Receiving the King

Luke 19:28-40                         Receiving the King

3/29/15            D. Marion Clark

Introduction

The first recorded instance of Jesus traveling to Jerusalem takes place forty days after his birth. Luke speaks of it in chapter 2, recording his mother’s purification offering at the temple. It is there that an elderly man called Simeon proclaimed him to be the Messiah who would bring salvation to Israel. He then turned to Mary and said to her this sobering prophecy:

“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed  (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

That sword is about to be unsheathed as the wicked thoughts of hearts are revealed. More than once Jesus has told his disciples that he must enter Jerusalem to suffer, to be killed, and to rise again. We come now to his entrance.

Text

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

This seems an odd story to insert in the gospel. What purpose does it serve? Why such a special deal about this colt of a donkey? In John’s gospel he simply writes that Jesus “found a young donkey and sat on it” (12:14). One might say that it is yet another miracle to marvel at. Perhaps. Jesus’ miracles, though, have the purpose of demonstrating something in particular about him. They fulfill the prophesied signs of the Messiah. They signify the fuller work of redemption – of healing, of cleansing, and so on. They mark his authority and power, such as calming the storm. Other than the disciples, no one would have known a miracle was involved, and, for that matter, it is not certain that one was. As likely as not, Jesus could have made the arrangements beforehand. The owners of the colt could very well be followers of Jesus. Bethany is the town where Lazarus was raised, so Jesus would have been well known and by the term of “Lord.”

Whether it was a miracle or Jesus had made arrangements beforehand, what it demonstrates is the importance that Jesus gives to entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. If it were a miracle, both Jesus and the Father had a hand in its arrangement; if not a miracle, at the very least Jesus took effort to arrange it. Everywhere Jesus traveled he did so by foot. Why ride now? Why it so important to him to ride on that little beast? Because, as he would later explain, everything written about him in “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44).

Here is what must be fulfilled from the prophet Zechariah:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey (9:9).

The Messiah King prophesied must enter into Jerusalem on a donkey colt amidst rejoicing. And so Jesus made sure that it would happen, even to the smallest detail. Jesus noted that the colt would be one that had never been ridden upon. What does that indicate? There is no prophecy specifying that the colt ridden must be untried, but there is in the law specifications that cows (heifers) used in sacrifices could not have been yoked before, i.e. never born a burden. This colt is set apart for the sacred task of bearing the great sacrifice.

Now comes the entry itself.

³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 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, ³⁸ saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

The disciples evidently understand Jesus’ intent. Perhaps they are thinking of Zechariah, as well. It would have been commonly known as a reference to the Messiah King, and they are certainly treating him now as king – throwing their cloaks on the colt and even spreading them on the road. We know from other gospels that palm leaves were used as well and that the crowd also entered into the festivity. Only Luke uses the phrase “whole multitude of his disciples.” It reminds us that there were more than twelve. Earlier Jesus had sent his disciples out on a mission trip, and we are told then that the number was seventy-two. Besides the male disciples, Luke also reveals that there were women who had attended to him, as well.

This excitement at the coming of Jesus was mixed in with the already joyous atmosphere. Remember that there are thousands of pilgrims entering into Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover. And this location between the Mount of Olives and the city gate is the precise area for the greatest excitement. The pilgrims come over the mount and behold the City of David, home of the temple of God. Now is the time to rejoice. On the ascent up to Jerusalem, they have been singing the “psalms of ascent.” It may very well be that they are singing at this moment the great psalm celebrating the entrance into Jerusalem and into the temple, Psalm 118. Here is one line: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (v. 26). What did the disciples and the crowd say to Jesus?  “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

See how it all fits together. There is already festivity, already rejoicing, already welcoming pilgrims to the city. Then Jesus comes in the midst of the pilgrims and celebration. It explains a couple of things. There are the disciples who must be thinking that their hopes are coming true – the victorious welcome of Jesus as King and his establishing his throne. They are remembering “all the mighty works” that Jesus had done before them. And soon the mightiest work of victory over his foes and sitting upon his throne will soon take place. Look at the crowd entering into the same excitement, though perhaps with less understanding. Maybe “king” is on their lips, or not. They certainly would be shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” as they would for all the pilgrims. Perhaps they do recognize that Jesus is the prophet sent from God and are expecting great things; perhaps he is the Messiah, the king. Many would have witnessed his great works. Some would just be caught up in the excitement of the moment. And then the scenario explains why there would not have been alarm by the Roman military. With all of the excitement over Jesus, it would still have been barely noticeable in the bustle of activity and multitude of thousands.

But there is another group who does notice and is alarmed.

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

The Pharisees understand the intent of Jesus’ disciples. The crowd may be oblivious, but they also know Zechariah; they know that the disciples are announcing the arrival of the Messiah King. To the Pharisees, Jesus is no more than what they addressed him as – Teacher – and a suspect one at that. The disciples are bordering on blasphemy.

It is Jesus’ response that is intriguing – if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. Is Jesus caught up in the celebration also and simply uttering words of excitement? Perhaps. I think he is telling the Pharisees that in their pious concern to protect the honor of the Lord God they have missed the significance of the moment. The Messiah King is before them. The prophecy of Zechariah is being fulfilled before their eyes and ears. There must be rejoicing in Jerusalem as the King enters. There must be, and if the crowd will not provide it, then the stones will.

Lessons

The lessons we can learn from this day of celebration is what the Pharisees, the crowd, and even the disciples did not understand.

The king did come, but he was not exactly the king they were anticipating. The very passage that prophesied the king’s coming gives the clues that the disciples, crowd, and Pharisees ought to have picked up on.

He is righteous and having salvation. They looked for the king who would save them from the oppressors, namely the Romans. Yet, note that the attribute cited is not being mighty but righteous. His concern is that his people be saved from their own sins and be made righteous.

He is humble and mounted on a donkey. Riding on a donkey was the type of beast that Israel’s kings and royalty rode, and so the people received him as such a king. And yet, what is noted about this king is not his royalty but his humility. This king has left his place of glory to even come to Jerusalem, and he has come not to be exalted but to serve, even to suffer for his people.

  

The next verse of the prophecy reads thus:

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth (v. 10).

The people looked for their king to rule from seas to sea by conquering nations. And yet this prophecy says that he shall “speak peace to the nations.” His kingdom will spread, to be sure, even to the ends of the earth, but it shall spread by proclaiming his gospel of peace to all the nations. And that peace is first of all peace with God; only then does peace among men take hold.

It is all there in the prophecy that everyone thought they knew and understood. And the same errors are made today. For example, there is confusing the kingdom of God with the kingdom of the nation, in this case freeing the nation and even making Israel an empire. We can easily confuse the interests of God’s kingdom with those of our own nation. The interests of our nation have to do with personal liberties, prosperity, and so on, all of which may be good. Nevertheless, they are not the same as those of God’s kingdom – which is the spread of the gospel and turning unbelievers into disciples of Jesus Christ. There can even be confusion between God’s kingdom and the earthly church. We are concerned to gain members, to meet our budgets, and build facilities. Again, those may all well be good and serve God’s kingdom, but they may or may not be God’s plan for any particular church. What is his plan is for the gospel to spread and for us his people to grow in sanctification, i.e. in righteousness. To understand Jesus, we must keep our minds and hearts focused on the kingdom of God.

Another mistake is to focus on one aspect of Jesus to the neglect of the other. In this case it was him being a powerful deliverer from oppression. Jesus is a powerful deliverer, but his intent then and still remains that we be freed from the oppression of our own sin. The liberty he wins is the liberty from slavery of sin. Nor has he come to make us wealthy and prosperous in physical things, but rather to save us from our sins and to make us grow in righteousness. When we get a right understanding of his intent, we then can understand who he is and calibrate our desires with his.

One other critical mistake is misunderstanding the peace that Jesus brings. Again, the crowd expected peace in the sense of being freed from Roman control and the oppression of others. But the peace Jesus came to bring was not primarily peace from earthly troubles but peace with God. That is the peace that matters; that is the peace that determines our eternal destiny. And then that is the peace that leads to other areas – peace with ourselves, with others, and even with our troubles.

The upshot of it all is that the proper way to receive Jesus as king is to receive him according to his terms, not ours. Serve his kingdom not the kingdom that we imagine for ourselves. Take all of him, not part of him. Do not pick and choose what aspects you like about him. Do not determine what you will accept and not accept – the Jesus of love but not the Jesus of righteousness; the Jesus of forgiveness but not the Jesus who will judge; the Jesus who only wants pleasant things for me, not the Jesus who demands self-denial. The Jesus of acceptance, not the Jesus who dares speak of hell. Do not confuse true peace – reconciliation with the God whom we have offended; the adoption that makes us his sons and daughters; the assurance of our inheritance in glory – with temporal peace. We will have a measure of peace in this world, especially as we rest in this real peace of Christ. But there will be troubles. Christ did not come to resolve all the troubles of this world, but to have peace in the midst of those troubles.

And so, receive your King; receive the true King and his true kingdom.