Today, Christians all over the world are also observing “Palm Sunday”, the beginning of the Holy Week, the Last Great Week of Lent and some of them are surely having a lot of activities that would commemorate the first jubilant Palm Sunday. Churches back in the Philippines are giving away palm branches to their members for them to display it on their houses to put into remembrance the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ back to the city of Jerusalem. It is that moment where Jesus comes riding on a donkey being welcomed by the people of Jerusalem by placing palm branches on his way, crying out “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to the son of David! Hosanna in the highest!” . Those palm branches during their time represents triumph, so the waving and laying down of it is to welcome and extol the royalty and the victorious, those who are worthy of honor and distinction.
So together with our brethren all over this country today, let us put into remembrance the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 21 verses 10-16.
And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God[f] and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’[g] but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”[h]
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”[i]
This story appears in the four gospels of our Bible. Each writer pays the tribute of telling us of this significant occasion. So what is happening in here?
This very entrance of Jesus Christ moved the whole city of Jerusalem once again. Remember how His birth moved King Herod and all of his kingdom? Wise men from the east went to the King saying “Where is He who has been born King of The Jews?” this incident got King Herod asking, If it's not me then who is it? Now, in the same manner, Here is Jesus once again moving the city of Jerusalem, making all the crowd ask... “Who is this coming?”.
The crowd crying out "Hosanna! Hosanna!" identified Him as a prophet but then Jesus seems to be taking a heavier claim. Because prophets prophesy about something that is about to come, but Jesus is fulfilling those prophecies. Prophets points out into someone greater and here is Jesus, pointing all the arrows into Himself. You see, in a manner of how He entered into their city. He chose to do it first by a donkey and second a donkey that is tied down somewhere in the village. How would He know there was a donkey down there? Did He come ahead of these disciples, talked to the owner to make up an act? and by the way, why ride on a donkey? If Jesus is indeed King, He can come on a white horse or through a chopper with a red carpet and bands to welcome Him just like how we are welcoming our president. Why be born in a manger when you can be inside West Hills Medical Center or Valley Presbyterian Hospital or any other elite hospital in the world that is made for royalties. All these are taking place for us to able to identify Him as the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Each prophecy is like a heavenly arrow that points out to Him, saying… “This is the coming Messiah, here He is coming just like how the prophets would tell us He would come”.
Matthew 21: 4-5
All[b] this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
This is heaven's way of telling us that "Hey, guys, the day of salvation has come, Your King is here. This is finally happening", but of course, we are not aware of it. (NOT ANYMORE)
Now, the question I want us to answer together is, What Kind of King Do We Have in Jesus?
After the reign of King David and Solomon, when the Kingdom of Israel was divided into Israel and Judah, the people of Israel went through a series of rebellious kings. Most of them led their people into worshiping idols placing them into the very wrath of God ending up on captivity and amidst the oppression and slavery, prophets speaks of Him who is about to come, who will set them free.
What Kind of King is My King Jesus? What difference does He make among all the other kings of Israel?
Jesus is the King Who Cleanses.
Verses 12 – 13:
Then Jesus went into the temple of God[f] and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’[g] but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”[h]
us, being citizens, not kings, not presidents, not anything, just simple people living our simple lives. When we get into our homes or houses that we know are made for our comfort; for us to have rest when we get home from work or from school or whatever, when we enter into our so called “house” and see thieves using that very house for their selfish intentions giving ZERO consideration about you being the owner of the house, what do you think would be our reaction? 5 words. “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE”, right? This is my house, I’m supposed to rest in here, and have conversation with my family and talk about our family issues and settle things in this house, to bond and build memories but here you are using my space up to your benefit, you thieves! Right? That’s the very reason why we, ourselves can’t blame Jesus that He is turning tables when He entered the temple. Because when that temple was made, it was supposed to be called a house of prayer and just like that temple when you were made, when God placed you into your mother’s womb, you are supposed to be made for His purpose. A Holy Nation, a Royal Priesthood. But just like how these thieves came into that temple, so are the enemies trying to get a stronghold inside of you, stealing you from God’s plan, so that from being the temple of the Holy Ghost you turn to be a den of thieves. A heart made for the Lord is now being a den of legion.
Now, when Jesus enters into that heart and starts walking in, He will have this Holy Anger that would burn into His heart, saying this is not how things are supposed to be. He will start turning tables. He will start cleaning that temple, because He is the King of it. He will start pulling out the roots and breaking every stronghold of every thief that has made your heart their home. Breaking every wrong thinking that are so far away from the perspective of the Lord. Pulling every piece of your life in line into His will until you become that temple He has created you to be.
Jesus is the King Who Heals and Restores
Verse 14:
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
Once that temple is free from all these thieves and unnecessary trashes. Then and only then it can serve its very purpose; then and only then can the power of God be manifested mightily. For most of the incidents where Christ has to heal someone, He gave no regard if whether that place is clean or not. Be it with the homeless, leper, centurion or the grave. but right now, it’s different. Matthew emphasizes that after the cleansing of the temple, THEN the blind and the lame came to Him.
This emphasizes the value of the temple for Jesus. This temple is where His presence is supposed to dwell, to meet with His people, to listen and provide for their needs. But throughout time, these people whom He has called thieves has lose sight of the importance of this very purpose. They see it as something that they could get benefit from for their personal needs and profit. But not on Jesus' watch. Now that the King is here, He restores the value of that Temple. He restores is back to the very purpose He has it built and uses it for the good of His people. To welcome them who needs Him.
Us, being the Temple of the Holy Ghost can also view our lives inside this story. In 2 Timothy 2 verses 19-21 Paul reminds Timothy about the importance of being God’s vessels:
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Gold, silver, clay and wood represents everyone of us. We are all vessels of God; but the Gold and silver vessels are used for honor. Pieces you can show to everyone anytime. Pieces you can be proud of. Pieces you can count on. Then, those clay and wood vessels represents the ones that God uses for dishonor, like how He uses Pharaoh in the story of Moses, Delilah in Samson’s story, Shimei who cursed David and everyone who is not for God but through their rebellion and disobedience and poor choices God has manifested His greatness upon us.
Be the gold and silver vessel of God. A Vessel for honor, sanctified and prepared for God’s work. Be like that temple that is cleansed before the Lord, so that through you, the blind and the lame can come near Jesus Christ. Through you, God can advance the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
Jesus is the King Who Enjoys our Praises.
Verse 15 – 16:
But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
There are two kinds of reaction you can have when God moves in your life. You can be like the chief priest and scribes annoyed about Jesus receiving praise or you can be like those children crying out in the temple. "Hosanna!"
You know when our family watches TV and there is a scene that is just too good for us to be holding our emotions back, we can’t help but utter praises because we enjoy that thing. We enjoy that scene, we appreciate the beauty of a certain person then our hearts are filled with joy that it overflows from our hearts to our mouths and we can’t contain it.
In the book “Reflections on the Psalms” by author C.S Lewis, also quoted by Pastor John Piper, He said:
“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”
That’s the thing about praise. It completes your joy. You are enjoying God so much that You can’t help but Praise Him. You are enjoying Him as the King who liberates and not oppresses. The King who cleanses and heal and restores. You enjoy His lordship over your life. When He does something good, when He reveals Himself so great, when He sufficiently provides, when His very presence is enough, you end up praising Him and He enjoys it. He enjoys that in this relationship you have with Him, you are glad.
among many other characteristics of Jesus, this is the kind of King we have in Him.
The King who cleanses,
The King who heals and restores;
The King who enjoys our praise.
may you remember all these as you remember His triumphal entry upon your life.
God bless us all.
