|
DATE |
CHURCH |
SUBJECT |
PREACHER |
BIBLE
REF. |
|
12.03.08 |
All Saints' Church |
Palm Sunday |
Rev. Tony Higton |
Matt 21:1-11 |
|
The full significance of Jesus riding into
Jerusalem on a donkey may be lost on us if we do not know the
background to his action. It was, in fact, a public claim to
being the long-awaited Messiah.
Mark writes that Jesus said: “You will find
a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden” (Mark 11:1).
That is part of Jesus messianic claim because only an unused
animal can be fit for important religious purposes. In Old
Testament times, when a red heifer was used for sacrifice it had
to be one that “has never been under a yoke” (Num 19:2).
Similarly, when the Philistines wanted to send the
ark of the covenant back to Israel the oxen pulling the cart had
to have never been yoked (1 Sam 6:7).
So, in requiring the donkey to be one that
had never been yoked, Jesus was stating that it was to be used
for an important religious purpose.
Matthew points out what would have been
obvious to the people in Jesus’ time: “This took place to fulfil
what was spoken through the prophet” (Matt 21:4). He was
referring to Zechariah 9:9-10 about how Israel’s messianic king
would come to them riding on a donkey. The people of Jerusalem,
including his enemies, understood very clearly that Jesus was
claiming: “I am the Messiah.”
Various qualities in Jesus are pointed out:
1.
Jesus is righteous
Zechariah made that clear: “Rejoice
greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See,
your king comes to you, righteous…” (Zech 9:9-10).
Jesus was righteous. He had completely
fulfilled all that God had asked of him until that point.
Throughout his childhood and adult life there was not a stain on
his character. As the red heifer, a mere visual aid, had to be
“without defect or blemish” in order to be fit to be a sacrifice
for cleansing from sin, so Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. Now
he was faced with the ultimate act of obedience – suffering and
death.
2.
Jesus is
gentle/humble
Matthew states: “This took place to fulfil
what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of
Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle …” (Matt 21:4-5).
Remember how Jesus dealt with the children.
Nowadays we are very child-centred and sentimental about
children. Even a century or so ago, children were treated very
differently and sent off to work in difficult conditions. Jesus
was outstanding in his respect for children and his gentle
treatment of them.
Think of how he dealt with Mary Magdalene
who had a bad background. Think of his gentle dealing with the
sinful woman who anointed him with oil. Amidst criticism from
the self-important he commended her and forgave her sin. He
dealt similarly with the woman caught in adultery. The religious
people were calling for her to be stoned to death. Jesus told
her he did not condemn her and to go and sin no more.
No self-respecting rabbi would be seen
talking one-to-one with a woman in public, especially not to a
sinful woman and even less to a Samaritan woman. But Jesus was.
Jesus says to us: “Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29)
Also, in Holy Week, we can meditate on the
gentleness of Jesus foretold by Isaiah: “He grew up before him
like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had
no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his
appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and
rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not. ….. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did
not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and
as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his
mouth” (Isaiah 53:2-3, 7).
3.
Jesus is
peacemaker
Zechariah foretold the coming of the Prince
of peace: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter
of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having
salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of
a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the
war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He
will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from
sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zech
9:9-10).
And this is where the crowd got it wrong.
They were expecting Jesus to be this sort of king at that time.
They anticipated that he would lead them to victory against the
Romans and to establish freedom, peace and justice in Israel.
But he had a deeper peace to achieve: peace between humanity and
God and reconciliation between individuals. Disappointment over
this mistaken expectation perhaps led some of them to change
their cry of “Hosanna” (save now) to one of “Crucify him” a few
days later.
But Jesus will one day come as Zechariah
foretold, to establish peace amongst the nations. It was not
clear in Zechariah’s words that the fulfilment would come in two
stages, one yet to be.
4.
Jesus is royal
Jesus was not going to be the sort of king
the people expected. But he was publicly proclaiming that he is
king. Matthew says: “This took place to fulfil what was spoken
through the prophet: 5"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on
a colt, the foal of a donkey' " (Matt 21:4-5).
It seems strange to us that Jesus should
ride a donkey to proclaim his kingship. But the donkey was the
Rolls Royce of royalty in those days. When the king came in
peace, he didn’t ride the war-horse, but the donkey. So it was
with Solomon in 1 Kings 1:44 "Our lord King David has made
Solomon king. The king has sent with him Zadok the priest,
Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and
the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king's mule.”
The people shouted “Hosanna” quoting Psalm
118. They got the concept right but the timing wrong. One day
Jesus will descend on the clouds of heaven and will look in
triumph on his enemies (Psalm 118:7).
“Shouts of joy and victory” will “resound in the tents of
the righteous” (Psalm 118:15). Then people will cry out:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” and “With
boughs in hand” they will “join in the festal procession up to
the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:26-27). “His rule will
extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the
earth” (Zech 9:10).
Are you ready for that day? |
