Daniel chapter seven, verses 13 and 14.

And the problem that troubled the rabbis was this. How could Messiah be lowly and at the same time a warrior? How could he be lowly and at the same time a warrior? The answer they came up with was that if the nation was righteous, he would come on the clouds of heaven.

But if not, he would come on the donkey. Now, because this prophecy of Zechariah was so widely discussed and was familiar to the crowds, it would come to their minds the moment Jesus fulfilled it. Now, I think it's instructive to note.

There are several ways that Matthew limits his citation of Zechariah chapter nine. For comparison purposes, let me just read to you Zechariah 9, 9 and 10 from the Old Testament. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.

Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be cut off, and he will speak peace to the nations, and his dominion will be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.

Matthew adjusts this when he quotes it. He adjusts it. He begins actually with a citation from Isaiah 62, 11. Say to the daughter of Zion. Not rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, but say to the daughter of Zion.

Rather than the original prophecy here, which exhorts the people to rejoice and shout in triumph, he says to them, say to the daughter of Zion. Why no rejoicing? Why no shouts of triumph? Matthew, why do you leave that out?

Because there is no true rejoicing here. It's superficial. It's surface. He leaves out the statement that Jesus is just and endowed with salvation. Because sadly, his coming will bring their condemnation.

Their condemnation. And he ignores the balance of the prophecy in verse 10 regarding the king's reign, his rule over the nations, that he would bring war to an end.

Why?

Because that fulfillment awaits his second coming. Beloved, the church age. The church age fits in the white space between the end of verse nine and verse 10. In this great prophecy, certainly Matthew, under divine inspiration and writing from the perspective of history, he certainly would have included those portions of Zechariah's prophecy that he knew to be true if they had been literally fulfilled in the same way that the donkey was literally fulfilled.

In other words, if Matthew wanted to communicate that Jesus's triumphal entry brought in the messianic kingdom with his first coming, it would have been the perfect place to do it.

Perfect place to do it.

But he doesn't. He consciously does not.

Why?

Because the kingdom did not come and is not here yet.

Yet.

The crowds are looking for a conquering warrior king. Jesus is offering them a suffering servant, riding a donkey. Rather than a war horse. Revelation 19 .11, his second coming, he is riding that white war horse, that white charger.

Verse six, the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and lay their coats on them. And he sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road.

Others were cutting branches from the trees, spreading them in the road. The crowds are going ahead of him. And those who follow were shouting, Hoshanah to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hoshanah in the highest. Crowds are massive. Absolutely massive at this point. They're pouring out of the city. Sunday morning, they're coming out to greet and accompany Jesus on his trip into the city.

Jesus crests the ridge of the Mount of Olivet. He is the disciples. They catch their first glimpse of that magnificent temple, Herod's great temple. Highlighted against the skyline. And when the city comes into view, Luke tells us that Jesus wept over that city.

Because of their failure to understand him and his mission. And he predicted their destruction by the Romans in AD 70. Luke tells us that in Luke 19 and verse 41. Luke 19, 41. And when he approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and he wept over it.

Saying, if you 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 time of your visitation.

By the way, to the exact day, if you take the time to figure it out. From Daniel chapter 9 in verse 25 to the exact day he entered that city. At this point, the crowds are overcome with emotion. They are overcome with emotion.