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- If you have your Bibles, please turn them to Mark chapter 11, and we're going to look today specifically at verses 1 to 11.
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- Don't think we'll make it any further than that. I've been taking some pretty big swaths in our study of Mark recently, but this final few chapters, we're going to be stopping at some key points and focusing on some things, primarily because I have a desire to not only look at what
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- Mark says, but also compare what Mark says to other Gospels, which we've done that all along, but there's some times where I just think it's going to be absolutely essential for us to really understand what all is happening and being said.
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- It's interesting. We had an elders meeting earlier, and I was saying to Brother Mike and Brother Andy, I was like, there's some portions between now and the end of Mark where I have some real difficulty in understanding exactly everything the
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- Lord is saying, particularly about the end times and things like that, which chapter 13 relates to some of what happened in Jerusalem in AD 70 and some of what happens at the end.
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- And so I'm going to give my best to study and prepare and provide you with, as best
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- I can, the instruction of the word, but I'm a fallible man, and I always pray that God would keep me from error as I teach.
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- But tonight we're going to be looking at a very familiar passage, and that is the triumphal entry, and this is one of those few times where all four
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- Gospels do record this situation that's happening in the life of Christ, and yet there are things in all four
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- Gospels that are somewhat different, not contradictory, but somewhat different in each narrative.
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- And before we read, let me just simply mention the handout that I gave you. This handout was actually prepared by Brother Mike Collier several years ago.
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- He did a study of the days of the week, what we call
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- Holy Week, beginning with the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday and then the resurrection on Resurrection Sunday, and he outlined how those things play out in the four
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- Gospels and the events and what days they happen on. This is actually something that many people disagree about, but I'm confident in what
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- Mike has done here and the work that he's done. We can't say with absolute certainty certain things, but we can say this is how we come to our conclusion.
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- That's often what we say here. This is how we get to our conclusion, and I have made good use of this, and so I just thought it would be good to give you a copy of it.
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- You can take it, fold it up in your Bible, keep it with you. You guys didn't get a copy, but I'll make sure you get a copy, or you did get one.
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- Make sure you just keep it in your Bible for the weeks to come, and we'll be able to say like today, we're looking at Sunday, which would be
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- Palm Sunday if we think of it in regard to Holy Week, and then there's the events that happen on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then this is where it begins to be a big issue for people because you have
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- Thursday and Friday. We believe Jesus was crucified on Friday. Some people believe Jesus was crucified on Thursday, and then there's an even different crowd that believe he was crucified on Wednesday.
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- So there's arguments within scholarship about what day
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- Jesus actually was crucified on. We hold the traditional position, which is Good Friday, right, and you'll see the outline in this handout how we come to that conclusion.
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- Then, of course, Christ is in the tomb on Saturday, and then you have the resurrection on Sunday. So I've always called this the week that changed the world, and for years, every year around the time of resurrection season,
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- I call it that. I say that we're celebrating Holy Week, the week that changed the world, because that is what this is.
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- This is not only a watershed moment in church history, this is the watershed moment of world history where Jesus comes into Jerusalem on the day of the triumphal entry, and then, in just a few days later, was crucified and resurrected.
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- So let's read Mark's Gospel, and we'll read about his entrance as Mark explains it.
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- It says, Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage and Bethany, at the
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- Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them,
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- Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat.
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- Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, Why are you doing this?
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- Say the Lord has need of it, and we'll send it back here immediately. And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.
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- And some of those standing there said to them, What are you doing untying the colt? And they told them that Jesus had said what
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- Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.
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- And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that were cut from the fields.
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- And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the
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- Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest.
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- And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
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- May God add his blessing to the reading of his word. It's interesting when we read
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- Mark's account. If you are familiar with the triumphal entry and having probably heard sermons on it many times over the years if you've been a
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- Christian for any length of time, Mark's gospel seems to almost spend more time on getting the donkey than it does going into Jerusalem.
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- I mean, there was more verses dedicated to how they got the donkey than to actually what happened on the way into Jerusalem.
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- And it's very interesting because Mark's gospel also ends the narrative somewhat anticlimactically.
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- Jesus goes in, looks in the temple, and then goes back. It's just interesting.
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- This is why I said I think we almost have to sort of look at the other gospels to get a bigger picture of what's happening here, not because Mark is insufficient, but because we know there's more that is happening.
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- Mark is not focusing so much on this. He doesn't tell us, for instance, that this is in fulfillment of prophecy.
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- Matthew does. We're going to read that in a few minutes, and then we'll read the prophetic passage. But Mark doesn't even mention the fact that this is in fulfillment of prophecy.
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- Mark also does not mention specifically why there is a group of people who are waiting
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- Jesus' arrival. Now we know Jesus traveled with an entourage that was bigger than the twelve.
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- Remember I talked about last week that the mother of James and John had gone to them, or gone to Jesus and said, you know, put my boys on your right and your left side.
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- And I said, we hadn't heard about this lady before, but here she is. Apparently she's been there the whole time. She's not in the story any other time, but she's here now.
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- So we know there's more, and obviously Mary Magdalene would have been one who followed Jesus and the other
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- Mary, and Jesus' mother. There were people who were with Jesus in his, if you were, for lack of a better term, entourage.
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- His disciples, to be more sanctified. But there was a group.
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- But this group has gathered to welcome Jesus in, but we're not told in Mark's Gospel what caused their gathering.
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- And so I do want to sort of point that out to you, because if you turn over to John's Gospel we read something very interesting.
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- So if you'll turn over to John chapter 12, and go with me to verse,
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- I was going to start at verse 12, but I actually want to start two verses ahead, so give me just a second. John chapter 12 and verse 9.
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- It says, When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him, but also to see
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- Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put
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- Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
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- The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, so they took branches of palm trees, and went out to meet him, crying,
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- Hosanna. So this is the same situation, but you notice John's pointing something else out. He's pointing out the fact that part of the reason why there's so much interest in Jesus is just a few days before,
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- Jesus had raised a man from the dead, a man who had been four days dead. Remember, by now he stinketh?
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- It's one of my favorite King James lines. Because they said, you know, roll the stone away.
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- Well, by now he stinketh, right? He's been dead for four days. This event was so massively understood by the people as identifying
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- Christ as this miracle worker that it was no longer could it be, don't tell anybody.
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- You know, how many times in Mark's gospel has Jesus said, don't say I'm the Messiah, don't say this, don't say that? Can't do that anymore.
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- The cat is out of the bag, proverbially, right? And I just always found this funny in verse 10, it says, so the chief priest made plans to put
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- Lazarus to death. I was going to say he already died and Jesus brought him back.
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- It seems rather redundant that you're wanting to, but why would they want to put him to death?
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- Because he's testimony to who Jesus is. They have no reason to deny who
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- Christ is. Remember when Nicodemus came to him in John three, we know that you're a teacher sent from God, for no one can do the things that you do if God were not with him.
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- Right. This is clear that Jesus is who he said he was. And Lazarus is testimony to that.
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- And Lazarus is Jesus is staying at Lazarus's house. He's raising from the dead.
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- He's staying at his house. And now this has gathered the attention of the people.
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- So John's gospel, let's go ahead and just read the account since we're here. And let's see if we pick up on any of the other things that are here in John's gospel that aren't in Mark's gospel.
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- So beginning again at verse 13, it says, so they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying
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- Hosanna. By the way, Mark's gospel says Hosanna as well. You may know what Hosanna means. Save us now.
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- The word Hosanna just means save us now. It's it's a crying for salvation. So they took the branches of the palm trees, went out to meet him, crying
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- Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. Now, you'll notice that's slightly different than Mark's gospel.
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- And again, people are saying all kinds of things. People are shouting as Jesus is coming. So it's not as if one's contradicting the other.
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- They're just focusing on one or the other. And interestingly enough, the two phrases are the same, because Mark says blessed is the son of David and this is blessed as the king of Israel.
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- Right. It's the same thing. Son of David, king of Israel. This is the fulfillment of the promise made to David that there was going to be this king who sits on the throne of David.
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- So it says. As it is written, fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt.
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- Now, that is not a direct quote, even though it says, as it is written, that is a loose quotation of Zechariah nine nine.
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- Now, when we get to Matthew's gospel, we'll see Matthew is a little more specific in quoting it directly, but they're both referencing the same passage.
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- And this happens. And I mean, you happens to you guys. You will sometimes will quote scripture and will quote it loosely.
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- And there are times where I love there's a I remember where it is. Maybe you guys do. There's a place where Paul says.
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- As it says somewhere in scripture, I remember he say, you guys know the passage I'm talking about, like like he's he's he's he's quoting something.
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- He goes, I know it's somewhere. You guys don't talk about the passage. I had to find it. But there's like he says it like like I know it's there.
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- But do you know what I'm talking about, Andy? I know it's there. Yeah, but you don't. But it's the same way right now.
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- I know that's there. And but so John's gospel is is loosely quoting from the same passage that Matthew will quote directly.
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- And he says in verse 16, his disciples did not understand these things at first.
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- This is key because sometimes it's hard for us to understand why the disciples understand these things, because it says here, but when
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- Jesus was glorified, then they remembered these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
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- See, they didn't understand at the moment it was happening that this was a fulfillment of Zechariah nine nine.
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- They wouldn't even call it Zechariah nine nine because they didn't have chapter numbers and verses. But after Christ was glorified, after his ascension and after the reception, when they received the
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- Holy Spirit and and God began to connect the dots for them. OK, this is this this is the fulfillment of that.
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- They didn't see it the day it happened. They didn't make that connection the day it happened. But when Christ was glorified, then they made that connection.
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- Verse 17, the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness again.
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- That's the crowd. That's the crowd. That's where the crowd came from. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard that he had done this sign.
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- Again, that's that's where the crowd came from. Verse 19. So the
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- Pharisees said to one another, you see that you're gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.
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- So they they they they they realize we got to do something about this guy.
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- We have everything we've done so far to try to dissuade people from following him hasn't worked.
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- And so it is this. It is this moment that in the in the calendar of God's events, because God, of course, had ordained from the beginning of time that Christ would die on the cross on the day that he did the moment he did the hour that he did the moment it did.
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- But it's these events that caused the chain of chain of chain of the chain reaction of events that would lead from Palm Sunday to Good Friday.
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- They seeing this crowd follow after him, the whole world is going after him, which, of course, is hyperbole because they weren't going after him.
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- And there are many people who weren't going after him. And since we're talking about it,
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- I do want to make mention of something. Brother Mike, Brother Mike and I did a podcast back in.
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- Easter ish time, and we went through this handout, if you are interested in hearing it, send me a message and I'll find the link, it might be hard for you to find because it's in the annals of podcast history now.
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- But if you want to hear Brother Mike walk through this, he said something interesting that I hadn't heard.
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- But I think there's he's reasonable in this conclusion, because a lot of people say the same people that the same people that cried out
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- Hosanna were the same people that cried out, crucify him a week later. And you probably heard sermons, you know, they went they turned against him within four days.
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- But Mike thinks differently. And as he was explaining to me, kind of made sense. He said, this is a different group.
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- This is the group that came with Christ. This is a group that had seen him raise Lazarus. This is a group that is for Christ. It's the it's the group that's within the walls of Jerusalem.
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- It's the group that's behind the following the Pharisees that are going to be the ones who call call out, crucify him.
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- And the reason why that's because we often use that as an example of, see, it only takes four days to change somebody's mind and go from evil to good or from, you know, from good to evil.
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- We don't know that this particular crowd is here because of what happened
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- Lazarus. And this may very well not be the same people who in five days are going to cry out, crucify him.
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- As good as that would preach, it may not actually be the case. So something to consider when we think about who these people are.
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- All right. So that's John 12. Let's turn now to Matthew's account and let's see what things we glean from his account.
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- Interestingly enough, the longest account, I think, is in Luke. And we'll look at that last. But we get something a little more each time.
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- It's interesting, Matthew's is 11 verses, the same as Mark, but there are 11 different verses. We get different things in Matthew's gospel.
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- So it's Matthew chapter 21. It says now when they drew near to Jerusalem.
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- Oh, by the way, I need to say this where we are in Mark, we are in the third act.
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- If you think of Mark and I and I know I know it's true, so it's not a fictional play. But if you think of how
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- Mark is structured, Mark is structured like three acts. You've got Jesus in Galilee, Jesus going from Galilee to Jerusalem, and now
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- Jesus is in Jerusalem. And this takes him to the cross. So it's like three parts if you think of Mark specifically.
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- And that's why it says when they drew near to Jerusalem, this is letting you know where you are in the story. Right. We are one week away from the resurrection right here.
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- When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethpage to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, go into the village in front of you and immediately you will find a colt tied and a colt with her.
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- Notice there's two donkeys in this story. Slightly different.
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- Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says to you, you shall say the
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- Lord needs them and he will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet saying, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.
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- That is a almost specifically direct quote of Zechariah nine nine.
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- Now, before we go to verse six, I want to say something about the narrative leading up to this.
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- When it talks about this, Jesus sending them to the to get the donkey, there's quite a bit of difference among commentators and scholars about what's actually happening here.
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- And here's what I mean by that. Jesus says, go into the village in front of you and essentially go get a donkey.
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- If anybody asks you what you're doing it for, just say the Lord has need of it, which isn't really a grand explanation.
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- So it would almost seem to maybe the untrained eye, Jesus is saying, go steal a donkey.
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- Which sounds awful to even say, but that it doesn't make sense. You know, that just go get a donkey.
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- And if somebody asks you what's it for, say it's for the Lord. OK, so there's a couple of different ways that this has been.
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- Interpreted, some people say this is an example of Jesus's knowing all things, he knew there was a donkey, he knew there were people who had a donkey, he knew that if they heard the
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- Lord has need of it, they wouldn't complain and he would get to take the donkey and that would be it. And so some people would argue that this is an example of Christ's omniscience.
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- In fact, if I remember correctly, that was Sproul's answer. Jesus just knew this. There are others who believe
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- Jesus. These are people Jesus knew and he had already planned this.
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- He'd already said this is what's going to happen. And that way, when he told his disciples go do this, there wasn't going to be any argument because this was a pre set up event.
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- That is reasonable as well. But there's also something else from a historic perspective.
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- There was a law that if a king. Needed to use an animal that he had the right to take the use of that animal for his purpose because of his position, that if he if a king needed a donkey, he could simply take the donkey and it wouldn't be something that someone could deny him because of his position.
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- And so the answer the Lord has need of it could that could lead him to the idea that Jesus is simply benefiting from a well understood law that if the king needs something and by the word, by the way, the word
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- Lord, the word Korias was not only used of Christ. The word
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- Korias was a word that was used similar in our day to the word master or sir.
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- It was it was a very common title of men of power, a man of authority.
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- In fact, what was the thing that it was demanded to call Caesar? Kaiser Korias, which was
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- Caesar's Lord. Right. So so this this this phrase, the Lord has need of it doesn't necessarily mean they knew it was
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- Jesus. They just may have understood it was someone in authority needs this. But again, this comes down to how do we want to read this?
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- Do these people know it's Jesus and they know that he is the Lord or is this in reference to a somewhat obscure law where if a
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- Lord needed an animal, he had the right to take it? Well, I'll leave that to you to decide.
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- I to be honest with you, I'm satisfied to simply say the
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- Lord had knew what he was doing. And that's simple enough for me because all of the narratives pretty much say the same thing.
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- He sends the two guys go get the donkey. And again, we see two donkeys in this scenario and bring them back.
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- And I do like one last thing. Mark does mention this part. You don't have to turn there, but Mark says this.
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- He says, where is it? If anyone says to you, why are you doing this?
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- Lord has need of it. And we'll send it back here immediately. So Mark provides that little extra line where Jesus says, you're going to get it back.
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- We're not stealing your donkey forever. We're not taking we're not taking possession of your donkey. We're borrowing it for this purpose.
- 25:22
- And you're going to get it back. So that's just an interesting little aside that's in in Mark's gospel.
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- So back in Matthew 21, verse six says the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
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- They brought the donkey and the colt and put them on, put on them their cloaks. And he sat on them.
- 25:44
- Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting
- 25:53
- Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.
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- And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up saying, who is this? And the crowd said, this is the prophet
- 26:07
- Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. So here we have a very similar narrative, but it's slightly different.
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- It doesn't mention Jesus going in to the temple and looking around.
- 26:22
- Mark's gospel says he went in, looked in the temple and then went back out. And. We're going to address that in a minute, because I want to when
- 26:31
- I when I set up the next set up, when I prepare us for what's coming next is what's coming next. He's going to cleanse the temple. That's what that's that he's going to curse the fig tree.
- 26:39
- He's going to cleanse the temple. And why did he look in the temple? Well, he's seeing what's in there and what's going on.
- 26:45
- He's he's making an evaluation. So now let's turn to Luke's gospel.
- 26:54
- Luke, chapter 19, a lot of Bible turning tonight, so it's not not our normal method, but I just figured this story is so, so familiar to us,
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- I want us to see it from the vantage point of the different gospel narratives and Luke 19, beginning at verse twenty eight.
- 27:22
- It actually ties it to what came before. And it gives us a longer narrative, says, and when he had said these things, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem, when he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the
- 27:37
- Mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, by the way, that's consistent throughout the narratives, two disciples were sent saying, go into the village in front of you where on entering you will find a cold tide on which no one has ever sat untied and bring it here.
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- If anyone asks you, why are you untying it? You shall say the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went away and found it just as he told them.
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- And as they were untying the coat, its owners said to them, notice it says this says it's the owners who are actually asking, which is not as clear in the other passages, says its owners said to them, why are you untying the coat?
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- And they said, the Lord has need of it. And they brought it to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set
- 28:30
- Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
- 28:36
- Now, this was a again, another show of submission, taking one's cloak off and laying it down was as if you were taking yourself and laying yourself prostrate before the person.
- 28:51
- It was a it was a symbolic way of saying that this person is
- 28:56
- Lord or this person is in authority. Verse 37.
- 29:05
- As he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise
- 29:14
- God with a loud voice voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying,
- 29:20
- Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest should be a reminder to us somewhat of the earlier part of Luke's gospel, where we have the angels who made a similar announcement at the birth of Christ.
- 29:39
- And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. Now, this this part isn't in the other gospels, and it's one of my favorite parts because verse 40 says he answered,
- 29:53
- I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.
- 30:02
- So that leads us to an important thought about this event, and that is that the proclamation of Christ's.
- 30:17
- Entrance into Jerusalem, the proclaiming of his of his being the savior, the son of David, the king of Israel, all of these things that these people were saying were not only correct, but they were appropriate because Jesus said if they weren't saying it, the rocks would be saying it as if to say this is right.
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- And this is a complete sidestep, so forgive me if it seems like I'm losing.
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- I promise we'll come right back. When I was in seminary, one of my favorite teachers was a man by the name of Stanford Cruz.
- 31:01
- Stanford Cruz was he was just a teacher's teacher. He was just one of the greatest men that I ever knew.
- 31:07
- He was he taught into his 90s. He was a seminary professor who did classes. I think
- 31:12
- I took classes with him when he was in his late 70s. And he only recently passed away. And before that, he had been teaching all those years.
- 31:20
- Tremendous teacher of God's word. And he was an archaeologist. He had gone over to Jerusalem and he had done digs and he had he would tell us about these things.
- 31:29
- He had he had. Pictures that he would bring to class of him, you know, at these digs, and he would show them to us, and he was just a tremendous man.
- 31:39
- And this was his favorite verse. I can't read it and not mention it. And this is because this is what he says.
- 31:47
- He says, and I know this is a departure. This is not an exegesis of this text, he said.
- 31:53
- But when it says the rocks cry out, he says, every archaeologist will tell you.
- 31:59
- That when we put our spade in the ground and we pull up evidence of what the
- 32:05
- Bible says, it's as if the rocks are crying out for the truth of God's word. And I've always thought that, again, not that's not an exposition of this text, but that is a very, very powerful application, because there was a time in history.
- 32:21
- Where many scholars were mocking Luke's gospel, because Luke's gospel mentions a city that had never been discovered, and therefore they thought the city never existed, and therefore they began to question
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- Luke's scholarship as a historian. But then, lo and behold, one day a spade went in the ground and up came evidence of the city.
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- It was like the city name was written on, it was like, you know, Beth Page, population 50 or whatever, it wasn't that, but it was something like that.
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- And it was like, it was perfect evidence that coincided with what the Bible said.
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- And that was one of the things where Dr. Cruz would say, see, it's the rocks are crying out to to proclaim the truth of God's word.
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- So, again, I just every time I read that, I like to share that story. He was a wonderful professor. And that is not what this means, but it's certainly a fun way to see the way
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- God continues to demonstrate the truthfulness of his word.
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- So getting back, the Pharisees have said, quiet your disciples. Actually, they say rebuke your disciples, which would be to to to tell them they're wrong.
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- They are wrong for doing this. Quiet your disciples, rebuke your disciples. I tell you, if they were silent, the very stones would cry out.
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- Now, this next portion is also very important because, again, not contained in the other gospels, even though there's a very similar statement in Matthew.
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- But it's not until Matthew 23, he says this. And when they drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, would that you even you had known on this day the things that make for peace.
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- But now they're hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and him you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you.
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- And they will not leave one stone upon another in you because you did not know the time of your visitation.
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- This is Jesus prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, which was only at this moment less than a generation away, less than 40 years from this moment,
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- Jerusalem would be destroyed and every stone cast down from the temple.
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- This this is a powerful section, Jesus is weeping over what he knows is a coming rejection, and he's weeping in the midst of a grand reception.
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- Yes, are there those who receive Christ? Indeed, but there are also those who will who are rejecting him and will reject him.
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- And Christ weeps over that, and this this, I think, can cause great consternation, especially when you're
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- Calvinistic in your thinking. Because, as I am, obviously, because sometimes
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- I think we come to a conclusion that because God exercises his authority in election, that somehow that means he doesn't care for the non elect, or that he doesn't have a broken heart over the non elect, or those who will not receive his mercy.
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- Jesus weeps over the city, he weeps for those who are going to be destroyed.
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- And the Bible tells us in the Old Testament, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
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- I think that's important for us to consider. I remember Dr. Sproul years ago, he was asked about a question about election and predestination.
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- I think they were talking about in Peter's epistle where it says,
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- God is not willing that any should perish. Now, I think that particular passage has to be understood in its context.
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- But what Dr. Sproul was saying in the interaction is he said, he said, one thing we must remember is that God has a disposition of benevolence, that our
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- God is disposed toward benevolence. And as much as we know, he is also a
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- God of wrath and his wrath will be what consumes his adversaries on the last day, there will be those who are who are consigned to an eternal punishment.
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- We cannot say that God is not been merciful and long suffering and patient.
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- And even as we see here, weeping over those who reject.
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- Remember the man who came to Jesus, we just read this either last week or the week before the rich young ruler.
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- And it said Jesus loved him, even though he went away because he wanted his money more than he wanted
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- Jesus. Remember, Jesus said, go sell everything you have. And the man went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. But it said
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- Jesus loved him. This is a powerful thought. I mean, let us not become so consumed in our
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- Calvinism that it causes us to think that God is cold and uncaring. Let us not become so consumed in our understanding of election that we don't understand
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- God actually does love. And he is a
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- God who is abounding in steadfast love. I think that's important.
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- And so, again, I hope tonight was helpful looking at the four different accounts and seeing the different perspectives.
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- And you can see the things that are consistent, right? Everyone has the two apostles. Everyone has them go get the cold. Everyone has them bring them back.
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- Everyone has them go in to Jerusalem. Some mentioned palm branches, some don't. Some mentioned two donkeys, some only one.
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- Some tell the story a little longer than the others of what happens when he gets there. But ultimately, it all is the starting point that, if you will, the the flashpoint that's going to begin this holy week.
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- And some people say this is Christ's coronation as king.
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- I will say this. This is a type of Christ's coronation.
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- But his final and perfect coronation is not here. That is something that would happen later.
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- But this is certainly a fulfillment of prophecy that, behold, your king is coming, riding on a donkey.
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- And here Christ is the fulfillment of that prophecy. All right, we have a few minutes.
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- Anybody have any questions? Well, good.
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- Well, Brother Andy, would you pray us out? So living in the safe, we meet again in Christ's name,
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- Amen. So next week, Brother Andy, then the week after.