Introduction

Again, if you’re a new or returning visitor, my name is Devon Rossman. It’s a joy to have you here worshipping with us this morning. On Sunday mornings, we’ve been working through the life of Jesus, as it’s recorded in a part of the Bible called Mark. Now, keep in mind, most of Jesus’s life and ministry that we’ve read about – it’s taken place in a northern region in modern-Israel called Galilee. But as we’ve seen over the last few weeks, Jesus and his disciples have been on a journey. Jesus has been traveling from that northern region of Galilee, down south to the city of Jerusalem. And as Jesus arrives at Jerusalem – which for the Jews, was the ancient city of kings – as Jesus comes to Jerusalem, he deliberately presents himself – not merely as a good man or a Jewish rabbi – but he comes as a figure of royal importance (riding a donkey, with a royal welcome). So let’s consider how this shows up in our text. If you haven’t already, please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Mark, Chapter 11. I’ll be reading the first eleven verses of Mark 11, starting at verse 1. You can follow along as I read, but before I do, let’s ask for the Holy Spirit of God to do his good work among us during the reading and preaching of God’s Word. Let’s pray:

[Pray and Read Text]

A Royal Welcome

In April, earlier this year, King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla – they made an official visit to the United States. And for quite a while, it’s been normal for presidents to give special honor to visiting dignitaries. And so as the head of state, the King and his wife were given a royal welcome in Washington DC. They were provided with special guards to provide them with a motorcade escort to the Presidential home. And when they arrived on the South Lawn of the White House, they were welcomed with a military band, a red carpet, and a 21-gun salute. The president and first lady were personally there to receive them. And the follow festivities included a lavish banquet, and a special gala event in New York City. I don’t think I would get welcomed like this if I showed up at the White House. This is a royal welcome reserved for an elite group of world leaders.

And as we look to our text, we see that Jesus is received into Jerusalem with a special welcome that’s similarly extravagant. And you might expect that Jesus would be uncomfortable with this. After all, on multiple occasions earlier in Mark, after Jesus has healed people, he’s urged them to keep the matter to themselves. Jesus hasn’t been seeking fame or celebrity status. And so in this case, too, you might expect Jesus to ask the crowds to quiet down, to not make such a big deal. Certainly, if Jesus were nothing more than a messenger from God, or a moral teacher – he’d step in, and explain that the crowds are mistaken. He’d tell these people that they’re coming to the wrong conclusion about who he is.

But Jesus doesn’t do that. He doesn’t downplay his personal significance here. In fact, the events laid out in our text show us that Jesus actually embraces his royal identity. We’re supposed to understand that indeed, God’s appointed King has come to us. And the king he has sent is the incredible figure we’ve seen throughout the book of Mark. Jesus Christ – both truly human and truly divine – is ruler over the winds and over the waves of the sea. He wields authority over disease and death, over angels and demons. Whatever he decrees, it comes to pass. And every wise word he says – it proves true. Jesus has already been exercising his kingship, and now as he enters the royal city, he publicly acknowledges it. Jesus is king. He’s worthy of our reverence, wonderful in his power, and watchful in his governance.

And as we work through our text, I want to point out six ways that Jesus’s kingship is exhibited here.

Jesus Commands His Disciples

So here’s number one: We see his kingship, in that Jesus commands his disciples. In verse 1, we’re told that “they” – (Jesus and his disciples) – “drew near to Jerusalem. And as they approached Jerusalem from the east they came to the villages of Bethany and Bethphage, around the Mount of Olives. And at this point, they would have been very close to the end of their journey – only about a mile away. So given that Jesus and his disciples had already been journeying on foot for about 100 miles, they were basically on the home stretch. They only had about 1% of the trip to go.

And yet as Jesus and his disciples get near to Jerusalem, Jesus stops. And he gives instructions – he essentially commands two of his disciples to go ahead of him for a special task. We see this in verse 2: “…he said to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it, and bring it. If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.”’”

Now, it may seem strange that Jesus would command two of his disciples to do this. Why does he even need a donkey? He’s so close to the city? And Jesus could easily just do this himself! He could have gone into the village to get this little colt – this young donkey. He could have answered questions from people in town better than these two disciples.

And yet given the context, here – at least part of Jesus’s goal in this was likely to exercise and exhibit his authority. He understands that it’s appropriate – even necessary – for him to enter Jerusalem as a royal figure. And so he calls his followers, he gives them tasks to do, he gives them words to say, and he sends them out. It shows his kingship. Likewise, when Jesus commands you and me, and sends us out – he puts us in a position where we can give evidence of his kingship, too. Our obedience to him his one of the key ways that we visibly testify to the authority and goodness of Jesus and his commands. So this is the first demonstration of Jesus’s kingship we see in our text – he commands his disciples.

Jesus Calls Himself Lord

You can also see, though that Jesus exhibits his kingship another way. He calls himself Lord. Because notice – as he sends his disciples into the village, to untie and bring that young donkey – he tells them that if someone asks what they’re doing, they should respond, The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately. And so notice, Jesus describes himself with that honorific title, of Lord. Jesus is the one in need of the donkey. And Jesus is the one who will send the donkey back promptly when he’s done. He’s calling himself the Lord, here.

So what does that word mean? What’s the significance of it? Well, the title Lord (or kyrios in the original Greek) was actually used somewhat frequently among the Jews in Jesus’s day. It was a respectful way to address someone. If you called someone Lord – this was similar to calling someone sir, or mister. And usually calling someone Lord also indicated that the person being addressed had some sort of higher social status. Perhaps they had servants, or were landowners, or were respected teachers.

And so at first, that Jesus’s instructions may not seem all that surprising. On account of his teaching and his miracles, most people would have considered him a person of honor, a person to address as Lord.

But keep in mind, in our text, this word isn’t being used by someone else, to greet Jesus in a polite way. But Jesus is applying this title to himself, which was virtually unheard of in those days. It didn’t fit the social etiquette, to describe yourself with this status. And yet Jesus tells his disciples, the owners of this donkey should consider me to be Lord.

Now, my guess is the owners of the young donkey – they would have thought of themselves as the Lord or master of that animal, much in the same way that we often view our possessions as being ours. I was given it, I worked for it, I earned it – it’s mine. And yet Jesus sends word to them, to assert that he is the master – not only over this little animal, but he’s a Lord of far greater glory and importance.

In fact, the statement Jesus makes is especially bold. Because he doesn’t just indicate that a Lord has need of the donkey. The disciples aren’t even instructed to say that my Lord has this need. But the disciples are told to refer to Jesus as ‘the Lord.’ Do you hear how that puts Jesus in his own category, at his own level? He says that he’s the Lord. He’s the guy that should be universally recognized as being distinct from and honored over every other leader and landowner. He’s the supreme Lord, not only over that one donkey colt, but over all the people, and over all their possessions. If he points at us, if he points at our children, if he points at our possessions – and if he says, the Lord has need of that, he won’t ever be asking for something that isn’t rightfully his. Because Jesus doesn’t hide it anymore – he’s coming to Jerusalem as God’s chosen king. In fact, he’s coming as the LORD God himself, in human flesh, to rescue and rule over his people for their good.

And, I can’t help but find it interesting that even on this little mission to get a donkey, the Lordship of Jesus is part of the message that his disciples are sent out with. Because this is also true for us. Jesus’s Lordship is part of our message. Or at least, it should be. I think sometimes we’re tempted to downplay Jesus’s authority. Because culturally, people don’t want to have someone in charge over them. And even for us – I think we sometimes have a hard time understanding and explaining why the special authority of Jesus over us is such good news. But having Jesus as our king is the only way we can enduring hope for the future. With Jesus as our King, we share in his victory over sin and death. His royal power is what secures everlasting favor with God for us. And under his kingship, we have his protection. We enjoy the prosperity of his wise rules, as we embrace them in obedience. And we have eternal life and glory in his kingdom guaranteed to us – because his power and kingship will never end.

So when we place our confidence in Jesus – he isn’t a political campaign of empty promises. But the kingship of Jesus delivers even better things than we know to ask for. Jesus wants you to hear the news, that he is the Lord – and that the Lord of heaven and earth has come for you – not to bring you grief, but to bring you into true goodness and glory!

Jesus Correctly Speaks about the Future (Concerning the Donkey)

But in addition to Jesus calling himself the Lord, he points out his special authority a third way. Jesus correctly speaks about the future. This is my third point. Jesus correctly speaks about the future. You’ll notice, after Jesus gives his instructions to his disciples, verse 4 says, “And they went away and found a cold tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.” [Remember, this is just what Jesus said they would find.]. And in the next couple verses, the people around on the street – they ask the disciples what they’re doing. “Why are you untying the colt?” But Jesus’s disciples respond as he told them to. “The Lord has need of it and will send it back.” And just as Jesus indicated, that response that they give is sufficient, and they disciples are allowed to bring the donkey colt to Jesus.

And so in these verses, we see evidence that Jesus was operating with special knowledge. He was discerning the donkey’s location and the unfolding of future events in a way that clearly involved supernatural activity. Now, the exact mechanism of how Jesus’s mind was filled with this spiritual knowledge – it’s not explained in the text here. But what we’re supposed to be certain of from all this is that Jesus is divinely authorized. His kingliness isn’t just his idea. It’s not just an idea endorsed by his disciples, or a large subsection of the Jewish community. He isn’t just making things up. But Jesus is clearly acting with heaven’s blessing, here, as he arranges for his regal entry into Jerusalem. The miracle of his foreknowledge is given as divine proof that Jesus’s kingship is legitimate! Jesus correctly speaks about the future.

Jesus Carries Out Royal Prophecy (Humble and Mounted on a Donkey)

But I’d say that the fourth display of Jesus’s kingship that we see in our text is especially convincing. Because as he approaches Jerusalem, what we see is that Jesus carries out royal prophecy. This is my fourth point. Jesus carries out royal prophecy.

In verse 7, the two disciples of Jesus bring the donkey colt to Jesus. And after putting their cloaks on the donkey for some padding, Jesus sat on the donkey. And even though he’s done just fine walking that 100-mile journey from Galilee so far. For some reason, Jesus rides this little donkey that last mile or so, up to Jerusalem. And this is the way that Jesus enters the city of kings.

Now, from our perspective, living in the 21^st century, this may seem a bit strange. But riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was profoundly significant, in a way that many Jews in Jesus’s day would have recognized. For one thing, the Jews historically would have associated riding on donkeys and mules with royalty – with people of high status. Arguably, the most famous king in Jewish history was King David. He was the one who defeated the giant Goliath. He was the father of the Jewish royal family. And keep in mind, God had made a big promise to David, that one of his descendants would be raised up to rule as king forever. So David is an important figure. And, of course, one of the ways that David displayed his kingship, is he rode a mule. As you may know, a mule is similar to a donkey. But it’s a cross-breed between donkeys and horses. So having a steed like this – it was a sign of royalty.

David’s sons also rode mules. We see evidence of that in 2 Samuel 13(:29). And when Solomon is crowned king after his father David, the transition of kingship is demonstrated, in part, by David giving Solomon his mule to ride (1 Kings 1:33). So riding this type of animal was associated with status and royalty. And this is even seen in the kingly line of David.

But beyond that comparison – Jesus’s action here is even more significant because it fulfills a prophecy made by the prophet Zechariah. Keep your finger here in Mark – but you may want to turn to Zechariah, Chapter 9. Just some brief context, here: God sent this prophet, Zechariah, when there was no longer a son of David ruling as King. The Jewish kingdom had been destroyed by Babylon. And the future of the Jews seemed really uncertain. But into that uncertainty, God spoke. And in Zechariah Chapter 9, verse 9, he promised to send his king to restore his people. He said, “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.”

So from the days of Zechariah onward, the Jews had been waiting for a king like this to appear. Remember, they were waiting for the great descendant of King David – the one who would rule over an everlasting kingdom.

And as Jesus climbed onto the back of this small donkey – not a normal, full-grown donkey, but this young donkey colt – and as he rode up to Jerusalem, Jesus carried out this prophecy. “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.” It’s just as the prophet Zechariah predicted!

Jesus doesn’t come on a war horse, but he comes riding an animal of peace. He comes as royalty on a donkey. And he doesn’t come here in vengeance. He doesn’t come boasting, or seeking his own comfort and prosperity. (Though most kings would come like this). But – very importantly – Jesus comes humble, as a suffering servant. He uniquely comes as a righteous representative for humanity, bringing salvation to a ruined people. The word of God, here, proves true yet again. Jesus’s kingship is exhibited as he carries out this royal prophecy.

Jesus Comes, Heralded as the Blessed Savior & King (Riding the Donkey Colt into Jerusalem)

And as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, we see clear evidence that many people recognized who he was. Because as Jesus comes, he’s heralded by the crowds as their blessed Savior and King. And this is the fifth way that Jesus’s kingship is affirmed in our text. This is my fifth point: Jesus comes, heralded as the blessed savior and king.

Because as Jesus is carried along toward the city on the back of this young colt, there are many others traveling on the road who take notice of him. Now, as a brief side note, the reason why the road has so many travelers is because Jesus and his disciples were coming to Jerusalem during a major holiday time. It was right ahead of a large Jewish feast, the feast of Passover. And so thousands and thousands of Jews would travel from all over to come to the great city for this. So many of those travelers are on the road with Jesus here. And as they behold Jesus on his donkey – as they recognize that Jesus is making a grand entry into Jerusalem, everyone gets excited. And many of the people strip off their cloaks, to lay down on the road in front of him. Many of the Jews strip leafy branches off of palm trees and begin laying them on the road, too. Of course, this is why the Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday – it’s because of this event. The people went all out to prepare the way for their king.

It’s kind of like at weddings, when there’s a special runner that gets pulled out along the whole length of the main aisle right before the bride comes. And then sometimes the flower girls will sprinkle rose petals on the ground to adorn the ground, to make way for that grand arrival.

And yet here, for the arrival of Jesus, the scene is even more dramatic! Palm trees along the road are essentially being hacked down. The road is covered with leaves and people’s wool garments. People are running through the street half-dressed. And everyone is shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” It’s obvious that the people in our text are excited.

And yet it’s probably a little less obvious what, exactly, the people are saying. Because the word Hosanna isn’t really an English word. Certainly, it’s not one that we use all that often. In fact, even though the New Testament was written in Greek, Hosanna isn’t even a Greek word. But this was a Hebrew word that the people were chanting. And Hosanna means something like “Save us please! Save us now!” And so consider again what the people were shouting, “Please save us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Save us in the highest” (which essentially means save us with the resources of heaven).

It might seem that these Jews have a surprising amount of clarity, regarding Jesus’s identity and mission. And yet there’s good reason to believe that these Jews didn’t quite see the full picture. The majority of the Jews at this time – the salvation they were looking for was merely a political salvation. They wanted to be saved from the Roman Empire, and to have their own Jewish kingdom again. And with the arrival of Jesus, the Son of David, they assumed his mission was simply to save them from the Romans and to reestablish a Jewish kingdom from his throne in Jerusalem.

And yet, Jesus’s mission was to bring a fuller salvation. He came to save his people from their own darkness and sin. He came to rescue his people from the accusations and temptations of the devil. He came to save us from the death penalty we deserved for our crimes against God. And ultimately, Jesus came to save us into a better kingdom, a kingdom of light – a kingdom that’s preserved in heaven for us, but that even now is breaking into the hearts of men, women, and children as they trust the Lordship of Jesus, and are filled by His Spirit. This is the salvation that we most earnestly need. And we can be certain of this, because this is why Jesus was arriving at Jerusalem, here. This is the salvation that Jesus came to accomplish.

I think there are a lot of people who get interested in Jesus in the same way the Jewish crowds did. They can tell that he’s from God – he’s coming in the name of the Lord. And they even acknowledge that they want Jesus to save them. And yet – here’s the problem – they don’t see what Jesus has come to save them from! They simply want Jesus to save them from a hard marriage. Or they just want Jesus to save them from their feelings of anxiety, or from a drug addiction, or from a bad financial situation. But if this hasn’t quite registered for you yet, Jesus wants you to see that what you need to be saved from most, is you need to be saved from yourself – from your selfish desires, from your apathy toward God, and from your stubborn pride. If you haven’t looked to Christ to save you from those things before – then take these words from the Jewish crowd in our text – because these are good words to say before King Jesus. “Hosanna! – please save me. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord – blessed are you Jesus! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David (Jesus I want your leadership and power in my life). Jesus, save me with the resources of heaven! Hosanna in the highest.” It’s a good prayer.

And in these words, even though the Jews perhaps spoke better than they knew, they were right in their words, and they were right in their worship. And for you and I, as we know who Jesus is with even greater clarity, how much more should we call to Jesus like this. In this section of Mark, the identity of Jesus as our Blessed Savior and King is held out to us, for our faith, for our confidence.

Jesus Considers the Spiritual Condition of His People

But I want to point out one more way that Jesus’s kingship is exhibited here in our text. And this is my sixth and final point. We see it in the way that Jesus considers the spiritual condition of his people. That’s my sixth point: Jesus considers the spiritual condition of his people. Because look with me at verse 11. “And he [Jesus], entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve (the twelve disciples).”

You can see here, there aren’t many details in this verse. It simply says that Jesus went to the temple, and looked around, and he left. And yet even in this very simple statement, Mark gives us a few important pieces of information. First, Mark takes the time to tell us what Jesus did right after his grand entry into the city. He went to the temple.

Now, for the ordinary Jew, going to the temple would have been a sign of religious devotion. Certainly, we could also say that Jesus was expressing his reverent love for God the Father through doing this. And yet there’s more to the story here, just as Jesus’s donkey ride had greater significance, too. This arrival of Jesus at the temple is likely intended to be a fulfillment of Malachi 3:1. Because midway through that verse, we’re told, “And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” Of course, Jesus has already identified himself as the Lord – he is the Lord and King that the people have been seeking. And how does he confirm it? By suddenly coming to his temple.

And Mark goes out of his way to tell us what Jesus does when he comes to his temple. We’re told that Jesus looks around. It may seem like Mark isn’t being very descriptive, here. But he’s telling us what we need to know – namely, that when Jesus came to the temple, he looked at what was going on there. He was inspecting the temple site. And you can be certain – his primary concern wasn’t just to check in on the physical condition of the temple walls, and the temple furnishings, but far more importantly – he was assessing the spiritual condition of his people.

Now aside from seeing this glimpse of Jesus’s attentiveness to his people, and his people’s accountability to him – there’s not much more that happens here. And that’s because, as Mark tells us in the text, it’s late in the day. It’s too late in the day for Jesus to take action on what he sees. And he’s not going to be impulsive. So Jesus heads off to the village of Bethany, where he’ll spend the night with his disciples. But this builds a certain level of suspense here. Because we’re supposed to wonder – what did Jesus see? When he inspected the worship of his people, what issues did he, perhaps, notice? And when a new day comes, what will King Jesus do?

And as we see Jesus’s attentiveness to the spiritual condition of his people – there’s a question here for you and me. If Jesus were to look around your life – if he were to come and see the condition of your worship, what would he find there? Do you understand the gravity of your crimes against God? Do grieve over your selfishness, over the ways that your words and actions have hurt people in your family – people at work? Friends, are you calling out to King Jesus saying, “Please save me”? Because that’s what he’s come to do! The Lord Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. He came to carry your guilt and blame all the way to the cross for you. To die for you – to show his love for you, and to bring eternal life to you!

I hope you can see – this is a King worth praising! – a king to be honored – a king to be worshipped. Is this the way you view Jesus each day? If he were to look around at our spiritual condition, what would he find in our church in Mt Pleasant, MI? What would he see in you? Let’s pray.