04-05-2020 – Jesus’ Last Trip to Jerusalem Before His Death
04-05-2020
Jesus’ Last Trip to Jerusalem Before His Death
Matthew 21:1-17
Today we begin what is called Passion Week, for it was on a Sunday that Jesus
rode into Jerusalem. The Biblical narrative records many of the events of the
following days leading up to His death, as He shared God’s message of love and
forgiveness with those in and around Jerusalem on Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday’s narrative in the Gospel accounts is basically silent, for it seems
that Jesus stayed outside the city, resting, preparing for the next two very long
days.
Thursday was Passover, when Jesus taught His disciples that He would be God’s
Sacrificial Lamb, and that His blood, shed for them, would be the new Covenant.
On Friday, Jesus was arrested, and subsequently He was put to death on a
cross; at the end of the day, His body was taken down and placed in a tomb, where
it remained until Sunday morning, when Jesus came out of the tomb alive!
Next Friday I will share a message with you about the events that occurred
during Passion Week, on a day that we call Good Friday. But for today, let’s turn to
Matthew’s account (Matthew 21:1-17) of what occurred when Jesus entered
Jerusalem.
Read Matthew 21:1-7... Jesus and the 12 approached Jerusalem, coming to
the village of Bethphage, on the SE side of Olivet [Mt. of Olives], just east of
Jerusalem, a short distance from Bethany (home to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus).
Jesus sends two of His disciples into Bethphage to find a young donkey that is
tied there with its mother. The disciples find the donkey, and when they are asked
why they are untying the colt, they responded as Jesus had told them, and so
received permission from the owner untie it and bring it to Jesus.
The people in that area knew Jesus as “the Lord,” and His disciples as “the
Twelve," for they visited there many times during the time of Jesus’ ministry.
Look again at Matthew 21:4-5, “This took place to fulfill what was spoken
through the prophet: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to
you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of
burden.’” This prophecy had been proclaimed by Isaiah and Zechariah, and was
now being fulfilled:
Isaiah 62:11, “Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the
daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes; behold His reward is with Him, and His
recompense [punishment for the guilty] before Him.”
Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter
of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with
salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
Read Matthew 21:8-11... This display of praise and honor (on the part of the
people) was normally reserved for royalty, and was an ancient practice of showing
homage to a new king (2Kings 9:12-13). The people here are recognizing Jesus
as the long awaited Messiah, the King of the Jews (cf Matthew 2:1-2; 27:11).
The people in Jerusalem were excited, as is seen by their display of praise and
honor, even throwing down their outer garments and fresh cut branches (according
to John 12:13, these were palm branches). Note: That is why we call today Palm
Sunday. The people are directing their praise toward Jesus, expressing their hope
and desire for their Messiah-King to save them, to free them.
The people are shouting
(Matthew 21:9) “Hosanna! to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”
Hosanna comes from the words save and please, and so this is an expression of
desire, adoration, praise, and joy, it it comes from
Psalm 118:25-26, which says,
"O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from
the house of the LORD.”
Jesus' Hebrew name [Yeshua] means "God's salvation." The people call for
God’s Son, the Messiah [the Holy One] to save them. The Jews had been waiting
centuries for the Messiah to come, but they wrongly believed He would liberate
them from Roman [Gentile] oppression and prosper them; they didn’t understand
that He was coming to free them from the penalty of sin (as Jesus made clear
during His last Passover meal).
Matthew 26:26-28, “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a
blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My
body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying,
‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many for forgiveness of sins.’”
1Corinthians 11:23-26
Back to Matthew 21:10… Many of the people are asking, “Who is this?” And
yet, many seem to be aware (Matthew 21:11) that, “This is the prophet Jesus,
from Nazareth in Galilee.” Why the confusion (cf. Mark 4:35-41).
The OT foretells the arrival, the suffering, and the death of God's Son, the
Servant of God, the Messiah [Holy or Anointed One] Who fulfills God's purpose and
plan by providing forgiveness for sin and eternal life to all who will receive Him.
Zechariah 9:9… He will enter Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt.
Zechariah 11:12… He will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
Psalm 22:16… He will be pierced for our transgressions.
Psalm 16:10… He will rise from the dead.
He will ascend back into heaven.
Everything God said, happened just like He declared it would. His Word is
Divine and Sovereign Truth, bringing either the Reward of Eternal Life, or the
Judgement of Eternal Death, to all the people of the earth.
Read Matthew 21:12-13... Jesus enters the Temple and begins to clear out
all those who are desecrating the House of God.
The Outer Court of the temple had become a market place and stockyard;
worshippers had come long distances, some from outside of Israel, in order to offer
sacrifices and pay their temple tax. These believers in God were being forced to
pay high exchange rates (as foreign coins had to be exchanged for Jewish
currency); and also, high prices for sacrificial animals (which had to be approved by
the Priests, who were getting kickbacks from the market vendors).
The Outer Court, where all this was taking place, was for the Gentiles; they were
not allowed to enter any other part of the Temple, and so, this area was set apart
for Gentile converts to Judaism to pray and worship.
It is here that these vendors, under the supervision of the Jewish religious
leaders, had turned a place of prayer and worship into a robbers den, where
criminals were being protected by the Chief Priest and Teachers of the Law, who
should be arresting them and bringing them to judgment (cf. Jeremiah 7:11).
These Religious leaders were members of the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court of
Israel presided over by the High-Priest), it met daily in the Temple to pronounce
judgments in all matters of Jewish Law.
In Mark's narrative of this event we are told (Mark 11:17-18), He began to
teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of
prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.’ The chief priests
and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were
afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.”
The crowds had been amazed of Jesus teaching since the beginning of His
ministry (Mark 1:22), “They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching
them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Jesus’s words were the
words of God, not men!
Jesus taught as one with authority, where as, knowledge, like that held by the
scribes, doesn't equal authority; for authority is granted, not acquired.
Read Matthew 21:14-16... The blind and lame came to the Temple to beg
for money and to seek healing; they were ignored and despised by most people,
especially the religious leaders, who considered their infirmities and ailments to be
the result of sins either they or their parents committed.
The religious leaders showed very little, if any, mercy toward the poor and
afflicted; where as Jesus healed all who came to Him and and even received the
praise of children; this infuriated the religious leaders who had earlier (cf Matthew 12:24)
accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the devil.
Jesus condemns these self-righteous hypocrites (who are indignant that the
children are praising Him and He is receiving their praise). Jesus says to them,
“Yes; have you never read, i.e., don’t you teachers know what the prophets have
written (Psalm 8:2), ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have
prepared praise for Yourself’?”
God knew full-well that unbelieving mankind would reject His Son, that the Jews
would show contempt for Him, and that evil men would seek to kill Him; but
according to God’s sovereign plan, Jesus would lay down His own life as payment
for our sins (at the time He chooses), after which, He would rise from the grave (by
His own authority) proving He is both Lord and Savior, as we will study next week
(cf Isaiah 53:3-6; John 10:17-18).
The Jewish Religious Leaders and the majority of His own people (the Jews)
would not believe in or receive Jesus as their Messiah; for they were were waiting
for a Messiah-King to enter Jerusalem on a white stallion, a war horse, not a
donkey’s colt (a beast of burden). They wanted a Messiah who would destroy
Rome’s army, freeing Israel from Gentile rule, not this Jesus who allowed Himself to
be captured and crucified like a common criminal.
Read Matthew 21:17... Jesus came to offer full payment for the penalty of sin
and eternal life in heaven with God; but the Jews adamantly rejected Him and His
offer, and so Jesus “left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the
night there.”
Do you remember who lives in Bethany? Jesus’ dearest friends - Mary, Martha,
and Lazarus who Jesus had recently raised from the dead. Jesus left those who
rejected Him, in order to be with those who received Him, those who believed in His
name; and He continues to give Himself to anyone and everyone who trusts and
believes in Him for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
Only a born-again believer and follower of Christ is able to genuinely
understand, experience, and celebrate eternal life.
John 1:11-13, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive
Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the
will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 3:1-8, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that
You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do
unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus *said to
Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into
his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again.’ The wind blows
where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from
and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
So, as we begin Passion Week begins please consider the following:
When Peter was proclaiming the message of Christ to those in Jerusalem, on the
Day of Pentecost, the people realized that Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah, and
that they had rejected their only hope of salvation.
Acts 2:36-38, “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has
made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they
heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the
apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit, and each of you be baptized.’”
If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, asking God to forgive your sins and
save you, please consider doing that right now, right where you are; there is no
better time to make things right between you and God.
2Corinthians 6:2, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of
salvation I helped you. Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day
of salvation.’”
Admit to God that you are a sinner, for we all are (Romans 3:23).
Ask God to forgive your sins, for He loves you and He turns no one away
(Romans 5:8; 6:23; 10:13).
Confess Jesus as Lord, for He alone conquered Sin, Death, Judgement
(Romans 8:1; 10:9-10)
Demonstrate your New Life in Christ (2Corinthians 5:17)
1Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything
give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
If you belong to God through Christ, praise the Lord by telling others about Him.
(Matthew 28:16-20)
Let’s pray…
Pastor Mike
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