Good morning Brothers and Sisters…

Now, let’s take a quick look at Brother Nate’s sermon from last Sunday: As you may recall, he told us the story of Zaccheus, a small stature of a man, who was rich because he was the chief tax-collector in Jericho…it was the story of his conversion, as our Lord stayed at his house, recognizing him as a son of Abraham, and how Zaccheus promised to give to the poor, and to pay back, four times as much, to all those he may have defrauded…Following this, comes the Parable about the usage of money, as Jesus tells us of a nobleman who had gone away to a distant country to receive a kingdom, and who gave money to his slaves to conduct business in his absence…upon his return all of his slaves, except one, had pleased him with their abilities to manage his money…and the nobleman tells them that to those who have, more shall be given to them, and to those who have less more will be taken from them.The Sermon for this Sunday is on Luke 19:28-44…where Jesus is to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem…it was the time of “Passover”(the feast of Tabernacles)…a time of festivities; and yet, it is also a time that brings us near to Our Lord’s brutal treatment and heinous death…We start out in verse 28, where it tells us Jesus and His disciples are on their way up to Jerusalem…Then, as the story continues, in verses 29-31…it says,

1. 29 “When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,
2. 30 saying, `Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here.’
3. 31 If anyone asks you, `Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, `The Lord has need of it.’”

The two villages, Bethphage called the “House of Figs”, and Bethany the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, lay not far from each other along the slope of the Mount of Olives, approximately two miles east of Jerusalem.  It seems likely, here, that Jesus and His disciples stayed the night in Bethany, and then in the morning He sent two of His disciples to Bethphage to retrieve the colt…the young offspring of a donkey.Now, what is remarkable here, is that Our Lord tells the two disciples important things about the colt that He knew…where to find it…that it was tied-up…that it had never been ridden…and even what to say to those who owned the colt, if they were detained…all of this is because of His divine knowledge!In the very next two verses 32 and 33…it says,

1. 32 “So those who were sent, went away and found it just as He had told them.”
2. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

You see, it is exactly as Our Lord said it would be…Now, can you just picture yourself going into town, and walking up to a stranger’s house where you see a young colt…exactly where you were told it would be…so, following the instructions you were given, you untie it and start leading it away…then, the owners of the colt stop you, and say…“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Normally one would consider this an act of stealing…but instead, you answer and say exactly what the Lord told you to say…as scripture tells us in verse 34…

1. 34 They said, “The Lord has need of it.”

So, because you say “The Lord has need of it”…the owner, without batting an eye…lets you go on your merry way…without any further questions! Now, if you know anything at all about horses, donkeys, or mules…you know that if they’re not accustomed to being tied to a rope and led around…then you aren’t going to just put em on a rope and take-off somewhere…they’re stronger than you are, and they’re going to resist and pull against you…In verses 35 and 36, it says…

1. 35 “They brought it to Jesus, and they through their coats on the colt, and put Jesus on it.”
2. 36 “As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road.”

My Friends, let me tell you something, I’ve owned horses and I’ve done my fair share of riding…and if a young colt or pony hasn’t been broken yet, or has never had something heavy on its back…you certainly aren’t going to just climb up on their back and ride-off into the sunset…they know when someone is on their back…they can even feel the light touch of a fly on their back…If they aren’t broke, they want you off in the worst and quickest way possible…if you’ve ever been to a rodeo or saw one on tv, take a look at the bronc-riders and see how fast they get bucked-off…that’s why they get paid big money just to stay on…So, if you can…imagine just how sensitive the back of the young unbroken colt is…then, just imagine the disciples putting their cloaks on top of the colt and then our Lord being put onto its back and the colt calmly being led away…Luke’s telling, here, of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem also relates with that of John and Matthew.Now, with Jesus on its back, and the noise of the joyous crowd around…as a sign of homage, the people were throwing their coats on the ground in front of them as they made their way down the road…reminiscent of  2nd Kings 9:13, where the people threw their cloaks on the ground in front of Jehu, heralding him as the new king of Israel…All of this could’ve been frightening to the little colt Jesus was riding on…But did it spook or bolt…no, it did not!  Evidently, this exemplifies the very nature of Jesus as God, and his authority over creation.

At the end of verse 35, where it says that “they put Jesus on the colt”…keep this mind, Jesus was fulfilling scripture…it was the first and only time, He assumed the position of royal authority…in similarity to that of a Head of State…riding into the City and not walking…but He was doing it in a humble fashion by riding on a young donkey…in the very way that it had been foretold in prophecy, as in Zechariah 9:9…

• “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey”

Now, here in Luke 19 verse 37 and 38, it says…

1. 37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,
   38 shouting: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

So here, following Jesus on His way to Jerusalem…are a boisterous crowd of disciples and Galilean peasants shouting and singing their praises to God…and then, as they reach the bottom of the slope of Mount Olivet, it becomes apparent that the Pharisees are not happy with what they are hearing…And as a result, they tell our Lord in verse 39…

1. 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

You see Brothers and Sisters, the Pharisees absolutely did not want to hear the people shouting that Jesus was the blessed King who had come in the name of the Lord…Now, most of you already know who the Pharisees were, but for those of you who do not, or may be new believers…the Pharisees were the Jewish religious elitists who studied and practiced the Mosaic Law…The common people, however, were not as learned as the Pharisees…and therefore, they were looked down upon as ill behaved…what’s more, the Pharisees were against the belief that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of David…they believed that our Lord was a blasphemer…and that He should be arrested, tried, and put to death…not heralded as the King of the Jews…But, I’ll bet you that the Pharisees knew exactly what scripture had said about this particular prophecy…and that was enough to frighten them…because if the multitude of people, who were flowing into Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, found out that Jesus was the Son of Man and crowned king of the Jews…The Pharisees could be overrun with rioting on a scale never before seen…and the Romans would then be forced to kill thousands of Jews, including Pharisees, until the rioting stopped…The Pharisees just couldn’t stand for that at all!

In verse 40…it says,

1. 1. 40 “But Jesus answered, `I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out.’”

Here, it seems that our Lord is making a poignant statement of His authority over creation…that if no one were heralding His entrance into the “Holy City”…then indeed, the very rocks of the ground would sound-out loudly! Now, there is scriptural reference in the Bible that has been pointed-to regarding this specific verse…

For instance, in Habakuk 2 verse 11…where it says,

• Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.” What is this referring to…Well, it echoes what is said in Joshua 24:27…

• “Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the WORDS of the LORD which He has spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.”

This reference tells us that the stone of the earth has been here since the beginning of time when God originally created it…it has listened and been a witness, to all things, throughout the ages…and has done so with a silent voice…And because the Pharisees most likely know this particular scripture…Jesus questions them, if they would prefer the stone of the earth to cry out…with a voice that would soundly convict those that deny their God.You see, Jesus uses this scripturally convicting language on the Pharisees because they have acted unrighteously…they act in a pious manner on the outside for all to see…yet, on the inside, they are filled with the vices of self-gratification and sin.Lets move on as Our Lord and His disciples, along with the crowd that is accompanying Him, continue on their way…

In Luke 19 verse 41 it says…

1. 41 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it.”

My friends, here is an example of the depth of feeling that Jesus had for the “Holy City”, the City of God, and its people…It says in this verse that he “wept”…Folks, he lamented and poured-out his tears because he loved Jerusalem…And it hurt Him to see how the City and its people were mistreated…both by the Pharisees and the Romans…and get this, He knew that in a short time after His death, in 70 ad…the Romans would destroy the City and kill many of its people.

See what it says, earlier, in Luke chapter 13 verse 35…

• “Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, `BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”

Now, in His deep sadness, Jesus continues to tell them what is to come in verses 42 to 44…

  42 “saying, `If you had known in this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.’

1. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side,
2. 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

We can see now that Jesus has put before their eyes…a vision of their very near future…the future of Jerusalem and its people…It is bleak and devastating…and yet, it has been hidden from them, because they continue to sin…”they did not recognize the coming of their Lord…the time of their visitation.” Brothers and Sisters…this message is for us now, because their time has long gone…We must be ever-vigilant that we recognize our time of visitation…We believe that the Bible is the Word of God…and it tells us that Our Lord will return…Just remember, the very stone that was spoken of in Joshua…that’s been here since creation and has heard all the Words of God…will also be a witness to our actions, as we stand before Him on judgement day…Folks, as we see the news on television and look at what’s going-on in some our major cities across America, we need to take stock of what we believe and how that impacts others…some of the scenes are enough to make us weep, just as Our Lord wept for Jerusalem.So, as we go about our daily lives…let’s act with love towards others…treat them with kindness and respect…be helpful and giving…and serve humbly…But let’s do these things with sincerity of heart…the very heart God gave you!

Let’s pray : Loving Father, we are your children, we praise you and we love you…thank you for the breath of life…and thank you for all of your gracious and wonderous gifts…Guide us on the path of righteousness…Help us to walk in the ways of goodness and to be a light upon the feet of others, that they do not stumble…Help us to serve others humbly and with an open-heart…We ask that you please have mercy and forgive those in need…those that are suffering…and those that are lost…And we pray these things in the name of Our Lord, Jesus…AMEN