How Will You Welcome The King?Matthew 21:1-17

At this time every year we celebrate "Palm Sunday" in churches all over theworld. Most of the time our celebrations vary little - children processdown the aisle waving palm branches, we sing songs of praise to the King whohas come, and the preacher speaks for a few minutes about Jesus' triumphalentry into Jerusalem. It is a festive day of celebration for the people whogather at the church, but I have to be honest with you - it's tough onpreachers. You may be wondering, "How so?" Well, let me explain to you ifyou will allow me. If a preacher stays at a church any more than a couple ofyears then the preacher has to work, struggle, and pray for something freshto say about the story of Jesus' riding into town. There are only so manyways that you can tell the same story over and over and over again.I have been here for more than a few years now and each year Palm Sunday becomes more difficult for me to come up with a "new" sermon. There is that old temptation of pulling something out that I've already done before, but Ireject that option as nothing more than laziness. This week I've gone backto the wisdom spoken to me by my pastor, Dr. David Darnell, many years agowhen he said, "Mike, be humble before God's Word and He will speak to you.As I have tried to do that this week I had the most exciting thought thatI've had in some time. This morning instead of just telling you the story Iwant us to take each of the four Gospels that records the story of Jesustriumphal entry into Jerusalem and look at them together.I have to tell you as we begin our study that Palm Sunday was much morethan simply a festive celebration for Jesus. The day was filled with allkinds of emotional experiences for Jesus. On Palm Sunday Jesus experiencedjoy, conflict, anger, and heartbreak all before He laid down His head to goto sleep at the end of the day.Let's get busy taking a look at our Scriptures for the day. The triumphalentry of Jesus is recorded in every one of the four Gospels in our Bible.Turn to Matthew 21:1-17 and let's begin.1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you,and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untiethem and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him thatthe Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." 4This took place tofulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion,'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, thefoal of a donkey.'" 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructedthem. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them,and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Thecrowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna tothe Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!""Hosanna in the highest!" 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city wasstirred and asked, "Who is this?" 11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, theprophet from Nazareth in Galilee." 12Jesus entered the temple area and droveout all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of themoney changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13"It is written," hesaid to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you aremaking it a 'den of robbers.'" 14The blind and the lame came to him at thetemple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers ofthe law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in thetemple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16"Do youhear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus,"have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you haveordained praise'?" 17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,where he spent the night. (Matthew 21:1-17)As we begin our study you need to know that there are similarities in eachof the four Gospels concerning Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on the back of ayoung donkey. Even though four different men wrote the accounts of theentry of Jesus we find that their retelling of the stories have given us onecomplete, awe-inspiring story of truth given to bless us, challenge us, andmotivate us to fall at Jesus' feet. Let me share with you some of thesimilarities we find in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John's telling of the storyof Palm Sunday.All four of the writers of the Gospels tell us that the occasion was thegathering of the people in Jerusalem for the Passover, the holiest season ofthe year for the Jewish people. All four of the writers of the Gospels tellus that Jesus rode into town on a young donkey, the fulfillment of what Godhad told His people through the prophet Zechariah.9Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See,your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding ona donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)Five hundred years before Jesus came riding into Jerusalem God had alreadyordained how Jesus would enter the city. God takes care of the details!Let's go on. All four writers tell us that as Jesus came riding into townthe people spread things on the ground. Some laid down their cloaks whileothers laid down palm branches or waved them as He rode by. All four of thewriters of the Gospels tell us that as Jesus rode past the crowds the peopleshouted - wait a minute, I know somebody doesn't believe me this morning."We don't shout in our church," somebody is thinking to themselves rightnow. As a matter of fact, if anyone even says, "Amen" we turn around andgive them one of those chastisingly cold Christian stares. Well, let me gobiblical on you for a moment and just share what God's Word says to us. InMatthew we read,9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosannato the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!""Hosanna in the highest!"Some would say that Matthew's own personality was shining through. Somewould say that Matthew was oriented toward a more charismatic worship styleso he included this little phrase in his writing. Well, if that is thepossibility that we are dealing with then let's take a look at what Dr.Luke, Mark, and John have to say about what occurred when Jesus rode intotown. If Matthew was embellishing the story because of his own preferencefor his worship style then surely one of the other three men were of adifferent worship persuasion. Mark says,9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed ishe who comes in the name of the Lord!" 10"Blessed is the coming kingdom ofour father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" (Mark 11:9-10)Luke writes,37When 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 forall the miracles they had seen: 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in thename of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"Finally, we read what John has to say,13They 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 ofIsrael!""Hosanna!" "Hosanna in the highest!" Blessed is he who comes in the nameof the Lord!" Shout it from the rooftops! Shout it when you are feelinglow! Shout it when He wins the victory in your life! Shout it when He getsyou up in the morning! Shout it because He's brought you through the day!Shout it when He gives you food for your table! Shout it cause He has savedyou, delivered you, and caresses you with His everlasting love! You may notwant to shout it, but I declare to you today that if you don't shout it therocks will cry out praising His name. (Luke 19:40)The people were not shouting for no reason, they had so many reasons toshout my friends. They were seeing what they had always longed for unfoldingbefore their eyes. As good Bible students they had read the prophetZechariah, and they had read the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 118.25 O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. 26 Blessed is he who comes inthe name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. 27 The LORDis God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, joinin the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God,and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29 Givethanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalms118:25-29)For so many years the Jewish people, all of God's people, had yearned forday when the King would come. The King had come! He rode into town and thepeople saw the visible answer to their prayers before their eyes. This gavethem ample reason to shout at the top of their voices, "Blessed is he whocomes in the name of the Lord!"It was a great moment for the people and it was a great moment for Jesus,but do not be deceived into believing that all was well on Palm Sunday.There is another similarity shared with us by the writers of the Gospels andthat is conflict. While the celebration was taking place in the streetsthere was seething anger arising in the hearts of some of those who hadgathered there for the processional. Matthew tells us,14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderfulthings he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to theSon of David," they were indignant. 16"Do you hear what these children aresaying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'Fromthe lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"In Mark's gospel the anger rages on as Mark tells us,18The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began lookingfor a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd wasamazed at his teaching.Dr. Luke saw the same anger rising up from the crowd as the Scribes andPharisees were incensed with what was taking place. Luke writes,39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke yourdisciples!" 40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones willcry out."And finally, in John's Gospel we find that the religious leaders not onlywanted to do away with Jesus, but they furious that the people would findsuch joy in celebrating Jesus' triumphal entry into the city. Take a look,19So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere.Look how the whole world has gone after him!"I don't know about you but there is something rather strange that strikesme about Palm Sunday. It isn't the young colt that Jesus rode into town on.It has nothing to do with the fact that people took off their cloaks andlaid them down on the ground. I'm really not that overwhelmed by the wavingof palm branches. What does puzzle my mind and baffle my spirit is the factthat at one event there can be such division. Jesus rode into town and someof the people were overwhelmed by the goodness of God while other folks wereseething with anger. Some of the people were willing to lay down the onlycloak they had to be trampled by on by the people and possibly even thedonkey carrying Jesus while others turned their backs in protest while Herode by. Some people said, "God is so good!" while others said, "The wholeworld is following after Him -- look how we have failed!"I believe that God has given us His Word precisely as it is for a reason.The question that jumps out at us today is, "Why has God chosen to show uscelebration and confrontation right along side of one another and at a highpoint of Jesus' life?" Great question! I am convinced that God allowing usto see that Jesus can at the same time be the source of celebration for uswhile being the source of seething anger for others.As we look around today we can see how Jesus brings great joy andcelebration to some around us, hopefully even to us. He is the song of ourheart. He is the strength of our life. We see Him as the reason forliving. Our love for Him has caused us to want to rearrange our lives sothat they are pleasing to Him. We count it a privilege and a blessing tooffer our lives to Him in service because we know that He gave His life forus as a sacrifice.There is also another group present with us this morning. They see Jesusas a duty. They don't get to go to church they "have" to go to church. Theysee tithing as a burden, they say, "the church only wants my money." Theysay, "How can I give!" instead of "How can I give?" The Jesus of the Bibleconfronts their "old time religion" ideas and they don't like it or Him.They would like nothing more than the crowd of adoring worshippers to sitdown, shut up, and go away.I found something interesting as I was studying these Scriptures this pastweek. It is tucked away in a little verse in John's Gospel. You won't findthe verse in any of the other Gospels, but it has jumped out at me from Johnand captured my heart. Let me read it to you.20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at theFeast. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with arequest. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."Amidst the celebration and the conflict there were a group of Greeks. Theyweren't part of the great celebration because they were not Jewish. Theycertainly weren't part of the anger and virulent hatred swirling around theScribes and Pharisees. They didn't need a palm branch to wave. They didn'thave to stand along the processional route. They just wanted to see Jesus.They just wanted to see Jesus.I hope and pray this Palm Sunday that your heart is the heart of thoseGreeks who had gathered at Jerusalem. How will welcome the King this PalmSunday? Will it be with celebration? Are you glorying in His love, Hiscoming as King to touch our lives. Or have you come to church today becausesomeone drug you against your will? The family wanted to go to church onPalm Sunday and you felt pressured to go along with the family. Is Jesusjust some fictional character that you believe everyone has gotten far tooworked up over? You know what? It doesn't matter how you walked into thischurch this morning. What matters is how you walk out. God's heart is thatyou would desire to see Jesus and Him alone. If that is your desire won'tyou act on that desire this morning and ask Him to come into your heart?Mike HaysBritton Christian Church922 NW 91stOKC, OK. 7314hazemon@flash.net1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mountof Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to thevillage ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tiedthere, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyoneasks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and willsend it back here shortly.'" 4They went and found a colt outside in thestreet, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5some people standing thereasked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6They answered as Jesus hadtold them to, and the people let them go. 7When they brought the colt toJesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8Many people spreadtheir cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in thefields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!""Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 10 "Blessed is thecoming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 11Jesusentered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything,but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 12Thenext day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in thedistance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. Whenhe reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the seasonfor figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from youagain." And his disciples heard him say it. 15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesusentered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying andselling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and thebenches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carrymerchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, "Isit not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for allnations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" 18The chief priests andthe teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him,for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.19When evening came, they went out of the city. (Mark 11:1-19)29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount ofOlives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the villageahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which noone has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Whyare you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'" 32Those who were sentahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying thecolt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34They replied,"The Lord needs it." 35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on thecolt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks onthe road. 37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mountof Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loudvoices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 "Blessed is the king who comesin the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke yourdisciples!" 40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones willcry out." 41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it42and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bringyou peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon youwhen your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you andhem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and thechildren within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another,because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." 45Then heentered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. 46"Itis written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but youhave made it 'a den of robbers.'" 47Every day he was teaching at the temple.But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among thepeople were trying to kill him. 48Yet they could not find any way to do it,because all the people hung on his words.(Luke 19:29-48)12The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesuswas on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took palm branches and went out to meethim, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!""Blessed is the King of Israel!" 14Jesus found a young donkey and sat uponit, as it is written, 15 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, yourking is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." 16At first his disciples did notunderstand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize thatthese things had been written about him and that they had done these thingsto him. 17Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from thetomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18Manypeople, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, wentout to meet him. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this isgetting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" 20Nowthere were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast.21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request."Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22Philip went to tellAndrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. (John 12:12-22)