Entering Jerusalem (4 THINGS)

• 1ST- A VERY IMPROTANT PLACE- MT.OF OLIVES••• VS. 28-34

o   Having concluded the Parable of the Kingdom – Jesus made His way up to Jerusalem…

• Jesus & Disciples arrived  at Bethpage- at the eastern foot of the Mt. of Olives…

• The western slope faces the east gate of the Temple Mount (across Kidron Valley)…

• Mt. of Olives is where Jesus prayed before His Crucifixion (Garden ofGethsemane)…

• Where Jesus ascended  after His resurrection- Acts 1:9…

• Where Jesus will return at His second coming- Zachariah 14:4…

o  Jesus sent two disciples to get a donkey from the neighboring village of Bethany…

• It was a donkey that no man had ever sat on…

• I am sure the disciples found the request a bit strange – but they obeyed…

• When they arrived  in the village – they found the donkey and untied it…

• When someone asked why they were taking it- ‘the Lord has need of it’…

• Sometimes God asks us to do things- that don’t seem to make,much sense…

• Following Jesus – sticking yor

• Even if we do not understand – it all works out for the best if we obey the Lord!

1

 The question  has to be.!. why a donkey (it would be like riding in on a goat)…

• A King would not’come to conquer a nation – riding on a donkey…

• For a king to ride in on a donkey was a sign of peace…

• Jesus was not coming to conquer  Rome- and establish  His Kingdom…

• Jesus came the 1st time bringing peace between  God and Man – came to conquer sin!

• But Jesus will not be riding a donkey when He returns for the znd  time…

• Revelation 19:11- “I saw heaven  opened, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, in righteousness He judges and makes war .”

• When Jesus comes for the znd  time He will NOT come to make peace…

• He will come with all the armies of heaven for war – against the Antichrist…

• To set up His Kingdom here on Earth lfor 1000 years- Millennia/ reign)…

• 2ND -A VERY IMPORTANT DAY – PALM SUNDAY••• VS. 35-40

o   The Triumphal  Entry…

• The disciples threw their robes on the donkey- and set Jesus on it…

• As He rode down the Mt. of Olives into Jerusalem (up to the Temple Mount)…

• Multitudes gathered laying clothes and palm branches at Jesus’ feet (Palm Sunday)…

• When you approach the city of Jerusalem from the east you cannot see the Temple…

• It is only when you crest the top of the Mt. of Olives it first comes into view…

• But at the bottom of the Kidron valley you loose sight of it again…

• Only to have the temple come into view again as you approach the city walls…

• It was as Jesus came riding up out of the Kidron valley ‘- the ct ds broke out in praise!

• This was an act of spontaneous worship- they were proclaiming Jesus as their King!

• They began to worship  Him as the Messiah (savior) rejoicing and singing…

• Hosanna – a Hebrew word that means – ‘save us now’ …

• Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord- Psalm of accent-  Psalm 118:26

• The people were expecting Jesus to overthrow Rome – set up God’s Kingdom…

• They were looking for powerJ glory – not to be saved from their sins…

• Which is why four day later- this same crowd would cry out- ‘crucify!’

• God did not come to make us rich – an easy life – He came to give us eternal  life…

• When we come to Jesus for the wrong reasons- we will be disappointed…

• And we may end up rejecting Jesus – because we did not get what we wanted!

o  A very important day…

• The Passover – the festival that remembered how God saved Israel – slavery in Egypt

• The 10th plague -the death angel -killed the 1st born of every man and animal

• Yet if the blood of the lamb covered your house – you were passed over!

• All Jews were required  to attend  the feast of Passover- Exodus 23:14

• The population  of Jerusalem would swell from 100,000  to over 1 million people!

• They were all there for the Passover feast – to celebrate freedom from slavery

• Four days before Passover- every household chose their sacrificial lamb – Exodus 12:3

• On this same day- Palm Sunday- God choose His lamb for the perfect sacrifice!

• The Lamb of God – John 1:29 – who would take away the sin of the World!

• God choose to give us His Son Jesus- as the sacrifice for our sin- John  3:16…

• He was willing to offer His Son because of His great  Love for us…

• That anyone who believes in Him – would be forgiven  and have eternal life!

2

o   When the Religious leaders  heard this – they were extremely  upset!

• Jesus was threatening their power/control- more and more people believed in Him…

• Even the children were crying out- Hosanna, Hosanna- Matthew 21:14-15

• The religious leaders completely understood what all of this meant…

• The crowds were accepting that Jesus was the promised  Messiah- Savior

• John 12:19 – “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ‘You see that you are accomplishing  nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”‘

• So they tried to quiet the crowds – silence Jesus…

• Jesus answers them- if the people were quiet- the stones would cry out!

• What the children/ and even stones could see- that Jesus was the Messiah

• The religious leaders  missed – because they . re not looking for a savior…

• They were more interested in using religion to see what they could get from men

• It does not take a seminary degree – or years of Bible College- to know Jesus…

• Children know him / the blind can see him / even the stones worship  him…

• If we are wiser than kids – see better  than the blind – are smarter the rocks…

• Then we can know Jesus – see Him -and be able to recognize He is our salvation!

• 3RD – THE BLINDING OF THE }EWS••• VS. 41-44

o   As Jesus drew near the Jerusalem – He wept over it…

• Israel was expected to recognize Jesus as the promised  Messiah because…

• Jesus came riding in on a donkey- according to the Prophet Zechariah- Zechariah 9:9

o Daughter of Zion -Another name for the natio ·

o   Your King is coming – you will know Him because He rides on a Donkey…

• They had even been told THE VERY DAY Jesus would arrive on that donkey!

o   They were to know – because God had given them a prophetic watch…

o Daniel9:25- “Now listen and understand! [483 years] will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until… the Anointed One comes.”

o   The watch counted down 483 years (70×7) to THE DAY- to Palm Sunday…

o   The Start- the ‘command  to rebuild Jerusalem’ – given on March 14th, 445 B.C.

o   Then 483 years or 173,880  days later- April 6th, 32 A.D.- Jesus arrived!

o   THE DAY Jesus entered Jerusalem on a Donkey proclaiming Himself King!

• God had told the Jews the exact day Jesus would come- but they missed it…

• The Jews were all very religious- they all went to ‘church every Sunday’…

• But very few of them actually knew their Bible – read their Bible…

• So they missed how (Donkey) and when (Aprif6th)  the Messiah came!

• It is so important we learn – read – and get to know our Bible…

• It is easy to be religious- but miss most important thing of all- Jesus!

• That’s why we go to Bible studies  / read the Bible/ listen to the Bible on the radio

• So we get into the Word to learn all about our Lord- so we don’t miss Jesus!

o Because they missed Jesus – they were blinded…

• Israel as a nation (not as individuals)was blinded- dulled of understanding…

• Romans 11:25- “Blindness in part has happened to Israel…”

• That is why even today- the Jews as a nation do not understand God’s Word …

• Only about 10,000 of the 6 million Jews in Israel believe in Jesus

• As a result- not one stone of the temple will be left standing upon another…

• Literally fulfilled 35 years later- 70AD -when Israel rebelled against Rome…

3

• Future Caesar – Tttus Vespasian- responded with the lOth Roman legio  .

• He laid siege t   Jerusalem killing over 1 million Jews- destroying the city…

• He did not intend to destroy  the Temple – but in the Siege it caught fire…

• The gold of the Temple melted between  the stone blocks…

• The Romans dismantled the Temple stone by stone to get the gold…

• Not one stone remained  upon another- the ruins are still in Israel to this day

• Jesus knew all of this was going to take place- and so He wept!

• The Jews will not be blind forever- only ‘Until the fullness of the Gentiles’…

• The idea is there are a set number of people who will receive Jesus as their savior…

• No one but God knows the number- or who will be the last gentile to be saved…

• But when the ‘Last Gentile’ to believe – recei Jesus – the rapture of the church!

• You never know who might be holding the rapture up- the last one to receive Jesus

• All the more reason to tell anyone- everyone about Jesus…

• The Rapture of the church- marks the beginning of the end…

• After the 7 years of tribulation – when Jesus returns – Revelation 19:11

• The Jews will see Jesus- re ‘ze He is their Messiah- and believe – Zechariah 12:10

• Do not be like the Jews – it ·  not worth the consequences to reject Jesus…

• Today is the day to believe – God does not guarantee tomorrow- II Corinthians 6:2

• No one plans to have a heart attack/stoke- or have a car accident…

• There are many people w  o wait till12:00 to receive Jesus- only to die at 11:59…

• m – THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE…VS. 45-48

,o  This is the znd time Jesus cleansed the Temple…

• The first time was at the beginning of His ministry- John 2:14

• The Temple -the Jewish religion – had become a moneymaking industry…

• One that took advantage of the poor and those who were seeking to know God

• Jesus drove out those selling- doves and animals for sacrifice- Mark11:15…

• The Dove was a poor man’s sacrifice- for those who could not afford a lamb…

• Those who sold the doves – charged exuberant prices – robbing the poor…

• Even if you brought your own sacrifice – it had to be perfect… ..

• The priests would always find a flaw- so you had to buy one of theirs – $$$

• Jesus overturned the tables of the money exchangers…

• You could not purchase things in the Temple with regular  money…

• All purchases had to be paid with the ‘Sanctuary Shekel’…

• The exchange rate for which was tantamount to extortion…

o   It is written  – ‘a house of prayer for ALL nations’… Isaiah 56:7  f Jeremiah 7:11

• The Temple was supposed  to be a place where you could meet with God – Prayer…

• Instead they had made it a ‘den of thieves’ – a way to make money off of others…

• Rather than drawing men to God – they were misrepresenting God to the world…

• I fear if Jesus walked into many churches today He would overturn a lot of tables!

• Rather than being a place where people come to learn about the Lord…

• Churches instead teach about a God who only wants money- misrepresenting Jesus….

• God does not want or need our money- He is the creator of Heaven and Earth!

• Church should be a place of prayer – where men from ALL nations can meet with God…

• Where we learn to have a relationship with the Lamb of God -who takes away our sin!