“The Prophets”
Series: Everything Old is New Again
Pr. Ed Baker
Orchard Hill Church
Podcast Link

 

The New Testament can be understood best through the context of the Old Testament.

The story of Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:1-11
As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ² “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

⁶ The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

⁸ Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

¹⁰ The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

¹¹ And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Palm Sunday was coming off of the heals of Jesus bringing Lazarus back from the dead.

Lazarus had been dead for 4 days

After this miracle, people were determined to kill Jesus.

Also, after this miracle, many people began to believe in Jesus.

After healing Lazarus, Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem.

Why was Jesus on this journey by donkey?

The road he had to travel was not a long distance to go.

We can understand “why the donkey?” from looking at the Old Testament

John 12:16
His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.

What Jesus did was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Zechariah

In the time of this book, the North and South were in captivity.

After 500 years of this the people were finally able to go back to the capital city.  This turned out to be discouraging because the city was in ruins.

Haggai was raised as a prophet to give hope

Zechariah 9:9-10
Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
¹⁰ I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

This is a message of hope and joy

Joy, joy, joy!

Isn’t it fun to see someone full of joy?

Ed remembers a TV program that helped a deaf person hear sound for the first time.

There was incredible joy!

“Rejoice because your King is coming…”

Zechariah describes the King so that people would know his goodness.

Story:  Ronald Reagan visit to Cattle Congress

The staff was directing the people in the seats to be incredibly loud and applauding upon his entrance

Stomp your feet even!

And then, could you imagine, Reagan enters the stage on a donkey!?!?

No way!  Especially for a Republican!

Jesus was the true King.  The defender.  Loving.  Compassionate.

So, was Jesus really this kind of King?

Luke 19:41-42
But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. ⁴² “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.

Jesus knew what was ahead and he was hurting for this.

Jesus feels the pain that the people are going to experience.  His heart hurts for it.

Jesus is about taking on all of your sin and turning the old into new.