“Who is the King of Glory?” (Psalm 24:8)

Exodus 12: 1-14 

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb[a] for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. 

+ First month of the year – Nisan

+ slaughter a spotless lamb and put some of its blood on the doorframe

+ Deliverance from death…”when I see the blood, I will pass over you”…

+ a precursor to the events of Holy Week with Jesus as the spotless lamb.

Matthew 21:1-6

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: (the prophet Zechariah)

5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

 

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

1. Jesus spent a considerable amount of time prior to this event healing and teaching, but even telling those he healed not to tell anyone about this. By getting on a donkey and riding into Jerusalem, Jesus announced that he was coming as Israel's messianic king. He was presenting himself as Israel's promised king. By his actions, he was saying, "Behold, your king comes to you”

2. There were over 300 prophesies about the Messiah in the Old Testament, and Jesus fulfilled all of them. The odds of that happening…3” square tiles over the face of the earth, one with a red dot on the back

Genesis 49:10-11

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[a]
until he to whom it belongs[b] shall come
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.

In Jacob’s blessing on his son Judah, he is also pronouncing that Israel’s true king will come from the tribe of Judah…even referring to the donkey

In ancient times, when a king rode into a city, it was usually with a show of power and wealth, on a horse in times of war, and a donkey in times of peace.

Matthew 21:8-9

8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”

 

What is only hinted at in Genesis was made plain in the Gospel: Jesus, the Son of David, from the tribe of Judah, rode into Jerusalem as Israel's rightful king.

Hosanna: “save now”…where did that come from??

Psalm 118:25-26

Lord, save us! (That is the word Hosanna)
    Lord, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[a]

 

 Just above this is verse 24:

22 The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day; (This is the day the Lord has made)
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

1. This is the day…every day…yes, but not just any day

2. This psalm is not just referring to any day…it could be referring to Psalm Sunday

Daniel 9:25 (written around 530 BC)

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[a] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

Nehemiah 2:1-5

2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem - The king wrote letters for Nehemiah’s safe passage to go rebuild Jerusalem.

1. We know from history that King Artaxerxes began his reign in 465 BC

So 20 years into his reign would have been about 444 BC…

-When they don’t refer to a specific day, it was the first of that month.

Nisan 1, 444 BC = March 5, 444BC (somewhere between March and April).

- First, there will be 7 sevens from the time of this decree (seven 7 year periods, or 49 years), then 62 sevens, or 434 years

- Add the 49 years to the 434 years = 483 years

- The Hebrew calendar had 360 days…so…

- 360 (days) x 434 years = 173,880 days

Take the first day of Nisan, 20 years into the king’s reign…around March 5, 444 BC, and add 173,880 days, you end up with a date of around March 30, 33 AD…which could very well have been Palm Sunday. (This is the day the Lord has made)

Daniel 9:26

 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[b] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

Just a few days later, some of the same people who were yelling “Hosanna” were yelling “crucify Him”

In the year AD 70, the Romans destroyed the temple.

This is the day…

Luke 19:41-44

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on THIS DAY what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus comes to greet his subjects with all humility and meekness. 

The king's gentleness is symbolized by his mode of transport. 

In some way, you can see how some of the same people that were saying “hosanna” later in the week were saying “crucify Him”.

Their expectations were not in line with the King’s will, but their own.

They understood the prophesy enough to know that He was the messiah, but not enough to get past their own notions of why He was there and what the Messiah was going to deliver them from.

What are your expectations of the King? Are they in line with His will or with yours? 

Do you know that our King isn’t here to make you rich? Or to make you happy? Or to help you take control of society with power. Our king said “in this life you will have trouble” and “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

-2 weeks ago, I lead worship and pointed out in a song about God’s faithfulness, that the writer says “you’ve never failed me yet”…and how much I didn’t like the work “yet”. God will never fail you, but it doesn’t mean He will give you everything you want.

In reality, like those along the road to Jerusalem, acknowledging that Jesus is Lord-do we want something from Him that isn’t part of His will?

Do we yell “Hosannah” with our mouths and “Crucify Him” by our actions?

Perhaps the best word to describe it is "meekness," which means power under control.

If we are saved by such a gentle king, then we should serve him with all gentleness. Gentleness is one of the marks of the Christian, the fruit of God's Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:23). Sadly, many Christians are harsh in their judgments, abrasive in their opinions.

1. Embrace that Jesus is the King

2. Acknowledge that He knows what’s best for us

3. Praise him by setting your expectations of Him in alignment with His will

That same king who came riding a donkey into Jerusalem as a peaceful conquering king, conquered sin and death, delivered us from an eternity without God, and is coming back to vanquish the enemy.

Revelation 19:11-16

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.

 

Bible verses for Palm Sunday – April 10, 2022

Exodus 12: 1-14 

Matthew 21:1-6

Zechariah 9:9

Genesis 49:10-11

Matthew 21:8-9

Psalm 118:24-26

Daniel 9:25

Nehemiah 2:1-5

Daniel 9:26

Luke 19:41-44

Revelation 19:11-16