The greatest week in human history begins...

“Behold, Your King is Coming to You”

(Matthew 21:1-9, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 24, 2008)

Matthew 21:1-9 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth-phage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ⁵ "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

Introduction – What kind of King, what kind of Kingdom?

The events recorded beginning in Chapter 21 through the end of Matthew’s gospel tell in significant detail the story of the most important week in human history. It should not surprise us that this week is unusual both in the events that take place and especially in the momentous impact of these events. The reason we should not be surprised is that the person at the center of the story, while a King, is a most uncommon King, and the kingdom that He brings is very different from every other kingdom that man has ever know.

This one week was an astounding triumph, yet at the very core of these days we have two very unusual events. The first is the death of our King on the cross, and the second is the resurrection of this same Man from the grave on the third day. What makes this all so amazing is that we have never seen a man that seemed so horribly powerless and so supremely powerful at the same time. That mystery of powerful powerlessness is all over the passages that tell us what took place in Jerusalem, as the ministry of the Law, that could only bring death, came to a close, and a new age of resurrection life by the Spirit was born. Over and over again in these chapters we see a Man who is completely in charge of everything that is happening and yet over and over we see that this same Man seems to be the victim of evil forces at work all around Him. The key to the mystery of this powerful King is that He exercised the height of His power in His willingness to be a humble victim for our sakes. Can you respect a king like that?

The Lord (1-3)

Jesus was going to Jerusalem. He knew very well what awaited Him there, and He had told His disciples about this three times. He was willingly heading into trouble. The time had come for this. Luke 9:51 says, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

When they arrive at a village near Jerusalem, Jesus sends two of His disciples on an errand. We will see that He was intending to make a visual statement of His identity by His plan to fulfill the Scriptures in the way that He would arrive into Jerusalem. Securing these animals may not seem like very much to do, but think about the facts here. How did Jesus know that the two disciples would find a donkey and a colt as soon as they entered the village? How did He know how the owner would react to the animals being taken away? How were the disciples even willing to do such a thing? It was a bold thing for the disciples to say “The Lord needs them.” The word “Lord” was God’s title over and over again in the Bible. While that word can simply mean an owner, it would be obvious to the owner of the animals that this Lord was not the owner of the animals. Imagine going up to people, taking their possessions and telling them that the Lord told you to do it since He needed them. How did Jesus know that would work?

Some have suggested that there is no miracle here at all, that Jesus may have had some arrangement with a friend in the village. Even if this were the case, of which we have no indication, this is only the beginning of a bigger drama. How did He know how the people would react to the events that are described in these verses? What if Jesus simply rides in on an animal and no one else does anything. That seems inconceivable, of course, because it appears so obvious that Jesus is confidently in charge of all of these events as One who is well aware of what He is doing, and completely convinced that everyone will play their part according to the divine plan. There is no panic here, just the first confident step in the events that will unfold in these chapters at the end of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus knew with divine certainty and authority, about the cleansing of the temple, about the institution of the Lord’s Supper, about his betrayal, arrest, trial, and death. Jesus knew with divine certainty and authority that He would lay down His life for us, and that He would pick it up again by rising from the dead. Jesus is Lord, and He is in charge of this week.

Your Humble King (4-5)

The Lord came into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a beast of burden. This was very deliberate. It was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy from Zechariah 9.

Zechariah 9:9-10 ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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.

The prophet was speaking of a new day that would come. It would be a day of great rejoicing for God’s people. It would be a day of salvation and of peace, peace not only for Jerusalem, but peace for the nations far and wide, even to the ends of the earth. The way that people would know that the day had come would be through the return of the Davidic king riding on the colt of a donkey.

It is hard for us to understand what it would mean to the people to have a descendant of David reigning again as King. It had been centuries since there was a true King in Jerusalem. The righteous had been longing for His coming. According to Zechariah, He would be a man of peace, not coming into Jerusalem on a war horse, but riding as a king might ride when he came in peace. This king would have a word of peace for the whole world. He is said to be humble. The last kings of Judah were not humble. They were proud and brutal men who defied the word of the Lord, and brought great trouble upon the land. This new King would be different.

Just how humble would the new King be? Though equal with God, He would come as a lowly man. He would be willing to make Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and He would be obedient, even to the point of death. He would die on a cross, and through this death He would secure the promised peace of Zechariah 9. It would be this death of our humble King that would be preached to the nations as a word of peace and salvation for the world.

Hosanna (6-9)

All of this went according to plan. Jesus began this momentous week by riding into Jerusalem as had been prophesied. The crowd would play the part they had for this day. How can that be explained? By God’s power, at least for this day, they were made to see Him as the promised Son of David, and they rejoiced.

The part that our sovereign Lord had for the crowd included some more details, as well as another important passage from the Old Testament, and one very important word from that passage.

First, a few extra details: This was a large crowd. Many of them put their garments in the street before Him. Others cut branches from the tree and spread these on the road. All of this was a show of honor before the King. There were crowds in front of Him and behind Him. Of course Jesus had a reputation based on His miracles and His teaching, but it would appear in the verses following this text that many in the city were unaware of the Lord’s identity. The crowd identifies Him as Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet from Galilee. Can anyone explain how this all happened except by the plan and power of God?

Next, the crowd seems to spontaneously take up a most unexpected passage from the Bible. It is the time of the Passover, so it is not that amazing that Psalm 118 would be on their minds. It was regularly sung in preparation for the Passover. Nonetheless, it is surprising in this setting. I am going to read a larger section of the Psalm that the people were quoting.

Psalm 118:19-29 ¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. ²¹ I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. ²² The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ²³ This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴ This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. ²⁵ Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! ²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. ²⁷ The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! ²⁸ You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. ²⁹ Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

The crowd, surely without understanding what they are doing, were quoting from a Psalm that identified Jesus as the stone that the builders rejected which had now become the cornerstone – the beginning of the new kingdom. The way that this would happen was through the sacrifice offered up to God. Jesus would be this sacrifice. How did they come to speak these words?

Finally, the crowd is saying one important word from this psalm, “Hosanna.” This word means “Save us now!” This is what the King has come to do. He would save people far and near by being a sacrifice for sin. Through His death and resurrection He laid the cornerstone for a holy temple, His kingdom, the church. The word of peace that comes to men through His death has gone forth to the nations. Jesus is very powerful in his willingness to submit to a humble powerlessness. With perfect confidence and certainty He gave us an amazing beginning to the most important week in history. Do not miss this week, this word of peace, this kingdom, and especially this King.

Questions for meditation and discussion:

1. What do you find to be unusual about the procuring of the animals in the first verses in this chapter?

2. What do we learn about the coming King from Zechariah 9?

3. If we look at Psalm 118 in its entirety, how does it add to our understanding of these events?

4. Why were the crowds shouting “Hosanna,” and how might they have misunderstood how Jesus would save?