Matthew 21:1-11
Your King is Coming to
You!
Would you open your Bibles to…
Mat 21:5 "Tell
the daughter of
Pray
Intro
√ Your King is coming to you!
Today marks the anniversary of the day that Jesus rode into
…beginning the last week of His ministry on earth before the crucifixion.
The Church calls this day...
“Palm Sunday”
...a reference to John 12:13.
Others call it...
“The Triumphant Entry”
Because on this day Jesus
entered
√ They rejected their King
However, we know the rest of the story, less than a week later the same city that rejoiced over Jesus as their long-awaited King was crying...
"Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" ~ John 19:15
Fortunately the story doesn’t end there!
Jesus Rose from the dead
He Ascended to Heaven
From which we look for His soon Return
When Jesus returns He will enter
…but with this distinction.
The first time He came in Peace, He came to reconcile Man to God through the sacrifice of His life.
The second time Jesus comes it will be in Judgment, He will
come to put an end to the rule of Satan and
He comes to every heart, and every city, twice
Jesus comes to every person and to every city twice, first in peace…
…but if a person or a city rejects Him then He will come a second time in Judgment.
Each person must chose how they will respond when the King comes to them.
From the
Matt. 21:1 Now when
they drew near
√ From the Mount of Olives ~ The Triumphant Entry
Note that Jesus’ journey into
Divides the barren Judean wilderness to the East and densely
populated city of
One of three peaks ~
Between
Called the “
It was a favorite place of Jesus, were He often retreated with His disciples.
So, we read that on the first Palm Sunday Jesus came to
√ From the
When Jesus returns the Bible tells us that He will also
begin His journey into
Zech. 14:4 And in
that day His feet will stand on the
Which
faces
And
the
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.
Ex. The Jewish people today are expecting the Messiah to come soon.
They’ve…
Reconvened the Sanhedrin after 1600 years of absence for the
specific purpose of preparing
They’re training priests, have crafted the tools and
garments of
They’re raising Kosher cattle for sacrifice.
They’re planning on offering sacrifices according to the Law this Passover ~ beginning tomorrow, April 2nd!
And, they believe that when Messiah comes to
Riding into the City (vs. 2-7)
Matt. 21:2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
Matt. 21:3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
Matt. 21:4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
Matt. 21:5 “Tell
the daughter of
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
Matt. 21:6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
Matt. 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
√ Riding into the City ~ The Triumphant Entry
First of all, haven’t you ever wondered why would anybody let a couple of strangers take their donkey!?
Ex. Couple of guys walk up and get into your car!
The whole experience was for the benefit of the disciples because it…
1) Demonstrated the authority of Jesus
As king, He had the legal right to request and expect
the obedience of His subjects.
2) Fulfilled prophecy - Zech. 9:9
Proving that Jesus was the promised King.
3) Symbolic of His mission.
Normally a king would come riding into His own city
upon a horse - symbolic of His conquering power.
A donkey, or colt was a symbol of peace!
When Jesus came to
At His birth the Angel’s sang…
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” ~ Luke 2:14
So, at the Triumphant Entry Jesus rode on a donkey.
√ Riding to the City ~ The Triumphant Return
However, when Jesus returns He won’t be riding a donkey anymore and He won’t be coming in peace!
Rev 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
Rev 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Rev 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
The contrast, the irony, is so great between the two events…
…the Triumphant Entry vs. the Triumphant Return!
Triumphant Entry ~ Peasant carpenter riding a colt
peacefully into
…but despised by the religious leaders and unnoticed by the Roman rulers.
Triumphant Return ~ He rides into
…and destroys those who have rebelled against Him with the Word of His mouth and no one will ignore Him!
So while the donkey, or a colt is symbolic of peace…
…the horse is symbolic of victory and reserved for the Conqueror.
Ex. General Allenby
Led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in World War 1 fighting against the Ottoman Turks.
He won a decisive battle in the
On December 8, 1917 he surrounded
So, on December 11, 1917 he lead his victorious army to the Jaffa Gate where he and his officers dismounted from their horses.
Asked why he did not chose to enter the city on horse back
as the would be fitting for the one who conquered
“It would not be fitting to enter this
Allenby recognized that honor is reserved for Jesus when He returns as conqueror of the World!
Worshiped as King (vs. 8-9)
Matt. 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Matt. 21:9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Hosanna in the highest!”
√ Worshiped as King ~ the Triumphant Entry
Jesus enters
Clothes
Branches
Songs
…to acknowledge Jesus as King!
Clothes ~ spreading their garments on the ground is symbolic as an act symbolic of submission.
Ex. Jehu
2Kings 9:13 Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!”
In both cases the idea was that a person’s cloak (outer garment) represented that individual’s position, authority, and office.
Ex. Elijah to Elisha
So, by removing their outer garments, usually their cloak, and laying it on the ground…
…the people were declaring that Jesus was their King!
Branches ~ vs. 8 tells us that some people…
“…others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.”
John’s the one who tells us that they were palm branches…
“Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him,
and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of
The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and of victory, in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the bible as such (e.g. Leviticus 23:40 and Revelation 7:9).
Rev. 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Ex. Coins ~ demonstrate the use of the Palm as a symbol of victory.
After putting down the Jewish revolt the Roman Emperor Vespasian had a coin minted in 71 A.D. showing himself seated on a throne with a Jewish woman kneeling before him…
…under a Palm Tree (ref. Jewish Capta).
Later in during the Jewish Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132 -135 A.D. the Jewish rebels minted a bronze coin with …
…a 7-branched Palm Tree as a sign of victory over the Romans.
So, when the people began waving palm branches toward Jesus they were not only worshipping Him as Messiah…
…they were anticipating
His victory over
Songs ~ vs. 9 tells us that the people began to sing and shout...
"Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!"
...which was very significant because this was a Messianic Psalm.
Hosanna = “save us we pray” or
“save us now” (ref. Ps. 118:25)
“Son of David” = Title of Messiah
The song also happens to be the benediction song for the Passover meal!
Some Bible students see it as foreshadowing Jesus' Passion as a symbolic Passover sacrifice.
So, as Jesus entered
…but not be everyone!
√ Worshipped as King ~ the Triumphant Return
When Jesus returns He will be worshipped by everyone on earth!
Zech. 14:16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah is just one of many prophets who foretell that when Jesus returns that all people, everywhere, will…
…worship King Jesus!
Ap. The Church is called to worship Him today!
The worship of Jesus by the Church, and by individual Christians is the measure of the love we have for Him.
How’s your worship? Do you bring your…
“coat” and surrender to His will for your life?
“palm” and acknowledge His victory in your life?
“song” and testify with your lips of your love for Him?
Bring all of you in your worship of Jesus!
Through the Eastern Gate (vs. 10-11)
Matt. 21:10 And when
He had come into
Matt. 21:11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
√ Through the Eastern Gate ~ the Triumphant Entry
There are 8 gates in the walls of
The Beautiful Gate ~ Acts 3:2 & 10
The Gate of Mercy ~ Modern Jewish practice
The Eternal Gate ~ Psalm 24:7-10
Though Matthew doesn’t explicitly say that Jesus entered through the Eastern Gate…
…it makes sense because it was the gate that the road from
√ Through the Eastern Gate ~ the Triumphant Return
Ezek. 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.
And…
Ezek. 44:1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut.
Ezek. 44:2 And the
LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man
shall enter by it, because the LORD
God of
What’s interesting, and you can see in the photo, is that today the Eastern Gate is sealed! It’s not the original gate through which Jesus entered ~ that was destroyed by the Romans.
A new gate built over the old one in the 7th Century AD by Byzantine artisans
Sealed by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman 1st in 1541.
The Moslems knew that the Jewish Scripture predicted that the Messiah would enter through the Eastern Gate…
…so Suleiman figured that if it was sealed up then no Jewish
King could come back to claim
I’m going to suggest that the block and mortar won’t stop Jesus!
May be blown apart as a result of the earth quake predicted in Zechariah…
Zech. 14:4 And in
that day His feet will stand on the
Which
faces
And
the
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.
So, when Jesus returns He will enter
…the first time!
Close
√ Your King is coming ~ again!
Palm Sunday is more than just a presentation of what is past…
…it is predictive of what is coming.
Remember, He comes to every heart…
…1st in Peace, 2nd time in Judgment.
Have you responded to the King?
Do you worship the King as He is due?