Matt 21 Pt.1- Jesus’ Triumphal Entry!
https://livingrock.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Matt-21-pt1.mp3Here are some sermon notes that might help any who want to study this further!
As we saw in the previous chapter, Jericho was the last leg of Jesus’ journey towards Jerusalem. However, more or less on the outskirts of Jerusalem there are two villages, Bethphage and Bethany. Perhaps the people standing by or the owner understood ‘The Lord’ to be ‘God’, but quite possibly they also understood that ‘The Lord’ was Jesus! Some have suggested that this was a prearranged ‘password’ or ‘codeword’, but it is more likely that it is the evidence of God Sovereignly ruling in every detail of life! We do need to be aware of the account of this event in Mk.11:1-6; Lk.19:28-34; John 12:12-16, because they don’t mention two animals – the colt or foal and its mother, whereas Matthew does. Remember Matthew wrote this maybe 30 years after these events telling us that these events were the fulfilment of a combination of Isa.62:11 and Zech.9:9, as you see in your Bible. There are slight differences in the text, and Matthew leaves out the line ‘He is just and having salvation’, but he gets to the main point of emphasis – ‘Lowly, and sitting on a donkey’, and even specifically – ‘A colt, the foal of a donkey’ (Matt.21:5, quoting Zech.9:9, from the penultimate book of our Old Testament). Now you can’t get any more specific than that can you? Why this is important is because of typical Jewish expectations of their Messiah riding on a white horse, or something, coming in as a King to Rule and Reign! And yet here He comes ‘riding on a donkey’s foal’! But to those who knew what was happening, it was a deliberate fulfilment and an enacting of prophesy so that who knew the Scriptures would make no mistake about it! Okay so the disciples did their bit, which we can also read about in Mk.11, especially vv.4-5, and in Lk.19:32-34. We had read of a great multitude earlier in Matt.20:29, 31, and here they are again in Matt.21:8. There is an episode in 1 Kgs. 1 where Adonijah presumed to be king and had chariots and horsemen to run before him (1 Kgs. 1:5). See also the use of garment on a similar occasion in 2 Kgs.9:11-13. So obviously Jesus’ approach was not only humble or lowly but fulfilling prophesy! What the people were shouting or crying out was based on the hallel psalms, which are Pss. 113-118. And this particular quotation is from Ps.118:26. Notice carefully what it says there, as it differs from Matt.21:9. So, Ps.118:26 says there ‘Save now, I pray, O LORD’; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! So, can you ‘spot the differences’? Of course the Psalms, as part of the OT, were written in Hebrew, and Matthew in the NT was written in Koine Greek. And sometimes writers like Matthew quote and translate directly from the Hebrew text, and sometimes from the Greek Translation of the OT, called the LXX. But get this, Ps.118:26 is clearly Messianic and expects immediate results – “Save Now” and “Send Prosperity Now”, which we really miss in Matt.21:9 because he uses the word ‘Hosanna’, but at least we now know that the word ‘Hosanna’ means ‘Save Now’, which is pretty good! And even though he quotes Ps.118:26, somehow Matthew records that the people were saying, “Hosanna or Save Now” to The Son Of David, which means that they saw in Jesus the fulfilment of the Messianic Hope, who was to come down through the line of David, as we noted last time. However, it would appear that though many did see Jesus as the fulfilment of the Messianic prophecy, they were shouting “Save Now” in a different sense! They would have understood and picked up that cry as, “Save us from Roman Rule”, or “Save us from all our enemies”, whilst failing to realise that Jesus, in order to fulfil all the Messianic prophesies, would also be fulfilling Matt.1:21, where the angel said, “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” That one might have been overlooked at this time, if they even knew of it! The last time we read of trouble in Jerusalem in Matthew’s Gospel, was back in the days of Herod. We read in Matt.2:3 Now apparently the Greek word used on this occasion is the same as that from which we get the word ‘seismic’! 3 things they about this Messiah 1. This is Jesus. 2. The Prophet (See Deut.18:15-22) 3. From Nazareth of Galilee. Matthew had said previously in Matt.2:23, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” To watch this video click here
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