Matthew 21:1-9
Jesus, Our Conquering King
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Intro:
I was living in Chicago in the ‘90’s when our professional
basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, won six national
championships. Each time they won, the city hosted a parade
and rally to celebrate their victory. The rallies were held in a
large park in the city centre, the same park where President
Obama gave his victory speech the night of his first election.
Tens of thousands of people showed up for these rallies.
Everywhere you looked you saw Bulls merchandise, banners,
posters, etc. The two major newspapers had special
commemorative issues printed. The whole city was buzzing
with excitement. Everyone was excited to welcome their
conquering heroes.
Well, our text today describes a similar occasion. The city of
Jerusalem was in an uproar over the arrival of Jesus. But why?
Well, that's an interesting story and not just for its historical
significance but because what happened on that day has an
impact on your life.
Interpretation:
For centuries the Jewish people had longed for the promised
Messiah, For the Jews the promise of the Messiah was traced
all the way back to Genesis 3:15.
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"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and
your will strike his heel." (NIV)
The promise of a Messiah was passed down from generation to
generation.
 Genesis 12:1-3 (God's promise to Abraham that all
peoples of the earth would be blessed through him).
 Deuteronomy 18:14-19 (Moses says that God will raise up
a prophet like himself).
 2 Samuel 7:11-16 (David wanted to build up a house for
God, but God tells him that he will raise up his offspring to
do that and that his kingdom will last forever).
 Jeremiah 23:5-6 (King coming to save Judah and Israel).
These examples help us to see how the expectations of the
Jews were kept alive from generation to generation. This
Messianic expectation or hope was especially strong prior to
and during the time of Jesus' ministry.
However, their expectations of the Messiah were primarily
nationalistic and centered on kingship and deliverance. They
expected a King to come and literally free them from foreign
rule and re-establish a physical kingdom on the earth. They
expected a return to the glory years of King David and
Solomon when the Nation of Israel was a super-power.
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Even John the Baptist seemed confused about the Messiah’s
real mission. In Matthew 11:1-3 John sends some of his
disciples to Jesus to ask him "Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?"
It was largely because of the Jews Messianic expectations that
Jesus avoided having the title "Messiah" associated with him.
An example of his reluctance to be known as the "Messiah" or
"Christ" is found in Matthew 16:20 where he tells his disciples
not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Other than at his trial, the only example of him admitting
openly that he was the Christ was to the woman he met at the
well and that was probably because she was a Samaritan (John
4:26).
So this is the background of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. For 31/2 years Jesus had been ministering throughout Galilee and
Judea and word about him had reached Jerusalem. They had
heard about his miracles, especially the raising of Lazarus
which had taken place recently in a town just outside
Jerusalem.
As Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling an Old
Testament prophecy (Zechariah 9:9), the crowds welcomed
him with the shouts of "Hosanna" and the words of Psalm
118:25-26. (See verse 9)
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Their welcome of him reflected their belief that he was the
long-awaited Messiah, the coming King of Israel.
Application:
Their understanding of the true purpose of the Messiah,
however, was wrong. Here are three things about the Messiah
they didn’t understand:
o
Jesus came to be your king
o
They mistakenly believed that the Messiah would only
benefit the Jews

Genesis 12:3 (All nations of the earth would be blessed
through Abraham)

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only son, that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have everlasting life.”

The real story of Jesus is the story of a king coming to
restore order to his kingdom.
o
Jesus came to make your heart his home

Luke 17:20-21 (kingdom of God within you)

Romans 14:17 (kingdom of God not a matter of eating
and drinking (not physical), but of righteousness, peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit)

Jesus’ kingdom is your heart. He wants to be Lord of
you life.
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
He wants to have control over and bring order to your
heart, (your desires, your attitudes, your ambitions)
and your mind (your intellect and your will).
o
Jesus came to save you from your sins

Matthew 1:21 (she shall bring forth a son…save his
people from their sins…)

He came to save you from the consequences of sin –
the penalty of sin and the power of sin

John 8:36 “Anyone who sins is a slave to sin, but he
whom the son sets free is free indeed…”

The great irony of life is that you can only experience
the freedom to be the person you were created to be
when you surrender your life to God.
Conclusion:
Not everyone celebrated Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Some
didn’t believe he was the Messiah, some resented him, and
some wanted to kill him. What’s your response? Have you
accepted him as the Lord of your life?
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