A RECEPTION WORTHY OF A KING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, He sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Mark 11:1-11

As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Luke 19:29-44

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him.

Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He had performed this sign, went out to meet Him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”

John 12:12-19

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The time had come.

Jesus was about to enter the city of Jerusalem where He would live out His final days. He was soon to be betrayed by one of His chosen disciples, hauled before the Jewish court under false pretenses, and handed over to the Romans, first for a severe, abusive, torturous beating before being forced to carry His own cross to Calvary where He was nailed to it and hung to die.

Indeed, bad times were ahead but for now, Jesus received the honor that was due Him.

Before I get into the joyful, elated spirit that surrounded Jesus’ Jerusalem arrival, I want to say something regarding the importance of what is called synoptic study of the Gospels. This simply means that an account in one Gospel is also contained in one or more of the others.

Why is this of critical importance when it comes to studying the story of Jesus?

Well, think of it this way. If you either walked alongside Jesus, or had heard others talk about Him, you might choose to write down either your first hand or second hand knowledge. You would write what you remember and do so to the best of your memory. But in the end, if several people did this, their stories would be the same in some areas and very different in others.

This is exactly what you find in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And as you see in our passages regarding what has been widely called “The Triumphal Entry”, you gain more information on what happened by reading all four accounts than you would by using just one. This is the beauty of synoptic Gospel studying.

So given all this, Jesus is entering Jerusalem where the Passover festival is taking place. He wasn’t the only ones coming to the city as many others were traveling there and were among those gathered to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah King that had been promised by the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9).

We read where those who welcomed Jesus were laying their cloaks or palm branches on the road ahead of Him. This was the normal custom when royalty arrived in the city. Indeed, the King of kings and Lord of lords was about to enter the capital city of Israel but note that Jesus isn’t riding in with a procession of trumpets and an honor detail preceding Him. There wasn’t the normal fanfare nor was Jesus riding a mighty steed into the city. Rather, we find Jesus, the Messiah, riding into the city in symbolic humility on the back of a colt, a young donkey.

While this was happening, the people lined the way and shouted praises unto Jesus because of all the miracles He had one. Those praises included:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

It was an awesome, festive scene…indeed a reception worthy of a king. Even the Pharisees in the crowd couldn’t dampen the moment, although they did try. Little did anyone know outside of Jesus that in a week, the cries would not be “Hosanna!” but rather “Crucify!” in regard to Jesus as He would be put to death in the most humiliating, horrific way possible.  

But as we know, it would be far from the end for Jesus. For the Messiah King who entered Jerusalem triumphantly would later be delivered from the grave and ascend triumphantly into the glory of heaven to sit at His Father’s right hand in authority over the heavens and earth.  

And through Him, all Christ believers will receive their own triumphal entry on that day when the Lord calls them to live with Him forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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