 Today we're going to be looking at Palm Sunday. We're going to look at it from chapter 21 here in Matthew's Gospel. So I'll begin reading at verse 1. I'll read to verse 11 and we'll get into our study. We're looking at the triumphal entry, also called Palm Sunday. So it begins here in verse 1, Matthew 21, where Matthew writes at verse 1, Now, when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, And Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, Going to the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say the Lord has need of them and immediately he will send them. Now, all this was done that might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them and set him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And 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. And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved saying, Who is this? So the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. Now, as is my normal way of doing things, I'll share a few things to give us a bit of a context and then develop it and get into our passage before us. So we're looking at what has been called the triumphal entry. It's also called Palm Sunday. And this is the last major public appearance that Jesus makes before his crucifixion. This particular event is recorded in all four of the gospels here in Matthew 21 as well as Mark 11 and Luke 19 and John chapter 12. It occurs in his last week, but it actually is concluding a journey that he had begun earlier. Luke tells us in chapter nine of his gospel, verse 51, as the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And so before Jesus entered Jerusalem, he's passing through Jericho. I'm going to begin with that. He passes through Jericho as he's moving on his way to Jerusalem. We'll look at Bethany and Bethphesian in just a moment. But I want to start at where he's at in Jericho. Luke 19 tells us that he entered and passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. And Jericho is about 15 to 18 miles just to the north and a bit to the east of the city of Jerusalem. Jericho was on the main road. And being on the main road, they would have many publicans or tax gatherers who would be there. They would collect taxes. And so as Jesus was entering into Jericho, there was a tax gatherer. His name was Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus had sought to see Jesus. Now, he was what is called a chief tax collector. That means that he held a high office. Chief tax gatherers would hire people to collect the taxes. And they were known for one thing. They were known for greed. Zacchaeus was the head of the entire tax district of Jericho and its vicinity. And that would mean that he would be well known. In other words, he had what would be called fame or name recognition. So he had what a lot of people want, even if it comes in a way that isn't flattering. His name was known by many people. He was famous. He was well known in that area. He was also very rich. But he was hated because Zacchaeus was becoming rich off of his own people. Rome would make demands of a certain percentage. They would receive a certain amount of tax for certain things. And anything that the tax gatherer could reap in that was above what Rome had stated became theirs. And so this man had become rich off of his own people. And he was greatly hated by them. But being a rich man, he was accustomed to have anything he wanted. He was accustomed to satisfy any material desire that he might have. And when you think about that, even today, the idea that you would have enough money to satisfy whatever need or desire you might have, then it's something we all understand. There are some people who have a lot of money. Some people who have a little money. Some people who have very little. But then there are the exorbitant rich. Those who have so much money, they don't really know what to do with it. Zacchaeus had an awful lot of money. He was somebody who had a good amount of money. He was somebody that was capable of meeting any material desire that he had. But his wealth made him, we'll say, comfortable. But his wealth had never given him contendedness. Money gave him an advantage. But money could not bring a soul satisfaction. It's been said that material wealth is a terrible master because it makes promises that it cannot fulfill. And when pursuing riches is a passion, it becomes exhausting. In Proverbs 23, 4, and 5, the writer says, don't exhaust yourself acquiring wealth. Be smart enough to stop. When you fix your gaze on it, it's gone for it sprouts wings for itself and flies to the sky like an eagle. You know, the more you have, the quicker it goes sometimes. And when gaining finances becomes your master passion, you'll never be satisfied. Every man, every woman has a master passion. You have what it is inside of you that drives you to achieve, and you're willing to give up anything to get that, whether it's recognition, whether it's money, whether it's popularity of some sort, whatever it may be. Many people are willing to give up almost anything, and some have given up everything so they can acquire that thing that they desire. And when gaining finances is your master passion, you'll never be satisfied. Somebody once said, man is the only animal whose desires increase as they are fed. He is the only animal that is never satisfied, and there's truth to that. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5 verse 10, and he would know he was the richest man on the face of the earth at that time. In Ecclesiastes 5, 10, he said whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. And that's true. The eyes of men, the proverb says, are never satisfied. When Jesus was speaking concerning this, Jesus made it clear. He said your treasure ought to be stored in heaven, because he said where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Now when he said that in Matthew chapter 6, he went on to say in Matthew 6 verse 24, no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you'll be devoted to the one and despise the other. He went on to say you cannot serve both God and money. You can't do it. They're mutually exclusive. You will have one master passion, and Jesus said make sure that it's God. Now this man was very rich, but very empty, and he wanted to see Jesus. Again, money and fame had not satisfied his spiritual needs, so he sought out Jesus. There was a saint in the early church named Augustine, and he said our heart is restless until it rests in you. Now it's possible that he had heard that Jesus was a friend of publicans and sinners. There was a time when Jesus had gone to a meal, and while he was there, there were sinful people there, and the Pharisees and other religious people who saw that were very upset about Jesus dining with them, even asking the question, why does your master eat with these sinners? And Jesus said, well, those who are well don't have a need for a physician, but those who are sick are the ones who need it. He didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And so Jesus had relationships with people, drawing them to himself, and it's possible that this man, Zacchaeus, had heard that Christ is a friend of publicans and sinners, and it would have provoked him possibly to search out Jesus for answers. Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 29-13, you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. And there's Zacchaeus. He's very short, couldn't see over the crowd. We know the story. He knew that Jesus was about to pass by. He wanted to see him, and because he wanted to see Jesus, he made an effort to do so. He climbed a tree. In Luke 19, verse five, it says, when Jesus came to the place he looked up and saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste, come down, for today I must stay at your house. What I want you to note is that Jesus knew where he was, Jesus knew who he was, and Jesus knew what he needed. And so he says, come down. Now as often happens, people were upset that Jesus actually paid attention to him. Luke 19-7 says, when they saw it, they all complained. They murmured greatly, saying, he's gone to be the guest with a man who is a sinner. Jesus showing compassion to someone they hated caused them to turn on him. Now the complaint didn't come just from the religious people, no, it came from the entire crowd because this man became rich off the backs of his own people and they despised him for it. And they don't want him to come to Christ. I was thinking about that. Have you ever gotten angry because somebody you hated got saved? Oh, Lord Jesus, I pray for everybody for that one. May he go to hell in your name, amen. I say it double. Have you ever? I have. I'll be honest with you. As an early believer, I thought, man, everybody gets saved except that one, Jesus. Let them burn. And let them burn for a long time in your name, amen. You know, I remember a woman who was very bitter because her husband and she had gotten a divorce and after the divorce, he had gotten right with the Lord and met another woman and got married and was happy. And I still remember speaking to this particular woman who said, it's just not fair, it's just not fair. There are people who get bitter when your life is better. And so that's what's taking place here. You're seeing this take place and they're unhappy that he's actually going to the house of this man who's actually been able to afford that house through their tax dollars and so upset about it. And so Jesus responds to this in Luke 19, he said at verse 10, the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. That's why he came, to seek and to save. Zacchaeus heard that he was coming into town. Zacchaeus made an effort to see him climb the tree and look down upon him. Jesus stops, looks up, says, I need to have a meal with you. I'm going to come to your house today. The people over here all of this, they get upset. He's gone to the house of a sinner and then Jesus makes it very clear. That's why I came. I came to seek and I came to save that which is lost, which I'm blessed by God to be able to say that's what he did with me. That's what he did with us. He came to seek us out and he found us and he saved us. In Romans 4.25, it speaks of Jesus being delivered over to death for our sins that he was raised to life for our justification. And so Jesus has been coming. He went through Jericho and he's on his way to another village. It's called Bethphase. Notice verse 1 here in chapter 21 as he's come in. It says, they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphase at the Mount of Olives. And Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, going to the village opposite you and immediately you'll find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Loose them, bring them to me and if anyone says anything to you, you shall say the Lord is need of them and immediately he will send them. And so Jesus is entering into Bethphase. It's a small village directly opposite another city or another village called Bethany. In John 11 verse 8 it says that Bethany was located about two miles outside to the northeast of the city of Jerusalem. He and his men are in an area that is called the Mount of Olives, just outside and just east of the city walls. Jesus is now moving to accomplish the task that his father sent him to. He's about to lay down his life in order that he might reveal God's love and mercy to sinful man. In John 10 verses 14 and 15 he had said, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep. My sheep know me just as a father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep. Well, he stops just before entering into Jerusalem at the small village of Bethphase. Now there's excitement. You have to see this in your mind's eye for a moment. There's excitement in the crowd. You see Jesus is coming from the Jericho region as mentioned, 15 up to 18 miles or so as he's coming out of that region and he administered to a man there by the name of Zacchaeus, but he also had performed a miracle that he had restored the sight to two men who were blind, Bartimaeus is one of them, and he had done this amazing miracle. It was so amazing that the people began to just have enthusiastic excitement at this man who has done this incredible work and as Jesus has left and is moving on down, he's already gathered a crowd and there are people already who are on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and all, and so they're all kind of gathering together and there's a large cluster of people and there's an excitement. In Bethany recently, Jesus had raised a man by the name of Lazarus from the dead. And there would have been again this amazing enthusiasm in that region because here's the man who is a miracle worker, here is a man who healed the eyes of the blind, here is a man who raises the dead to life and so they're all just lined up and excited. There are people following along in the trail of this parade, if you will, and so they begin to draw near to Jerusalem. It says in verse one that they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and so they're approaching Jerusalem. And as they do so, Jesus now sends out two of his disciples, they go out on an errand and I want you to notice that by this, Jesus is initiating the events that are leading to his entrance into Jerusalem and by doing this, he's also initiating the events that result in his crucifixion. Verse two tells us that he gives a very simple command, go into the village opposite you, go into Bethany, you're going to find a donkey tied and a colt with her, loose them, he says and bring them. Now up to this point in Matthew's gospel especially, Jesus has been discouraging any kind of public honor. He's been discouraging it. In Matthew chapter eight, verse four, for example, he had cleansed a leper and Jesus said to him, see that you tell no one, go your way, show yourself to the priest, offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them. Don't tell anyone. In chapter 16, verse 20, Peter had just made his confession of faith, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God, while they were in a place called Caesarea Philippi. And after he had made that confession, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. Later in chapter 17, verse nine, after Jesus was transfigured, the transfiguration that's recorded there in chapter 17. As they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, tell the vision to no one until the son of man is risen from the dead. So he's been saying to the people, he's been saying to his disciples, don't say anything, but now they are. Now why would he want to keep it silent for a while? Jesus had healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath and it had caused great anger and it had become well known by this time that they wanted to put him to death. You see that in John 5, 17, and 18. In John 7, verse one, it says, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, Galilee is to the north, for he did not want to walk in Judea, which is in the south, because he said the Jews, the Jewish authorities, the Jews sought to kill him. And so he knows that his life is in jeopardy. He knows that, but he wants to come in in the city and he wants to make sure he does it in a way that protects everybody and achieves a goal that he has. And so it's time for his mission to be concluded that he's been sent on. And so he gives to his men, his disciples an order, again in verse two, it says, going to the village opposite you, you're going to find a donkey. He said there that is tied and a colt with her, loose them and bring them, he says, to me. So knowing that this is taking place, he sends two of his disciples and gives them a very simple order. The enemies of Christ are plotting to arrest him. John 11, 57 says both the chief priest and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any man knew where he was, he should show it that they might take him. So he's aware of what's taking place. So he gives them a very simple order, it's going to preserve them, it's going to give them safety, it's going to give him opportunity to do what he needs to do. But the order he gives is very simple, it's not very complicated. It doesn't require planning on another part, they just need to follow the order. One of the things that I discovered a long time ago, and I'm learning it to this day, one of the things is that following a simple order very often is the step that you take towards a deeper maturity in Christ. He doesn't command us normally to do something that requires an awful lot of effort on our part or an awful lot of faith on our part. He actually begins by giving us the small things to do and being able to do the small thing is something that very often leads to being able to do the greater thing. When our church first began many years ago now, I had a young man who was with me after a Wednesday Bible study. We used to use an industrial building off of Grove Street in Ontario and it sat 120 people and that's about what we would see on a Wednesday night and a Sunday night during that time. I still remember a young man who waited till everybody had left and because the seats were not fastened to the floor, whenever anybody got up obviously they'd push the seat so they could get out and exit and on. After the Wednesday night study I would just go there and I would just straighten out the chairs, that's what I would do is no big deal, it was only 10 million, no it was only 120 of them, it's no biggie. I was doing that, I was there just straightening out the rows and this young man I'll never forget, you know it's only a few rows, several rows and as I was going through each one of the rows, straightening out each one of the chairs to make sure that they were even and all, he walked with me through the entire 120 chairs, he followed me as I went through each row telling me how he wanted to serve the Lord and I smiled at him, you know, he wanted to serve Jesus, why don't you start straightening out some chairs. A lot of times we don't really think things through do we? I want to serve the Lord, what does that mean? Well you need to send me on a mission to wherever I want to go, I think the Hawaiians need the gospel so you need to send me there. I had one guy volunteered to go to Spain just to preach the gospel if I would send him so you know we don't count the cost and we don't understand that maturity is something that is incremental, it begins doing the smaller things, they always remain the smaller things because as you grow in the things of the Lord you realize that everything that is accomplished came from him anyway but there's a certain amount of obedience and faithfulness that you have in Luke 16 verse 10 it says he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. It's a simple principle and all. So you'll never be a great leader if you are not first a great learner. Now as this is taking place, let me add something, this is more than likely pre-arranged. When he's doing this and giving this way to speak and all he's safeguarding his men because they're after him and they're also looking out for his men the owner of the animals would more than likely have been a disciple and when he heard that said he would release them. Notice he says in verse 3 again if anyone says anything to you you shall say the Lord has need the Lord the word Lord in reference to Christ it's an important thing for me to say at this point the word Lord is speaking of the one who owns everything he's the Lord we Americans don't have a real good grasp of that it's part more of a culture that is built on kings dukes earls and the rest they understand what it means to be referred to as a Lord when you're referred to as a Lord that is a royal title that that means that when a Lord gives you an order when there was a kingdom with a king and all of that that means that they had a certain amount of authority and so the word is used in reference to God in reference to Jesus Christ because he is the Lord and as the Lord he owns everything that's the whole point the Lord who owns everything has need of them the Lord who owns everything has needed the donkey and the colt now when the word need is used there that word need is a word that simply speaks of a necessity there's a necessity for this so the Lord has need of those in other words God uses what we offer him to perform his amazing works for his work to be done there are those whom he equips to perform that work we're responsible for the work that we do but the results are from God so no man glories because God did it through me when somebody walks up and says oh you're an amazing person look what you know I don't like I don't like it when someone says oh it's all the Lord because often that's just that's just pride you know oh that's all the Lord I remember somebody telling me I told somebody I said you know years ago now I said that was amazing with you know oh it's all the Lord and I say yeah I know that I know that I'm just telling you good job because we know that it's the Lord who does the work we know that you don't take the glory of the credit and God is the Lord who owns all things that's why Jesus said why do you call me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say if I'm really your Lord why aren't you obedient he said if you love me keep my commandments oh I love you Lord I really do keep my commandments oh I love you Lord I really do but I won't do that and so if you want to grow in the things of Christ you learn to do the simple things and the Lord had need and that's all you need to say now when you read your Bible in the New Testament you'll see this quite often the Lord needed water pots so that he could turn water into wine at a wedding the Lord needed a boat so he could preach to the crowds turning Peter's boat into a pulpit the Lord needed to drink a water so he asked a Samaritan woman for a drink the Lord needed a fish and he needed some bread so he could miraculously feed multitudes the Lord needed a garden called Gethsemane so he could rest and pray and ultimately be betrayed the Lord needed a tomb for burial and it was provided for him by Joseph I wonder I wonder what the Lord may have need of from us this is something I have that he has need of when our church was very young the first year of our church I concentrated on developing men into leaders that's what I did then and that's been a focal point of our ministry for all of the years that we have been in ministry is to equip men encourage men exhort men and so for the first year I concentrated on that and after a year we began women's ministry and so my wife Marie began a woman's ministry after the year of spending time with the men laying out laying down foundations so now Marie is leading the women's ministry and we have women's small groups and things like that Marie in our early years was actually not only the leader of the woman's ministry but she also led a woman's small group so she would go to the house of a woman named Laura Laura would be the hostess and Marie would be there overseeing and she was one of the leaders of the women's ministry that was performing she was the leader of the women's ministry but she was one of the women's leaders who would actually do studies herself and encourage the women in that way she had a very personal touch in that well our kids were very small I mean when our church began my son Joseph was was just a little boy he was very he was still a little guy he's an infant and my oldest daughter I think my oldest daughter was around four years old at that time and Dave my son was a little over two and Joseph was like three months old or so so we had small kids and so when Marie would go and and that would mean that my my Corinne was probably five or six years old and so she would go and she'd be with the ladies of my my wife loves to be with the ladies and minister to them and share with them but me I'm a man I don't like being with these kids like you do how cruel huh how cruel every man's nodding at me ladies just know that it is just a different thing it's a different thing so I tell her I said baby you can go but you need to come home at such and so time because I ain't going to put up with this that much it got to the point where I would call Laura's house it would ring it when when the study should be over I'd give Marie a few minutes of course but I'd call Laura would answer the phone hello Pastor David and that's before you had caller ID it was one of those phones that you actually dialed you remember that so maybe remember that hello pastor David I'd say hi Laura and she'd say she's coming right home I'd say thank you Laura that was our whole conversation that was it then I'd be waiting for Marie to come home and the Lord really spanked me over that really did so I just stopped letting her go period no he really did he really did he said she's growing she's being used and you're just because you don't like babysitting it's the way I thought I'm talking a long time ago now you've got to grow up you have and he really really and he finally said what do you have that I have need of my wife my wife some of us maybe a wife has a husband the Lord wants to use I remember a woman in this fellowship in this hall who approached me on one occasion and said you know pastor I've been praying for my husband to get closer to the Lord and and get on fire for Jesus I've been praying and praying for so long and now he is he went to the men's retreat she said and he came back and he's totally changed she wants to serve she says I have to be honest with you I don't like this I don't want him doing that so God had answered her prayer and the way she was responding was I don't want to turn him lose I want to see we can do that so I wonder if there's any here or listening right now that the Lord has he has need of something that you have but you won't let it go you won't let it go because this is mine right and so the Lord had need of these donkeys he had need of them and that's all that needed to be said and it is I believe very humbling when we realize that God has a need of something from us now in verse four it says all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying tell the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a cult the fall of a donkey why did he need this to fulfill a prophecy made by a prophet named Zechariah 520 years before Christ it's found in Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9 in his entrance into Jerusalem Jesus literally fulfilled this prophecy now we need to remember that Jesus's life in ministry fulfilled the word of God and the prophetic word he came to fulfill Old Testament prophecies concerning the first coming of messiah in Matthew 517 he said this he said do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them so by their obedience Zechariah's prophecy is being fulfilled his entrance to Jerusalem is literally fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy now there's a simple reason he had need of the animals they were needed in order to enable him to enter Jerusalem in the manner conforming to prophetic requirements and worthy of the messiah the messianic king it says in verse 5 Zechariah is told tell the daughter of Zion well that that speaks of Jerusalem Jerusalem is called Zion Mount Zion in scripture in Psalm 48 verses 1 and 2 he used to actually sing this as a song great great is the Lord and greatly do be praised in the city of our God in the mountain of his holiness beautiful for situation the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion on the sides of the north the city of the great king and so Mount Zion speaks of Jerusalem and so he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey because it represents his rule the rule is is humble and gentle a king riding a donkey is symbolic of royalty coming in peace in the Old Testament book of judges chapter 5 verses 9 and 10 my heart is with the princes of Israel with the volunteers among the people bless the Lord you who ride white donkeys who who sit on saddle blankets and you who travel the road this is a picture of royalty now Matthew had already given a picture of messiah's rule which is gentle in Matthew 12 19 through 21 he will not quarrel nor cry out nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets a bruised reed he will not break it smoking flax he will not quench till he sends forth justice to victory and in his name Gentiles will trust and so the picture of messiah coming as Jesus is here is one of a gentle ruler bringing peace but when a king would enter in and he was coming in war he normally is pictured as riding on a horse revelation 19 verse 11 I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war in his first entrance he wrote on a donkey a second he's riding on a war horse Jesus came humbly bringing peace to those who received him now mark makes a statement in mark 11 verse 2 he said that Jesus said go into the village opposite you and as soon as you have entered it you will find a cult tide on which no one has sat loose it and bring it on which no one has sat is a picture of something reserved for sacred use it reveals his lordship now here's something a practical application to that on some on a cult that no one has sat on and I'm no I'm no cowboy I have only been on one horse in it and I fell off of it it was in front of a supermarket it was just moving too fast and I just I just fell I'm no horseman but I have heard that unless the cult or the horse is broken no one's going to sit on it when they sit on it it begins to respond and you have to have to break the horse we all know that we've watched movies that show that if you haven't done that and so what's interesting here is an unbroken animal yielded to the Lord without resistance when you look at the ministry of Christ remember how people who are demonized the demons would yield we know who you are they they they would yield to him he'd be silent and come out and and the demons would yield to Christ when there was a fever Jesus would basically just take command of the fever and the fever would would break blindness he would heal the blind leprosy paralysis even death itself yielded to Jesus Christ three times in the gospels were it's mentioned to us how that he raised the dead to life death yielded to Christ even creation itself when the waves were tossing and turning and and the men felt that the boat was going to be swamped by the water Jesus told them to cease be still and according to Matthew 8 27 they said even the winds in the sea obey him demons and fevers and blindness leprosy death itself the sea everything yielded to Christ all creation yielded to his authority but men men refused to that's amazing to me even a donkey a fall a colt yielded to him and men refused to someone once asked if God can use even the most humble and lowly creature for his glory how might he use you if you're available and willing well verse 6 tells us the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them mark 11 4 through 6 says that the disciples went and found a colt outside in the street tied at a doorway as they untied it some people standing there asked what are you doing untying that colt they answered as Jesus said told them told them to and the people let them go well verse 7 says to us they brought the donkey and the colt laid their clothes on them and set them on them so they put their garments on both of them they didn't know which he was going to ride what they were doing is they made a cushion for Jesus to make it more comfortable for him to ride upon now as this is taking place verse 8 a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road and the multitude 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 so notice he says to us in verse verse 8 that there was a great multitude and they're spreading their outer garments on the road what they're doing is they're rolling out the red carpet it's a way to honor a king and there were others who are cutting down palm branches and they're spreading them on the road john 12 13 speaks of palm branches which are symbols of peace and joy and so that's what's happening they're welcoming him with symbols of joy and peace he's riding in with humble gentleness as a messiah as king and so as this is taking place Jesus went down that mount of olives and people are beginning to come out they're pouring out of the city of Jerusalem crowds are leaving the area of Bethany there on the mount of olives and beginning to go down a slope which eventually will go into an ascent and people who are from the city of Jerusalem are coming out of the gates and what's happening is there are already pilgrims who are on the way but two crowds of people are now merging they're converging into a single crowd and they're opening up the pathway for Jesus on the donkey on the colt to be coming down and as they're doing so they're throwing their their their outer garments so that he's walking on them they're rolling out the red carpet and they're waving palm branches and all which are symbols of victory and all and it's a welcome that is fit for a king well in luke 19 verses 41 through 44 luke gives us him insight he says now as he drew near he saw the city and he wept over it saying if you had known even you especially in this your day the things that make for your peace but now they're hidden from your eyes for days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you surround you and close you in on every side and level you and your children within you to the ground and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation imagine that in the midst of all the cheering and and waving of the palm branches and throwing of the garments and and all the people screaming hosanna save now save now there was another time when the voice of a voice of excitement and enthusiasm rang out in luke chapter 2 it says in verse 8 there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night and behold an angel of the lord stood before them and the glory of the lord shown around them they were greatly afraid the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold i bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people for there is born to you this day in the city of david a savior who is christ the lord this will be the sign to you you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloth lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising god and saying glory to god and the highest on earth peace goodwill toward men when jesus was born heaven was filled with the brilliance and angels who were saying glory into god when he was born when he's about to die and he's entering into the city hosanna to the son of david once again rings out crying out loud to the son of david and they're saying blesses is one who comes in the name of the lord hosanna and the highest many of those voices will be in the future those voices that were crying out hosanna will kind of morph into others who are crying out crucify angels crying out glory to god people crying out hosanna to the son of david and then ultimately crucify him crucify him crucify him and the one moment there is joy exhilaration jubilation excitement blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord and just a few days later the voices changed and they become those who want him dead his heart was broken he's looking down he sees this beautiful city before him the city of jerusalem the city of the great king he had wept earlier for a friend named lazarus who had died had been buried and had gone into what others thought was the state of putrification so when he had said remove the stone they said it's been four days by now he stinks he's decaying the scripture tells us that jesus just looked there and he wept jesus wept what do i learn from that i i learned that jesus has a heart for an individual but now i see him weeping over a city over a people not only does an individual matter but the people matter too all of them do because obviously cities are made up of individuals if you'd have known if you'd have only known your day your messiah is entering in and what this is and he refers to it in this way he said you didn't know the time of your visitation the word visitation is speaking of your inspection you are rejecting the one who was sent to you you didn't recognize me he's saying even though the prophets had foretold from the very beginning even when he was born it was that ungodly herod who said where is the messiah to be born and the rabbis were able to tell him micah five two Bethlehem they knew and yet they didn't know there it's been said there are none so blind as the one who will not see and their eyes are closed the hatred for jesus is so intense the rejection of christ is so intense it was intense then and it is intense now there is still a hatred for christ i hate to say it this way but it's true even in our beautiful nation that was founded on christian principles christians are now the enemy of the state you know that we are regarded as enemies why because we stand in the way of the movement to alter the entire soul of a nation god has placed us here as watchmen to cry out and warn because what's happening right now is a destruction of the underpinnings of a nation built on the foundation of the principles of god's word itself be aware because it's happening even as i am standing here i won't go into a lot of what i could go into but i will say this be aware there is a the mask is being taken off when you have people who are saying that drag queens ought to be able to influence your children even in the military where your tax dollars are being spent to support that there's something going on be aware be aware somebody says oh that was in no it is now the devil i'm telling you is taking his mask off and jesus as he was looking jesus said you didn't know the time of your inspection of your visitation and he's weeping because judgment is coming which it did come by the way under Titus of Rome in ad 70 when he destroyed everything well as this is taking place i'll close the verses 10 and 11 when he had come into Jerusalem all the city was moved saying who is this and the multitude said this is jesus notice the prophet from nazareth of galilee who is this jesus the prophet they say now he's more than the prophet his jesus messiah the shouts of hosanna will yield to the christ of crucify in john 1 10 through 12 we'll close with this it says he was in the world and though the world is made through him the world did not recognize him he came to his own but his own did not receive him but to all who did receive him to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of god he came to his own country and his own people they did not receive him but as many as received him to them gave he the power the authority to become god's children and so even though they rejected him he was much more he isn't simply the prophet of course he's a prophet he wasn't simply the teacher yes he's a teacher he wasn't simply the good man yes he's a good man he was that and more he was messiah he is the one who came to lay his life down for us he is jesus the savior of the world the one whom we worship and the one we praise and the one we thank and the one we love the one who saved us that's what he is and we must never forget that jesus christ our savior he is more than a prophet he is our messiah father we bless you and we thank you