Meeting Jesus - Triumphal Entry
Well. It is spring time – that means Spring Breakers are here – and it means my girls are playing softball. Naomi has made the Softball team at Carolina Forest, and Jessica is playing rec league. For the last couple of seasons, I was able to help coach one of my daughter’s teams, but this year, I get to help out the team by simply serving as the Announcer at the Home Ball games. So – I am not coaching, just practicing embarrassing my daughter by using my “Announcer Voice.”
I like to watch the kids step up to the plate with their bat, and face the pitcher. For one brief moment, each kid is standing alone at the plate, and all parents and players are watching them. When I was the girls age, I played Little League. Whenever a good hitter went to bat, the coach of the opposing team would yell to his outfielders to “back up.” If they were a great hitter, the coach would tell them to back up to the fence. Whenever I stood up to bat, they always yelled, “Everybody move in!” Everybody would shift in.
The players and coaches responded differently based on who was at Bat. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses – and I had terrible eyesight. I couldn’t see the ball…
I could never tell if the pitcher threw the ball or was waving at his family…but I always swung the bat.
And the coaches and players knew it and responded appropriately. Since I couldn’t hit the ball, there was no need playing defense deep. They knew I would always swing. They knew I would never connect and whether we realize it or not, people have an internal response whenever they see you and I today.
When you walk enter a room. People have an internal response to you.
When you enter your home. When you arrive at work. When you walk into an office people will react and respond to you, based on what they know about you.
I know that because, you and I respond and react to the people around us based on what we know about them…
When you see an old friend, you might run up, grab them and give them a hug.
When you see a friend you see every day, you might barely acknowledge them.
If you see somebody you do not like, you might avoid eye contact with them…
That’s why it is so remarkable to see how people responded and reacted to Jesus when he entered Jerusalem.
He had been changing lives.
Working miracles.
Teaching about forgiveness.
Hope and second chances.
For three years, he had been telling people about God’s love and care for them. He had been reconnecting people with God. And, for three years, he had ticked a lot of the Religious Leaders off. As we have seen so far in our “Meeting Jesus” series, Jesus always seemed to rub religious leaders the wrong way. He got under their skin. He ruffled their feathers. He ticked them off.
The core of Jesus teaching was one way to a relationship with God…
The core of the religious teachers was hundreds of rules to get to God…
So, the Religious leaders had had enough of Jesus.
In John 11:57 – the Religious bullies had made a public order that every Jew that saw Jesus must report where and when they saw him, so they could arrest him.
John 11:57
Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.
They had placed the highest level of a Jewish arrest warrant out on Jesus, and they made every Jewish person accountable to give the information to them. Jesus responded – by walking right into the Religious Leaders playground! They issued an arrest warrant – and instead of hiding and running – Jesus did something he had not been accustomed to doing – he made himself the center of attention.
We will begin reading in Luke 19.
Luke 19:28-40
28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
I love how the disciples and the crowd treated and honored Jesus. They didn’t know that in less than a week he would be betrayed, beaten, humiliated and paraded through town naked carrying a cross. They didn’t know he would suffer and die on a cross and pay the price for sin.
All they knew was that Jesus wanted to ride into town on a colt or a donkey – and they made it happen. They borrowed a donkey. They put their cloaks on it for Jesus to sit on.
The crowd spread out their cloaks on the ground…and they called Jesus, KING.
They didn’t treat him like a King because he had told them to, they treated him like a King, because for three years, Jesus had treated each of them like they were a King. He talked with the tax collectors, prostitutes and notorious sinners not just because he loved them, but because they were important and had value. He healed the lepers, the blind, the sick, and brought hope to the brokenhearted because he loved them and they mattered to him.
Now, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, his followers had a chance to treat Jesus the same.
Like ROYALTY.
During this time, a KING would enter into a town in two different ways.
During wartime, King would ride into town on a horse. This symbolized to the town that King brough conflict. He entered the town on a horse, because he was going to defeat it. During peacetime, a King would ride into town on a Donkey or a Colt. This symbolized the Kings intention were to bring peace, or continue the peace.
If there were any rumors flying that the King was going to invade the land, the entering King put all fears and worries aside by entering the town on a donkey, and the people would rejoice.
Jesus desires to BRING you and I PEACE
This entrance stands out to me as one of the most incredible examples of courage in history.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem…
JESUS DEMONSTRATED COURAGE AND DEFIANCE TOWARD RELIGIOUS BULLIES (John 11:57)
When I think about defining moments of courage, I think about TANK MAN. The man that stood in front of the line of invading tanks in Tiananmen Square and refused to move. I think about the United States Marine Memorial with Marines holding up the American Flag during WW2 at the battle of Iwo Jima.
I think about the men and women who rushed into the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, to save the lives of strangers.
And, I think about Jesus entering Jerusalem.
He knew there was an arrest warrant out for him.
He knew what the religious bullies were planning.
He knew one of his followers would betray him.
But, Jesus didn’t slip into Jerusalem at night in the shadows. He didn’t hide in a cart filled with supplies.
He entered Jerusalem with the highest level of visibility possible.
But…he did not enter Jerusalem as the Conquering King that brings war.
He entered Jerusalem as the King who brings peace.
Crowds of people gathered around him. Other gospel writers tell us that they waved palm branches in the air as they shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”.
The religious bullies that tried to control people’s behavior had a “hero of the people” to contend with. The people cheered. They hugged one another.
They celebrated the CHAMPION who had celebrated them.
They cheered for the one who had cheered them on.
They socially elevated the status of the one who had elevated them.
They BLESSED the one who had BLESSED them.
They brought words of peace to the one who had brought them peace.
So,
LIKE JESUS, BRING AND LEAVE PEACE.
Do you bring peace to others when you enter a room?
Do you leave peace when you exit a room?
We have the ability to bring comfort, peace, hope and encouragement to those around us. We can use our words to help or hinder others. We can use our body language to help or hinder others.
Are you a peace bringer?
Or, do you leave rooms in conflict?
Do you help make people better through words of encouragement or do you enhance conflict with words of division?
Does your opinion matter more than others?
Does your opinion always need to be expressed?
Are you always right?
These questions are difficult for all of us. As a parent, sometimes I feel like I make matters worse when I jump into disagreements with the girls at the house. Instead of making things better, sometimes I feel like I make things worse.
I am going to ask a series of questions – and I want you to let the answers linger in your mind for a little bit:
If you are married, when your spouse sees you, do they brace themselves for conflict or are they relaxed and relieved?
Children, when your brother or sister see you coming, do they hold their breath and wait for the insults to begin, or do they light up when they see you coming?
Employers, are you harsh with the people who work for you and “rule with an iron fist” or are they motivated to work hard for you because they know you work hard for them?
Parents, do you constantly criticize and overwhelm your children with their failures or are you searching for areas to encourage them and are you building in them a healthy biblical self-image?
The reason I ask these difficult questions is because:
PEOPLE RESPOND TO PRESENCE BASED ON PATTERNS
As people lined up that day to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, they were celebrating, waving palm branches, cheering, and elevating his social status based on the pattern of life he had been living. Look at v. 37
Luke 19:37
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 God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen…
People responded to the presence of Jesus based on the pattern of his life. Crowds of people did not gather around Jesus because he was rude, selfish, and always had to have his way. People responded to Jesus based on the pattern of peace he had already demonstrated. So how do we establish a PATTERN of PEACE in our lives? It will only happen when we:
CHOOSE JOY BECAUSE OF JESUS
He entered Jerusalem thinking about what he would soon endure.
The betrayal.
The beatings.
The scourging.
The nails.
The cross.
He knew what he was going to have to endure, but he did not limit his attention to the pain.
Hebrews 12:2B
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Although Jesus knew he was about to experience UNBVELIEVABLE pain and suffering, he focused on what he would experience AFTER the cross.
AFTER the hostility.
AFTER the embarrassment.
AFTER the public humiliation.
AFTER the shame.
His suffering would bring you and I forgiveness of sin.
His suffering would reunite the Creator with His Creation.
His suffering would bring forgiveness of sin.
His suffering would bring joy.
And that is what he focused on! He didn’t not focus on the pain, he focused on the joy. That is so hard to do.
When we walk through the hard of life. When we walk through the pain in life. When we walk through confusion, betrayal, and loss…its difficult to not see it. Its difficult to not see the hopelessness, the loneliness, the confusion and the pain. So see it – but also see what is beyond it.
Look beyond the hard to focus on the joy!
We can do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
If we want to be joyful when we walk through the hard, we keep our eyes on Jesus.
Jesus is the one who brings hope.
Jesus is the one who brings peace.
Jesus is the one who brings healing.
Jesus is the one who forgives.
Jesus is the one who gives second chances.
And third chances…
And fourth chances…
Jesus is the one who is the great life changer.